I am trying to find any info on my 57 vette gasser. I am DENNY and really want the history of my car as I am half-way thru a resto and want to know what it was like “IN THE DAY.” I have scoured the web, many gasser sites, and found not one pic of this car anywhere. I purchased it on ebay in 2002. Prior to this it was in Texas for around 20 years, and in New York prior to 1984 that as far as I know. Previous owners on title are RUSSELL GILLELYN of Houston TX, DONALD E.WISE of Odessa Texas, and before 1984, GEORGE ALAN VAN DYKE of Herkimer NY. Car was a race car most of its life with characteristics as follows: original frame, always an automatic car Orig red car, then painted light silver blue, then bright yellow and then burgundy maroon & finally primer tan (no lettering found). Car has homemade ½” plate side engine mounts. No front inner fender wells. It had a roll bar at one time. All bumpers, antenna, chrome moldings, exhaust and emblems were removed, filled & smoothed. Door windows & regs were removed &filled. Dash had orig bezels (cluster was removed) and an aluminum panel w gauges. Dana 60 rear with chrome cover, driveshaft loop slapper-style traction bars, leaf springs & 4:56 gears (short dart/cuda style rear end) with rear facing mounts welded for? (chute?) (wheelie bars?). Also not a cut down rear end, car never tubbed, a rear push bar tube centered out the back. Rear wheel lips nipped but orig shape. Corvair steering gear set next to firewall, homemade tube steering column, hood was cut and 4 pinned (no latches or hinges) then later a hood scoop added. Firewall smoothed, no heater/wipers, manual brake single master cyl w falcon drum brakes on the straight tubed chrome straight axle, (dual leaf) deck cover & trunk de-latched & pinned also. Car had orig (broken) grille surround with an expanded alum grille center, tow bar hook brackets, also original console, the original seats door panels and kick panels all roll & tuck diamond silver sparkle metal flake vinyl (very similar style to the gold MR CHEVY 55 Chevy car). Again, seat surrounds were de-chromed, the right front fender had been replaced (badly) at one time 14x6 and 15x10 alum slots w 11.5 slicks. (pictures below) This car has such unique features, “SOMEONE” has to know its story. If you have any information, please call Denny at 612-236-8314. THANKS!
I will ask some people in the Houston area about this car and about Russell Gillelyn. Post this on the Corvette Gassers thread here on the Hamb. Someone might recognize it. I would start by trying to contact the previous owners on the title for information about the car and pictures.
ok update i spoke with Donald wise' son James in texas, he said his father bought the vette from an add in the natl dragster(digger) in 1983 from a guy in Colorado. also he believes the car was owned and raced for many years in Colorado with some sort of coors beer sponsorship by the previous owner and his daughter. when wise bought it the car was maroon w/ silver sparkle coves. James was also told it was an n.h.r.a record holder at some time. it ran around 10:80 with b/b & t 400 same guy from NY? i don't know Don passed on recently so james will look for anything that may help me dragstrips like Penwell. Bandemere, etc there are some sites i spied on the web today but not much for nostalgia pics or info. does anyone have a collection of national dragsters from 1983 where we can see if there was a for sale ad for the 57 vette roller from Colorado. Remember hood scoop was not yet on it till the 80's (as in my pics)and car was maroon with alum slots& slicks no bumpers and a small 3point bar. anyone? ? ?
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