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In 1955 Gene Smith bought a black 210 Del Ray. It was a 265 with a 3 speed overdrive and 4:11 gears. It was the first power-pak equipped car that Lew Williams Chevrolet of Hollywood, California, delivered. Which explains the 60 miles on the oddo when Gene picked it up that evening; everyone at the dealership wanted to drive it! Unbeknownst to everyone, including Gene, that was the start.

Gene worked for a body shop through high school and became, among other things, a painter. In 1969 and 70 Gene built a car in his backyard. That coral and grey '55 won Best Paint at a show back East. As a result, Gene was "commissioned" to build cars for customers. The first frame-off was done in his backyard in 1970. NOS parts were more available then, but still, Gene needed parts for customer cars, and that became the start of Gene Smith Quality Reproduction Parts and Accessories. Over a dozen frame-offs were done in that backyard, along with parts in the garage. Gold louvers and outside mirrors were the first products, followed by power-pak exhaust extensions.

A bigger garage was added in that backyard as the business grew. Later a bigger backyard as we grew, but still just a small company of enthusiasts making parts for enthusiasts.

Now we are located across the street from our chrome plater of 30 years; very handy! Still working to make the best parts to keep your TriFive on the road looking good.

Danchuk, Quality parts Made in the USA.

The heart of Danchuk is our manufacturing department.  Staffed with some of the most talented professionals in the restoration industry, all manufacturing is overseen by Art and Dan Danchuk.  Art and Dan's hands on approach makes sure that every part we produce and offer for sale is the best it can be.  The Danchuk's will not release a part until it is perfect, their reputation depends on it.  Only after all necessary research is done, and the tooling is perfect, do they allow our experienced and knowlegable production staff to begin production on a part.  In order to produce the extensive and diverse inventory of parts that Danchuk produces, extensive knowlege of manufacturing processes is a necessity and our staff is the best in the business.  From our beautiful reproduction grilles to our perfect lenses, the production team at Danchuk, in Santa Ana, California produces the finest parts available for your classic Chevy project. 

The Danchuk Brothers feel very strongly about manufacturing in the U.S.A.  It upsets them to see the direction our country has taken by manufacturing so many products overseas.  These Chevy's, that we all know and love, are truly icons of classic Americana.  Dan and Art feel that if you really care about preserving the intrgrity of our beloved classic Chevy's you should demand quality parts that are "Made in the USA" by American workers.