Features Vintage Stock Cars for the street...

A couple of years ago I built a 69 Super Bee for a customer that was all contemporary NASCAR stuff underneath: Dry Sump Petty engine, Tex trans, etc. etc., but it didn't look like a stock car, but it sure as hell drove and handled like one!

The funny thing about the build is; the customer/friend didn't want the car to look like a Cup car; yet he is the closest you'll ever come to meeting a real life Duke boy !

 

Yeah, no kiddin'! I need to keep my little A.D.D brain focused as well.
I want to get my A rolling soon without any more really fine distractions!

 

Here's a '36 Chevy coupe that's destined for street use.

My buddy and I built the rolling chassis for this fella. With me being an original northeast oval tracker, it was built to really replicate what was being done in the late 60's and early 70's.

The doors will open and close and it will have window glass. I'm building a 348 W-engine with 2x4's. The quick change has a Detroit Locker with the light springs so it'll behave on the street.

It's set up for a 22 gallon fuel cell. Has a Hightower built Muncie 4-speed, Buick drums in the rear, discs in the front, '47 Ford front axle, Saginaw steering box.

Right now it's at the sheet metal mans shop. Plans also include polished stainless steel tube bumpers and side bars.

And, for what it's worth, BFGoodrich Drag Radial tires are the ones that mimick the old racing tires for width and height, while still being DOT approved.

 

Hey Modifieddriver, A buddy of mine that works for JGR is building a mod for the street too. He's determined to make sure it looks like a real track mod; i.e no neadlights visible, etc. etc, I gave him a digital camera so he can send pics. When I get some I'll post 'em.

 

Oh yeah, your coupe build looks fantastic!

 

Artie Tappen built a 49 glass Merc for the late Steve LaSavage with all NASCAR underpinnings back around 1992 or so. Everything was full on except for the body. You might recall it. It was a light green color.

 

seems like it had a big block mopar or something odd like that , in it....made me want one....

 

Here is one from one of the many times Oswergo Speedway track champion.

 

You mean Chris LeSavage? I don't remember that car. Artie is one hell of a fabricator though and light years ahead of me, that's for sure.

 

Yeah, the late Chris. Passed on a number of years ago. All his rods, customs, bikes, homes all gone.

Artie is but, he also has light years of experience. I never really got to know Artie, just in passing and an intro. Was at his shop when he finished off a BBC in a stock looking 54 Chevy convert for Chris.

The only time I saw the Merc was at the Coliseum. But you know Chris, he had so many cars you never knew what he would be driving next and who'd he give one of his cars to.

Rich, I'm getting real bad here with names, you might have noticed huh. Wasn't like that back then was it.

 

I got bashed last time I posted it but what the hell, it fits the bill for what you guys are talking bout. Its more vintage trans am than stock car. I'm currently setting it up for road racing. Its got all the goodies that'll make it stop on a dime and give you change.



heres some video from a shakedown run up at angeles crest yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALz1lHLF7o

 

Glad ya' like it.

It'll be interesting to see your buddies car.

I have a '36 Chevy slant back coach body that has steel (not wood reinforced) doors, a '36 Chevy coupe body and a '37 Chevy coupe body to select from. I'd like to build one for myself. I have ALL the correct period parts to do it, but I have too much goin' on.

I need a passenger side door for the '36 coupe.

Also, I went to your web site. Ya' have some real neat STUFF goin' on. Your taste and mine seems to run pretty close.

 

As soon as I get some pics from or have a chance to see him, I'll post some images. I can tell you the craftsmanship is outstanding.

Thanks for the compliment. I guess with our tastes being close must that it must have something to do with our modified backgrounds.

 

A guy did the same thing up here, NASCAR chopped Merc, probably early 80s.

 

This is for Modifieddriver. Here's a couple of photos of the Street Modified my buddy Kevin Neild is building. Right now, the killer 426 Hemi is at the engine builder and I beleive he said he was wheeling out the door panels. I can't wait for him to complete this.

 

That car is first class . Fab work is superb . Pretty obvious he plans on crawling through the window. A REAL race car .

'Cause he's running a Hemi, I suspect that's a Plymouth or Dodge body.

He's running a blend of old and new in that car. What'll be an independent front end looks similar to the Troyer asphalt car I have in the garage. My Troyer also has the frame rails under the rear end like he's doing.

If I get up in your part of the world, I'd love to look at it.

If a build another car, using my '36 Chevy coach body, I plan on doing the rear frame the same way using coil overs. I wouldn't want the leaf springs extending past the body. In the front I'll still use a straight axle. I'm old school, and that's all I ever ran .

