My Record Setting '55 Chevy Historical Gasser - A Closer Look
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- This is a walk around on my NHRA record setting E/Gas '55 Chevy Gasser. The car set and reset multiple speed and ET records in D/Gas and E/Gas up until '65 when they sold the car. It set and reset Speed and ET Records from early September of '59 through March of '64. #Chevy #chevrolet #Gasser #NHRA #1955 #hilborn
Jeff what an awesome video..that car is soo cool. Thanks For Sharing it with us..were not worthy!!
I still need to ship those bars to ya I didnt forget
Thank you Dennis! I don't feel worthy with all of you guys with the Tri-Five Garage Channels. The group we have are really some great guys with some great cars and great channels! I am proud to hang with you all! Your '55 is going to be the epic gasser being a black '55 with a blown Big Block! I look forward to seeing it back out soon! I hope you heal up real soon and everything goes well next week! No worries on the bars, Newt has the Delray at the Nitro Garage and it will be sometime before I ever think about them. Thanks for watching, commenting and the friendship Dennis! Have a great weekend and talk to you soon!
First off Jeff, I want to thank you for this video.
I am amazed at the in depth knowledge of this '55 Chevy.
From the explanation of the fuel injection and how it works.
All of the History of this car and applicable Gasser knowledge is very impressive.
I really like a 301 Chevy BTW.
Thanks again Jeff, I really appreciate the video.
Take care, Ed.
I reposted this Jeff.
I feel better now, ha!!
Hope it makes sense?
@@edsmachine93 Yes, it does! Thanks Ed!
The neighbors must love you
Luckily, they are hot rodders too! Thanks for watching!
Great video..loved gassers since I was young..had a 56 Chevy gasser..57 Chevy 10 :90 ET bracket car..used to race at Seats Point in the 70's.
In 1964 used to street race a 59 Ford Galaxy..powder blue and white with stock hubcaps and klutz cheater slicks.
Built a blown R code 427" at JC auto shop and first power run scattered the three speed.
Found a wrecked 427" race car and at a junk yard and scored a blowproof bellowing with performance clutch and flywheel.
But stock rims and hubcaps back on it with Lutz cheater slicks...raced 4 th street in Santa Rosa passing it off as all stock..blew off a 55 Chevy gasser..we threw a jacket over the floor shift with the three speed column linkage still dangling on the column..look on that driver was priceless..."I've never been beat by a 352 before.. I replied "guess this wasn't your lucky night."
Santa Rosa and Petaluma were ruled by hot rods..LOL
WOW! Great stories CC! I couldn't imagine the look on that guys face! This car has a Northern Calif. history too. I have some great stories from a competitor who ran against it at Santa Maria and it set the NHRA National Speed Record at Half Moon Bay. I am not sure if it ran at Sears Point but, I am pretty sure they ran it at Baylands/Freemont Raceway. I got to run my other '55 there in the 80's and it was one of my favorites! Thanks for watching and sharing the stories and the great cars you've owned! Take care!
man what a cool car. and I love how you show not all gas cars were straight axles. such a killer car!
Yes, that is a big point that is often missed about the gassers....not all had straight axles! I have enjoyed the progress on your Gasser and the Nomad! I will be digging into your panel repair videos soon when I start on my rusty '55 4 door! Thank you for watching and I appreciate this often missed point about the Tri-Five Gassers and staright axles! Keep up the great work on your channel and take care!
What a time capsule! Love that 55. I want to say that my 55 must have been raced at some point in time. It had the inner fenders cut out for fenderwell headers and old brackets for fire extinguishers. Also had some heavy duty homemade traction bars and welded angle iron to hold everything together up front. Extra tall springs up front. I really like those headers collectors. I have a set like that that a buddy made for me only he welded a removable cap so I can run regular exhaust. Did I say that I Love that car!?
Thank you! It sure sounds like yours did some racing too! It is fun to go over them with a fine tooth comb and find the old signs of the racing modifications! It's kind of like doing an archeological dig! I will be leaving these headers as is but, the new street gasser (The Delray) will have cutouts with the fenderwells. Thanks again for watching and more is on the way with this one! Take care!
