A Muscle Truck with a Message – Finish Line’s 1949 Chevy Advance Design Pickup
One of the top regrets weâve heard from truck builders from all over the country is not taking the time to properly research the perfect shop to help with their project. Every one of us each has our own criteria of what weâd like from a business that caters to our trucks, but all too often we settle for the closest or the cheapest or have fallen prey to a wayward shop ownerâs cheesy sales pitch. Not every establishment is out to cut corners or rob you blind. In fact, there are just as many (if not more) great shops than there are bad ones out there. If you look hard enough and take the advice of friends and other trusted members of your community, you too can find a dependable ally in the custom auto worldâtrust us.Â
For those living in the Pacific Northwest region, thereâs a special place you should know about (if you donât know about it already) that is tucked away in Bremerton, WA called Finish Line Speed Shop. This family run spot headed up by Lyon McClenahan, his wife Jennifer and their custom loving kids Masey, Josh, Colby and Brody can help out with small jobs to full auto restorations. It truly is one of those âfor hot rod guys, by hot rod guysâ types of places youâll be comfortable leaving your precious car or truck with knowing darn well that Lyon and crew will treat it like itâs their own.Â
Opening up a family business does sound great and all, but it doesnât come without its unique set of challenges, which Lyon is all too familiar with. He left his comfortable job of 20 years to start building dream cars for people in his community. While that does sound like a dream, he was very aware of the uncertainty that lurked at every corner. Luckily, the young business caught on quickly, and is now quite successful but that didnât happen without a lot of hard work and dedication to their customers. âEven though our shop did achieve quick success, it still felt like there was something missing from what we were doingâ, Lyon states.Â
The Finish Line family figured out what that âsomethingâ was in 2015, as they dedicated themselves to utilizing their talents for the betterment of others. âWe called our endeavor Project Giving Backâ, Lyon says with much pride. âFor the last five years, the shop has built and debuted a new vehicle at SEMA that was geared to raise awareness for those in need.â In the past, Finish Line has completed vehicles to spotlight the needs of disabled veterans, and those suffering from A.L.S (Lou Gehrigâs Disease), as well as cancer. The previous builds have all received much praise and attention, and for 2019âs project, Lyon selected a â49 Chevy 3100 pickup to help spread awareness for Parkinsonâs Diseaseâa great truck model choice to represent a great cause.Â
A plan of action was set to begin work on the â49, and the final results were meant to end up with a very streamlined, yet stylish two-tone pickup that encapsulates vintage aesthetics while taking full advantage of modern amenities. Lyon enhanced the factory frame with a front Mustang II independent suspension upgrade, 2-inch drop spindles, QA1 shocks all around, and Air Lift air bags to give the truck the ability of adjustable ride and park height. A rear 2-link setup and Currie Ford 9-inch rearend give the truck a truly memorable ride quality that will shred equally well on the streets or the autocross track. To finish out the chassis, Lyon redesigned the braking system to keep up with the ultra responsive suspension with 14-inch Summit Racing cross-drilled and slotted rotors, along with a CPP master cylinder and booster. The Flaming River rack and pinion steering package doesnât hurt either.Â
All that suspension underneath the truck wouldnât do much good without equal parts muscle under the hood, which is why Lyon selected a tried and true LS power plant to provide the brawn. The engine was topped off with additions from a FiTech Ultimate 500HP EFI package to a dual Black Widow exhaust system, and lots of performance components in between. Combined with the truckâs newly renovated suspension, the entire driving experience was about to get much more excitingâguaranteed. âI have owned racecars for most of my lifeâ, Lyon admits. âI have also owned auto repair businesses and been professionally involved with hot rods and trucks for the last 7+ yearsâthis is the kind of stuff that really gets my creativity going.â Â
Addressing the truckâs exterior, Lyon and crew turned to Nate Wood of Apex Collision and Classics to massage the old metal to prep it for a proper and much needed paintjob. Ron cooked up a custom color combination to get the dark green just right, and then selected a deep jet-black hue to give the truck a vintage-inspired, two-tone styling. United Pacific Industries provided updated LED lighting with their head and taillight selections, and Chevs of the 40âs was sourced for a pair of running boards to finish off the look just right. The BedWood oak planks were stained black, cleared and paired with polished stainless strips to make for a truly unique bed floor that complements the â49âs dark exterior.Â
The interior was next to be redone, and Lyon didnât skimp out on quality or style inside the cab. Dakota Digital gauges provide the truckâs vital signs while an audio system concocted of a Custom Autosound head unit and Kicker speakers and amps gave the truck yet another facet to be impressed by. Vintage Air A/C keeps the temperature cool, while fresh suede upholstery makes for a plush seating situation. Other extras like the Eddie Motorsport steering wheel and United Pacific Industries rear view mirror all work nicely to boost the appearance inside the refreshed cab space.Â
While the Finish Line guys did get an early jump on this build, the last few days leading up to SEMA â19 proved to be nothing short of action-packed. âNo matter how much of a head start our team gets, there hasnât been a SEMA project that we didnât wish for more timeâ, says Lyon. In the end, the â49 made it to the bright lights of Vegas with a new lease on life, as well as a message of positivity and a plea to refocus attention to the individuals and families dealing with Parkinsonâs. âThis is our 5th addition to our Project Giving Back series of builds, and in 2021 we will be unveiling a â68 C10 to help highlight suicide awareness, which we are looking forward to promoting next year.â
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