This really isn't going to be build thread but more of a giant thank you for my buddy Jeff being a huge help to push this car forward and the crew at H&N performance for putting up with our shenanigans! it's got a long way to go but it's taking shape! Here's the back story ,if interested or go straight to pics ! Couple years ago I decided California and I didn't seem like a good fit anymore I met a girl from South Carolina and thought I would check out the area I spent a week there looking around and checking out a southeast gasser race and got real excited about all three! The car that started my car sickness was my cousins 57 Chevy when I was 4 yrs old, I thought it was the baddest car ever!!, it's went pro street since , but I thought it would be neat to do kinda a 60s type clone/tribute car of it but yet keep the similarities of the things I liked in the 80s about it My origional plan was to do a full boogie race car like Zak hall and his dad are building , and try and run with southeast gasser guys, but that plan got dialed back... a lot.. I failed to impress the girl... and I'm still in CA( for now) , still want to head east soon, and decided I didn't want to cut up the car as much as the origional plan so without a doubt ,I won't be able to keep up with the SEGA guys... they're FAST!... still building a drag car though! Some friends of mine started a new shop and really helped me out last week by providing me and my buddy Jeff a spot to work,..now I'm leaving the car at their shop H and N performance in fallbrook ,CA so they can build the cage... check them out! Handnperformance.com Here's the pics!
These four door conversions are becoming pretty common. With prices of tri5's now its almost the way to go if you are wanting to build something like this.
Yeah Greg , themore things change the more they stay the same I do really like the south I see myself still going somewhere down there It was a lot of work, my opinion at the time was perfectly fine for a race car still good for something like this but I wish I would of had a 2 door with bad floors and gutted it for a real race car, this thing has mint floors and I didn't want to cut the cowl off either
Then you would have wet yourself (I did) if you saw what I found parked in front of my house one day (early 2000's) when I came home from work, gawd I love 57 150's.
Pnw must be thick with them things? I remember looking at a bitchin 150 35,000 mile orig car in the late 90s ,that was mini tubbed with torq thrusts 355 brodix heads and a t-10 seafoam green the rest was all stock orig...it was BAD!
Just found this and will be following. You do know the SEGA has a C/Gas class that is 10 lbs per cubic inch so a stock floor car can be very competitive. A stock bodied 58 chevy won the championship in 2017 in C/Gas. Let me know if I can help.
Moving to the south is a wonderful thing . I moved in 1988 after living down here on and off since 67. Look at east Tn. Mild winters and no state income tax. My son lives in South Carolina and loves it. C/Gas should be right where that 57 falls in with a small block.
Cool build ! I´ll be watching! I have a 53 Chevy 2dr sedan that will be going the same route as your 57 one day. I understand you left the firewall and floors in place. I´ll do the same here , we just don´t have enough race tracks around to justify the build of a single purpose race car. What are your plans for a drive train?
I didn’t see anyone responded sorry for the delay, I knew the car would be slow goin which is why I didn’t want to make a drawn out build thread yet , been tuning up some sheet metal stuff that was left from the 4dr conversion , car is still waiting it’s turn on the cage , unfortunately I didn’t buy the tubing beforehand and the steel tarif had more than doubled price of the material.. Thanks Quain , as of right now I’m building it with a old iron head 427 , and going to make a SBC bolt in as well so there will be options , if I could make this thing run low mid 6s in the 1/8 on my limited budget I’ll be pretty ecstatic! Thank you ,where did you move from ? I hope to drive around a bit this summer for a look see, I’m busier than I thought I would be so I hope I can make it happen , I have sold everything I own except important stuff like car parts and welders Firewall is getting a recess , not a lot...3-4” maybe it will put the big Chevy about where the front of the sbc was stock , and the header tubes straddle the stock steering box about as well as they can..... 427, with square port heads ,Hightower 4spd , and a old 9” with bracing( wanted an olds) but figured gear changes will be way cheaper with the 9” , stock springs in back with ladder bar , using the south east gasser rules as a build blueprint , I plan on running pie crusts on some torqthrusts for “street trim” which will give it more of a early mid 60s look
Born and raised in northern Michigan too cold, too much rust. Moved back to Tn. this time from Florida after being in the eye of a Hurricane last year.
Yeah I hear you I have to go back to Minnesota as a home base for now and not really looking forward to winter already! So far the time I have spent in the south was quite pleasant ...a lot different than I’m used to but I liked it
Thanks Zak, I’m a big fan of you car and your Dads also! I’ve had some pretty giant life changes recently I hope to get back on the project soon , I’ve always liked 57s but I’m pretty sure it’s mostly because the memories from childhood , but they do look sinister with the nose in the air and no bumper!
The Jalopy Journal
