Hot Rods Anyone Know of This Corvette Gasser?

Hello Everyone. I'm new here but was hoping someone might be able to help me. I purchased this 1956 Corvette Gasser three years ago from the California Bay Area. The story I got from the "Filper" who bought it from the family and sold it to me, was... it was last raced in the mid 80's. The guy went off the end of the track and damaged the front end. Parked it and sold the engine and trans. It ended up sitting for years until he died and the family put it up for sale. Unfortunately I was unable to contact the family or get any more information than that. I have been gathering period correct parts such as 327, Shoe Box Intake, Ansen NHRA ScatterShield, Joe Hunt Magneto, Muncie, Fenderwell Headers etc to try and put it back as it was. It does have an Olds 9.3 diff with 5:38's. It would be nice to find some real history of this car. Thanks in advance for any and all help

 

@jimdillion might be able to help with info.

 

I Know It's Cool! And I Wish it was in My garage. Please share it's rejuvenation.

 

I love it !

 

Is that a Corvette chassis or an Altered chassis? Found this, there might be a connection:

Bob Hankins was more famous as a fuel altered racer in the late '60s. Hankins, like many other AA/FA racers, switched to funny cars to earn more money and to race more often. The "Blue Blazer" Pinto was Hankins’ second funny car. The first was a Corvette body placed on the old altered chassis, which Bob retired in order to build the new Pinto. The Pinto featured a space frame chassis with a 392 Chrysler for power, and ran a best of 6.92 at 200 plus according to Draglist files. The "Blue Blazer" Pinto was parked by 1972 and Hankins retired from racing. Hankins returned to racing in the 2000s. Bob’s son Brett drives a new version of their old AA/FA. The Pinto is now sitting in a collector’s garage with the same paint seen in the photo. (Photo & info from the Hankins family, additional info from Bill Duke)

 

Are you sure it was a Gasser and not a Modified Sports car?
Knowing for sure the classes will help you narrow your hunt.
Although they have all the classic Gasser parts and looks most Corvettes ran Modified Sports classes. I think they could bounce between classes.



Big John Mazmanian Corvette M/SP

 

What little I can see from the pic it looks like a corvette chassis, note the leaf springs. They look like the stock type for that car. Also looks like a stock rear crossmember.

 

Thankyou for all of the kind words and response's

It is a Corvette Chassis. Modified in the front for straight axle etc. Elliptical front spring set up

I'm not sure if it is the same Hankins or not. I wish I could have talked to the family to gather more history, but was unable to get their contact info.

I'm not sure if it was a Gasser or Modified. All I have to go buy is what is there on the car and what people in the know tell me. Thanks again for the input.

I would like to preserve the history of the car if I can find out what it was. If not, I will just build it to be a cool car

 

Wish I had the definitive answer on your car but sadly I do not. It would help if you could find out a bit more on the Hankins name. I am familiar with Bob Hankins but not sure he would have continued to race this car when running his other more competitive cars I suppose. It may have been a relative. I will keep it in mind when I go through my records and see if I can find anything. My avatar car was a New Mexico drag car that raced in the 60s and 70s I have really nothing of it's history. I bought it from a street rodder who wanted to pro street it and so he cared less about the drag race history he got when he bought it and when I tried to get history from the family they only knew their brother drag raced it. I also have a 61 that drag raced and recently came across a picture of it at the 73 Gatornationals so it is possible there is stuff out there and if you can get bits and pieces post them up here and it may help in your search.

Whatever it is a really cool piece and the frame does look like a 56 Corvette frame. With the scoop it does appear that it raced beyond the 60s IMO. As to classes there were sports car classes prior to 1960 but modified sports as an official class came along in 1960 and lasted through 1967. I would bet it ran in modified sports during the 60-67 era and then in 1968 when they did away with modified sports many of those same cars were re-classified into gas classes. The exception was that modified sports had allowed up to 25% setback but gas did not. When the 68 season rolled around if you had 25% setback you were placed in altered and if you had up to 10% setback you were placed in gas. The car could not run in modified production due to the non stock front suspension.

It most likely did run in gas so you may get a pass from the gasser police as to your use of the term. Cool car-keep us posted on what you find out.

 

Anyone know if Bob Hankins was from northern California where the car was bought. If appears he had a son Brett, maybe his car or maybe he knows of another Hankins racer.

Edit: It appears Bob was from Sonora, Ca about 130 miles east of Emeryville. I'd try getting in contact with him to see if he knows anything.

