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History Who When was the first SBChev powered HotRod?

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Aussie Chev, Jun 18, 2016.

  1. Aussie Chev
    Joined: Dec 21, 2011
    Posts: 26

    Aussie Chev
    Member

    Anyone got solid details? ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1466230212.744371.jpg
     
  2. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

    Rod and Custom Dream Truck?? I think that was the first one documented.
     
    302GMC likes this.
  3. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I´m curious too.Probably somewhere in late fall of 1954 when the first of the brandnew ´55 Chevies were wrecked.Or maybe someone with enough dough even bought one over the counter...
     
    hipster and volvobrynk like this.
  4. jcmarz
    Joined: Jan 10, 2010
    Posts: 4,631

    jcmarz
    Member
    from Chino, Ca

    The first mouse motor Hot Rod was a 55 Chevy.
     
    rumblegutz, henryj1951, S.F. and 4 others like this.

  5. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

  6. Gary Addcox
    Joined: Aug 28, 2009
    Posts: 2,528

    Gary Addcox
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Well, according to the movie DEUCE OF SPADES, it was Johnny Calloway in late '54. LOL.
     
    v8paul, mdcolby, fnjunk and 3 others like this.
  7. Kiwi 4d
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,564

    Kiwi 4d
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    55 chev is not a hot rod , sorry. Street machine yes , hot rod no. Hot rod is pre 48 or something that replicates a period ride.
     
  8. Gary Addcox
    Joined: Aug 28, 2009
    Posts: 2,528

    Gary Addcox
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Congrats, Kiwi 4d. The definition of hotrod is alive and well down under, but somehow has been muddied in the U.S.
     
  9. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    I was going to say R&C Dream Truck. Spence Murray bought a new Chev when the V8 was announced and promptly blew the engine drag racing. The dealer replaced the engine under warranty and Spence cabbaged the blown engine, fixed it and put it into his 50 Chev pickup. This is the truck that evolved into the Dream Truck. It started as Spence's everyday, drive to work transportation.
     
  10. I would have to look it up his name but a 17 year old kid showed up at speed week @ Bonneville with a 265 in his '34 coupe in '55. he wasn't racin' just a spectator.
     
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  11. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    Now that you mention it, I wouldn't be surprised if someone bought a new Chev V8 from the dealer for his hot rod. I believe they were only about $350 at the time. A lot of money when you make under $100 a week, yet lots of guys spent more than that on a hot Ford flathead.
     
  12. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

    A 55 chevy in general, wouldn't have a classification in my opinion, it would sort of depend on how the car was built If anyone wanted to try to classify it at all.
    It doesn't really bother me whether anyone thinks a 55 chevy is a hot rod or not but to classify them as a street machine (whatever that is) is just as bad.
    In my "opinion" when I hear "hot rod" I think of something mid 30s and earlier.
    However I could visualize a hopped up 55 chevy being called a hot rod more than say a 46,47,48 chevy just because 48 use to be the recognized cut off year at some of the big oldie shows etc.

    Nothing against mid 30s to 48s I like em all, just sayin........
     
    scrap metal 48 and gas & guns like this.
  13. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    McGurk, Edelbrock, Isky and Racer Brown all got early release engines back then. A little research in the old magazines should help home in on the first one transplanted.
    I agree, I don't really consider a '55 Chevy (especially back then - it was a new car) a hot rod. I always envision a '40 and earlier car with performance oriented modifications as a true hot rod.
     
    volvobrynk and LOU WELLS like this.
  14. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,143

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    You don't get out much do ya!
     
  15. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,802

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I would bet Howard Johanson was real early on the list. I'm pretty sure he had the first "big" one since he welded up a crank for a 1/2" stroker. 4" bore came pretty quick and with a 3-1/2" stroke makes a 352" as I remember. He made aluminum heads in 57'.
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  16. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    Yes!! 48 was the last year for antique cars. In 49 they started producing modern cars with overhead valves, air conditioning, independent front suspension and automatic transmissions.
     
    hrm2k and volvobrynk like this.
  17. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    Traditional hotrods were Fords made before 1948 with very very few exceptions. Just look in the old hotrod magazines. After 48 hotrodded cars were called street machines until the muscle car era. Streetrods started in Peoria in 71. Some traditional hotrods were also raced but racecars are a different category and very few (percentage wise) street driven hotrods were raced on the racetracks.
     
  18. Larry T
    Joined: Nov 24, 2004
    Posts: 7,875

    Larry T
    Member

    So that eliminates the Rod and Custom truck.
     
    scrap metal 48 likes this.
  19. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    Yes. Its a Custom, never was a hotrod
     
    propwash likes this.
  20. Actually I don't think that you can classify a tri five Chevy with a stock motor as a hot rod they were just cars no different than any other new car.

    now later they became rod fodder but only partially because of the small block, styling played a big role in it.

    The pre '48 deal was magazine and NSRA crap. They really have no bearing on anything as far as hot rodding in the '50s and '60s is concerned. The NSRA needed a cut off date and magazine publishers needed money. Hell I remember a magazine article that said it was not a hot rod unless it had a split windshield, how far off base was that, ever see a split windshield model A or Deuce?

