Gettin’ down with Gerry Kerna’s ‘67 CST
We are always amazed how big builds fall off the face of the earth. “Remember that ‘67 Chevy II from the Detroit Autorama? The one in the Great 8 that should have won the Ridler award?” We remember it but haven’t seen it in years. Maybe there is a black hole or vortex that swallows all of the cool cars after their summer of love touring the show circuit? This is not one of those stories.
Gerry Kerna’s ‘67 CST, named Gigolo, is her little boy toy and he’s not going anywhere. Gigolo has been on the scene for the better part of a decade and has definitely made the rounds. But we never get tired of seeing those weathered (now vintage) Centerline Smoothie wheels and ratty 80’s paint job and jumped at the opportunity to show it off.
Gerry’s no stranger to badass hot rods and this truck is no exception. Originally built for her by the now-retired RPM Hot Rods, Gigolo features a smoothed stock frame with Porterbuilt weld-in rear Extreme Dropmember and Extreme Front Dropmember with AccuAir e-Level air management controlling the air bags. Between the front frame rails is an LQ4 6.0L LS truck motor dressed up in the requisite old school-look small block valve covers/intake manifold/air cleaner. This was cutting edge engine styling when this truck was built and still looks great today. A Wegner front drive, Doug’s headers, and Flowmaster Super 44-Series mufflers round out the power combo.
As if the nosy Karen’s couldn’t already hear Gerry driving through her home town of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, they certainly won’t miss seeing her. Gigolo wears the perfect coat of well-worn black and white paint accented with the perfect amount of rust and crust. Sharp-eyed readers will notice the addition of the white two-tone which transformed the presence from it’s original, ominous all-black look. And those wheels. A secret sauce of powder coat, iron filings, and a magic wand turned a set of once-shiny polished Center Line billet wheels into a set of wheels that look like they came up from the sea floor with the Titanic wreckage. As the phrase goes – often imitated, never duplicated.
Inside the cockpit is the whipped cream and cherries on top of the sundae. The original CST bucket/buddy seat was given a makeover by Chris McClintock of Bux Customs who reupholstered the seats with plaid fabric and black leather. A Budnik billet steering wheel attached to an Ididit tilt column points the wheels in the right direction while a host of JL Audio and Clarion components rock pound out the beats. Classic Instruments gauges display the intimate underhood details and a Vintage Air Gen IV SureFit climate control system keeps the cozy interior comfy.
Gigolo is perfect for the girl who has everything. Rugged good looks, plenty of power, speed,
and a nice bed.
