I know a lot of you dont like reading long dissertations just to hear that someone is looking for the holy grail with a budget of only five bucks, so I'm going to be upfront with this and save the history and details for last. I'm looking for my cousins 55 Chevy 2door Hardtop. It was bought by a guy in Milwaukee WI area in the early 90s from a guy named John in Berea OH. The car was a g***er/strait axle car running a set back small block. The last known configuration before it left here was painted yellow, radiused wheel wells and a tilt nose. I've tried getting better details on the car and who it was sold to from the last guy that owned it around here but he seems to draw a blank every time I ask about it. I'm looking for any leads and I'm serious about buying it back. For those of you who don't mind a little extra info... My cousin started racing the car in the early 60s in D/G and retired it by 68 to move on to a faster car (C/G 48 Anglia). The car changed hands quite a few times and stayed intact until one local guy who is known for pirating parts got it. That is when the Olds rear, CAE straight axle and several other parts disappeared. Though being owned by others, the car was in and out of my family quite a few times for a while until my dad bought it and finally sold it in the late 80s due to financial issues. At that point the car actually got put back together and driven on the road for the first time in a long time. The car was sold to another local guy and he drove it for a couple years until it was sold to a guy in Milwaulkee WI. From that point on I have nothing... I really wish I had some photos to post, but all of the photos my cousin had of the car fell victim to an ugly divorce. I've wanted to find this car for quite a few years now, or if I can't find it I'll clone it. I'm finally in the position to take on the project, so any info or leads as to where the car might be are greatly appreciated.
Good luck on finding the car and/or info. Dad had a couple cars that I would love to track down.... so I know where you are coming from. ~Kasey
Surely there are some photos. That would sure help even more! Good luck and would love to see a shot!
The only person that I would expect to have record of the VIN would be the last guy in Ohio that owned it and he claims to not have any of that info. I wish there were photos... If had been old enough when my dad owned it, I would've taken plenty of photos. Unfortunately I was only 7 or 8yrs old when he sold it. All the memories I have of the car are of me playing inside the car while my dad told me stories about the car in its glory when it ran at Dragway 42 and Thompson back in the mid 60s. I took a few days extra on my trip out to CA this past January to meet up with my cousin and talk about the car. I got a lot of info from the days he raced it but he has nothing left from back then. I wouldn't expect him to, seeing how the divorce was so bad that he left with just the clothes on his back and moved as far away from Ohio as he could. I was told that his ex destroyed just about everything he had left from his days of racing.
Update! The wait for info has been well worth it, now to find the car... I finally heard back from the last guy to own the car here in Ohio. He told me that he sold the car in late 1990. The buyer was in fact from Milwaukee at the time, and used to race a 55/56 Ford g***er. He bought the 55 Chevy with plans to build it as a tribute to his old g***er. When the 55 Chevy left here, it was painted chrome yellow with radiused rear wheel wells, one piece solid red tail lights, chrome rear bumper, no side trim. It still had the 4 piece fibergl*** front clip bolted together to make a one piece tilt front end that pinned down at the lower rear tip of the fenders. It also still had the small hood scoop from when it was raced. He said he gl***ed the opening of the scoop closed to keep water off the motor since he was driving it daily. It was running a smogger 350 SBC and automatic trans that was all stock with some bolt on chrome stuff. As I said before, the front CAE tube axle was long gone, but it was replaced with another straight axle with 6 lug hubs and brakes (I'm ***uming early chevy axle). It had 6 lug to 5 lug wheel adaptors with Cragars on it. There were no wipers or heater. The interior was all black and only consisted of a drivers bucket seat, a homemade 3 or 4 point roll cage and a completely intact Bel Air dash. I hope it sounds familiar to somebody out there... And as a bonus to go with the description, he found this polaroid photo of how the car was last known to look.
Kinda looks like a car my friend Joe has, but I thought it was a 56. But the front stuff was off it, everything you described sounds correct.
I know a guy named joe that has a 55 built just like the one described, sounds like it could be the same car how much was the engine set back?
My cousin said he didn't go the full allowable 10% per D/gas rules. I believe he said it was only 7 or 8%. Do either of you guys have any pictures of your friend Joe's car? I'm going to be making a trip down to John's (the last guy in Ohio to own it) house to ask some more questions about the car. I could show him a photo of Joe's car to see if he recognizes it.
Giving this a bump in hopes that the three people (just this weekend) are right that told me this would be the place to get a solid lead on it.
Givin it another bump. Thinking about going back to the clone project, but would rather be working on the real thing...
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