Very cool Jeff!
Thank you Jim! I have more to come on this one within the next 2 weeks. Thanks for watching and take care!
Great History! I love it! Thanks for sharing
Thanks Mike! I should have some good footage of the car at the races that I hope to have up after I get back next weekend. Thanks for watching and take care!
The pistons look like Jahn's Racing Pistons.
I sure like the video👍
My dad ran Jahn's pistons back in the day and had some water slide decals from them on his toolbox. I am betting they probably are Jahn's. I wonder if I can clean up and be able to run them again???🤔
Incredible!! So good that I've watched it 3 times now....what a neat, neat car and love the history behind it. Thank you for sharing this and looking forward to future videos as well.
Thank you Dave, it is greatly appreciated! It is feedback like this that helps me with future videos and what people like. With all the cars I have here, it helps! I was actually going to leave this one in the garage for another year until I got it painted and lettered but, after my cold start video, everyone loved it as is so, it was time to take it out again and enjoy it until the paint guys are ready for it. Thanks again for watching and I will have lots more video of it these next 2 weeks. Take care!
It"s impossible to improve perfection, it's a keeper.
Thanks Ed! It still has some tuning and work to get her back to where she was in 1964 but, we'll get there! Thanks for watching!
Great car,reminds me of my first car a 55 street racer but I did put a truck dropped axle in mine and fiberglass tilt nose because I got in an accident the first time a drove it in snow and couldn't shop at an intersection with the vw front tires I put on
Not good! I have some 165R15's on the front of my street '55! Sounds like your '55 was a cool one too! I am building a second gasser for the street and it will have a fiberglass tilt on it too. Thanks for watching and take care!
Awesome video Jeff! I felt like I was right there looking at the car as you filmed! Wow I just have a guy feeling that was a black widow rear axle setup, normally no stamps mean prototype experimental stuff. Dam shame the aluminum rods can't be used again I would love to have them. Really cool car and its in the right hands! Have a good one Buddy 👍
Thank you Don, great points and it was tough keeping this video from being longer. There are so many more stories and info that goes with this car! Yep, I am almost positive it was a black widow rear as the points you said are spot on! The aluminum Rods are wall hangers for sure! Luckily, I have a a buddy who owns the Yesterday's Child '56 Chevy Gasser. His '56 was a competing car that ran against my car back in the day. They traded the records back and forth between the 2. He works for CP/Carrilo Rods and I will reach out to him to buy some Carrillo's when I re-do this engine down the road. I will have a lot of footage on this car within the next 2 weeks as the Moon New Year's Party is next weekend. I secured 4 cameras so, we'll see if I can get some video and in car camera footage. The convertable is sure looking good! I can't wait to see the engine go in it! Take care and talk to you soon!
What a great piece of history!
Thank you! It has been an amazing ride owning this car and I often feel like the curator of a rolling museum. Thanks for watching!
Awesome video. I love seeing updates on this car. Gives me inspiration for my 55 Chevy. 👍
Thanks Andrew! That's what I enjoy about doing the channel, giving inspiration to others to keep going on their projects! I know the other channels that I watch are motivating to me on my projects too! Thanks for watching and I hope your project goes well too! If you ever post videos of the '55, I will be there to sub and watch! Take care!
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to explain its history on a neat car and keeping it mostly as it was !
Thanks for watching! I will never fully restore this car, I will try to keep it as original as possible. The paint/lettering will go back to the way it was when it set the records back in '63.
I love the history of this car and the 301 and 302 engines were the ticket I had a 302 in my Z28 and like a dummy I put aluminum rods in it and missed a shift and the motor came apart I was young and foolish but boy that thing would Rev that car ran good it was a all out street car I raced on weekends I also had a set of Lee Shepard cast iron angel plug 202 heads this was around 1979 those heads flowed pretty good I was the only person that had aftermarket heads on a street car...lol times have really changed with all the aftermarket parts they have today I really love the Hillborn injection set up on your car a guy had one for sale on face book market place a few weeks ago. I would love to build a small block like yours one day. Thanks for the video your friend from Louisiana Rick 427
Awesome Rick! Sounds like you have had a lot of crazy fun experiences! Lee Shepherd was and all time favorite of mine, the Dale Earnhardt of NHRA! He did great work on cylinder heads and was one of the best! Around that era, my guess is that those were the 292 Turbo Cast heads that were the ones that followed the camel humps. I bought a second set of Hilborns for a future project down the road...nothing is more nostalgic! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for making this video Jeff.
