Found Dads '56 Chevy Gasser!

this thread is awesome

 

No handicap, this time we'll go
heads up. Thanks for your enthusiasm. Richard Panneton Jr.

 

Rumpity-rump bump. I'm the middle of the three brothers from Panneton Bros. Racing. Unfortunately I was born in Dec. 1968, so I have no recollection of the car, other than a few pictures, and the stories from my older brother and dad. Fortunately, however, that means I was still "hanging out with dad", (if ya know what I mean) so I actually got to make passes in the car! Whoo-hoo! I'm thinking about going to a hypnotist to see if we can dig those memories out of my subconscious.
I'll keep everyone posted. (They CAN retrieve memories from before you were ever conceived...can't they?) Please, oh please!

 

congrats!

 

As long as we're talking "finds", our uncle Roger Panneton also ran a gasser at the same time. A white 55 chevy tudor post named "Erraticater" because he was a big block guy, started out with 409 power and later went to and iron head 427. He bought the car as a rolling stocker from Dyno Don. The car was a little unique in that some supposed suspension guru convinced our uncle to mount the rearend solid, and the
straight axle some how used chrysler torsion bars. All my dad says is "it was a scary piece of crap, and I feared for your uncles life every time he made a pass. He said the front suspension was so poor that every time you shifted the trans you had to turn the wheel right or the car would go left. The last time I saw this car, it was for sale in Burbank at a gas station (a Chevron I think), not far from Olive park. It had been
repainted LAVENDER! YUK! Anyway if anyone remembers or knows what may have happened to it, let me know. PS. I also believe that he had some sponsorship from a speed shop in the Riverside area, J&M Speed I believe.

 

Forgot to mention uncle Rogers car also had "kidney bean Halibrands on it and looked very much like the cars in these photos, I don't remember if it had a scoop though.

 

These pictures of 56' "150" models has them all with BELTLINE trim. "150s'" did not have beltline trim. So, are these 210 cars that had the long trim piece removed and the 150 spear added? It would be easier to do that than it would be to put beltline trim on a 150. Most people don't know this, but the corner windshield moulding trim is different on a 150 than it is on 210s' and Bel Air sedans. The windshield moulding ties in with the beltline trim and on 210s' and Bel Air sedans it is squared off at it's trailing edge; on 150s' it's tapered and would not "fit" to the beltline trim. I say these are 210 cars, that because the wheelwell was opened up, the long trim was deleted and 150 substituted, rather than cut into the trim. The original photo posted is of a 210 model. Personally, I like the 150 models and their Plane Jane, utilitarian, appearence. Butch/56sedandelivery. (of the nine 1956 Chevrolets I've owned, 4 were 150 models).

 

Yes our car is a 210 as seen in the San Fernando and Bakersfield photos with the quarter stainless cut for wheel well intrusion. Alot of guys including the ones that bought the car would convert to
150 trim because most feel it looks better. We are probably going to go back to 210 as it was originaly, how ever our car was being updated when it was sold and my dad/Jones can't remember if they were the ones who converted to 150 or not. I like both, but most don't prefer the cut 210 look.

 

bump

 

Started re-doing the trunk/tubs this week, and picked up the block and
crank yesterday. I was able to internal balance the crank without mallory metal thanks to our nice lite weight CP pistons. Photos coming soon!

 

Man its been a rough couple of days. Found the "Mind Binder" willys was
turned into a late model street rod, and Gary Coe's "Gun Fighter" '57 Ford
Altered had the body pulled off (and CUT UP!), while the same maniac
turned the chassis into a frick'n dune buggy. That shit is just wrong!
So yes you figured it out, this is also a bump to see if any one else has
come up with anything more on dad's '56. Thanks for your patience.

 

This is a great story guys! Keep up the good work!

 

A year ago last August we celebrated mine and my dads birthday (we're born on the same day, his odometer roled 70 and mine roled 43) at my brother-in-laws. We invited anyone and everyone we could think of and
had a mini car show. The white 210 is my sisters one owner they found on craigs list last year 30 minutes from my house for $4500.00! The grey Two Lane is one of two Belair sedans my brother owns Yesterdays Child belongs to the whole family. My brother-in-law has a half dozen '66-67 Fairlanes (two hardtops and one wagon are NHRA Stockers), a Black/Black
'63 427 Galaxie, a 64 Comet and a '29 Ford roadster w/215 Buick that he
and his granddad built. These are the pics of the Tri-Fives, I'll get some of the Fords. The wagon was in Car Craft last Dec. and the others were in Car Craft in Jan.("This guys garage")

 

Awesome story and one Bad Ass Gasser!!!!!

 

I'd like to see pics of that!

Cool Tread!

 

Awright, awright, awright!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks man, I'm a fan of your moredoor bad boy. When we
get a real engine/trans in it were gonna come back for the Thompson Reunion and other gasser drags. We gotta get more of em out here on the west coast too.

 

If you get as far as Thompson you'll have to add the Willys Home Run to that list on East Coast events to hit. That race has THE biggest Nostalgia Gas class in the country, all old style gassers, none of the modern stuff. They have other classes for the modern cars.

 

Hey! are we there yet?

 

The new engine is almost complete and the rear wheel wells/truck floor
are coming along. I'll post pics soon. Anyone else stumble across and
photos of our car lately.

 

One of my customers told me the other day he was going through some old 8mm films of his and found the entire '63 March Meet in color. He is converting it to dvd as we speak and will send a copy to me when he
gets them. I'll keep ya posted. I'm praying there is some footage of our
'56 on it. This is a pic at the '63 March Meet

 

Hey thats my old car. I'm glad its all working out and this thing is back in your family. Now if I could just find my dads 57 gasser...

 

Hey Mike, good to hear from ya. Did the '56 still have the Olds/Pontiac
rear and the mechanical clutch linkage when you bought the car in '03.
If so, do you know what happened them or where they may be? By the
way, who ever sold you the "383", it is a '70 300hp 350. Thats why it
shook like a dog crappin razor blades as soon as ya bought up the rpm
with the 400 flexplate and balancer. We are over the moon to have the
old girl back. Trying to make it to Dragfest '09, but we're running out of
time.

 

I'll check and see what parts if any we might have laying around the shop from that one. Sorry about the 383 mixup. I'll be sure and have a talk with the guy who sold it to us. I should have known to check it better instead of just trying to hurry up and run it. I'll try to find the parts and ship them too you free to make up for it.

Hope to see it back on the track soon.

 

Fun thread and I am enjoying to be a fly on the wall reading about it.

 

Hey there are definetly no hard feelings! The fact that you had $300-400.00 wprth of SFI legal balancer and flexplate on it told me that you truly believed it was a 383. The guy you got the engine from is the suspicious one. I would love to get the mechanical clutch linkage, anything else would be gravy. Don't worry about paying the shipping, you don't need to prove your integrity, the rest of the car is just as you
described.

 

I could be wrong------------but I think we put a straight axle in that car when I worked for Don Blair ( ? )

 

That would be cool, but this car was definetly done by Richard Ruth of the original
"Competition Engineering" when he was in Tujunga, Ca.

 

Not done in time for Dragfest this weekend (DAMN!) but we're taking my
brother-in-laws '67 Fairlane wagon 427 medium riser/4 spd Jerico B/S
NHRA record holder. Come by and say hi. If anyone stumbles across some
pics of the '56.., pleeeeaaaase let me know. Thanks all.

 

Not to hijack this thread, but can you post a picture of your Brother in Law's 67 Wagon? I have a friend in the hospital right now and that would make his day.