 

It's a Raceworks (Flemke/Ruggiero) front clip. Like I mentioned earlier; he works in the fab shop @ JGR; his work is first rate indeed.

 

Here's a few pics of my Troyer asphalt car. What I started with, and where I am now. Using a '37 Chey coach body. Project got stalled. I need to get back on it. This isn't for the street, it's for vintage racing.

 

This one belongs to the guy standing on the left in the pic above. You see it in the summer all over Syracuse.

 

Dude that is totally kick ass! I'm not gonna say that I thought of it before Hot Rod magazine brought it up, but I thought of it before Hot Rod magazine brought it up (hehe).
Seriously though, I've been wanting to do this for a long time (one of my many car dreams). I miss the last good days of stock car racing from when I was kid when they used real cars to start with.

Maybe like FEDs, we can start a movement on here to build them street legal and actually race them at a (newly formed) HAMB circle track event like the vintage race crowd? Maybe run three cars wide, short 10-lap heats, etc... We run for fun. No trophies, just the glory of the scene. Then, the beast part, we drive them home

Am I going in a good direction here or am I too far off base?

I may have a new direction for my 59 Plymouth.... ????

 

Mod Driver, did The BullFather pass on John Bush's phone number to you? John was the prior owner of the 68 car.

 

Like these <BFG>

 

My understanding is that the "double center" deal was typical of stock cars in the '60s, built just as you described. I note that the CL lister is now at $3K, and I'd bet that a lot of that is for the NOS race tires. See if he'll sell the rims separately for a bunch less.

 

For the Southern Ground Pounder Series?

 

I LOVE the direction of this thread. I've had a similar fantasy built around a "Gurney Replica" '63 Galaxie for years. Sadly, I know I'll never do it. Note these posts from earlier threads:

02-14-2004, 08:40 PM #1
50Fraud
Cars with historic significance, part II (last 10 years)
Piggybacking on Roothawg's great "cars that influenced history" thread: what cars built in the last 10 years have historic significance? As in, cars whose style will influence lots of others from here forward? I'd offer:

[skip]...used to be that most self-respecting hot rods were wannabe lakes racers, drag cars, occasionally road racers -- but now, the racers that we copy are all old school. Hardly anybody builds Nascar racers for the street, or pro stock Camaros, or anything else that's closely related to current racer stuff. Wonder why?

-and-

02-15-2004, 09:14 PM #14
50Fraud
Re: Cars with historic significance, part II (last 10 years)
On the wannabe-racer front:

[skip]...But there's stuff in between that's been overlooked. DrJ, you're right, it'd be impractical to build an authentic Earnhardt racer for the street, but how about a Dan Gurney '63 Galaxie? I'm not talking about numbers and sponsor graphics all over it, but the stance and the sound. Would be bitchin', no?

Or a late Camaro, super low with huge tires, hoodscoop and spoiler like a current drag car. Those things have as sexy a silhouette as the Pierson Bros coupe, and it wouldn't be all that difficult to replicate. I'm not really concerned that nobody's done this; I'm just surprised that it hasn't happened already.

-and-

04-24-2008, 11:40 AM #9
50Fraud
Re: Galaxie's done right?
I loved watching Dan Gurney run Galaxies in the NASCAR road races at Riverside in the '60s. Here are two of his rides:

 

I'm all over this. 1500 dollar 67 Belvedere 2 body. 440 stroked to 500. Cheap 23 spline 4 speed. 8 &3/4 rear end. Big c body drum brakes. Huge front and rear sway bars. Biggest torsion bars you can get. The stiffest shocks you can get for cheap. Custom widened early 15 inch truck wheels painted black semi gloss. Pull out the quarters and front fenders for old school tire clearance. Foam around the roll bar held in place with electrical tape. Aluminum strips to hold down the back window. Petty Blue is the dopest color for a Plymouth but it's a little obvious, side exit pipes...

 

I love this thread, I always LOVED the 50's-60's stock car look, I wanted to do this with an early chevelle, like Smokey's 66, I idolized that car as a kid. Or a 59 Chevy.

 

No, I'm with the NVRA. Used to be here in Greenville, but now it's based in Macon, GA.

Not too much vintage racing close by. I didn't run at all this past year.

The Ground Pounders might give me some races closer to home, I have to look at a schedule.

 

If he did, I never received a PM or e-mail.

I'd like to get it and get some background on the car.

 

Here is one that belongs to a club member, Gary. He drives the shit out of it every chance he gets, and with a built 427 it flat hauls ass. He's racing against fellow club member Hot Rod Bob's A coupe here, which is also dirt track styled. I noticed Gary's car is on the promo flyer for the '08 Mooneyes Xmas party this year.

Gary is from the east coast and is seriously addicted to circle track cars