Great drag racing history.
Thanks for all of the information.
Take care, Ed.
Thank you Ed! It has been an amazing ride owning this car and all that it has done and been through! It amazed me finding the videos of it at Indy and at Lions with the team and the guys who ran it back then. If the car could only talk! Thanks for watching and will have the car out again soon for a test and tune on the Hilborns as well as running at the upcoming Antique Nationals at the end of May. Thanks for watching and take care!
Great history on that old 55.
Love it and all those old parts just to cool. Awesome that your going to put it back like it was back in the day sure does deserve it.
To bad you didn't still have that old rearend that was in it but you do have a period correct one in it now.
She's a tuff one.
Take it easy Jeff thanks for sharing the history on it.
Thank you Chris! It really has been a journey with this car and I feel like I have been a museum curator! I wished I still had that rear end! I will probably put a 6 lug truck rear back in it someday which will free up another '57-'64 Pontiac/Olds rear for another project. I just have to figure out when I can paint and letter it without interrupting the upcoming events I want to go to. We'll see. Thanks for watching Chris and I look forward to the thaw when you can get the old girl out again and get her some exercise! Take care!
Very, very cool Thanks for sharing and good luck at the track!
Thank you Shakey! Did you buy that '55 and Camaro?
She Dont Need History !! She Is History !! Props For Preserving Her !!
Thank you!
Wow that sounds amazing. 🔥
Hopefully I get to see it someday
We should be out at the Antique Nationals with the car at Irwindale Dragstrip in May. Thanks for watching!
Very cool story. very cool car thank you for saving history.
Thank you David! I feel like a museum curator owning this one! Thanks for watching and the great comments! Take care!
Awesome car!Great history.Really enjoyed watching.
Thank you Mark! It has been really fun owning the car and driving it when I can!
Great video and story of the oh 55 , yeah a lot of battle scars as u say, yeah when I was a teenager go to the track with some of the guys that race , they said it will go or blow, and they mean it to sure lol. Good luck at the track Jeff, 👍
Thank you Lonnie! It is greatly appreciated! I plan to leave these scars on the car as is because they all have a story. It should be fun at the track next weekend and I have 4 cameras so, we'll see if I can get some good video from them! Thanks again and take care!
Absolutely awesome!!! Love it!
Thank you! We had an amazing time running it again at the MoonEyes Drags yesterday! The car did well! Thanks for watching!
Jeff it would be cool to clean up and repurpose the Howard's aluminum ConnectingRods and pistons and build a engine replicating the original.
In the old days they would recon the rods one time.
As long as not cracked.
Food for thought.
Would be a great conversation piece.
Ed, I would absolutely love to do that! I have a lot of the original parts to put it back together. Would you be able to look at and possibly recondition the rods and pistons if I sent them to you?
@@hubiesgarage Yes, I would consider this.
I have fixture for drilling the dowel pins.
I may need to modify it for the small journal rods, or make a new one.
Most aluminum rods have a dowel pin.
I have a supply of dowel pins from Childs and Albert from back in the day.
Use to install dowels in factory Big Block Chevy engines to keep the bearings from spinning.
I know the parts will not be new.
But preserving Automotive History.
A block could be bored to fit the pistons.
And, I know this is not using new materials and technology Rods and Pistons.
@@edsmachine93 I just went out to take a closer look at the pistons and rods. Unfortunately, they were left outside for a minute and not looking the best. The pins and the rings have some rust. They must be full floaters but, are frozen. They also appear to have some dimpling on the domes where the valves hit. That would make sense because Dennis Coker, a competitor with a record setting '56 Chevy, was pitted at the finish line at Santa Maria and heard the car over-rev through the lights and heard the valves hitting. The guys had to tear the heads off and replace some bent valves after that run. My good buddy Ric from CP-Carrillo Rods owns the car now and relayed that story to me from Dennis.
