1940 Chevy “Tinmama” | Tinman 2 Kustoms

Vehicle Quick Facts

Profile ID: 34021
Year: 1940
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Sedan
Markets: Resto-Mod, Rod & Custom
Vehicle Type: American
Contact: Projects CBN

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Vehicle Story

Our pals at Summit Racing have been helping us out on a slick custom 1940 Chevy two-door sedan build affectionately dubbed “Tinmama.”

The hot rod is being built by Tinman 2 Kustoms in Isanti, MN. Shop owner Luke Merrill, 26, has done everything from restorations and customs, to slammed rat trucks and radical hot rods—all out of a shop that probably looks a lot like yours.

The Chevy is a long-running project for Luke’s mom, hence the name Tinmama. The car has been chopped, widened, and shaved. It sits on a chassis with a Nova Subframe, an independent rear suspension from a 2017 Mustang, and a full airbag suspension. Power will come courtesy of a fuel-injected 400 cubic-inch small block.

Tinman 2 came to Summit Racing’s attention thanks to Wild Torquey, a 1931 Chevy 4-door sedan that won Merrill a Top 10 Young Gun and a Top 40 Overall awards at the 2017 SEMA Show.

The car features a 5.9L Cummins turbodiesel with twin-compound turbochargers and a big dose of nitrous.  On the bottle, the Cummins makes 800 horsepower and 1,500 foot-pounds of torque.

Watch the entire build from start to finish on the Tinman 2 Kustoms Wild Torquey YouTube playlist.

“This build started out as a project for my dad in 1990. He had built a nice 1941 Chevy pickup and mom wanted to have her own hot rod to go to shows with him,” Merrill said. “He bought the shell of a 1940 Chevy two-door sedan, chopped the top, and made some light sheet metal mods.

“The car was always on-and-off the back burner, so I decided to commit full-time to finishing my mom’s dream car. I will take it to this year’s SEMA Show and hopefully bring back some more awards, but what’s far more important is giving mom the hot rod she has been waiting so long for.”

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