 

I would contact McLeod Clutches as they have been doing clutches since 1971 and are located in Anaheim California. See if you can talk to Paul Lee (he owns the company now and is a Funny Car racer) and tell him your story. Allot of these smaller businesses have old records of customers and there clutches, as in many cases have employees that have been with them for many, many years. You may be surprised at to what you can learn.
Phone(714) 630-2764

I also would contact Joe Hunt Magneto
Joe Hunt Magnetos
11333 Sunco Drive Suite #100
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742


Phone: (916)635-5387

 

Thanks Jim, You know these cars and history better than anyone

On the side of the car above "Hankins" name, there was another name and then "and" The "and" is painted over in yellow but can still make out the "and" The other name is not readable

Great idea. I called them and just sent them a photo. Thanks

 

I also just posted the pictures and information to my racing contacts on facebook. I worked in the racing aftermarket for 40 years, so I'm reaching out to my west coast friends to try and help you.

 

Can you post a photo of the faded writing just below the window on the drivers door, maybe someone xan make out what it says.

 

Don't discount that it may have raced under another livery prior to Profile in Black. Let me know if there is any visible paint under the black as if it was another color. Also post some close up pictures of the rear push bar from several angles including on how it attaches.

 

Thank you so much "AHotRod!

I'm pretty sure the name is "Owens" hard to tell in the photo but as I look closely it appears to be Owens. Passenger side is worse.

Jim, The paint is very rough, but looks like it was red prior to black. The hard top has no signs of red.

The car is kind of buried in my garage at home so couldn't get very good pics. Rear push bar is welded to the rear frame brace.

Thank you everyone for your help!

 

Thanks for the picture of the push bar. It is kind of distinctive and may help ID the car from a side shot. I thought I saw some red so it just gives us another color to consider. There are hundreds of these old Vettes where history was lost so you are not alone. Hopefully with a little sleuthing you can turn that around.

 

Have you contacted N.H.R.A.?
N.A.S.C.A.R. also had a drag race division.
A.H.R.A. as well.

 

Robert you bring up a good point but if anyone finds the elusive records of these old drag Vettes I would be really appreciative. I have contacted NHRA in regards to records and not sure any old records are easily accessible. In my research, NHRA is hard enough and I can only imagine that other sanctioning bodies including those you mentioned and IHRA would be a bit difficult as well. Even if this car did not make a major meet (and I am not sure it did not) there were divisional meets and I will look thru what I have to see if I stumble on anything. It may help though if we knew if it had been raced with a different look and/or different owner/driver. Many of these cars passed from one owner to another.

If someone had access to a treasure trove of old issues of National Dragster it may turn up if you had owner/drivers. Also a good resource is entry lists for the big meets. Those lists would have quite a few Corvettes, even though only a couple would end up with the laurels when all is said and done.

I actually enjoy (to an extent) trying to figure out the histories and where these old Vettes ended up but maybe I am a glutton for punishment.

 

I'm loving that quarter elliptic front axle setup!

 

National Dragster might be the way to go. I ended of with boxes of mid 60s to early 70s National Dragsters.
A guy bought them all to find history on a Pontiac drag car he was restoring. He said he found a lot about the car.

 

I did send a photo to McLeod yesterday. They responded back but unfortunately no one knew the car.

The "Function in the Junction" written on the back, I thought might give a clue as to a race track named or nicknamed "junction". I contacted "Mel Bashore" benelliman@comcast.net from Oregon who is putting together a list of old drag strips. He did some digging but nothing came up

I appreciate all the help and advice. the odds of finding something are far greater with all of you

 

That along with "NO" front brakes! Those guys were a lot braver than me. lol

 

There is a Junction City ... in northern California, near Redding. Any old drag strips near the by and by ??

 

Hmmm... Maybe that is what it was referring to. I bought it in the bay area so not to far from Junction City

 

The Redding Drag Strip is the oldest NHRA sanctioned drag strip in the United States today. It was accepted by the National Hot Rod Association in the Fall of 1953 and continues to operate.
6750 Old Oregon Trail, Redding, CA 96003

https://www.facebook.com/reddingdragstrip/

 

Damn interesting video ... although your current build is likely later than this one ... BUT ... watch this whole thing. Corvettes abound. Yowza' !!!

Redding Drag Strip 1963




Where's @loudbang and @jnaki ?

 

It seems to me there is a good possibility the car was from Junction City and raced at Redding. Anyone in that area that could pass some photos around? I tried calling Redding Drag Strip, just get a recording. No email that I could see and I am not a face booker. Thanks

 

There Facebook page has no email, but it does allow for sending them a message.
I can send them a message and some photo's if you are ok with it.
Do you know what year the car is?

 

Thanks "AHotRod" That would be great! The car is a 56