I cleaned off one of the piston tops to look for a oversize stamp and found directional arrows and the Forged True stamp. I believe they are standard bore because Jack Norton, the car builder/Owner/Mechanic was the lead mechanic at Oscar Gregory Chevrolet (their sponsor) and he pulled shortblocks off the shelf from the parts dept., did his own prep work and ran them. There was a story where they were at the Winternationals, blew up an engine, he ran back to Long Beach to pull a shortblock off the shelf but, there were no 283's on the shelf. They grabbed a 327, ran back to the track, re-qualified the car in C/Gas and either runner upped or won the class. It is amazing what those guys did back in the day!
My thought is to send the rods and pistons to you and see what can be done. If they are not salvageable, then plan B would be to make connecting rod clocks out of them and use them as special gifts or special sale items if I ever do merch down the road.
@@hubiesgarage Fascinating story to say the least.
The things that guys did back in the day were amazing.
Paved the way for modern racing.
I think that block may be able to be fixed.
Not for racing, but it would run and show case a true Nostalgic build and Historic significance.
I bet the pistons could be cleaned up.
And yes, they are full floated.
The block looks like it could be pinned or have some other type of repair but, its racing days are over. It had been stepped on pretty hard in its heyday! The crack is on the second or third main web, right across one of the main cap bolt hole face where the main cap mating surface is. The crack is on each side of the bolt hole perpendicular to the front of the block. I had kept it because it was the record holder and to use as a mock up block for all my future projects. The crank got lost in one of my moves and had some machining tricks done to it, if I remember correctly. The original cam is potentially at my buddy's house who has since passed. His wife may not have cleaned out their garage since his passing. I am not sure what I could do with the engine other than keep it as a running display engine for my new shop which will be unique in itself.
Really like your 55, I’m guessing that’s a .30 over 283. I still have mine from High school, we built it in 1976, 11 to 1 compression, it ran great! Someday I’ll freshen it up and us it again. Great job on keeping it period correct!
Thank you! You are close, it's a .120 over 283 that puts it at 301 cubic inches. The .030 over is 287 cubic inches and .060 over is 292 cu. inches, another popular version of the 283. Your combo sounds like a great one, especially with the 11 to 1 compression! That will be a neat one to see when you get it freshened up! Thanks for watching!
this is a really neat story of the 55 that is still here from its racing days. and it has the engine, clutch, and had the rear end.
a good freind had a 301 in a 65 white impala as a driver back in my young punk days. thank you for making the vidio.
Thank you for watching, for replying and subscribing! It is much appreciated! The car has been an absolute time capsule on wheels and I have learned to be a curator of the car. It has been fun owning it, driving it and finding more pieces of the puzzle from the car's past! Thanks for watching and I should have more on it soon!
Very nice content thanks sir love the nostalgia drag stuff my era lol 😆
Thank you Jack! That is a very appreciated compliment as I am trying to continue this course with the content as it is a very nostalgic era for me too! Thanks for watching!
The gentleman that founded EELCO is living in PA. They made some cool stuff. He was friends with Larry Ladd of Ladd's Porting Service, and the Coleman Brothers Speed Shop, both were in Elkridge MD.
Wow! That is great info! I have been holding off on replacing the tank with a bigger one because this one was always in the car. It would be interesting to know who was around first or who marketed the alum. fuel tank first, Moon or Eelco? Thanks for watching and for the additional info!
@@hubiesgarage I believe Moon, because EELCO came along in the mid to late 60's. Moon goes back to the mid-fifties. EELCO made cool cans, gas pedals, and fuel blocks, among other pieces.
Good info to know! It may have even been in the early 60's for Eelco as the fuel tank has been in this car since 1962. All great info, thank you!
I HAVE A RUST FREE ORIGINAL FADED FACTORY PAINT 56 2 DOOR. I LOVE THE OLD DECALS
56's are cool as we have a couple in the family too! Thanks for watching!
