Projects 1955 Chevy Southeast Gassers Build

Been tinkering with the ramp truck.
Got it lettered up today, and it’s going to look killer going down the road.


Also started tearing down the 400 and getting it ready for cam/heads/intake. It’s getting a small rv cam and ditching the smog 882s and putting a set of double hump heads on it to help with compression and performance. Going to swap it and the 400 turbo into the old truck here this winter.

 

Made some p***es, car ran great in the heat testing, and the ramp truck is just my favorite thing ever. Lol

 

Getting consistent times. Good light when don’t red ( smile )

 

A few pics from this past weekend, last bracket race of the year at Bristol, going to try to make a few changes and make some more p***es in a few weeks and see if I can find the tree and maybe find some et too.

 

Nice indeed.

 

Looking good

 

Spent the past few weeks working on the tow rig, getting it updated and ready for 2026.

Removed the dog turd 305 v6 and NP435 that was worn out, and swapped in the 400 small block that I’d reworked, with 186 heads, RV cam, and aluminum intake and Holley 600. Also added gauges so I know what’s going on while driving down the road. Has long tube headers, and some exhaust we made up in the shop, just 2.5” duals with china flowmasters and turn outs, but it’s really pretty quiet in the cabin and has a ton more power than the 305 v6 had.

Still have a few small things to ****on up on the wiring, and clean and paint the engine bay (couldn’t get the truck in and out of the shop to clean it with no engine/transmission/clutch/ or brakes) but it’s pretty cherry now. I want to redo the seat, and find a taller geared rear end but other than that the truck is perfect. It’s 7.20 rear gear in high range right now so the cruise speed is about 3700rpm at 60mph. 5.86 gear rear end would be optimal with the 40” tires that this truck uses.

 

Looks great - living the dream - don't s**** that NP435 - the off roaders love 'em

 

I sold it and the 305 v6 for a couple hundred dollars and sent that stuff down the road to someone that can hopefully use it.

 

Right on Zach! Did you put a SM420 back in it am I seeing that correctly?

 

Yes I did put an sm420 in it.

 

Zak.. Old HomeGrown still look'in good ! I've seen you guys a few times at the SEGA races..
Ya got any more "details" on the Carolina Pushrodz ?!!
Places they race?
How many race cars?
As organized as SEGA ?
Locations of their races ?
Are they mainly in the Carolinas ?
So many questions...so little time !!
Thx
6sally6

 

Look for a brown light secondary trans. It has under /1to1 / and over drive. And there are many versions. There was a 62 lcf gmc here in town that actually had two brown lites behind a Clark 5 speed. ( 5 speed wasn’t an over drive).
Is it a square tube Eaton rear or other? Look for some of the older logging /big truck wrecking yards. You’d be surprised how cheaply older bigger rear ends go for because the modern stuff is the big ticket fast mover. I’ve got a Hollander exchange book from that era. Depending on housing there are actually a lot of options.

 

And the guy running the cherry picker with that heavy jimmy V6 fully extended is my hero. That hoist must be a hoss.
Used to be a lot of tips on drive lines on GMC 6066 Guy also

 

We are having a racers meeting at the end of January to get an idea of what all the 2026 Pushrodz season will entail. It’s just a group of mainly western NC and NE Tennessee racers, there’s currently probably 20 or so, and it’s all split on et, and it is dial in bracket racing, but bunched for closer racing, and it is still pro tree.

it’s not quite as organized as Sega, and definitely a whole different deal. It’s more along the lines of “fun runs” albeit there is a winner with a trophy and cash payouts, it’s more laid back and about hanging out and making p***es. Kind of like early unorganized sega in the 2014-16 era.

hopefully we’ll have about 4-6 races scheduled for 2026, probably in North Carolina and maybe a couple in South Carolina and maybe one in Tennessee.

 

For an overdrive option I’m planning eventually to go to a nv4500 or even an nv3500.

but if I could like you said find a rear end or even center section with a 6.20 or 5.80 range gear I wouldn’t even need OD. I’ll have to figure out what exactly is in the truck and get with you on decoding and cross referencing because medium duty trucks was nothing I was knowledgeable about, before I got this ramp truck. lol

 

It tweaked the hoist it’s not quite right anymore haha. That thing was definitely twice as heavy as the 400 small block. lol

 

I'll be on the look out !!!
6sally6

 

I have a pretty good Hollander listing. Find the casting in your chunck and then we can see. Might be just as cheap to get the whole Rearend. The older stuff usually gets s****ped if it doesn’t move pretty fast these days( meaning rearends etc. )meaning it goes cheap. As in 2-400$ for the whole Rearend

 

I’ve seen 5/10 lug/and 6 lug. But if the chunck is swapped only not an issue. Don’t forget that some of the big Chevrolets and even Ford etc run the same style etc axles.

 

Gave the engine bay a quick spray down rinse, and put some satin black paint down to just freshen it up a bit without getting carried away, it’s still just a tow rig…
Also got a working fuel gauge now too. May possibly put a transfer tank in the bed at a later date to add range between fill ups for trips too.

Also picked up a 650 double pumper for it, with a mechanical choke. Just can’t get the single line 600 to run right, something is funky with the idle circuit, it runs good everywhere but at idle. Going to swap the carbs out this week, and then other than some bed marker lights, and rebuilding the winch brakes, the ramp truck is finished.

 

Yeah I will see what I have, I’d like to swap centers if at all possible, as the 6 lug setup is a lot harder to find used and I’m kind of stuck 6 lug, I don’t want to have to carry two different giant spares when I travel. lol. And also all of my brakes work well I’d rather not get into more brake work on another old housing of if I swapped rear ends.

 

I totally get that. Especially with the brakes working. Those trucks were known to have brake issues if not maintained or they sat up a long time. Again I get it.

 

Meanwhile back to the 55!

 

Yep got the trans out freshening up the power glide and putting a new trans brake valve body in it. Hoping to run some personal bests again this year!