Projects Southeast Gassers '55 Chevy Build

Well, I've been going to the Southeast Gassers events for a little while now, enjoying the cars and folks. If you you're not familiar with 'em, check 'em out here:
http://www.southeastgassers.com/

It's a great bunch of folks, headed up by Quain Stott(here on the HAMB, @Quain Stott ), 2006 Pro Mod Champ. He has set the rules to create some period correct, early-mid 60's gassers. He has put the enjoyment factor back into drag racing, hence, my inclination to participate. Take a gander at the website, you'll see what it's all about.

I've been assisting one of our club members, Tony (on the HAMB, @Dog_Patch) with his '39 Dodge, as time permits. A good learning experience, always good to learn! He has an excellent build thread on his Dodge here:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dodge-this-1939-dodge-southeast-gasser-build.938352/ Check it out.

I found, what I thought to be, a good candidate for a car. Something a little different, a '51 Chevy. This thing was located just outside Kansas City, so I had to rely on pictures and a verbal description, being as I'm in Georgia. Well, that can only go so far. We agreed on a price, so nothing doing but hook up the trailer, grab some cash, and head that way. Tony was sporting enough to ride shotgun/copilot for the quick trip up and back.

Eleven or twelve hours of driving and we're in Kansas Toto. Some motel sleep and up early to load this thing up and head back. Man, I think it was something like 19 degrees when we got up. Damn it boy, gotta make this quick. A few miles over to where the deal is to go down and we're there. Here's the jewel:


After some crawling and poking around on this thing, it was a.....NO GO. Too much rust in the bottom of all of the panels. I pulled out a big wad of steel wool...out of an even bigger wad of bondo in one place. I'll spare the details, but too many things in the 'negatory' column. We're there 20 minutes max, then back in the truck....empty trailer.

Here's where things take a turn for the better (or for the strange....). Another fella (Jay) in our club called us just after we left the '51. He was wondering how the deal went and could we possibly pick up some parts he had purchased from a guy around Kansas City. Sure, no problem, we had PLENTY o' room! I'll try to give the abbreviated story on how this went down. The guy Jay bought the parts from heard of our plight. He knew of a fella just outside KC that had a lot of old cars. After some phone tagging sittin' at the QT, we got in touch with the guy (nice guy, Jimmy F.). Jimmy said he was indeed needing to thin the herd and had an old '55 gasser from the 60's he might let go. Directions were nailed down and we're headed out. What the heck, we've come this far.

I'll tell ya, there ain't a whole lot when ya get 'just outside' KC, but damn it, we're goin'.


Actually was a nice area. We pulled in and what did we see....this guy DOES have some old cars (this was just part of 'em). And what did we see in the distance.....a '55 drag car. Hmmmmmmm, things are lookin' up.

Gotta go to work now. I'll post more later, stay tuned.

 

Subscribed!

 

Excited to see you building a car to run with those guys. It's the best racing going in my opinion. If you have as much fun as Tony seems to be having it going to be well worth it. CircusBear showed me some pictures. Looks like a good start. Do you have any history about the car?

 

DANG! You had me all lathered up, then stop abruptly like this!? Bad form man, you might get your build thread license pulled for this. Now I'm all pent up and frustrated.., where is something to kick!

 

I'm in. Looking forward to the trip.

 

Don't leave us hanging

 

Sorry for the abrupt ending . I really did have to go to work, as in leave the house, drive to work, and clock in. Not just go to work ....on the car. Shall return.... (still at work).

 

Oh man oh man!! Cant wait brother

 

You are a lucky guy! And a BIG TERRABLE TEASE! Gary

 

lol.....

 

so, seller of '51 forgot to mention & send pics of rusted out sections of car? glad, I guess, that you found another possible project to hunt down - and now back to your story.........

 

I'm just pissed off you didn't let me know you clowns were coming hell I live a bout a hour and half south of Kc I could have met up with you guys or better yet I would have went and looked at the 51 for you but I heard about your luck so I think it worked out in the end

 

Dog Patch told me last night that you had started a build thread, so today I found it!
Too bad the '51 was such a rust bucket, but glad you took the time to look it over thoroughly and found the rust. Real stroke of luck finding the '55, and I'm looking forward to following a brother's build.

 

Man - our bad - never even thought of giving anyone a shout. I think PorkNBeaner is out KC way also. It was sort of a smash and grab deal

 

No worries next time perhaps lol you guys sure scored a good car from what I seen is this gonna be meltdown ready

 

Back at the computer, posting once again. That work stuff gets in the way.

Thanks for the thought wrenchbender, really appreciated. It was a quick up and back for sure.

SO...met Jimmy F., the dude with all the cars. We axed if that was the 55 he spoke of, he said it was indeed. Tony and I gave it the once or twice over, pointin' out this and that....some yea's and nea's. Finally came up with a number to throw out to Jimmy. He came back with a pretty quick "naw....noooo...can't do that...". Everyone has been through it. That was fine, everything is worth a different amount to different people. We gandered again, I bumped up the offer some, he still couldn't do it. That's OK, we gave it a shot.

