SP Rides: One Cool Car

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By Michael Kitchens

Vince Torricer is no stranger to cruising. With more than 50 years of cars under his right foot, he’s experienced quite a bit. Vince acquired his first ride, a 1947 Dodge four-door sedan at the age of 15.  With time his tastes led him to become a Chevy man, through and through. He’d regularly hit up all of the popular hot spots in the ’60s such as Jet Burger and the legendary Chunky’s Drive-In, which was once considered the mecca for cruising on Oahu. Most old timers will tell you about the days at Sandy Beach, and Vince was right there with them.

Vince acquired this 1958 Chevrolet Delray by swapping his 1952 Ford Thunderbird with a Ford fanatic named Scott in 2006.  “I’m a Chevy man, he was a Ford man, and I’d never had one before,” says Vince.

With a great reason for a swap, Vince then hooked up with his friend, Alvin Tanouchi, and they got to work refreshing the vehicle to his satisfaction. Alvin was the main guy that helped Vince replaced the straight six with a 348 with a triple carburetor on top. The install is super clean, and features brand new parts such as the alternator, radiator, and other chrome bits.

They then added a C10 4-speed transmission to the drivetrain to keep the car rolling with the extra power. American Racing Mags were fitted with Contour 215/65R15s in the front and BF Goodrichs in the rear to spice up the look and provide some rubber to burn.

Body-wise, the car was worse for wear, so it was taken to the paint shop and given a fresh coat of paint. The exterior and interior, including the even the steering wheel, were painted “Seafoam Green” to match. Then Vince had the chrome and mirrors refreshed, and new badges were added to bring the exterior back up to par. In addition to the chrome, polished dual exhausts were added to the vehicle for some grunt.

New windows were sourced and the interior was also re-upholstered entirely with soft black leather, which adds a nice contrast to the gleaming paint. Vince then substituted aftermarket speakers with a very modern iPod to provide the music for his cruises. For those hot summer days, an aftermarket A/C was added to keep Vince and his friends cool.

“I’m the only one that has a Delray on this island,” says Vince.

In comparison to the Bel Airs, Delrays were lacking in a few departments such as the radio, A/C, and less chrome. They were primarily used as fleet vehicles for police departments and the like so, although less popular, the car is still a classic.

Vince credits Alvin with helping him to complete the majority of the work on the car and believes it’s “a cool car to own.” For the future, his sights are set on finishing the more upscale 1957 Chevy Bel Air he owns.  As far as he’s concerned, though, “cool” is just fine for now.

 

Name: Vince Torricer
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired
Hobbies:  Woodworking and Cars
Year, Make, Model:  1958 Chevroley Delray
Build Time:  1 Year
Paint: Seafoam Green
Engine: 348 Chevrolet Big-Block, Triple Carburetor,, Polished Bits & Pieces, Dual Exhausts
Drivetrain: C10 4-bolt, 4-Speed Transmission
Interior: Re-upholstered Black Leather, Color-matched Dash & Steering Wheel, iPod & Aftermarket Speaker System
Exterior:  Refreshed Chrome, New Badges, Mirrors
Wheels/Tires:  American Racing Mags with Contour & BF Goodrich Rubber

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