Been goofin' around with my new camera phone and thought I'd post some recent pics of the car. I'm getting ready to take out the TH475 and put in a brand new Richmond 5-speed. This car just seems wrong with an automatic. I've also picked up an original set of factory aluminum snowflake heads for it that should make life a little easier for that single transverse leaf spring. The spring really flattened out when I dropped the Rat motor in the car. Can't wait to bang some gears in Joplin next year!
thats ****in sweet man!! i got one question for ya though... how do ya set the damn timing!! LMAO it looks great man!!
It's a stock LS-6 454. Funny thing is how many different cars this engine has been in. It started out in a 70 Chevelle, did some time in a 40-41 Willys in the seventies, two different ' 62 Bel Air bubbletops, a ' 68 Camaro and finally this 55. When the firewall work was done on this car back in 1964, it was only cut big enough to fit a Hilborn injected 301. I didn't want to re-do any of the original aluminum work so fitting the big block was quite a chore. That motor could not be 1/4 inch left or right or down. Even the cowl must be unscrewed to remove the air cleaner. Strange to drive it with the front clip off as you can't even see the engine in front of you because it's next to your leg.
cool 55. i wanna see some intr pics. i think i woulda left the paint the way it was. man i love this car.....
Thanks for the comments, guys. The Braun Bros. got involved with drag boats and retired the car around 1967. The car sat in storage until the 90's when someone else bought it and repainted it. Yeah I know, I would have left it alone also but the car has been through several owners the past few years before I got it. The dash also had several winner plaques from closed drag strips in the St. Louis area that someone removed. Shame that they're gone.
I've seen that car a few times up at the cruise in Arnold. The car is really cool. Wasn't it for sale for a while, are you that guy or a new owner?
I've had the car for almost two years and have not had it for sale during that time. It was in the Alton,Bethalto Ill. area before I got it.
Will you keep the old beast on the track only or will it get a chance to see street duty from time to time?
It pretty much is just a street car now. It's got exhaust, turn signals, headlights and a wiper switch on the dash. Hard to see in the pictures, but there's quite a bit of metalflake in the orange paint.
Do you know the name of the guy that had it in bethalto? I think ive seen the car in his garage if its the same one. Nick
There was another owner between me and the fellow in Bethalto. He is the one that can take credit for the paint and interior. I've changed out the driveline and done a lot of suspension work on the car.
After taking a closer look I see the flake in the paint............whats the 55 like to drive on the street/highway? Is there only one seat or two?
I thought it was up for sale or trade at one time... anyway, it's one cool 55. One of my favorite in the STL area.
Great g***er man, good to see a brother of the g***er wars on here , we need more. and as for driver/ racer, g***ers are for both , mine is double duty and I have a ball with it . Can't wait to see yours in person... was in joplin this weekend racing mine. thanks for posting the pics ..
We are the previous Bethalto owner's of the G***er Car in these pictures. Nick you were right it was in our garage, confirmed your idendity through Tiffany. We're glad everyone appreciates the car and that it is still on the road We spent a FULL year in the garage trying to restore the car to it's former glory! But someone needs to put the ladder bars back on the car. When we bought it the brackets were there but the bars were missing. Here are a couple of the restoration pictures.
The owner between you and the Bethalto owners (US) did NOT do the paint job and the interior, we did. Don't know what he told you but he was fibbin' man!! We actually went to great lenghts to get some of the crome pieces for the car too, one piece was shipped to us twice and it kept breaking in half by the time we got it that we finaly said to hell with that and then we decided to sell. We've had other fun and awesome cars. And hope to have another in a couple of years. Jim
Jim in Bethalto, I'm glad to finally hear from you. You deserve the credit for the paint and interior and that's what the post was meant to read. I apologize for the confusion. I bought the car the very next day after the other fellow got it from you. Great photos. Sent you a PM.
Does anyone have pic's of this 55 in her old paint..............and maybe shot's of her at the track! Be kool to see this Chevy in her glory days with that injected 301.
Nope my hubby believes it was yellow at one time then painted orange and the we just improved on the flat orange with the flakes added to the new orange. They are not regular metal flakes, would have to look it up to see what it actually is, something like an opal multicolor flake. And we added the white top to differentiate the car from another simliar car in the area that has some serious rust issues or it did when we last saw it. It got confused alot with the other car until we did the two tone paint with flakes then it stood out!!!! We did see some photos of it at the race track not sure where we seen the the paper clipping will have to see if hubby remembers where! This car does have some great history. And my hubby misses it something fierce! Tammy
The Jalopy Journal
