1936 Chevrolet Coupe - Albert Pilpil

1936 Chevy Coupe

Albert Pilpil of Oxnard, CA

McMillan’s Speed & Fabrication of Oxnard, CA

Suzanne Pilpil

When hit with a sweet tooth craving customarily, we reach for the bag of chocolate or tub of ice cream. Over the years when a craving hits Albert Pilpil he has turned to his garage, rather than his kitchen, finding relief via Volkswagens, sport trucks and Chevy Impalas. As the cars and the years passed, the custom culture sang the siren’s tune which grabbed Albert’s attention which would eventually land him in the seat of his 1936 Chevy business coupe properly christened as the “Dulce ’36.”

From the get-go, Albert had a vision of the perfect tail dragger which fit the mold while at the same time stepped outside the box of symmetry. The notion of taking a break from cars due to kids growing up and the sale of past cars was short lived as the empty space in his garage took a toll on him. It is funny how things can work out and in Albert’s case the ’36 Chevy which was located and purchased in Fresno, California had previously grabbed his attention in the past while he was in San Diego, California and without knowing it, the car gods had made the decision that these two would come together in the future. Despite being built when the car landed in his lap, Albert left no stone unturned to ensure the car would not only talk the talk but walk the walk as he loves to drive all of his cars whenever and wherever. Starting with the chassis, Albert made sure everything was in working order and up to snuff with the help of Kevin McMillan of McMillan’s Speed and Fabrication. Up in the front is Scott’s Hot Rod front clip with disc brakes and a Mustang steering box was added to compliment the notched rear end which housed the two-link suspension hooked up to the Chevy ten bolt, posi-traction rear end. Tying everything together would be found via a Cruise Industries air ride system equipped with Slam Specialties bags, Chad Criss manifold and Viair compressor. The chassis was now complete and rolling on steelie rims with Cadillac sombrero hubcaps therefore the attention was turned to how the team at McMillan’s Speed and Fabrication would make the business coupe scoot down the road.

Knowing that he wanted dependability on any given day of the week McMillan’s shop dropped in a small block chevy 350 equipped with an EFI system in favor of a carbureted set up. An HEI ignition system was the perfect pair to the EFI set up which was coupled with an Edelbrock intake, aluminum heads and block hugger headers. The 700R transmission helps scoot the boot effortlessly down the highway while being instructed by the Lokar shifter as the cherry on top of the transmission built by McMillan’s shop. Kenz Muffler joined along in the project helping to make everything sound just right as the pony’s gallop through the exhaust system. Albert had checked off the necessary upgrades and safety specifications and attention was now turned to what the public sees rolling down the street.

Saticoy Auto Body tackled the bodywork and Lexus matador red paint which is the perfect shade to highlight the three-inch chop, ’39 Chevy headlight buckets and shaved taillights. Yaril Customs helped to add some real custom flair by adding custom taillights which were molded into the bumper guard of the ‘36 Buick bumpers. This subtle yet wild custom trick really helps to set the car off in style! Adding to that style Hartman Pinstriping became part of the team when they pin striped the firewall and dash while everything was tied together courtesy of the killer chrome job done over at The Polishing Shop. Albert’s tail dragger was talking the talk but walking the walk is handled best when there is a pinpoint focus on comfortability which is where Jerry Benavidez of Jerry’s 805 Upholstery came into play.

It doesn’t take long to look inside the ’36 to know that Albert is rolling in comfort. The leather clad seats hide the air management system which is nestled behind the back seat paired with custom luggage and lighting system which adds to the flair. Tan German square weave carpet and a custom steering wheel done by Steering Wheel Kris really adds to the pizazz of the interior. The comfort level is really kicked up a notch as Albert added a Lime Works steering column, Vintage Air air conditioning, Pioneer sound system and one piece power windows. To top it all off, a keyless remote entry and engine start up kicks off the Classic Instruments gauge set up before you even open the door to the car. The Dulce ’36 sure is as about as sweet as they come! This lap of luxury was created by the right team that was put together over the span of 6 years all of which had the continued support of Albert’s wife, Suzanne, who supported him every step of the way on his path to sweetness via the Dulce ’36.

Business Coupe modified with a 3” Chop

Shaved tail lights, door handles & trunk handle

Stock 1936 Chevrolet Rear Fender Skirts

Power one piece windows

Smoothed Running Boards

Keyless remote start

1939 Chevrolet Headlights

1936 Buick Bumpers with guards

Modified Bumper Guard to accommodate tail lights & brake lights by Yaril Customs. Hialeah, FL

Metalwork & Bodywork by Adolfo of Saticoy Auto Body & Painting. Ventura, CA

Lexus Matador Red single-stage paint

Paintwork by Adolfo of Saticoy Auto Body & Painting. Ventura, CA

Pinstriping by Shaun Hartman of Hartman Pinstriping. Las Vegas, NV

Ferrari Saddle Leather upholstery

Tan German Square Weave carpet

Upholstery by Jerry’s 805 Upholstery. Oxnard, CA

Stock 1936 Chevrolet Dash with pinstriping

Classic Instruments Gauges

Glide Engineering Seat

Lighting display behind seat

Pioneer Stereo System

Original 1936 Chevrolet Banjo Steering Wheel & Lime Works Steering Column

Steering Wheel Restoration by Kris Olsson of Steering Wheel Kris. North Hollywood, CA

Stock 1936 Chevrolet frame with C-Notch in rear

Stock Fuel Tank

Mustang II Steering Rack & Pinion

Chassis Fabrication by McMillan’s Speed & Fabrication. Oxnard, CA

Scott’s HotRods IFS Front Suspension kit

Slam Specialties Air Bag with 2 Link in Rear

Chad Criss Air Manifold Valve & Viair Compressor

Chevrolet 10 Bolt Posi-Traction Rear End

Suspension Work by Cruise Industries. Ventura, CA

Front: Disc brakes

Rear: Drum brakes

15” x 6" original steel wheels with 15” 1947 Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps wrapped in 560-15 Diamond Back whitewall tires

Small Block GM 350 EFI engine; Black paint color

Edelbrock Intake

Billet Specialities Black Valve Covers

Aluminum Cylinder Heads

Black Mushroom Air Cleaner

HEI Electronic Ignition

Block Hugger Headers

Engine Work by McMillan’s Speed & Fabrication. Oxnard, CA

700R Automatic Transmission

Lokar Shifter

Painless Wiring Harness. McMillan’s Speed & Fabrication. Oxnard, CA

Exhaust Work by Kenz Muffler. Oxnard, CA

Chrome Plating by Alan of The Polishing Shop. Oxnard, CA

2022 Cruisin for Cure Car Show : Meguiar’s Hangar (Special Invite)