Projects Bad Banana Resurrection - 55 Chevy Gasser

Car is finally coming around. I have been picking at it with a bunch of little changes and it is finally getting there. Qualified #2 at Montgomery and was down to 3 cars when the rain came and shut down the race. I had the bye run into the final. Looks like we will finish the race at Darlington in August. Hopefully, they car stays running like it is. I have a couple things left to explore to try to bring the ET down even further. We shall see if I help or hurt it..LOL

 

Love the way this thing wheelies - my new goal is to get my car to leave as good as the Banana!

 

Excellent showing Rusty, your car was on all day and I'll assure you it was the fan favorite in C/G. Funny thing another yellow 55 chevy was the fan favorite in A/G. They loved the wheels up in first and second gear.

 

Haven't updated this thread in a while. I got an interview on The Muscle Car Place. Here is a link. My interview starts at about 11:30 into the webcast if you want to go straight to it.

http://www.themusclecarplace.com/tm...-55-chevy-gasser-period-correct-gasser-racing

 

Home from Darlington, SC. It is 9:30 pm on Tuesday and I am still trying to recover from the weekend. I thought Montgomery was hot and humid but I found out that Darlington was even worse. Good news was that the car didn't care. It worked flawlessly all weekend which allowed me to stay hydrated and out of the sun as much as possible.

I got treed in the make up race from Montgomery in the final but went on to win the Darlington event. Got loaded up at 1:30 am Sunday morning and drove north until 4:30 am. Slept 3 hours and drove some more. Continued to drive/nap/drive until we pulled into the driveway at nearly Midnight Sunday night. Worked Monday then helped a guy move in the evening. Anyway, the win is sinking in and I am starting to feel the reality of what happened.

It was late when I did the interview in the winners circle and I forgot to mention a lot of folks who I should. Hopefully I can win another one at some point and be more prepared as to what I need to say and who I need to thank.

So.. in no particular order:
RAM clutches.. awesome parts. Makes this car's launches look as pretty as a hot babe in a bikini

AlkyDigger FI Systems... Mike is a great guy with a vast knowledge of these old stack systems. He has worked with me thru my struggles trying to run stack injection on gasoline. I think we are finally getting it close but I am sure we are still leaving a bit on the table...LOL

Ashcraft Speed and Marine.. Denny is a life long friend who has kept all of my engine junk in running order for longer than I care to admit. I have carried junk into his shop that no one else would touch with a 10 foot pole and yet he somehow is able to make chicken soup out of my chicken crap...

My stepson Austin who is currently serving his country in the Army. If it wasn't for him this old car would still be sitting in the back of my pole barn covered in dust and old boxes.

My lovely wife Sharon. She encourages me to do this crazy hobby that most reasonable people would not even consider. She understands how important this old car is and does everything she can to allow me to be able to make it to all of the races I can. That is huge. I couldn't do it without her support.

If you haven't seen one of these races live, you are missing a great show. The final round at Darlington in C/Gas the two cars were separated by less than .001 second in ET at the finish line. It was door handle to door handle the whole way down. Some of the best racing I have ever been involved in and I have been doing this a very long time.

See ya at the races!

 

It looked good in darlington. Glad I got to see it.

 

Congratulations Rusty, I bet you were smiling all the way home

 

All your hard work is paying off in spades.

 

Couldn't be happier for you Rusty! The fist time I saw the Banana make a pass I thought wow look at that old car, too bad these newer builds will kick its ass awesome to see you in the winner circle!

 

YOU COMING TO CHATTANOOGA AT THE END OF THE MONTH?

 

That is currently the plan!

 

Looked great at Darlington. Definitely the most period correct gasser there. Congrats on your win.

Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Some good video of the car in this video

 

Greetings from cyberspace via Adelaide South Australia. I'm diggin' all the Stotts & SE have goin' on. Youtube is my friend and I just love the way Banana leaves..

 

A couple shots from the tape for you.

 

55 Gasser at its best. Very cool, and fast.

 

Here's the video of the win at Darlington.

 

A few more from this tape for your collection. Congrats on the big win.

 

He's been in almost a year and a half. He is stationed in Fort Drum NY. He gets home on occasion as it is about a 6 hour drive home. He was home about a couple weeks ago for a 4 day weekend. He talked to his mom last night and just got back from the field and he received some sort of recognition while he was out there. She didn't get any details. I'll ask him the next time I talk to him. He has grown up fast. I miss not having him around. Proud of him to chose to serve his country. Thanks for asking.

 

They are stock Ford passenger car I believe. I got them from a guy here on the HAMB that is local to me and he wasn't sure exactly what they were off of but they were the 4.5" bolt pattern used by Ford and Chrysler back in the day. They are in pretty nice shape. No serious rust (just has some surface rust from sitting around). If you go back to about Jan 2013 in this thread you can see where I got them. I sandblasted them and then powder coated them. The color was off a bit on the powder coat so I painted over it. Seems to hold up pretty well. They are heavy. The front wheels and bias tires are about 35 lbs a piece I would say.

 

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That is more like it!!!

 

Season is over. Lost at 5 cars at Greer by literally .52" (five eights of an inch). Some of the best racing I have ever been part of. Need to do some work over the winter. Finished 4th in the points even though I missed a race. The way the points were structured, attending races meant more points than actually winning races. The fact I missed one hurt my chances but I am satisfied knowing the top cars in the class are scared to run me and the car is capable of winning at any time. Honestly, luck and hitting the tree are two of the biggest factors. Here is some raw footage from Saturday with no voice over. The final official race video will be out in a week or so.

 

Great job Rusty, we really love watching this car leave the line wheels up! Keep up the great work and see you next season!!!

 

Thanks for being a friend, whether you know it or not, this year. I enjoyed running against you, seems like I had to do it at least once a race. You taught me a lot. I listened and learned. I'll enjoy running you next year too, cause I'm coming for you. You're on my list. We'll be players next year.
Thanks man,
Robert & Rita

 

Robert.. Thanks for the kind words. I watched your build on the HAMB and I can say there are not many folks in this world who can do it all themselves like you and Rita. You guys obviously have the perseverance and drive to do this. I have no doubt you will be a contender next year. Please stick with it and never be too shy to ask for help or advice (either here on the 'net or at the track). I'm never very far away. I can guarantee you will always get an honest answer even if it's "I don't know"...LOL

 

great job to all seg racers. very entertaining videos. looks like a fun group.

 

Greer Finale 2016. These videos are great and I think this one is the best so far. It is a bit over an hour. Grab a beverage and a comfy seat and watch it. You will like it I am sure.

 

I, and many others, agree with you. I heard several people at the concession stand say pretty much the same thing. Never heard a scoop described like that though however true! Radiused wheel wells are "encouraged", but not required...YET