Jimmy commenced to giving us the tour around the place, checking out all the projects. Lotta cool stuff to check out for sure, we really enjoyed it, thanks Jimmy. (he's here on the HAMB, don't recall his HAMB name...). Then the itch started settin' in, we've gotta get rollin'. I've gotta be at work the next day and we've got about 13hrs of miles to go. We say our goodbyes, our appreciate its, our 'hey, I'll lighten ya up by one car today....". He says "thanks, but no thanks". OK, that's cool, I understand....we've gotta roll. Tony is in the truck, I'm throwin' my jacket in the back seat, open the driver's door to pile in and...........Jimmy throws out a final number! Tony and I look at each other.....whatta ya think....let's do it!

IT'S ON. Let's get this muther loaded and get down the road. We jumped on movin' stuff to get 'er out like a pit crew. Had 'er on the trailer in no time.

Here it is, as found.


On she goes,

 

It's the "Naw No Ya" 55. Pretty cool it a hard top.

 

Made a good trip home, all except for...................LOOSIN' THE DANG DECK LID.....somewhere just east of Kansas City. Tony and I had both tried to open it before we loaded up and couldn't get it to budge for nothin'. We stopped for our first tank o' gas after leavin' Jimmy's place and there it was.....GONE! Couldn't believe it, it was fiberglass too. But, it's a done deal now, gotta keep movin'. Just after we got on the interstate from the gas stop, a couple o' guys passing us flag us to roll the window down. They asked if we had lost the trunk off that ol' chevy. We yelled YUP, didn't know where. They said they saw it WAAAAAAAY back, just east of Kansas City, in the median. Pisser. That's 'bout 3hrs back, in the wrong direction. Dang it, gotta keep rollin'. Who knows, somebody could have even snagged it before we made it back, AND...it was gettin' dark. A deep breath and try to forget about it.

Got it unloaded and continued to assess the situation. Gonna need a good bit of work....that I said I didn't really wanna get into at this time. I just finished my truck not too long ago. Gotta start somewhere (that's no real consolation...). It has an old I-beam front end setup and a 20% engine setback. The front axle is almost 2" forward. It's got some bent places, it's got bondo, it's got some floor cancer, typical stuff for an old hot rod.

 

Cool story... Always thought the stories and effort to buy and build almost always overshadow what you do with the finished project. You have a great start - make it a good one

 

Pressure washing day. It was cold muther outside, but gotta get started.


There was a sheetmetal wizard that worked his magic on the tunnel for the engine setback/driveshaft. I know it took some time to get this stuff fit and installed, but.....I just HAD to take it out.


Jimmy was saying that a fella by the name of Eddie Funk, around Witchita, had raced this thing way back. If anyone knows anything on that guy, let me know, I haven't found anything. He also said something about the front wheels and covers being on Don Baxter's drag car at the Great Bend Nationals when they were held there. Haven't had much time to poke around on that stuff.

 

A few shots from 'counterclockwise day'. Always more work... It had a fiberglass race seat in it, got that out. The passenger door was welded shut, got that cut loose and swingin'. Got the side windows and trim off/out.

Good stuff......rust haunts me.

 

When I took the trim off the top of the driver's door, there was a nice surprise. No metal. Rust repair, I have come to hate it. But, if you deal with old cars, you're just gonna have to deal with rust too...at some point. Nothing to do but fix it. AND, some bright person cut the top of the door jam off! WHY?!!?!? Just more to figure out, fab, and fix. THINK, people....before you cut.


Cut out the bad. Recreate the scene of the accident.



New metal. Dang it anyway.

 

AND, some bright person cut the top of the door jam off! WHY?!!?!? Must be the way they did it My doors on mine have less then yours Too save a few pounds?

 

I'm with you on the old tin, keep it when it's cool, pitch it when it's junk! What rear end is in it? Think you said a 327 is gonna be the engine, what are you needing for that? I'm moving and need t thin my stash, so I'm in a giving spirit.

 

The rear is a 10 bolt, gonna put a 9 inch in it. Got one I'm stripping down to build back up.

The 327 needs pretty much everything. Our club brother Josh @Tudor hooked me up with a Hilborn injection unit for a 327. Going out to a 331, old double humpers(64cc) for heads. Most everyone says why not go aluminum, those cast head's time has come and gone? I'm not shaving tenths, I want it like early 60's. I'm going for fun, stepping back in time from staging lanes to return road, enjoying it! Need all the rotating assembly stuff. I know the bottom end has to be up to date to hold up. So, check n' see watcha got there Ric, I can prolly put it to good use. Thanks man!

Here's a shot of the mill to be...

 

Tim, unless you're just bound and damned determined to run a 327, I would at least go 350. Not a big change in exterior appearance, a few more inches, and the internals are a helluva lot cheaper. Another thing in 350 vs 327 is that with the higher volume of the 350 cylinder, it doesn't take near as tall of a pop up on the piston to get the same compression ratio. Less pop up means faster flame travel and somewhat more efficient fuel mixture intake. Both of these mean more power.
How can you go wrong with less cost and more power?

 

If that 327 is a large journal, then just put a 3.48 stroker crank in it...period correct.lol

 

What compression are you thinking about?

 

If it's a large journal, put it in a 400, and you got a buzz bomb 354

 

I like the idea of a real period piece though, it goes with your front end.