Technical Survivor Race Car built in 1956 Surfaced in Illinois

In 1955 an Illinois Farm Machinery Mechanic Decided to go Racing. His name was Ed Williams. He operated a little welding shop in Fithian Illinois, a little town between Champaign and Danville.

There was an article in hot rod magazine about how to build your own roadster so Ed snagged himself a nearly new wrecked Oldsmobile and got the motor and tranny out of it. He also used a V8-60 front axle and the rear end out of a 55 mercury. He made a custom body for it and added a set of Stewart warner guages. After he got it all together and running he built a custom trailer for it and headed for Daytona beach where it was clocked at 128 MPH. He participated in those early NASCAR events for a couple of years then began to drive the car around on the street. The olds was eventually replaced with a crate 427 side oiler. Ed died and the car went through a couple of hands but recently resurfaced and remains untouched. The trailer he made was still with it. All of the Early NASCAR badges and tags are also still in the car....does anyone know anything else about it???

 

Wow thats gotta be a blast to drive with that big ol motor and those little ol tires!!!

 

Nifty ride, I may have a magazine blurb about it?

 

Thanks T-man!

I don't know if it ever got any ink or not....

Oh, and the thing still runs and sounds GREAT....

 

That is cool! Not the prettiest, but so well preserved. I hope we can find out more about this car, because it sounds like it had a very interesting history.

 

I like it. Very cool. The steering wheel has a early 70s look to it.

 

What's up with the fugly steering wheel?!?

 

Kinda weird, kinda looks British-ish. I like it!

 

Yeah, its like a 1978 Olds steering wheel. Must've just had one laying around.

 

cant be untouched..that steering wheel and column shift indicator isnt 1955!

if you look at the picture with the trophies you can see it had a different steering wheel on it than...

 

Some of those damn farm folk can buld like crazy....Sorta like the poster.

 

So the 427 is in it now? With the power to weight ratio, that thing has be be a grin!

I agree with the other response. Crazy farmers and their toys!!

 

exhaust has also been "touched"

 

Aw man, that is very cool. It has a real Indy roadster vibe. Is it gonna be shown this year?

 

So, Aaron - who owns it now? Tell me it's yours...

Geez guys, don't worry about the steering wheel. Take the car for what it is...a surviving piece of home built workmanship.

Charlie

 

Well, I guess you will have to excuse me for flat out lying. Sometime the pipes were changed because the originals were right next to the cockpit and the old guy got tired of burning himself on them. The steering wheel was also changed to something a little more beer belly friendly. I guess I should have had him put the original stuff on there for the few quick pictures I took because it came with the car too. Ha ha ha

 

That had to be tough to drive. Not much room for feet or legs in there!

 

Yeah, that is why they changed out the steering wheel. He is probably going to have the original one resized a bit smaller and put it back on.

 

Very Cool!

 

awesome! That would be fun to drive

 

Looks very much like the old Kurtis kit cars.

 

WOW...for being built in 1955 it is in amazing shape....the thing looks like it was built a few months ago and driven a while......hope he restores and replaces the steering wheel as mentioned to keep it truer to the original builders intentions...very cool

 

Yeah, I knew I had seen it in print too!

 

what an awesome find!

 

awesome find indeed, and just as cool to see it in 1963 print.
Viva La HAMB !!