Honestly, I would re-chrome the chrome front runners and run some 10:00x15 on the rear with stock center steelies. Love the patina and the craftsmanship (or lack of) of the rest of the car. Every ding and dent on the floorboards tell a story.
Before you do a renovation bring it to the ADM Gasser show in August, If i'm not at the Tri-5 Nationals in bowling green Im at that show with my 57 (that I will be displaying at Mooneyes show on the 28th)
If we haven't met yet it would be a hoot to see the car and meet you.
For sure Randy! I will be re-chroming Ted's chrome reverse front runners as they were on my car in '64 after Ted sold his. I just bought some 10x15 stock steelies, got them powder painted gloss black and bought some Towel City Pie Crusts that are 30" dia with a 10.5" foot print. I have a tech card to run at The MoonEyes New Year's Party at Irwindale next weekend and will have the car out to the Zimmerman ADM for Gassers 9 this year. We'll see if there is time to paint and letter it back to its record setting days betwen now and August. Come over to see the car at Irwindale next weekend, I should be with the Gassers who will be running that weekend. I look forward to meeting you out there!
Awesome video thank you
I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for watching!
Thanks for the video. I am building a 52 Ford Gasser, also not a straight axle. I also have a small channel
That will be a very cool build using a different body style like that! You should check out my very first subscriber's page. He is building two '58 Fords and one will be a gasser that he races. His channel is BareRose Garage. He is very supportive and helps out the smaller channels with tips on how to grow your channel. He is a great guy and has lots of knowledge! I will have to check out your channel after this weekend when I can get done with my gasser. Thanks for watching and take care!
You should take it to this years March meet , it’s 2,3,4,5th March ,65 th the top fuel ⛽️ class is a 16 car feild this year up from past years 10.000 to the Winner 5,000 runner up in all top fuel classs. Thanks BigAl California thanks for the lesson good stuff praise Jesus Christ grace amen 🙏
Thanks Al! I had ran the March Meet back in the 80's when NDRA had control of the event. I think it was my 1st or 2nd race with my red and white Bel Air Sedan and I runner up'd in bracket 3. I should have won the final except they entered my dial in wrong. I have had the gasser at Bakersfield before for the Hot Rod Reunion but, the March Meet and the NHRA Heritage Series does not have a class for my car that is a good fit. The gas class indexes are too quick for my car. Thanks for watching Al and Lord Bless!
I just subbed recently. Big Don sent me.. I love this car. It looks like you have great plans for it and I look
forward to watching this restoration/ build.. I may have missed this idea but you can have the decals on
the side of the car reproduced.. Regards from Ody Slim
Thank you Ody! It has a very long history most of which I have uncovered. At the end of '64 it was purchased by Dennis Moffit and he painted it white so the car would not be recognized and to get rid of the multiple colors and lettering when the team had it. My plans are to put it back to the way it was painted back in '63/'64 when the team set all the records and it was very well known. The stickers are all original on the windows with exception of the NHRA and the D/G stickers. I have located most of the original stickers and will replace them if needed. I will try to keep all the original items on the car the way it was in that era.
@@hubiesgarage That sounds great. I look forward to seeing your progress. Thank YOu
You were only allowed a hundred pounds of bolt in ballast , BUT you could weld in as many cross members as necessary to strengthen the frame the fact that those cross members were full of lead was beside the point . That shifter may have been sold as a Hurst shifter at the time , but that is the old Mr. Gasket design . Hurst was sold and mixed in with Mr. Gasket and other companies sometime in the Eighties .
Good info on the ballast Bob! That certainly seemed to be the case here by adding the "crossmembers". The shifter that I had pulled out of the car was a Hurst shifter that it had in it back in the early 60's. Ironically, Joe Hrudka, who started Mr. Gasket in '65 was out there at Indy racing with our team from '61 to '64. Joe was not well liked by the guys from our team because of some of the trash talk that went on during the gasser/cam war days and when Joe either had held a previous record with his car or won Indy the year prior (I would have to look up which one happened). Joe specifically was the reason that the team flat towed all the way to Indy from Long Beach, Ca. They wanted to put him on the trailer and they did. They set the national record in his class in '63 rhat first year they went and (as the story goes), in '64 when they went back, Joe left his car on the trailer and ran his quicker class Willys Gasser with his brother instead. I am not sure of the history of the V-Gate shifter. I bought it in '95 and ran it on the car in place of the old Hurst Competition Plus because of a better functioning design. It has worked pretty good but, I only have about 4 passes on it. Thanks for watching and for the info! Take care!
