After 30+years the old drag car is on its way to banging gears again

I have had this wagon since 1967.Built it to race the lower gas and modified production classes.Ran mostly G/MP.Mid 11's with a 287".Been sitting in my garage for over 30 years.With lots of encouragement and a ton of help from friends it got torn apart last year and completly gone through.Just got it back on the frame.Still have a lot of period parts I am using as much as possible.Will be a nostalgia racer.Got a long ways to go yet but its in the right direction.Got a hankering to grab some gears again because as the Stones put it"Time waits for no one".

 

Nice! Can't wait to see it run! You putting the same engine back in it? specs?

 

Now this is a way to really introduce yourself onto the HAMB! Are you going to be running a 287 in it?

 

Very, very, cool.

Are you gunna put all the original lettering back on it?

Rich

 

Lebanon Valley is on Rt 20 east of Albany. Couple of good nostalgia meets per year. See you there.

Cool car.

 

As an old 50s/60s Drag Racer, I say "HOORAY" another survivor is saved and "restored" to its former glory!! Glad to see and the Best of Luck to you!! Am anxious to see pics back at the strip. Dave

 

The 287 was sold long ago to a sanddragger.Got a 311"short block together,12.5 TRW,alum rods,big Herbert roller.Looking for heads,probably AFR's.The old heads were round port Mondellos.Wish I had those.

 

Most of the lettering will go back on with a few changes.Thanks for support,guys.
I do race at Lebanon Valley at the nostalgia shows.Those are always great events.Usually run my 70 Chevelle SS 454 in 1/8 mile class.Have won a couple times and runner-upped a couple more.

 

Late 60's style ... Perfect!!

 

Wow....very cool. Glad you held on to it and are bring it back. You have any pics of it running back in the day?


Thanks for posting!



DuckusCrapus

 

Killer! Anyone got a pair of Mondello heads collecting dust for this guy?

 

Awesome, nothing like the sound of a short stroke small block zinging down the tarmac, really gets the adrenalin going just thinking about it! Great to have you aboard!

 

Thank you for sharing...love the pics!...very very cool!!

 

Great to hear the lettering is going back on it!

Cool car.

 

I'm with Tman on the lettering...

 

great color!

 

Hey,thanks for all the positive responses.It will help keep the ambition fire going.
Have to agree with the sound of a screaming small block,especially through fenderwell headers.I was going to build a big inch small block loafer and keep the revs down for cost and maintenence issues.After about 6 seconds of that thinking I said screw it,it's gotta rev.Figure on 8000-8400 with this motor.Not quite like the old 287 though.Would come off the line around 8800-9000 and shift at 9400-9500.Damn,that motor did like to rev.Had all the good stuff back then-gas port Venolias-Superrods-Dykes-knife crank-Crane roller etc.
The color back then was a Cadillac Firemist green because a friend had a gallon sitting on the shelf for free.The new color is 55 Chevy Neptune green.Car was originaly black and white and did race it like that for the first two years.
Yes,yes,great idea.Any Mondellos lurking about out there?
Only have a couple of pix on the track.Will see if I can scan them and get them up.

 

thats cool...that stuff sat there for 30 years, and came right back around to life, and usefulness again...thats what its about.
gonna be fun, I'd say!

 

Amen. Don't know if it was foresight or happenstance or what, but I'm sure glad you held onto it all this time - that's so rare. I just love stories like this! I left my Mondello SBC heads in my other pants, but will be cheering you on from here. Please keep us updated, okay?
Scotty

 

It oughta be just as entertaining now as it was then. Thanks for holding on to the car all those years, and for putting a stick back in it.

 

Ya know ....... Mr. Joe Mondello is still porting heads in his new facility located in Crossville, TN. ...... he and his crew do an awesume job. They just finished my Buick 401 a few weeks ago....what a torque monster .

Give Joe a call, here is his phone number 931-459-2760

 

I like the car. It would have be nice to have save the original letter. Looks like a little history there.

 

Nice ride. Any pic's of it in the 70's? Please.

 

fucking awesome

 

awesome, glad its going back to its former self.
kudos to you and welcome

 

This thread will die in the archives if nobody revives it.perhaps Bucksnort will elaborate a little bit more on this rebuild,was it cherry,just a simple scuff &shoot,or major rust repair? Interesting looking garage,any treasures lurking? other projects?

 

Actually racemad55,I was going to do just that today.FYI,racemad55 is the friend,Rick Rudolph,who also restored and owns the Blevins& Scotto 55 Nomad G/MP,who did all the fab and most of the body work and paint on my car.If it wasn't for Rick the car would still be a hulk.
You would think that a car that sat inside for 30 years would be in pretty good shape.Not the case here.Digging into it we realized it was going to be pretty extensive.Replaced the whole floor with a 1 piece deal purchased through East Coast Chevy(OL55),along with everything else.Those are great guys to deal with and Don,their very talented metalman,has become a friend. New fenders,rockers and lots of patches that Rick fabbed up.Drivers rear quarter was smashed in due to a runaway Chevelle wagon with a powerglide that dropped out of park and zoomed across the yard into the side.That was not a good day.Thought sure as hell a new quarter would be needed but Rick and another friend,Pete Hoenck,straightened it out with a porta-power.Super job.Work was done at Ricks garage.I am going to have to scan some pix of his garage.Pretty neat place.A duece is in the future for Rick.

 

That Wagon Is SICK... The lettering Is a MUST have...No Vinyl...Just one-shot.......GREAT JOB....

 

That is an excellent track, we used to run with the motor sports club in college (amherst ma) and head out there. ALWAYS something cool running

 

I love it.My first car was a black 57 wagon that was an ex drag car ...