Projects Bad Banana Resurrection - 55 Chevy Gasser

Rusty,

Here are a few pics I took of the Bad Banana last weekend. Awesome Car!!!!

 

That is one cool car and story.

 

2nd pic is my new wallpaper!!

 

Thanks for posting the pictures. All are very much appreciated.

I also want to take time to plug the track. Beaver Bob treated us like royalty down there. He had talked to my dad quite a bit before we went down there. Beaver Bob has owned that track for 40 years and this car was there in 1971 when the track opened up. Sunday morning he brought a bunch of the old drivers that were there up onto the starting line and interviewed them. My dad was one of them and he was pretty humbled to be standing there with guys like Ohio George Montgomery, Mallicoat Bros, etc..

Bob also loaned us one of his golf carts for the weekend so my dad could get around since he has a hard time standing and walking very far. The whole track crew and track photographer were extremely friendly and helpful all weekend. The currently have a bunch of pictures posted on the track website as well as the photographer's website. Anyone one who was there will find there are a bunch of pictures on both sites. Here are the links- check them out!

http://www.beaversprings.com/

http://www.tdspeedshotz.com/

My wife just got done ordering a bunch of pictures from TD Speed Shots. That guy was up there all weekend and I never saw him take a break!

I have watched some of the other video of the other runs and it is obvious that I need to make a shock change to the rear. When we put this thing together, I was short of cash so we used the rear shocks off the wrecked S-10. They are gas charged and extend by themselves if they are unbolted from the car. If you look at some of the pics you can tell that it is slamming the rear tires into the track and then bouncing the tire and unloading it. We played with tire pressure and launch rpm all weekend trying to get it more consistant but never really did. That one run Saturday morning the track, tire pressure and launch rpm all came together and the tires stayed under it and the video shows the results!

I have some real adjustable rear race shocks ordered for it and should have them next week. You can't see them on the car and I can paint them to make them look "old" if I think it is necessary. I am looking at going back to Milan with the Great Lakes Gassers maybe next weekend to try the new shocks. We'll see how things go.

Talking to Dad this week, he says he has the original Corvette valve covers that I can have for it. I will have to make spacers to make them work on this engine. That might be something we do over the winter if I decide to keep this engine. It would be hard to go back to a less powerful smaller engine now that I have run this one... . I need to talk to my friend and see if we can make some sort of deal on this one probably.

For now, it will probably stay with this engine trans combo and maybe we'll start looking for parts to build it back into a 327/4-speed car someday in the future. I just can't justify making that change very soon. Dad loves it the way it is right now. The fact it is about 1 full second quicker that it was makes him pretty happy. His goal with the car was always to make it as fast as possible so slowing it down to make it more like it used to be is not what he wants to see. Even if that makes it less "HAMB-friendly" in some people's eyes.

 

For what its worth, I think you are on the right track. Why slow it down just for nostalgia purposes? I also like the idea of the old Corvette valve covers, that'll really keep 'em guessing.
If you can make it faster with a 327 and 4 speed, great. I'm a 4 speed guy from waaaaayyy back and will remain so, but I understand the automatic guys wanting to use them. To each his own. Eli

 

Pictures from the June 10-12 Gasser Reunion at Beaver Springs. Never got around to posting them until now.



This was taken at my friend's shop who gave me the engine for this car. This was the first time my Dad had seen it since we began working on it last August.







From L-R: Austin, Rusty, Dad, and Denny Ashcraft of Ashcraft Speed and Marine. Without his help, this car would not have been done!



Austin is head of tire management. Among other things..




My Dad's brother Jim with one of the original old jackets from 40 years ago. There is a picture earlier in this thread that shows him and I wearing these jackets at Beaver Springs in 1971.



My dad and Speed. Also earlier in the tread you will recall that these are the two guys that built this car back in the mid 60's. Dad bought this car from Speed in 1964 for $50.



Very cool pic from Saturday morning.



Here is all of the original crew. From L-R: My Mom (who took most of all the old pictures you guys have enjoyed), Rusty, Dad, Speed, and my Dad's brother Jim. I am very fortunate to not only still have all of these people in my life but also to have been able to get them all together at the same time to see this car again. Seeing the look on all their faces was worth all the work getting this thing done. Plus I get to drive a really cool car!!



Austin, Rusty, and my awesome wife Sharon!!









Picture of Dad and I leaving on the ride I took him in it. The video you saw earlier. The camera is on the hood.

