Art & Inspiration Traditional images that need no explanation.

Very early Mickey Thompson Pontiac valve covers on the engine.

 

A Joe Baillon custom Chevrolet ?

 

When she leans in a little more, then you let go.

 

Is,,,,

 

Makes one wonder if that 32 roadster with the single bar flipper hub caps was somehow left to age in the clapboard garage...only to be rediscovered decades later ? one can always dream

 

Andy Brizio’s coupe built in 1957 or ‘58. He always had an eye for style.

 

Somewhere in the Midwest post February, 1961? 6 Strombergs on a 671 supercharger for the SBC motor?

Hello,

In my research for someone to show up at our Westside of Long Beach, (near Lion's Dragstrip location,) with a new usage for our old circa 1960 292 cubic inch, blower spec SBC motor with a 671 Isky-Gilmer Belt Drive, could this FED be the one?

It took from August 1960 to around February 1961 to get the 671 SBC motor sold. It was stored in Atts Ono’s garage under a canvas tarp from August 1960 to November 1960. We just could not take home anything related to our 40 Willys Coupe build. So, it stayed in great condition under that canvas tarp. Anyone who visited his garage workspace knew what was under that tarp. My brother was in the hospital and we asked Atts Ono if we could store our salvaged stuff in his garage until we got our for sale ready to go.

Finally, in November, when our mom was away on a shopping excursion, my friend and I moved the 671 complete motor out of Atts Ono’s garage and put in under another canvas tarp in the far corner away from windows in our own backyard garage workspace. We also made another trip to bring back the extra parts we salvaged from the Willys, prior to trailering it to the scrap yard in Wilmingon, near Lion’s Dragstrip.

Why all of the secrecy and sneaking around? As teenagers, we knew that our mom was in deep sorrow about my brother’s 3rd degree burns and his close encounter in the accident. So, when she saw me working to clean up the backyard garage, she went berserk at her thoughts of my brother in the intensive care of the hospital.

So, from that point on, we decided to do any work moving things or working to clean up the garage when she was not around. We even put a new lock on the door and knew she could not lift the larger garage door anyway. So, she could not get inside.

Jnaki

The 671 motor was powerful and was still in great shape. While it was sitting in Atts Ono’s garage, covered up, we had different ideas about what to do with the motor. My teenage teenage friends thought to get our minds off of the horrific accident, we could put the motor in a nice, white 57 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop. My friend was one of the older teenagers in our H.S. class and had a cool car that was stock. (eventually, it became the most modified teenage hot rod of all of the cars at our high school)

The 671 motor would bolt right up and the 3 speed was no problem. We even had a 4:56 set of rear Positraction gears, too. We even thought it would be pretty outstanding in the 58 Impala, too. Although the thought of putting it in the Impala was a great idea, but knowing our mom, it would have been a hard sell at that point. YRMV

So, with the array of 671 superchargers on SBC motors in later photos posted, which one was the actual photo of our motor in sleek FED, a modified roadster or plunked down into another 37 Chevy coupe for the gas coupe class? Or, even in an Altered coupe or perhaps a street roadster class RPU. at the time, there were all sorts of competitive classes listed for all ranges of motors and builds. A 12.60 E.T. in a Willys Coupe close to the national record of 12.40 had some potential. So, what could it have done in a B/Gas lightweight FED chassis?

And,, the Isky-Gilmer-Edlebrock belt drive kit for the SBC motors was just getting started across the USA drag racing circles. Did your father buy one from the Westcoast in January/February of 1961? What about your grandfather's stories about his early exploits with SBC motors? YRMV

 

Posted yet?