@@hubiesgarage I bought a Hurst V gate new in 1980 . In the early 2000s I talked to the Mr. G rps at Indy , according to them they dropped the Hurst design for their's cause they considered it to be superior, and cause you couldn't downshift with the Hurst . They weren't impressed when I informed them that I had been using the Hurst Ram Rod on the street since '76 , and that I was able to downshift mine without any trouble at all . I think they found out how much it cost to build a quality product and it was hurting their bottom line .
Absolutely one cool car 🏁🏁🏁🏁
Thank you 2Hacks! It has been a wild ride owning this car and being a curator of this rolling museum piece! Thanks for watching!
Very cool 😎
Thank you! The real fun began this past Saturday when I raced it again in my latest video. Thanks for watching!
Sorry for the autocorrect that changes everything one types..
Not a problem! Thanks for watching!
Are you the same Hubie that had a transmission shop in El Cerrito?
Now get this up to Eagle Field.
Hi Randy, I am not the same guy. I actually had this car out at Gassers 3 in 2016 with you because I have pics of you in your '57 pulling up to the ADM. I was parked inside the fence next to the Little Red Riding Hood red '63 Nova and Fat Bastard, the orange '54 Chevy. I was really lucky to have made it out there that year as my buddy Ted Radoumis (owner of the hugger orange '41 Willys pick up called The Energizer). Ted was one of the owners of our 3 team cars and actually drove my car at Half Moon Bay in '63 when it set the national speed record in E/Gas. Ted was one of the guest speakers next to Ed Iskendarian and Bones Balough at that event and talked about driving my car in '63. Unknowingly, we lost Ted 6 mos. later to cancer and that was his last event with The Energizer. As far as Eagle Field, I have always wanted to go up there and run with Rocky and the guys but, the dirt pits are a problem. My Hilborns don't have air cleaners and my big 4" collectors point right at the ground. It would be a mess! You've run there, has the dirt pits been a problem?
This little small block was the mighty mouse 283 punch out to a 301
For sure! Great little motor with a short stroke for high RPM's!
TIME CAPSULE LOVE IT!
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Videos like these make me want to live in California again. Or least visit.
Hahaha! It is tough to post these videos, work in t-shirts and tell people that you are running in a drag race in January here! I feel guilty knowing my other YT Garage Channel buddy's across the country are struggling to get anything done in the cold snow or work in an unheated garage while I am not as affected by the weather here. Kooklifornia is nowhere near the same great state we all grew up in that's for sure! The mismanagement, sky high cost of living, fees, etc. have finally pushed me out. I never voted for any of it! I have about 2 more years here until my house on my bare land in Montana can be built.
@@hubiesgarage I know. Lived 10 years there in the military & as a contractor on bases. Automotive adventures were difficult to have since my only choices were living in a barracks room or an apartment with 1 parking space max & it wasn’t cheap. Every time I’d buy a classic I’d end up having to sell it within a year. Beautiful state but overcrowding & the state gov is awful. In Texas now by no choice of my own but in about 4 years I’m moving back home to North Dakota. I couldn’t move back to California if I wanted to because in 5 years my old apartments rent has doubled. My house in TX is a million dollar house in California. Best of luck with your Montana journey. Im jealous.
Homeless and trash allover the place . you are not missing anything .
Thank you! It has been tough to watch this place change! It's a train wreck! I like the weather but, then I get on a freeway and try to drive somewhere. It's terrible to watch it all happen. I know a lot of people, many car guys who tried to make it work here and are back in their homestates happy again. I know I won't be happy here. Montana, for me, is what California was in the 60's and 70's. My in laws are all there and I have enough land to build a nice shop. That will be the next chapter.
