Features Vintage Stock Cars for the street...

This was just a disguise.

 

I'd really like to see that Torino from Hot rod last year. That and a lot more details and pics of that #11 blue Galaxie...If I do one it'll be like that yellow Ford I posted or an early '70s Ford or Mopar.

The windshield treatment and top chop on that !@#$in' yellow Galaxie has my head spinning. That car is beyond bad.

I think tonight I'll sit in an empty oil drum in the back of somebody's truck. We'll get on the freeway and peg it to about a hundred while somebody hits the drum with bat! That should give me an idea where to start...

One more thing, that brutal looking '57 Modified could be put on the street cheap I think. The body on that car is probably some brand new "race weight" fiberglass one piece deal? You could build a complete modified style tube frame with street geometry suspension, then drape one of these bodies over it! Paint it cool, run some deep steel slots and stocky Good-Years...

 

This stuff make me kind "A" damp,,,

 

that 57 was a steel 2 door sedan, they chopped the roof a little, and cut the post out and welded it all up.
I think it might be on a metric chassis, you can buy a ton of speed parts for them, but a 57 chassis would work just fine too.
I was thinking that with the chop, and welding the doors up, I could probably start with a 4 door as well, it would be a lot cheaper to start with.

 

A couple more from the nvra, and some other ideas that would be cool on the street:

 

I tracked down the owner of this car last year and we had a long talk on the phone. I plan on visiting him the next time I get up his way. Anyway, this fellow has had a LOT of street rods and - guess what? - he said this is the best one he has ever had. Does not plan to have another. This car is rocket fast, handles like a train and gets ALL the attention. The car was built by a real race car builder so it is state of the art. A NE modified with a vintage body. Poor baby. The only thing I'd change is the grille... make it shorter and more vertical but I'm sure he wouldn't agree. Gary

 

That car IS a modified for the street, but he street rodded it. Interior, lots of chrome etc. I appreciate the work that went into it and agree with the idea but for me, it's too "civilized".

I don't know how many shoebox bodies are out there to cut up, but there are plenty of used up 4-door parts car bodies around that would be good.

Ryan, your idea for a Vintage SCTA 'Vette would be bad as !@#$, or maybe even an SCCA road racing one. It might be kind of cool to build a state of the art tube frame with all the latest trick road racing tech. Build the chassis so the car is completely driveable with out a body (i.e. lights, charging/cooling systems all frame mounted.) Then, make a carbon fiber "bucket" for the interior that drops right in from the top like some model kit interiors do! Dash and seats are molded in after being fitted to you with holes and slots for belts, shifter etc. (your whole interior could way 10 pounds!) Top of cage assembly slip fits and bolts on. This isn't a rule book race car, just a VERY safe street car.

Then make a thin, carbon fiber one piece 67' or '69 style 'Vette body, with big fender flares to clear the tires. The body just slips over the tubing as a cover, with a flimsy lift off hood. DEEP magnesium americans or Halibrands and huge firestones or Blue Streak Good-Years...DAMN. 600 h.p. GO-KART.

Waitaminute -------- HAVE THE BODY VACUUM MOLDED OUT OF CLEAR PLASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then wear a racing suit with bones and guts painted on so your a giant, "visible car/human" model!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Man I tell ya, if I was a millionaire I'd only get to be one for ten minutes.

 

Conder,
Is that photo stretched out a little? It seems to be which helps the thing look low. Did you find out any more specs on it. It looks to me the front fenders have been dropped or pie cut in the front, and the same in the rear but only raised. I think that would be a killer street ride.
I have already located 2 cars!

 

Keep talkin Tim!@

 

There was a cool '57 Chevy on the Hot Rod Power Tour several years ago.
Slammed,with the wheel wells chopped out to clear big tires.

 

The rear quarter panels and trunk we recontoured as well.
This was before templates and wind tunnels.

The car was known as "The Bannana", based on the shape and color.

 

Why?

 

Got these ones at the Laguna Seca Vintage Races. The Oldsmobile wasn't period, but still pretty cool. The Falcon was driven to the race.

 

Knock it off Conder, quit trying to distract me!, I can barely make progress on my current project.

 

That would be (was?) diabolical of them to slope the nose and flip up the tail of that thing, PLUS chop the roof and rake the windshield. They turned that big brick into a giant spoiler! I dig the little fill in panels at the rear bumper too...

As far as lettering, I don't like it on street cars (Gasser, stock car etc.) No big deal, just my preference.

I've seen that badass little Falcon before. I had no idea it was a street car.

You're right Kev, daydreaming's the easy part!

 

Conder, great thread topic. C'mon SE boy's drag out those crusty surviver's and runn 'em!

 

Check out the "scale" Chevelle that Smokey Yunick built.

 

Pictures of the banana car are rare! I found this on Wikipedia, pretty cool...

