Tri-Five Chevies RULE... all others DROOL!

Many of you may know my connection with the Turlock swap meet... my mom was pregnant with me in January of 1970, and attended the Turlock swap meet... selling parts out of the back of dad's Chevy pickup... the next year we went, and by '72, we were members of the Modesto Area A's, so I have attended every one since then...

Quite a few memories there... most of which include deals to be had, guys fishing for buyers... and cars that just stood out in my mind as cool.

Not many "Traditional Hot Rods" in the mix... quite frankly, they just weren't there (as we know them today), FOR SALE, for most of the years I have been attending.

But the Hot Rods, Drag Cars and Street Machines have ALWAYS showed up in full force.

A certain '29 Coupe, with a Hemi in it... shot in "red oxide" left an impression on me... so my Model A is red oxide.

There was another car left a HUGE impression on me as a kid...

I was about 13 or 14 when it started showing up... it was an old drag car, a '55 Chevy... 150 sedan, cut wheel wells and all.

When us kids would show up to his spot... he'd fire it up... rev the piss out of the little dual quad 283... open headers and all... and about the time the crowd showed up, he'd shut the thing off, and people would admire his car, in awe... of the noise... this was in and around 1983 or '84.

By 1984, that car had left such an impression on me, that, at the age of 14... I shelled out $550 for my own '55 Chevy.

It was a 210, and I did it up in late 80's street machine style... kept it for 10 years, and then sold it when I got married to build my Model A.


Well, I never could bring myself... nor would my dad let me, cut the wheel wells on my '55... it would have required that I remove the trim, weld up holes... and as much as I had been enamored with the Swap Meet '55... it was just too damn passe in 1984,5,6,7 when I built the car, to do one up in that 60's drag style. Yea, peer pressure got to me.

None the less... I built a show winner out of my '55... street raced it, and drag raced it... it was a solid high 12 second street car... but it wasn't a 150.

Also, the car was somewhat tarnished after I backed it into a concrete planter box... I rebuilt it better and faster than before... but it drove me NUTS to know that quarter panel had a half inch of BONDO in it.

Fast forward to last Friday... and a friend of mine, Stacey Fulton, was out visiting from Michigan.

Stacey and I were hot rod buddies during the prime of my '55 ownership... cruising, street racing, going to the Street Machine Nats in Sacramento and partying until the next day were what we did... 24-7.

Stacey taught me how to weld... and I ended up with his welder, and have built a few things with it since purchasing it from him 1o years ago.

To say he's a pal, is an understatement... he's like a brother.

SO anyway... talk turned to our old cars over dinner at Scenic Drive in in Modesto... he still has his '67 Mustang fastback... complete with black laquer, ghost flames and a Molly Hatchet mural on the back... that he painted himself... but I, like I said before, sold my '55... 10 years and five months ago... at the Turlock Swap Meet no less.

He said "Do you miss it?"

I said, "yea... I didn't, until a few years ago... when I sat in a '55 at Turlock, and saw those two humps on the dash."

I then told Stace' that I could probably find the owner of it, and buy it back... but man, a car like that, now... is worth into the high 20's... "Where would I get that kind of money" I said.

"I guess if you found it, you'd find a way" He replied.


So, I go home that night... and as usual... start by looking over the HAMB... then to another messageboard... then to e-bay... then, to craiglist...

I usually punch in 1950... 1951... 1952 and so on... to just see what pops up... I'm usually rewarded with some cool stuff... stuff I can't BUY... but cool none the less.

So when I get to "1955" I see an add for a '55 Chevy... I click on it, and low and behold... I am reunited with pics of a '55 Chevy from my past...


...the 1955 Chevrolet 150 sedan that I had seen as a snot-nosed-kid, sitting on a trailer... having the piss revved out of it... every "last weekend in January"... from about 1982 to 1988"...

You're damn right I bought it... and I bet you were thinking I found that ol' bondo-bucket 210 I used to own... Hahahahahahahaha!!

Sam.

 

The car has around 30 thousand original miles on it... was built into a drag car in 1962... the owner had it for 40+ years... and stopped racing it in 1970 (the year I was born)... EVERYTHING is as he last raced it... sans motor and trans.

Plans are to keep it as is for now... then build it into a 10 second street car... it'll look pretty much the same as it did when it was built and raced 40 years ago...

Those other two seats were purchased to replace the one seat... it has an Olds rear, 5.13 gears... that knob to the right of the steering column was to hold the brake pedal down when he was staging with one foot on the gas and one on the clutch!

Also, my friend George, an old drag racer... told me guys used to cut holes in their '55 Griles like that so they could get the cam shaft out without pulling the grille out... he said it was probably done when the car had a steel front end and not the fiberglass one on it.
Sam.

 

Congratulations.

Cool story,and nice car!

 

Holy crap Sam...that car is awesome! And the fact that you have sort of a 'history' with it just makes it that much sweeter.

Also...on the plus side, it has a lot of headroom...so your head will fit. hahahaa

Congrats...that car is bitchin'.

 

Oh yeah...please tell me you're gonna put a manual trans back in it.

Gotta bang gears in a '55 like that.

 

My dream motor would be a 409 with a 4 speed... next up is a 427 (punched out to 540) with a Jerico 4 speed... last in line is a SBC with... a 4 speed.

So yea, it's gonna have a 4 speed!

I'm also looking for doors (in any condition) so I can cut the inner panel out of them to weld into these... I want roll up winders... and wind wings.

