“572Ten” – Mark Shaver’s 1957 Chevy 210
How many hot rodders can claim to still own the first car they bought? Mark Shaver bought this 1957 Chevy 210 when he was just 17 – about 50 years ago! The old Chevy has been through a number of iterations, including a fiberglass tilt front end and plenty of race goodies.
Mark decided to refine the ’57 several years ago with a plan to make it more of a fun, smooth driver. He and his friends were making progress and had the body mounted to a new Art Morrison Enterprises chassis along with a big block in place for power. But after the project stalled, Mark decided it was time to let a team of seasoned pros take over and finish the build. This is where Will Posey and his team at Big Oak Garage took over.
“Mark and his friends had a lot of work in the car already, but we took it a few steps further, starting with tightening the body gaps and removing the inherent waves of a tri-five,” explained Will. “We ended up shaving the wipers, modifying the rear trim, shaving the hood and decklid, and making a few other custom touches before shooting the car in a classic two tone of black and white.”
When it came time for the heartbeat of the 210, Mark had one plan all along – big-block Chevrolet power in the form of a 572ci beast from Chevrolet Performance. As if all those cubes weren’t enough, the power-hungry crew at Big Oak put in some serious overtime to engineer a way to top the engine with a Magnuson TVS 2650 supercharger. Mark now has over 850 horsepower at the calling of his right foot!
The interior is based on 210 styling but in modern terms. The stock dash was updated with Dakota Digital gauges with a Flaming River column hanging below. The front seats were updated with Procar Elite buckets while the rear was modified to follow their form. Michael Hunt stitched the Moore and Giles leather in and black and white, along with the door panels and headliner. To keep with the vintage vibe, no console surrounds the stick that stirs the gears of the Tremec TKO 600.
Even after owning the 1957 Chevy 210 for over half a century, it’s safe to say that Mark has never had so much power and handling in his ’57 that he cleverly calls “572Ten”. It’s a new chapter for the Chevy, which he’ll be writing every time he slides behind the wheel.
Photos by John Jackson