The Yellow Banana

In one race in 1966 at Atlanta Motor Speedway he (Fred Lorenzen) drove a Junior Johnson-owned #26 Ford due to the Ford boycott of NASCAR for much of the 1966 season, and it is still one of the most talked about vehicles in NASCAR Grand National Competition to this day. The front end of the car was sloped downward, the roofline was lowered, the side windows were narrowed and the windshield was lowered in an aerodynamic position, and the tail was kicked up. Several rival drivers referred to it as "The Yellow Banana," "Junior's Joke," and "The Magnafluxed Monster." Even though it was against the rules NASCAR allowed the car to compete and Lorenzen crashed while leading the Dixie 500 on the 139th lap. One pit crew member said after the incident "No wonder" he said, "I ain't never seen anybody who could drive a banana at 150 mile an hour." NASCAR let this very illegal car run in only one race, in an attempt to bring up attendance, which had suffered due to the Ford boycott.

 

Pebble Beach...This car was big time famous man. It only ran a third of one race! It upset everybody at NASCAR, pissed off all the other racers for breaking too many rules and overall just flew in the face of everything acceptable at the time....My kind of car baby!

 

Speaking of, isn't Conder the one with the vintage dragster and tow vehicle? Is it going to be at the CHRR next weekend?

 

Start with a rusty rear fenders Falcon >>> Earnhardt Falcon.

 

Yeah, that's me. There's a chance I'll be at the CHRR if I can get a bike delivered to Seattle in time, but if I go it won't be with my cars. I've got everything in my stable for sale except my rail "SATAN". We're cleaning house and taking the shop in a whole new direction. It's a pretty cool time (except for the !@#$%^&*&^%$#@!@#$%^in' economy), lots of possibilities.

2 of my wagons are on craigslist right now...somebody buy one of 'em so I can start looking at Galaxie bodies!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/859238273.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/859235916.html

 

Love this idea and thread!!! I am going to look now, too!

 

Not an actual stock car but picked this one today. It has been sitting a long time and should make a neat ride.

 

It's an original 69 Cale Yarborough Cyclone Spoiler

 

This car belongs to a friend of mine.
Photo stolen from the web.

 

Here is the '55 in '68 running a stood on '57 Vette 283 /T-10 and posi with the dry blue streaks. The springs and sway were all replaced with Heavy duty wagon and traction masters. Surprising how well that boat handled for the time. He (Dad) had a good time hunting down sporty cars and putting that egg crate grill in their rear view thru the curvy stuff ...

Was kind of fun getting dropped off to Kindergarden in it, when every one else was getting dumped off in a station wagon ....

I've still got her .. trying to figure which way to go with my "lil Dozer...

 

Wow!... Now THAT'S a rare car! I love those fastbacks....

Malcolm

 

Cool stuff! After seeing some of these cars set up for the street I'm noticing the headlights, more practical tire clearance and higher ride heights are standing out. I think for me, the way to pull the concept off is to push the limits on this stuff...

*Headlights - I really want to block off the stock headlights. There's plenty of room behind these grills for super powerful, super small projector beam lights (like the new Audi's run for instance.) They could be hidden and still work great, leaving one of the toughest looking aspects of a vintage stock car in place. One way to get around it on quad headlight cars might be to block off 2 lights, then convert the other 2 headlight buckets to screened vents, placing projector beam lights behind the screen. You could "float" the lights in the center of the bucket so the vents remain functional.

*Tire clearance and ride height - If I build one of these, the wheelwells will be gutted and trimmed NASCAR style, and I'll be putting the tires as close to the body as possible. Skinnier tires and better clearance is more stock car than STOCK CAR. If the inside of the fender is smooth with no sharp edges to catch and peel rubber in aggressive turning, the worst you'll get is heat blistered paint. I'm willing to push this area and put up with some inconvenience for the real deal. Same with ride height...Air bags would be the logical choice, and from the stickers on some of the old cars, some had bags? A simple, adjustable air bag system could work...Nascar might have some rough tracks, but at least there aren't any with manhole covers, giant potholes or incredibly steep driveways going into the pits for gas!

Let's see some more! I wonder what a shoebox Ford would look like set up like that Falcon?

One more quick point I touched on at the beginning...I love my rails and ATF. That deal is the dream of my life and has been for almost ten years but, it's ungodly expensive. The reason I never attempted anything like running a dedicated race only car earlier in my life is pretty simple...You can only run your car on a track. You have to trailer it. Store it. Push it around when it's not running. I had street cars because it made more sense to me. I could enjoy my car whenever I wanted. Thing is, running a jacked up Gasser or hot flathead Hi-Boy on the street is GREAT. But now, with the advent of tuner cars and the new emphasis on handling, a big Galaxie chasing an "UBER AUDI" off the freeway sounds like fun!

My shop will be pursuing eclectic and very intense projects in the future, ranging from alternative fuel vehicles to wild ass motorcycles to (quite possibly) a rib cage rattling "Yellow Banana". To my friends who always wonder about ATF, it's my private heaven (hell?) and if the gods smile on me with this new shop....