Hot Rods This 55' Ford Gasser isn't a "Barn find", It's a SHELF find !!!!

So,...

I get a call from my buddy a week or so ago,... He says "Hey man,.. I just bought Pat's 55' Ford Gasser that hasn't seen the light of day in decades,..
Where ??!! I asked,... He says "you were in the building it was in, several times".

What ???? I don't remember seeing a 55' Ford Gasser in a building down there,... He describe it to me,... after the description, it sounded vaguely like something I had seen before,.. but not in a building,....

He said yeah,... It sat on that big shelf for the last 43 years !!!
Are you kidding me !!!! Common,.... Nobody would do that !!!

So he sends me the pictures and a brief history,.. You got to see it (and read it) to believe it !




Dennis, This car originally ran A/G with a 25% set-back 406, tri-power and a 4-speed out of Dearborn MI. The original owner Pat, bought it in 1962 and it was his high school car, in 1964 he installed a Model A front axle with Econline springs and a 9" rear end, all aluminum interior, floors, firewall, door panels etc. and a bomber seat, the seat is olive drab with 1954 dated harness attached, the gas tank was removed and the battery was installed in the trunk. The 3 piece fiberglass front was installed and bolted together and made to tilt using garage door rollers and parts of the track! It was painted the new 1964 Mustang color "Poppy Red" and rear wheel wells radius-ed by the famous "Teddy Z"! The one photo is how it sat for 43 years on a shelf in Plymouth MI. It was put there in 1968 after Pat took the "Ohio George" blown and 2 port Hilborn injected small block 301 cid.Chevy and 400 turbo out and built his next race car a 1968 Datsun pickup "Hari Kari" that car still exists and is in Pat's collection. He also removed the 9" center section and Moon tank for the new car, but the mounts still remain under the hood. The car was never run with the Chevy motor, he said he only needed a place to store it while the new car was being built, the 406 broke in 1966. The next photo was taken in 1967 with the injected Chevy in it. The last photo is how it came home, I now have 4 roller tires on it and I am getting ready to sell it after I get it cleaned up, the car has a real nice body with only the dent in the passenger door, the photo on the shelf looks like rust but it is peeling paint, the car was originally 2 tone blue. It still has the 1964 Sun 8500 rpm tach and b&w Stewart Warner gauges, the three gauges are mounted on a access door to get to the Chevy distributor. I have the original 1955 MI. title, issued in 1962.


Seeing is believing !!!

This is how it has sat for the last 43 years,... untouched.


First it has seen of daylight in 43 years !!!!


Off the roll off at my buddy's place,...


Nice interior,...


And of course,... how it looked when it use to do battle, in the "Olympian Age" of Drag Racing !





Enjoy my friends !!!

 

Wow that's cool!!!!!

 

Best find of the new year 2011? maybe?

Thats freakin cool.

 

One of my friends has two of his cars "shelved" in his garage. I don't think they have seen the light of day for about 20 years now....Thanks for sharing, cool story

 

That thing is tough as shit!!! Keep up posted on the progress.

 

That is a great find!!!! I hope it gets restored to as raced condition. Keep us posted. Cool piece of history.

 

cool!

 

I'd give body parts to find something like that.

 

Thought I'd had my fill of these "Gasser" projects...untill I saw this. Pics from the glory days are priceless! Looks like it could have done double duty as a show car as well. Hats off to you for taking on this project.
Nice to see a '55 anything Gasser, other than the same old flat black Chevy's. Just like a little change. Really do love love love Bob Falfa's.
JT

 

Although it would seem to most of you,... I have a "Obsessive-Compulsive" disorder when it comes to finding and buying project cars and Hot Rod parts,... And even tho I would Looooove to have this old war horse,... It doesn't belong to me,... And besides,.. My Barn is FULL !

And I don't think my buddy has any plan on keeping it. Hmmmmm wounder how he would trade on a Model T ???

Yeah,... I would love to have it,.......

 

I love that!

 

Damn, that gave me goose bumps. It needs to go EXACTLY back the way it was!

 

x100

 

Thats awsome

 

I think most everyone here would love to have it!

 

Sweet! Would be cool to see her restored and back out on the strip.

 

awesome

 

Awesome,are those windows tinted??

 

Dont frickin reck it leave it alone! "I know it,s spelled wrong"

 

WOW a two door hard top fairlane. Not that many left. I would be hard pressed to put it back on the hiway stock as good as the body looks.Either way its a nice find and project for someone.

 

Super cool! I love those 55 Fords.

 

im about out of gas on gassers... but this is just plain cool

 

Goddamn that's cool! I'd like to see a pic of "Hari-Kari" too!

 

I have 3 gallons of NOS factory mixed Mustang Poppy Red Ditzler laquer. I doubt I could find a safe way to ship it though...if you ended up with the car.

 

Damn nice! For a Ford.....

 

I wonder how many times I passed by that barn. I lived in that area for years.

 

Why yes,.... yes they are.

Well after telling myself I don't want it !,.. I don't need it !,... I would be a Idiot for even considering it!,...(basically lying to myself ) I called my buddy and offered him the Model T and some other stuff for it,..... After he quit laughing, he said,.. "Just sell that stuff and come over with a wad of cash",......

Well,... that brought me back to reality,.... But you are all right about one thing,... somebody needs to snap this thing up and restore it to it's 1964 configuration,... and from what I seen,.. it wouldn't take much.

 

Wicked!!!!

 

Dang

 

OK I am afraid to ask how much. Our first race car was a 55 vic.

That could be a real nice race car again with a little TLC.