looking for pics of 70's street freaks!!!

ttt

 

It was there last year also.....

 

Since this thread came to the top, I thought I would post a pic of this Street Freak built by Mike Minette in the 70's. I am currently restoring this car and it will go back to the way it looked on the cover of Car Craft in the early 70's. I hope to have it on the road later this summer.

 

i saw this car years ago.. Killer ride !!

 

I always woundered what happened to that car. Updates as you go please.

 

When I was a punk kid, I was blown away with this car when I saw this on the cover of Car Craft years ago, it left a lasting impression on me. When I first moved to Dallas I started looking for this car, after 8 years of dead ends, I pretty much gave up. Out of the blue I received a call describing this car that was found, a month later it was in my garage. not the most practical decision I have made in my life, but I am excited to restore this crazy street legal FED and drive it for the first time. After I get it running, I am going to bring this over to Minette's shop and have him drive it after all these years, it will be like reuniting two long lost friends. The engine is ready to test fire (500 cube stroker big block) the chassis is painted. the front end components are all rechromed, I am in process of body work right now. I am going to paint it black again to bring it back to the Car Craft cover look.
I love this picture of the car crusing on the street in the 70's next to the Cutlass.

 

Here are a couple of in progress shots. I took the T bucket style rear tires off and installed a pair of 30" tall M/T slicks, I am having the front rims relaced with 2.5" chrome rims with 2.75" tires to match the size when the car was first built instead of the big gold rims that were replaced at one time. The main radiator was rebuilt by Centennial radiator in Dallas, I think the other 2 cooling modules are ok, but I have not done a pressure test yet.
The fuel tank was cheically stripped and lined and now mounted in the chassis. The front suspension, A arms, torsion bar linkage and spindles have all been rechromed. It had a minor issue with the differential that is also taken care of now. I have been spending alot of time addressing the canopy fit, I probably have 50-60 hours in reglassing and finessing the body gaps and I am still not done!
The first pic I attached is a picture of the original builder Mike Minette, he had not seen the car in over 20 years. As he was walking around the car, he told me the injector hat came off Eddie Hills dragster, the blower drive came off the Chi Town Hustler, the headers were from Mike Burkhart's funny car...I was standing there shocked in amazement.

 

beyond "FREAK".....very cool

 

In 1968 I drove down Sunset Blvd. in LA, the cars were jacked up so high you could see people walking on the sidewalks on the other side of parked cars. This country boy had never seen anything like that!

 

Hell Yes

 

Here is what I have found:

 

I too was blown away by this car when I first saw it at the 7th st. cruise night at McDonalds in Ft Worth. Saw it for sale at Goodguys when the show was still at Southfork. Had a different paint job then and the scoop added for cooling. Wish I could remember how much they were asking, just knew I couldnt afford it. Glad you found it ! Ill pay for a ride when its done, you could start another business, 20 --30 bucks around the block.

 

Awesome car. Sounds like you're going through a lot of what I have with mine. Its tougher to bring these cars back after years of neglect than it appears at first, especially if it had the misfortune of poorly done mods over the years that now need correction. Keep up the good work!

 

It is so great to hear the guys that remember this car, when I was looking for it,I was surprised, hardly anyone could remember this car, I guess it takes a picture to jar a memory. Either that or they were looking for it too! I assume it was black when you saw it, that was how Mike first built it. Someone later painted it yellow. I have the scoop you are describing, (man it is ugly!) I am changing the airflow to address the cooling so I will not have to run that ugly box of a scoop. I am making it a bottom breather and vent it through the top, I think when it was a top breather the airflow was stalling since it was so low it limited the airflow through the bottom. Fan technology is a lot better now too, the exisiting fan that was in there was marginal at best. When I get it running, look me up I will take you for a spin.

 

Thanks man. You are right about the work to take it back, and this one was badly abused at one time and some mods that were down right dangerous! At least most everything was there. I will post a pic of the front suspension rod end repair, it was broken, so someone just partiallly welded a nut on the rod end, scary! So replaced everything with chrome moly and teflon rod ends on the suspension now.
I know you car too, you did an awesome job on that one, that is one bad mutha you have there. I know you pulled the turbo off, but that must have been insane with the turbo!

 

I was around 18-20 years old when I first saw it on 7th street. When I saw it later the two things that stood out was that big ass scoop ruined the flow of the car, and wondering if I could fit my size 13 feet between the top of the curve of the seat and the dash. I'll stop talking about it now and let someone else have a turn.

 

This thread rocks!!!

 

Here's our LiL Freak

 

first check local and state laws. bumber height is very important. in va they go by 21 inches for the rear. and to be safe i allways measured to the top o9f the bumber.

 

I'm with chainsaw ..........I'll take a ride or two myself !!!

 

very nice !!!!!!!!

 

This was at GOODGUYS in columbus this past weekend. Don't know if its old or new,but very 70's street freaky VERY COOL!!!. Mel

 

Hey Mel more pictures please!

 

The 55 is a new build,I built and painted it last year,you can look on my profile for more pics of it if you like.It is owned by a good friend of mine named Big Tony,he drives the wheels off of it!!

 

You did a great job on that 55! Beautiful.

 

this car is a beast should have a license plate along the lines od douwana wicked stance and look

 

I know tyhis is a few years old,but Metalshapes your capri first off is wicked bad ass and 2nd,reminds me of this thing I had as a kid.

 

Gotta' love my buddy tony's '55.....it was primered for a while with a candy top!

 

A few updates on the 'Digger'. Body work is progressing, the front wheels have been rebuilt with the narrower 17 rims to match the original size. The rear tires have been swapped with taller M/T slicks, what a difference the rolling stock makes. The radiators and fuel tank have been rebuilt, the front suspension and spindles have been rechromed and rebuilt, The 500+ cube stroker big block chevy is getting real close to test stand firing by George at Day Custom Engines. The hot summer slowed me down, but now I am getting really excited!

 

Chopt 34...looking great..keep it up! I'm in the middle of body work/paint myself, so I know what you mean about the hot weather. Some days...just not motivated to get out there and work on it. Looks like you're headed into the home stretch though...some paint and get that engine installed...you'll be test driving!