It’s quite an honor to say that your ride has been chosen by others to be the Street Machine of the Year. This honor was bestowed upon Denny and Jennifer Terzich’s ’56 Chevy at the Goodguys event in Columbus, Ohio, this past summer. But instead of having a pro shop build the car, Denny and his father built the entire project inside their one-car family garage in North Huntington, Pennsylvania.
The ’56 began its hot rod life as a future Pro Streeter owned by Denny’s father. Then, after several years of fitful starts, Dad decided to let Denny take over. From that day, Denny decided he wanted a ride worthy of competing for the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award. The plan focused on a Pro Touring show machine with the potential to kick the snot out of anything on the road. Since the ’56 had already been tubbed, Denny had to remove the wheeltubs and shrink them back down to the size of a factory-appearing wheelwell. While performing the tinwork, Denny also Z’d the frame to lower the ’56’s natural ride height. Up front is a Fatman-fabricated Mustang II frontend carrying a rack-and-pinion steering system, tubular control arms, coilover shocks, 2-inch drop spindles, and 13-inch Wilwood rotors with six-piston calipers.
On top of the frontend is a 572ci Rat engine capable of producing 895 hp and 782 lb-ft of torque. With such awesome power, Denny decided to use a Rossler Racing TH400 transmission with a Gear Vendors over/underdrive unit that would connect the 3.5-inch aluminum driveshaft to a Currie Enterprises shortened 9-inch rearend carrying a set of 4.56 gears. In order to ensure that the 9-inch would plant the rear tires, Denny went with an S&W Race Cars rear subframe and ladder-bar system. Once the car was a roller, the body went to Dave Mathews Auto Body where it received the sheetmetal massage it required to turn a pedestrian ’56 Chevy into a work of street machine art. The last thing on Denny’s list of jaw-dropping modifications called for a killer leather interior surrounded by custom billet aluminum trim pieces, a monster stereo, and a set of Glide Engineering bucket seats.
Denny and his father flogged on the ’56 for 18 months to have it ready for the Goodguys Street Machine show this year. Denny’s ’56 turned out even better than he imagined, which rewarded all of his and his father’s hard work. This ’56 is a true testament to the skill and perseverance of the backyard builder.