Projects '61 Biscayne - Mild Custom or Drag Car?

Hey guys, just picked up this '61 Biscayne dual quad 348 4 spd and I'm not sure which direction to go with it. Lower it a bit & go with Supremes & wide whites? Painted steelies with or without caps? Steelies up front & mags on the rear with cheater slicks? The body is virtually untouched so I'll be leaving it alone. Curious what you guys would do with it...any ideas or pics you have would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I never could figure out what to do with the 61 Belair bubbletop I had, so I ended up selling it.

But that car...it has the mill, no way I would try to make it into a mild custom! It's meant to go fast.

Also, the only thing I would change, is to make it look better. Which you said you don't want to do...????

 

Mark, Mark, you're dealing with apples and oranges here. Your bubble top just screams to be a mild custom and is incredibly beautiful as it is. His Biscayne screams, "I want to be drag car".

 

Leave it stock except wheels. Detail engine compartment and interior if needed and repaint it. Don't customize it, drop it, bag it, no fat whitewalls. Dump the aftermarket valve covers and air cleaner. That of course would only be my approach if I owned it. Wish I did; neat car.

 

Missing bolt on the intake? Factory 409/425 intake on low port heads? Passenger side dipstick?

 

Drive it!

 

Noticed that dipstick too! What are the odds of a 409 pan and intake on a 348?? He might have something !

 

I'd go in the drag car direction, no regrets.

 

Neat car, My two cents worth, Drag race it and give it a decent paint job. Nobody ever said ,"I want a rusty lookin" clap-trap to drive Around in!". Again, just my two cents.....

 

Paint it white, clean and paint under the hood, freshen up interior if needed, leave the wheels on it now, and drive it!

 

Sadly that’s exactly what a lot of guys say.

 

I would put in back stock like you just got from a Chevy dealer and you ordered that way, I mean stock interior and exterior no chrome on engine just Chevy colors under the hood. If 4 speed use the dog leg shifter get a after market tach and mount it on the steering column using a large radiator clamp.
I owned a 61 Biscayne in the middle 60's with a stock 283/four barrel 3 on the tree, sure enjoyed that car and won a lot of street racing with it.

 

(Jr. Stock?) drag car in my opinion. Dual quad 348 / possible 409? and a 4 speed sorta makes that decision, for me anyway. Really nice Chevy to begin with so you can't go wrong from the start.

 

The dipstick is on the passenger side. 348 car engine dipstick was on the drivers side. That may be a 409.

I would paint it white and put steel wheels with poverty caps.

Regardless I couldn't make a custom out of that car. It was built for speed.

 

Race car. Man you just don’t see a lot of these years. I love em.
I think most just rusted to pieces. .

 

^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS. You can't loose no matter which way you go, just go there. Nothing wrong with a mild custom that will get it on at the digs. But don't go down the patina path.

 

Post car, Race car, hardtop, custom

 

Yep ,paint it. looks like shit that way.

 

Paint it.

 

I like it just the way it is.

 

what gears in it?Does it have the stock rear end?

 

View attachment 4143038 View attachment 4143034 So......I have the same situation with my 61 Biscayne... I call it the slightly mild/wild Kustom. It’s got a really nice running/sounding 454...when the keys turns...so do the heads...thing just sounds mean..and it gets with the program..but this things shaved,nosed, decked...but I can’t wrap my head around that roofline and a mild kustom..Moose did some photoshops for me. Mine has pretty good paint and the issues it does have could be resolved with some easy kustom panels and fades.
I’m a chrome reverse wheel on everything guy..and was thinking those with medium whites, like Marks car..
I will say...if mine were like yours I’d the super stock, junior stock route...that being said here’s some inspiration for you..mines the blue one..great trade for my old F100..

 

I'd primer it, lower it just a little and put steel wheels on it with chrome lug nuts and chrome dust caps in the front hubs or black steel wheels with Baby Moons..
Steel wheels also look real nice painted Gun Metal Grey or Rally wheel Argent silver.

 

Sell it to me.

 

paint and drive

 

Aggressive, no nonsense obnoxious sounding, drag car.
Naturally it needs paint..isn't that obvious?

 

My opinion { and remember you asked} The wheels that are on it with taller rear tires { I am a big and little kind of guy} and PAINT IT!!!!!!! That's a nice car and deserves to be returned to the beauty she once was. Larry

 

881 intake on small port heads, passenger side dipstick is a 409 passenger or 348 or 409 truck oil pan.
The only way to know if it is a 409 or 348 is to look deeper into the casting numbers, either way you have a neat combination, what to do ??? I would suggest do it how you want to do it, every ones taste is a little different.
for a bit of inspiration go to the 348 409 website.
photo of my 61 348 tripower