Yep, pretty spot on...especially in the bigger towns.
Thumbs up to you sir Mash that gas
Thank you Donald! There should be lots more on this one for 2024! Thanks for watching!
and 5 ea 4 bolt main long blocks , a fresh machined steel crank and Carrillo rods available
Thank you for the offer! I have pretty much gathered up all of the parts I need for it to put it back the way it was when it set all the records. Thanks for watching!
we have a narrowed 1959 Pontiac "poncho" rear with spool and 488 gears and a couple of power glides for sale if interested ?
Thank you for the offer! I have 4 Pontiac Rear ends and have 7 gearsets for them, including 3 spools and a posi. Thank you for the offer and thanks for watching!
Well,what did it run in the quarter to set records?...love the hilborn injection, with the stacks!
The last record it held before the team disbanded was the NHRA National Record at 12.71 ET set at Indy. A week later, on the flat tow home from Indy, it set the NHRA National Speed Record at 110.56 MPH at Half Moon Bay. This was for E/Gas. Thanks for watching!
@@hubiesgarage that's a wicked 55 ! Something Bob Falfa would drive looking for yellow 32 deuces!
For sure Ronnie! I wished RUclips would allow photos to be posted here because I have a picture of a bumper sticker on the back of a '55 that says "Looking for John Milner!"...hahaha!
@@hubiesgarage now that's cool!
Do you happen to know where I can find info on my old reared, it was in my 41 Ford chopped and shortened p/u, it was and old gasser. It’s big! I think it has 11” drums, I always thought it was a Pontiac or Olds. Somebody thought it was a Cadillac? If you know of a website that I can go to figure out what it is, I would appreciate it. I enjoy the history of your car! Thank you
That could be a tough one! The best I can say is to post pictures of it on "Old Gassers", Gasser Madness or another old school drag race site for someone to identify. Old gassers is on facebook. The other option is to call the guys at either Fabcraft Metalworks in Wyoming or J&S Gear in Huntington Beach, Ca. They are both old school rear axle specialists and If you are able to email them pictures, maybe they could identify it. Hope that helps and best wishes!
Thank you!
Nice but oh, those poor neighbors!
Luckily, my neighbors are car guys too! Thanks for watching!
Jeff, when did the rear end get changed from the floater to the Olds/pont.?
Ron, I did that in '97 when I did the mechanical restoration. I took the 6 lug over to my buddy Orlie Kuder's house and set it under his carport. Orlie passed later and most of the tri five stuff was sold to our buddy Tom Ordway. Apparently, the 6 lug was one of the items that never made it to Tom's house so, it is unknown where it went when the house was sold. It was possibly scrapped. It just kills me that it was probably a black widow rear with a 6:14 in it! If I had only known! The clone of the silver '55 is making huge progress! I hope you are well!
Can you show the water pump set up?
I did a series of 4 videos recently titled, '55 Chevy Gasser Race Progress Report. Check out the Wednesday and Thursday edition videos as I go over and partially rebuild the system in those videos. I hope that helps and thanks for watching!
A gasser? What? It's not jacked up 3 feet in the air with a spindly front axle and stuff stickin' thru the hood. Nice car.
Yep, you nailed it! Thank you and thanks for watching!
I’m kind of a newbi, how is the motor cooled, I don’t see a water pump?
It has an old Lasco Electric Water Pump mouted on the drivers side of the engine block. It is a low-pressure system that circulates the water. You can see the red garden hose and the top of the pump at 10:40 in the video. I do go over this system in another video. It should be one of the daily race report videos I did in getting the car ready for the MoonEyes New Year's Party/Drag Race. Thanks for watching!
Why are their only 2 lug nuts one the front wheel ?
Good question. I had a shortage of lug nuts between my five '55's and had not put the new ones on the car that I had bought before I ran the car at the drags in Jan. I did a daily progress report on the car leading up to the race, added new lug nuts to the car and torqued them down in one of the videos. I would have never passed tech without them. Thanks for watching!