I'd also like to find a Cherry stock hood for it... as when I "restore" it... I want to put the steel front end back on it... I think I may have a line on fenders... I'd like to find a nice grille too, and stock light bezels to have re-chromed (non pitted). Maybe even a bench seat and a back seat... I know I hear growns... but trust me, it'll be cool!

Put your feelers out for me, please!

Sam.

 

I am sooooo jealous... I'm gonna have to tie myself to this chair for a couple of days to keep from going out in the garage and cutting the quarters on my '55. I also have some memories of a particular '55 from the late '70's when I was a little kid and I got to ride in one that at the time was a high 11 sec. four gear. I have been trying not to cut mine up for the past 10 years , but this might be the last straw.

 

Oh man!

Thats a great looking car and a cool story!

Danny

 

wow, thanx for the story , that sure is a cool chevy,
really awesome that you found just that one..

that car sure makes the pants expand more in the groin region then an stock over restored 55...

ohh i want a gasser also!!

 

that 392 would go real good in the car............

 

that rules! great to have the car that has so many memories for you attatched to it!

 

Cool story Sam!
Great looking 55 too!
Kee[ us posted. Gonna have it for the Hambdrags?

 

Cool, I'm really happy for you.
As an ex owner of a '57 Chevy I have a soft spot for these cars still. Mine was a top of the line Bel Air hardtop, but I prefer the cheapo post models like yours and the '55 is the best year, all business no frills.

 

Muncie!

Keep letting us know what you need. I'll be looking...

 

Awesome...

Can't wait to see it back in all it's former glory!
=]

CHeers

Maiki

 

Awesome car, great story !!! I'm jealous as hell.

 

Wow, that's cool. My first car was a '56 210 two door post...I still love to see 'em done up right (in my view) and always will. Yours is a classic.

I would say an extremely overbored 283 (thinkin' .120" out to 301 if I remember right) and an M-22 would fit the bill pretty nicely.

 

Looking good...

 

Man ,findin' that is better than a weekend with Pamela Anderson.
Best of luck

 

Pamela Anderson would only last for 10 seconds, I imagine he'll have the car alot longer. Awesome story and find. Congratulations.

 

If you take off any of that vintage 'glass, make sure it goes to a good home.

I have been jonesing for a 55' like that car and the 2 lane blacktop car since forever.

As soon as the Camaro is done and gone...I am going to be on the lookout for a double nickle.

 

Funny how things work out. I have alway been a big fan of the tri 5s, I saw a black 55 being chased by local PD when I was about 7. My father and I were working on a gravel driveway. He said; what an asshole, I thought it looked like fun.
I have a 56 Bel-Air post that was last run in 1971. I have two cars to complete before this one.

Congrats on finding the car in a time when you could buy it.

Later

 

Very cool Sam. Congrats!

 

you know, you can buy a bellhousing that lets you bolt a top loader to a chevy. now you just find a good top loader....

 

WOW! nice score , no secret how i am about these old gassers ,I hope ya keep it just the way it is.maybe w a stack fuelie 292 or 301 , it would be great , I know of an old gasser 55 sitting not to far from here, but it is so far gone that its no good even for parts, I just found my old 49 chevy Sdn Del. title and I know where the car is ,so I am going over there this week to see if i can get it back , seems a few of us are finding cars from our youth. Marcus just got back his old 57 chubby, never been to craigs list ,I'm going to have to check it out

 

Thats what we used to call a "NO JIVE' .....probaly more 55's were hot rodded than any other car made!

I recently[thanks to Lil brother "Scarliner"] got back my model 150 1956 Chevy 2 dr sedan that I had in high school....so I can relate!
Go with a 301".....accept no johnny come lately big cu " -substitutes!

 

Excellent find Sam!!!
I have so many tri-five stories as they consumed my every thought from about 5 years old till I finally fgot my first model A.
Hare's a story. When I was abot 12 my dad worked with a guy that owned my ultimate dream car- a '56 Nomad. Well he had a son and a farm like 60 miles from our house and one day he picked me up from school to spend the weekend out there. I remember almost every minute of that weekend. It was the most different experience of firsts I ever had- first long ride in a tri-five, first time on a farm, first time riding a horse, first time shooting a BB rifle, first time swimming in a natural creek, first time spending the night in a 100 year old farm house. The list goes on...
Well one of the things I'll never forget was that while my dad and looked at 3 or 4 tri-fives for sale every week listed in the local paper I was about to have a surreal experience I'll never forget. While exploring the many acres of the farm sitting at the edge of the avacado grove was a '55 Bel Air post 2-door sedan. It was abandoned and the roof was dented from kids jumping on it, but it was totally complete down to the radio knobs. I could not believe the rust-free never wrecked Chevy had just been shoved out there like that. Supposedly it belonged to the neighbor. I visited that car every summer for years and wished I could drag it home. On the way through Paso a month ago I asked my dad what ever happened to the farm. He said the son still lives there- I need to give him a call!

 

Cool car Sam. I'm a bit of a Ford man myself, but always thought I'd like to have a 55 Chevy. They look like a hot rod from every angle. Good luck with it.

I know where there's a small block 4 speed 55 sitting near my parents house, it's not for sale, rusting bad, almost gone in fact

 

Completely bitchin'!

 

New fenders, roll up windows, new hood and a grille???

Sheeesh! Don't forget the Vintage Air and CD player, too!!!

Ha Ha Ha...nice score there, it'd be like ME finding Ron Pruett's 65 Mustang for sale somewhere and having the dough to buy it. Congrats to you!!!