i definatly won't use the six lug wheels. like i said i'm not going for an exact clone like the #57. i just want the black and white overall look.
One thing I recall w/ Black Widows is that they came w/ an X-member frame as well. This was to cut down on torsional twist in the frame. The shit from a convertible car. I have been fascinated w/ Black Widows since i was 8 yrs old, had a guy in our car club that was a wealth of info on 'em!
too much detail. i'm not trying to fool anyone. the way i've always felt about it is it's ok to put a cowl hood and ss emblems on a chevelle, but, when you change the dash and put disc brakes and sway bars on it you crossed the line. just my opinion of coarse.
hey, if the 6 lug truck rearend and matching wheels are laying in the yard, then they should go on a car that they'd look right on, eh? there really aren't many places to use these parts, a Black Widow look 57 is one of the few.
nope, the posi that was introduced in 59 trucks was a dana 40 rearend, not the "chevrolet" pumpkin truck rearend.
i understand that all the 6 cyl three speed cars and trucks had low gears and posi to make up for the lack of power. my 57 has 4.11's and posi.
they didn't have posi as standard....generally cars with PG got mild gearing, 3 speed a bit more, and overdrive the steepest
Brad -- I envy you getting to meet and talk to Ralph Johnson. The majority of the Duntov Chevys involved in SS class racing in SoCal were carburetted "two-by-fours." The handful of FI cars were typically trounced in early elimination rounds and directed toward the pit gate. The commonly accepted explanation at the time was that the lower-HP carburetted motors simply worked better on a drag strip than did the FI motors, and that may very well have been true. In the early '80s I read an interview with a retired Chevy special-projects engineer about the "good times" in the mid and late '50s in which he said that the 270-hp motors typically produced 295-305 hp compared to the just-barely 283 hp that the FI motors were said to produce. Mike
No disrespect intended, but I find this very hard to believe. Chevrolet and GM had enough suitable bits in their regular inventory to not have to stray off the path. In the 44k miles I logged on my SS ("Black Widow") I paid for three "brake jobs" which were essentially new linings and trued drums. Wide-shoe (3/4-ton) Chevy/GMC truck pieces were used each time. Mike
Hey 59mercfan, my brother has a '57 283, that was in his '48 sedan before he installed the 350! It may be for sale-????
hey retro67, it's 50mercfan and don't you forget it, mister! i already have 1 to many 283's in my life. but thanks.
Don't know if this will help, but I was interested a few years back myself and ran across this website. http://community-2.webtv.net/stevelawson/1957NASCARCHAMPION/ I think you probably have most of this info by now but it never hurts to have more. Jason
I want to thank all you gurus that contributed to this thread - I only thought I knew about those Black Widow cars - that's what's so great about the HAMB - a plethora of hands-on folks ready to impart their knowledge to we minions in the unwashed masses. Excellent information, and I'm much smarter than I was before I logged on. tnx dj
I was told (true???) that there were also a handful of station wagons produced with the same trim level and special / unique SS parts. They were to be used as tow vehicles when these cars arrived at the track. If there were any objections from the tech officials as to the validity of certain modifications, the team could point to the wagon and say, "hell even the tow rig has the same part." Again, not sure of the authenticity but it does sound like something they would do back then. I saw a set of '57 150 trim at the last Pate swap meet, complete and bundled together, needing polish but otherwise straight. Asking price was $650...
First why couldn't a posi carrier be put in the truck rear end? And second I am pretty sure Hemmings Muscle Machines did an article on a fuel injected 57' 150 chevy. It was all black but I think a side bar had some info on that black widow. I can't find it on the net but I can scan it if I find it.
I've got a '57 150 2-dr wagon that was factory black and white. The dude who bought it new turned it into a street racer. From everything I've read, the Handyman wagons that got a V8 came with a 265 that was painted an ugly green. The guy put in a 283 and painted it green, then dropped a 2x4 intake on it--so it looked like a 265 with dual quads. At some point in the early '60s, it got a 3spd OD trans. When I bought it, the original induction was gone, but the guy threw in a 2x4 intake and carbs (with the wrong numbers, but factory duals according to no choke mechanism...I've never run the numbers). The heads were also junkers put on the engine to sell. Came with a spare 1pc frame (powdercoated black) and P-case, and extra set of control arms also powder coated. Body is ROUGH, but was a pretty complete car. Had home-made floors in it (well done, but no ribs or anything--just flat metal), and a lot of bondo. I bought it in '95 for $3500. I was going to do the black widow thing with it, but got side tracked into a gasser. It's still B&W, but now it has fiberglass fenders and doors, sits high in the front, has a Leaf Link rear suspension, Mopar 8 3/4 rear and Radir white wall pie-crusts on black steel wheels. Interior has a 12-point cage. I'm re-doing a set of Dodge A-100 van seats on Mopar Super Stock aluminum seat risers (having them made now). Trans is a slick-shift Hemi 4spd. I still have the '57 283 and the intake, picked up a set of polished 7-fin valve covers and a set of natural finish 9-fin valve covers, a set of date-code correct '57 Fuelie heads and a Muncie 4spd...But they're now shelf ornaments, because I'm putting a Lamar Walden built 482-inch 409 in it. Low-rise tunnel ram, Comp solid roller, fender well headers and finned Edelbrock valve covers. I agree with what was posted earlier about '57s being kind of boring and overdone by now...but I love the Black & Whites, wagons and gassers. And 409s. Goal is to have it done by Power Tour. When it's done, the white part of the quarter panels will have the name Black Widow Wagon painted on it. "Black" will be in cursive writing, smaller, and at about a 45-degree angle infront of "Widow". Widow Wagon will be in a block sign painter's font with a drop shadow. Widow Wagon will be the name of the car, "Black" a tip of the hat to the SEDCO Sedans. -Brad
At what point did the Fenton V8 headers become a part of the "Black Widow" legend ? Were some of the cars (such as AV8's) equipped with 2 1/2" single outlet manifolds, and others with headers ? It would seem Hedmans would have made more power.
that sounds like a smokey yunick trick. he did somthing similar with a 66 chevelle. he cut it down to 7/8 scale and then built a stock looking 7/8 scale and put in the parking lot. when the nascar template didn't fit his race car he sent the officials to the parking lot to check a "stocker". they didn't fit it either so they let him race. $650 ? damn, i really didn't think anyone would want it.
So what do you guys think of using the Ramjet 350 crate motor done up to resemble the OG fuelie? http://www.fastlanecars.com/vehicle_detail.asp?inventory_id=892
I love it. If I had the bones, I'd do it in a minute. I'd try to hide the new injectors if I could, or at least make them a little less conspicuous, but I think it's fantastic. Brad By the way, what does OG stand for? I've always heard and seen OE or OEM (Original Equipment and Original Equipment Manufacturer)
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