Sweet 55 how you keep battery charged with no alternator? I bet it's fast sounds rowdy
Yes, it's pretty rowdy and a lot going on when going through the burnout and dry hop process. A lot of the racecars today do not have charging systems on the cars because it draws HP away and takes away power from the ignition system or spark. Most guys today charge the batteries with small generators in the pits. This battery is a larger group # with a higher storage capacity and I can run it at the drags without needing to charge it all day. The magneto helps in this case because it produces its own power. When I get the car ready for a race I will fully charge the battery the night before we leave. Great question and thanks for watching!
Awesomeness Jeff, good luck at the drag strip, how does the coolant circulate thru the motor. What did the 55 run for ET.
Thanks Steve! This car is pretty much a drag race version of your '57 Chevy, a real time capsule! I had mentioned the coolant system in another video but, missed it in this one. It has a small electric water pump mounted on the driver's side side motor mount. It is an old pump much like the ones used in RV applications. The car set the national ET record at Indy in '63 for E/Gas with a 12.71 ET. That would have been when it weighed over 4100 lbs. The car now is back to around 3500 lbs and ran a 13.20 back at Carlsbad in '97 with unhappy injectors. With roughly 100 lbs representing a tenth in the qtr. the car today should run 12.11 ET to be on pace with the record run from '63. We'll see if I can get it close to that number in the future.
Thanks for the info, how Kool is that , what a great story, go knock off a low 12, ET. 👍
what kind of seats are those, cool looking. My dad's 55 has a 57 Pontiac rear end with 5:13 gear, keeps breaking axles. Are you looking for a T10 transmission
Thanks Lewis, I hadn't touqued the lugs down yet because I had some new lugs to swap out. The buckets are a big mystery. They were Ted's Bucket seats that came out of his '55 that I had shown a picture of in the video. I never got the info from him on what they actually were before he passed. The axles I have are big 35 spline Mark Williams Axles that I had made in '97. It will be real tough for my little small block to break them. Did your Dad run a big block? Thanks for watching!
@@hubiesgarage mild 350 with 4 speed street car stock axel
Where is the straight front Axle , I DO NOT CONSIDER IT A GASSER WITHOUT ONE ! ! !
Hahaha! Good one! If you were to climb in Doc's Delorean and go back to when this car ran in '63 and even in '67 when my dad ran his, there were a lot of gassers that had original A-Arm suspensions. Many guys pulled these cars out of junk yards or sides of houses and ran them "as is" because they didn't have the money or tools to put an axle in. The demand that all gassers had to have straight axles is a farce and this is a historical E/Gas record holder that proves this. The Ed Roth, Hot Wheels, wild front ends in the air are very cool but, it's not realistic that every gas class car had one in the gas class back in the day.
NEED TO GO TO SOMEONE WHO WOULD DO THIS RIGHT - NOT CHANGE IT LIKE YOUR DOING - SOMEONE THAT WILL DO THE PAINT AND EVERYTHING RIGHT --
The car will be in the best of hands and will be exactly as it was when it set the records in '63....that is how the car was remembered.
The correct word is ‘historic’ ...not historical.
Thank you for the input and for watching.
No Jack’s damn safety first nothing special
I had it on the floor jack to lift the wheel off and show the custom leaf springs. I was never under the car and certainly not running the car. You'll notice as soon as I was done with the leaf spring, the wheel was back on and the car was off the floor jack. Wow, a 35+ min video of a historic gasser and the only thing you got out of it was a missing jackstand???
if that's a cold start, shame on you for abusing the engine
Hahaha! I guess you didn't read the little bubble on the right when I started it that said "Car was already warmed up". I placed that there for guys exactly like you! It was not a cold start. A cold start on a Hilborn Injected Small Block Chevy would be much more difficult as they are very cold blooded and very finnicky! They take awhile to warm up before they will run like what you saw in the beginning of the video. Thanks for your concern and thanks for watching, it helps my algorithms!
@@hubiesgarage well, you know I love cars, esp. old ones..
@@NoBody-xg1wg Me too! I will be keeping this one alive for a long time! Thanks for watching and have a good one!