Inside, Pontiac seats were skinned with diamond tuck and white piping, and a push-button start sits on the dash next to a chromed column. Slick also shaved the door handles, gas flap and emblems and added skull headlights and taillights. American Racing Daisy wheels are wrapped with Nitto NT555 rubber for a smooth ride and era-correct look.
Slick also outfitted the car with electric exhaust cut-outs, a Monster Transmission 4L80E and a Fleetpride custom driveshaft.
Time bandit ship movie#
They found the long-neglected Tri-Five on Craigslist, and although she was rough, she had a 400 small block and a Muncie four-speed, which Slick says “Was wicked enough to do the original movie car justice”. Then, just a few years ago, Hillstrand looked up Slick and so began the evolution of The Time Bandit Car. It wasn’t long after that that the young Hillstrand took North to Alaska to become a crabber. After he wrecked it, he got a ’55 with a 396 that put out nearly 600 horses, which was apparently too much, as the not-even-sixteen-year-old Hillstrand lost his license due to not being able to keep his foot out of it. He has always had Chevy’s in his blood his first car was a ’57 with a 283 and a three-speed on the column. Hillstrand got the idea for the car from the movie American Graffiti, and says he has wanted a black ’55 like that ever since seeing the movie at the drive-in decades ago.
Time bandit ship full#
Super Chevy Magazine did a full story on the build, which was featured in the August 2013 issue. The car was built by our friend Slick, of Slick’s Garage, in Palmetto, Florida. These days, when Hillstand is on dry land, he can often be spotted in a super-cool black ’55 Chevy that share’s the ship’s name and familiar skull and crossbones emblem on more than a few flat surfaces.
The crusty Hillstrand and his brother Andy are two of the show’s most popular crab boat captains and thousands watch the black pirate-themed ship and her crew elude disaster each week out in the treacherous Bering Sea. Discover the vessel's particulars, including capacity, machinery, photos and ownership. Johnathan Hillstrand’s “Time Bandit” Car Built by Slick’s Garage – Complete with a Champion Radiator Under the HoodĮveryone who watches The Discovery Channel’s reality show The Deadliest Catch knows who Johnathan Hillstrand and The Time Bandit are. Vessel TIME BANDIT is a Fishing Vessel, Registered in USA.