 

This is a very inspiring story. You and your family have pulled off quite an enormous feat in a relatively short amount of time. That wheels up shot is just incredible. I don't think you realize how much you have contributed to the whole arena of enthusiasts. Whether they like it or not, this is an incredible continuation of the journey of an important car that now will be enjoyed by millions, thanks to the internet. Congratulations on the Bad Banana Resurrection!!!!!

 

From Milan 6/25 11. The bad banana and the rotten orange line up for the final of the gasser shootout, the orange wins, Jonny was hard to beat running 10.0's all day.

 

Rusty, that was a great final on saterday, Ill never forget that one.
The announcer HAD to have a remark for us, its not often a rotten orange and a bad banana meet in the final.
Thanks for a great time Johnny Rotten

 

This thread is why I love this site!

 

Thanks you very much for the kind words.

As I said afterwards.. it was the most fun I have had with my clothes on..LOL Hopefully we can do it again soon!!

 

You're welcome. Now, where can we get a tshirt???????Autographed by all involved as well.

 

Very cool story & congrats on the races !!!

 

Great thread and thanks for sharing with all of us.

Bad Banana, Rotton Orange , maybe I should paint mine green and call it Sour Apple

 

I went back to beaver springs dragway for the nostalgia nationals and saw bad banana shirts one was your dads brother...

 

That would have probably been my Uncle Jim.

 

Fresh video here:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=606603

 

Too Cool...

Brings back memories when I was young working at a speed shop (1988) and had just bought a flipfronted flatblack 2d post 55 Belair roller. Did the frame, floor, wheelwells mostly from the firewall back which was back cut too etc almost identical to yours. Never got it finished as I found a 70 SS396 ElCamino for my planned speed shop that never materialized...Well the 55 is long gone.. became a street car with the Big Block papers.. got a detuned EX-Pro Stock Reher Morrison in there and promptly flipped at 1/8 mile while loosing traction at a shift or gripping just there the first time or so I'm told. But thenagain I got the 61 ex fuelie Vette the same time as the 55 that has some race history and a Crower plus a Donovan SBC in pieces... You got the itch back. Thank you.
Still I miss my 55 more than like the Vette...

 

Got picked for the TV show "Pass Time" this weekend at Milan Dragway. I have some video my wife took I'll try to post later.

Episode should air some time after the first of 2012.

 

Now that is cool! Keep us posted on actual date, I wanna watch that!

 

Here is the run. It got out of the groove and I had to lift and gather it back then I finished the run. The video goes away but listen to the crowd response. They seemed to like it

 

thats cool!!!
man that car has some added History to it now!!!

 

So was Ken saying it wouldn't run like he did with Shakey Puddin, congrats on making the show.

 

cool as hell.... i love that show.....ken, smart ass, does page look as good in person ?? looking foward to the show, did they tell you when it would run ???

 

Cool Rusty, we missed you at the Funny Car Reunion.

 

Sometime after the first of 2012. Probably February or so. Should be able to find out in January of the exact date.

 

Haven't updated for a while. Not much going on with the car. Been a great year with this thing. Put about 50 runs on it without having even one failure. Worst thing that happened was I bent the front shock mounts when I had to lift with thr front tires in the air and it came down hard and bottomed out the shocks. I added frame snubbers above the axle and that should fix that problem.

Without question this car is the most fun car I have ever driven... period. How cool is it to have the chance to drive the car that you stood at the fence all your life and rooted for every time it went to the starting line? Words can't describe...

Best E.T. was 10.13 (twice) at 129.80 mph in July at Grand Bend Motorplex in Canada.

Not much planned for the winter. Got some ideas on how to wring about another tenth or so out of it for next year. Would like to be down in the 10.0's or even get a high 9 on a good track with good air just to have the time slip.

Biggest visual thing will probably be replacing the valve covers. They will now be more "HAMB friendly" (but not quite ) than what I had on it this year. My dad had the original valve covers on a '66 Chevy pick-up he had. I bought him new ones for the truck and I now have the originals in my shop. Understand these are not ones "just like them". They are the very same covers that were on this car in the '60s and into the '70s. They won't fit over the valve train on this engine but I will make them work with spacers. Here are some vintage pics as well as one I took today.

Hopefully, everyone will get to see the Pass Time episode in February. By then we will be chomping at the bit to get it back on the track in 2012. Going to try to go back down to Beaver Springs again. Not sure yet where else we will run it. Have to look the schedules over in the spring and see. Stay tuned!

 

So cool!!!!!!!!!!

 

a couple members from the car club I belong to were at pass time with ya Ill post where the party is going to be when I hear it

 

Great post I love the history. I love the fact that it is back.