Special Delivery: This 1957 Sedan Delivery Packs ZZ572 Big-Block Power

On the surface, Scott Nickoli’s Synergy Green 1957 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery is an example of a classic Tri-Five turned modern-day hot rod. It even has a Chevrolet Performance ZZ572/620 crate engine* under the hood. But it’s also a tribute to his late friend, Joel Hipp, and an example of how the automotive community rallies around each other and their families in the most difficult of times. 
 
In fact, the car first belonged to Hipp, and Nickoli obtained it after his friend passed away. 

“He was a car collector; he had probably 30 cars,” Nickoli said of his friend during July’s Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. “This was the last car he ever built. He told his wife this was the last car he was ever going to build because they were too expensive. … That was the last car he ever had.   

"He designed the whole thing. He actually went to school for interior design. He had vision. He knew what stuff would look like when it was done. He knew what to do to get it to look like it did. I’m not that good at that, but he was very good at that.”
 
Nickoli hails from Norwalk, Ohio – home of the famed Summit Motorsports Park – and when he first saw the car it even had a hand-painted mural of the track against what he refers to as “school-bus yellow” paint.

The two friends went to high school together and shared a bond over cars and motorcycles. Nickoli says he was Hipp’s “wingman” on the project and was even there when he picked it up. His pal had an eye for design and could see just how he wanted the Sedan Delivery to look in Synergy Green.

“It’s the same color from 2012 around when [Chevrolet] brought the Camaro back,” Nickoli said. “That’s basically ninety percent of the reason he bought this car. He fell in love with that color. He was going to buy a car to paint that color, and we found this one and he said, ‘I’m painting it green.’”

The car had no engine and no front clip to go along with the ugly yellow paint. Nickoli called it “a mess.” 

Hipp originally planned to add a 502 cu.-in. Big-Block, but at Nickoli’s prodding, moved up to the ZZ572 crate option.  
 
“It’s got a lot of torque,” Nickoli said of the engine. “A lot of torque and a lot of power. This car will bury you in the seat in a heartbeat.” 
 
Indeed, the ZZ572/620 is built for power. According to the Chevrolet Performance catalog, the 572 cu.-in. mill features 4.560-inch bores and a 4.375-inch stroke. It is built on the latest-generation tall-deck block casting utilizing four-bolt main caps and an all-forged rotating assembly, while high-flow rectangular-port cylinder heads and an aggressive hydraulic roller camshaft help optimize airflow. All told the engine cranks out 621 horsepower and 645 lb.-ft. of torque. 
 
The block is painted in Chevrolet’s famed orange and the powder-coated valve covers read “572 Chevrolet.” 

Two engine options are available: Deluxe and Base. The Deluxe version comes with an 850-cfm carburetor from Chevrolet Performance, but in Nickoli’s long-block Base version – designed for a builder to finish with their own components – fuel is delivered via a FAST fuel injection system. 
 
“We’ve had no problems with it ever,” Nickoli said of the engine. 
 
The car sits on an Art Morrison Enterprises chassis with modern suspension components and rack-and-pinion steering. The vehicle rides on US Mag wheels paired with Continental tires.  
 
Harp’s Auto Body in Norwalk, Ohio, did all of the mechanical and body work. 

In addition to the massive engine, the Synergy Green paint catches the attention of passersby.

“The car pretty much talks,” Nicokli said. “I read an article that said, ‘If you want your car to get noticed at a car show, paint it green.’”

Along with the chrome accent pieces, the roof is finished in black paint, which makes the vehicle look chopped.

A variety of pinstriping elements are found throughout the paint as well. The work was done by a young man from Cleveland that Nickoli and Hipp met at the Piston Power Show. The result is a 50’s hot rod vibe and a nostalgic flare. The decorative elements can be found on the hood, trunk, rear fenders, B-pillar, dash and even on the air cleaner topping the ZZ572/620 crate engine. A hand-painted bowtie, inside of which sits the number “572,” is also part of the custom look.

The interior is a work of art, too. It was completed by Doan Upholstery in Ontario, Ohio, and includes intricate green diamond stitching in the seats, as requested by Hipp and his artistic eye. The interior itself otherwise looks similar to how it would have in 1957 but with modern upgrades. 

Nickoli is a longtime fan of Chevrolet and General Motors products; his first car was a 1974 Camaro Z/28. Unfortunately, it was lost in a barn fire seven years ago along with several other cars. He is currently looking at a new Suburban as a daily driver. 
 
“All of my life I’ve been a Chevy guy,” he said.

Nickoli estimates he has been showing the 1957 Sedan Delivery for almost a year, having obtained it after helping his friend’s widow get his cars ready to sell to Mecum Auctions.  
 
Once he had them all prepared, Nickoli put the cars she planned to sell in a shop and those she was keeping in a barn. After inquiring as to where the green car was, she asked if Nickoli wanted it.

“I said, ‘Yeah. Don’t sell it,’” Nickoli remembered. “‘Somehow, someday, I’ll pay you for it. But, no, you cannot sell that car.”’
 
Today it is in good hands as it carries on his friend’s legacy and vision. 
 
Keep watching The BLOCK for Chevrolet Performance builds from Goodguys Columbus and other events across the nation. 
 
*Because of its effect on a vehicle’s emissions performance, this engine is intended exclusively for use in competition vehicles. This engine is designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for competition: in racing or organized competition on courses separate from public roads, streets or highways. Installation or use of this engine on a vehicle operated on public roads, streets or highways is likely to violate U.S., Canadian, and state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.