Bad Jose — The Saga Continues?

This 1955 Chevy, affectionately named “Bad Jose,�? was included in Popular Hot Rodding’s sampling of 10 different ways to build Tri-Fives. In January 1970, the editorial argued that there was no better time to bring this machine to your attention. Now, 44 years later, it has reason to be noticed once again.

Tom Reed and the late Jerry Marquart of Competition Engineering in New Paris, Ind., joined forces to build the immaculate royal blue sedan as the ‘60s came to a close. According to the article, the car took one year and $5000 to build.

With that large sum of time and money, the pair turned the lowly ’55 into an award winning altered. Up front, the ’55 sported a tube axle, parallel leaf springs and a custom built subframe to cradle the screaming 327 Chevy. A gnarly set of Pete Jackson injectors — of 16-inch variety — topped off the motor, and a set of homemade fenderwell headers routed the gasses onto the terra firma. Extra effort was made to drill and polish every possible surface, including the mirror-like Eelco tank nestled behind the blanked-out grille.

In the rear, the car ran a ladder-bar equipped Olds axle with 5:86-to-1 gears. Seeing this as an opportunity for experimentation, the Competition Engineering team fabricated a set of spring-loaded wheelie wheels that connected to the ladder bars and the tail end of the frame. Apparently, this unorthodox setup got the M&H slicks to bite, launching the sanitary sedan down the quarter mile in 11.26 seconds at 123.80 mph. Subsequently, “Bad Jose�? netted Competition Eliminator honors at Popular Hot Rodding’s first Championship Drags in Martin, Mi.

A little over week a week ago, the sister engine to the one pictured here was purchased by a H.A.M.B.er at an auction in Indiana. Allegedly, the seller bought the motor from Marquart at Competition Engineering in 1972. It’s a Hilborn-equipped 302 with all the right pieces, now available for sale as a complete package. Strangely enough, “Bad Jose’s�? two-gallon Eelco tank had taken up residency on the rear of a forklift for the past few decades.

The Completion Engineering ’55 Chevy is a prime example of a clean, no-frills altered that combines just enough show with plenty of go. Now, with a very similar mill available, it’s possible to build a machine that will continue to draw attention in the spirit of “Bad Jose.�?

-Joey Ukrop  

Photos from the January 1970 Popular Hot Rodding, no photographer listed