The Talon
1951 Chevrolet Truck

 TALON’S FLIGHT 

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

TALON was originally born in Fall City, Washington. This 'truck' project progressed for several years until it was purchased in the spring of 1997 by the Nickolson’s, of Edmonds WA.  The only original construction remaining is the frame and running gear, even though it "all" has been thoroughly "cleaned up" and/or rebuilt.   The 'truck' includes a 350 cubic inch / 350 turbo combination, a Chevrolet Nova front clip (narrowed), custom and boxed frame, 9" Ford rear end (narrowed), custom coil-over/radius bar suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, and power steering.

 

After the purchase by the current owners, a search for the right company to construct this project was started, while 5 pages of build specifications were prepared prior to construction.  On December of 1997, Extreme Metal and Paint, of Anacortes, WA (Chris Odom - owner), was the company selected to create this project.  His current and previous customers rapidly convinced the owners, that their fabrication and painting skills would provide the opportunity to reach the desired results.  TALON SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

 

A smooth clean look, with simplicity of design and ease of maintenance were the unwritten guidelines of this project. TALON includes a 3-inch chop, shaving, custom firewall/floor system and all factory seams welded and numerous custom made parts, which include taillights, bumpers, and running board fillers.  The original truck metal has been combined with additional classic metal parts from ‘1950s’ vehicles and includes a 1957 Chevrolet Truck dashboard and sheet metal pieces from a 1950 Chevrolet Suburban.  In addition to these obvious parts, parts from more than 11 different vehicles have also been used throughout the project.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

The engine was constructed from the original replacement engine, which was a full dimension, 4-bolt main, early 1970's GM 350 cubic inch truck block. This task was delegated to the Action Machine Shop Company, and their staff. I described the end result that I was looking for, and the rest is history. Porting, polishing, balancing and high quality internal and external parts were the name of the game.

TALON is not a skin-deep project. Under the truck you will find satin finished stainless steel gas system, exhaust system and brake lines, including all related hardware. Much effort was taken to conceal nearly all of the wiring and plumbing, special routing gas lines and brake lines, clean firewall, custom made inner fenders and fan enclosure. The owner provided all of the assembly, wiring and plumbing (gas / brake lines), with some help from friends.  As you might expect, even the ’nuts and bolts' of the truck are also stainless steel.

 

The truck has been very carefully coordinated inside and out.  The signature highlights of TALON is its' unique hand made unitized bed/box/design (with side swinging tail gate, through the bed gas filler) and the eagle theme used throughout. Power windows, remote door openers, mood lighting, CD player and air conditioning are also amenities that are included in TALON.  In no way should the completely sculptured interior be sold short.  The truck was finalized with a set of Boyd Coddington 'Classic' wheels with 16 X 7 on the front and 17 X 9 ½ on the rear.  A matched set of Goodrich Comp TA radials with P225/55R16 up front and P255/60R17 on the rear provide the traction required for this radically assembled ride.