    You can pigeon hole anything that you want and rationalize it with what ever BS makes you happy the truth of the matter is that you can hot rod anything with a motor. One thing that we have to remember is that in this thread we are talking about a time when the flathead was king and there were people that didn't believe that it was a hot rod unless it was running a flatty, then there were others that didn't believe that it was a hot rod if it had a roof. Something that one may think about for sure.

    OK on a side note I mentioned a teenager that had a 265 in his rod in '55. I was wrong about the year of the car it is a '33 coupe, it can be found in "The Rodder's Journal" Number 42 on page 72 the Bonneville historical coverage The cars owner is Gary Guinn from Bakersfield. He is mentioned as a teen aged Gary Guinn so I may have been wrong about his age as well. Actually if you knew where to look or what you were looking at you might even find a photo of yours truly in that coverage although his name is not mentioned. LOL

    Good day. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2016
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  21. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

    I understand what you guys are saying but I doubt their was many "hot rod" magazines in the last 50 or 60 years that didnt have a 55 chevy in it, at least in a ad or something, so I think that should be at least a good source of verification that its earned its stripes to probably be called a hotrod if one wants it to be, unless "hot rod" magazine, that most of us grew up on has no merit here either
     
  22. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    That would be a "Street Machine". "Hot Rods" are pre '48 body styles. Hot Rod magazine expanded the years and definition to keep readership up.

    I'll get my goggles out for the shit storm.:cool: Looks like "Kiwi 4d" already cut the fan on.
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2016
    26 T Ford RPU, jcmarz and Kiwi 4d like this.
  23. low budget
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 5,566

    low budget
    Member
    from Central Ky

    Ha,ha:D:D:D I knew it, I knew it............So Hot Rod magazine was the one who put the turd in the punch bowl:rolleyes:
    or threw it into the fan in this case I guess:D
     
    jcmarz likes this.
  24. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,143

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    You say tater tots, I say french fries, all potatoes, depends on your dressng of choice.
    Also depends on the crowd you run with. Friend of mine had a 55 210 that wasn't a drag car, street rod, a street machine, pro streeter, pro touring, or whatever "tag" is the hot trend at the time.
    All I can say is; after you went for a ride in it, you would be calling it a hot rod after you got done changing your skivvies.

     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2016
  25. I often say that anything can be hot rodded but not everything is a hot rod. For me the very definition of a hot rod excludes about 70% of what is built here, but that is because I am a snob. :oops: Thee used to be a member here that suggested that I thought that one should always be the baddest in the valley and that there would always be one come along that is badder. He was absolutely correct on both counts of course.

    Where we find a problem is trying to pigeon hole a '50s/early'60s car. They really cannot be called street machines and keep with the vernacular of the period, they can't really be called a hot rod because when they were new in the '50s for example that were just grocery getters, and most '50s and '60s cars were not yet desirable for hotted up cruisers before the end of the era that we call traditional. Not to say that some were not hotted up just not as popular as today.

    Unless one could gather up a '64 Tempest GTO one would not actually have a muscle car, the GTO is very widely considered to be the first muscle car. But that doesn't even apply to the current discussion does it.

    Generally we separate cars into two categories on this site hot rod and custom. Hot rod obviously is a hotted up or souped up car and custom is well a custom.

    All this obviously is way off base for the discussion for when the small block first was used in a hot rod, I conjecture that the first one would have been '55 but maybe someone knows of one done before that. :D
     
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  26. slammed
    Joined: Jun 10, 2004
    Posts: 8,150

    slammed
    Member

    No Den. '55? Not a Hot Rod. Ever. You run around here plenty. A pre '40 w/lots of motor mods fits the bill. The old magazine boys will post up the 60+ year old articles to enhance the OPs quest.
     
    young'n'poor likes this.
  27. Kiwi 4d
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,564

    Kiwi 4d
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Well that made it hit the fan , as expected. I have my umbrella out.

    What ever your ride you are entitled to pigeon hole your car into what ever category you feel it fits. But as far as attending events or show it will be categorised into the organisers criteria for what they see fit, be it hot rod, street machine custom etc etc.

    I mean we have kids down here with rice rockets and they call them their hot rod.

    I have a buddy who bleats about why is he not allowed to take his tri Chevy to a pre 49 event , feels why should he be excluded , I really didn't want to get into stating the obvious.

    This is what cut off years or specialist or invite only events are for. I am not upset we can't take our 32 3w to super Chevy Sunday. Or our avatar car to a pre 49 event.

    This is a discussion the has been going forever (since 49) and will carry on ,sometimes fervently ,till there is no one driving a modified car.
     
    26 T Ford RPU likes this.
  28. LOL I just looked at your sig line. I like it.;)

    Actually unless someone has different information I am pretty sure that I answered the original question in post #20. No one can argue that a Model 40 is not a hot rod and I have given a solid point of origin for my information. Of course one could argue that the editors @ The Rodder's Journal got it wrong I suppose.
     
  29. volvobrynk
    Joined: Jan 30, 2011
    Posts: 3,587

    volvobrynk
    Member
    from Denmark

    I like that a guy gets a shit storm in the face for pointing out that the first nous engine came out in the 1955 Chevy car, and I read it like he is pointing out that 55 is the first year with the hot rods dream; the V8.

    But it's cool to hear that my long time point is valid, as soon as a car was junked/crashed/scrapped parts became available to all the kids that paid attention to junkyards.
     
  30. A hotrod is whatever the guy building the car wants.... it's his money.... let him call it like he sees it...
     

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