Projects Bad Banana Resurrection - 55 Chevy Gasser

Rusty, it was great to meet you and your family @ Beaver Springs. Your 55 is really impressive and running strong. When I met your mom it blew me away that we live about a mile away from each other here in N.F. Good luck with the car and if your come to visit your mom your more than welcome to look me up. Brian

 

Had a good time at the gasser reunion and parked next to the bad banana all weekend. very cool!!!

 

Just got home from Beaver Springs a couple hours ago. 1100 miles round trip. I would say "mission accomplished" in a big way! Put about 18 runs on the car and the only thing we did to it all weekend was add fuel and charge the battery.

Here is some of what happened while we were there. I am still unpacking and cleaning up. I'll let you guys chew on these videos for a while and I'll check back in later..

The first two videos are of the same run from two different angles. This was Saturday morning and we all just put on those T-shirts. Personally, I think the ol' girl was impressed with the t-shirts and decided to show her appreciation. As you will note from audio from the in car camera at the end of the run, it was the most fun pass I have ever made in my life!!

10.35 @ 126 mph

 

Wow!!! Fantastic, Great job Rusty.

 

very cool!!!!
10.35!!!
your dad looked like he was having fun!

 

very cool! have fun with it!

 

I seen your bad 55 at Beaver and just now found this thread, all I can say is just awesome! I wish I would have known the story/ history this past weekend so I could tell you in person Rusty what a great thing you did for both your dad and your family. I will stop to shake your hand next time our paths cross, great job and thanks for the trill ride! THATS ONE BAD BANANA!!!!

 

just awsome i bet it brang back alot of memories for your dad ..just awsome..

 

Sweet!

 

kool stuff guys! doesnt get any better than this! dam i wish i still had my 56

 

Very cool Rusty, your dad must have been thrilled with his ride. How was the front end, the little shake gone?

Jon

 

badass man. those videos are awsome. puts it all into perspective

 

Yep... if you watch the video the front is smooth.

 

The Bad Banana was definitely bad ass at the Gasser Reunion. I talked to you for about 2 minutes in the staging lanes on Sunday. Love the car and I'm sure your Dad is very proud.

 

All you guys we talked to down there at the Beaver, it was great getting a chance to talk to you. Thanks for stopping by and saying hi! It was a very good weekend for us even if the weather was far from perfect.

I did get a chance to weigh the car down there. It was 3005 lbs without me in it ready to go down the track. So, it is all of 3200 lbs leaving the starting line. Way heavier than I thought. My first clue was when we got to PA and started hitting the hills (both up and down) and my old truck was groaning. It did go a best of 10.33 @ 126 + mph and I know that the weather hurt the ET some as well as my dad always claimed that was not the best ET track in the area. He felt it was a bit uphill. It seems like it might be since you can coast all the way back into the pits from the shut down area with ease.

Still can't get over how well it ran and that we had absolutely no issues. There are a few tweaks we can do to make a few things better but for the most part, it is a pretty good combo for a big pile of old used parts we threw together in 9 months. When I think back on all of the things that could have gone wrong (traffic accident, gall bladder, etc..) it really makes me wonder if I didn't have some devine intervention in this whole project...

Austin wants to know when we are running it again. He had a blast. He can't stop talking about it. The whole way home and ever since we got home he is telling anyone who will listen all about it. He took CDs of the videos to school today and gave them away...LOL. Knowing him, he was probably autographing some of them..LMAO.

Honestly, I haven't even thought about it. Right now, I am happy that I was able to do what I set out to do and I could use a little break from it. My wife has been totally supportive of this whole project and quite frankly, she deserves some time and attention from me away from this car. Maybe in a few weeks, we'll find a local track to make a few runs on but I am definitely not going to start running it every week. Besides, at some point I probably either need to give the engine back or make a deal to buy it.

If anyone has any more pics of it from down there, I would be grateful for copies or links to them. I'll try to get some of our other still pics downloaded and posted soon.

Thanks to everyone on this board for their support throughout this whole project. Without that encouragement, I may not have made it down there.

 

I first want to say congrats on completing the car. I just came across the BBR build post the other day and have been following it since you went to Beaver Springs. What you did for your dad is something that you, your family and friends can be very proud of. It takes a lot of devotion, support, understanding and time from many people to make something like this happen. And it turned out GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am also building a car that my dad ran back in the day. I spent a lot of time looking for his original car but was not lucky enough to find it. So we started with the same year and model car. It will be painted to match his, although i did a few things like you did and had to go with a few thing he didn't run on the car.

I watched the video's that you posted and hope to be able to take that same ride with my dad very soon.

Thanks for taking the time to share your dream with your dad and all of us on the HAMB

 

I wish i got the chance to run the banana..but I still had fun !!!!!!!!!

 

This has to be one of the best threads I have ever read! What I wouldn't give to have my old man's 55 and all of the documented history with it. You have inspired me to make a recreation of his car.

 

I just couldn't help but smile at that first run video! I can hear the joy in your voice, and enjoyed it tremendously! What did your dad have to say about his ride around the track?

 

Boy ! she sit right up there carrying those fronts, nice ! I bet your dad was loving life seeing you take his old war horse down the track again, congrats man.

 

Rusty, it was nice to meet you! I think I know where you should run it again! Marion for the Gasser Nationals...not as many hills on the way to that one I was bummed we didn't get a chance to run ( you would kick my ass) but after I blew up my rear end, I did get more opportunities to watch you run....Thanks for bringing it out.

 

Congratulations on achieving what y'all set out to do. The wheels up picture is great. I can't see the videos where I am right now, so I will see them later. Any picture links would be great. Congratulations again on the success of the Bad Banana Resurrection!

 

question #1 how old is the paint?
question#2 when do you start on the gmc tow car?

 

Paint is mostly from about 1981-82. The "Bad Banana" is original from the 60's (guy from the 80s masked it off).

As for #2... I am not planning anything like that.

 

Great video's, glad to see your dad got to go for a ride also. That car really hooks.

 

Do it like you want....looks nice!

My next car project will be a 55' two Door HT, with a 409.
Of course I'd have a straight axle and cut wheel wells. I'd run a TH400 with a Ford 9" rear end. The color will be Primer Grey.....
Fenderwell headers too.
I'm running out of time (Old) so I'd better hurry before I become one of those "Druel Bucket" Guys

 

That car hauls the mail! Thats cool as hell Rusty.......

 

WOW! That gives me goosebumps. All of the sudden I'm a teenager again and can see the Bad Banana doing some violent dry hops
on Quaker Cities uphill staging lane. The sights,sounds and smells ALL come
flooding back. Thanks for the time trip Rusty. Seems there was another
fruit themed tri-5 back then too. I seem to remember a "Plum Loco" 56 at Quaker,much milder as I recall but still a full time track car.

 

That was one hell of a runner over the weekend! I raced you a few times and every time you got me on the big end with my BIG BLOCK. That small block runs! (Im the guy in the back ground of your avitar with the 56 -blue and white.) I had read your story a few days before the event but never put two and two together when I saw the car. It did catch my eye every time. Thats one great car and story you have there. Your pit crew (son?) did a great job every time you went up to race. It looks like hes ready to one day take the wheel and let you direct him into the burnout box and make sure he's staged in the groove just rite. I had a blast over the weekend..just couldnt shake the "red lite" bug.

 

That was Dick Kincaid. I think he is still racing in IHRA Stock or Superstock. I see his name ocasionally in the results.

Thanks... your car is great as well. That old small block engine does seem to pull pretty hard on the top end. Austin is a little apprehensive about the wheelie thing. I told him we can tame it down quite a bit when the time comes.