Event Coverage "Cross country in a gasser"2003 Rod & Custom Magazine "Ego-Rama"

21 years ago! I had the rare opportunity to participate in the 2003 Ego-Rama put on by Rod & Custom Magazine in my 55 Chevy Gasser. Digging through a drawer the other day I ran across a folder from the trip and I thought I'd share my memories with the group and what is was like from start to finish. It's not something that very many people got to experience so it might be interesting to some how it all went down. This will be pretty lengthy because there's a lot to cover, but stay tuned.
This was the 3rd event that they ran, the first one being in 2001. As luck would have it the first one made a stop in Salt Lake City, and through the grape vine, I found out about it and managed to sneak into the portion being held at the local track. I couldn't dream that I'd be participating in 2 years.
The Ego-Rama was the brain child of .. you guessed it , David Freiburger during his short stint at R&C. This was one of, if not the first, attempts at a cross country driving competition that would later evolve into things like Hot Rod Drag Week and Power Tour. While similar in concept, the Ego-Rama wasn't just a drag and drive, it was a complete road test of the cars involved. Here's a screen shot of the parameters to be judged and a picture of my 55.

 

I remember that event, seems like a lifetime ago now. A lot people at the time thought Freiburger was nuts ( crazy that is) but it turned out to be a good time for all involved.

 

That is a great set of qualifications. I like the low price means high points part.

 

First, I'm gonna talk about the 55 Gasser. A friend and I were talking in the shop one day back in 2000 and the subject changed to memorable cars we remembered around town as kids. After a few stories I mentioned a 55 that used to sit at the corner of my high school friends neighborhood in the mid 70's. It stood out because it was the only car I'd ever seen in person that was "Gasser" style at that time. By the mid 70's that was outdated and uncool. My friend asked "What happened to it?" It just disappeared one day 20 years ago, I said. The idea that I should go ask the homeowner about the car came up and a quest was launched. The next day I went to the house and knocked on the door and soon a guy answers. He opens the door and I say "This is gonna sound weird, but do you know anything about a 55 Chevy that used to sit here 20 years ago?" "Yeah, that's my car" he said. Surprised, I asked " you still have it?" Sure, it's in a storage garage in the next town over"he replied. Then he says, "do you want to see it?" Holy crap! you bet I do. He says, "Let me get my keys". Wow, I couldn't believe it, it was still around. We get to the unit and he rolls up the door and there, under a 1/4 inch of dust is the 55, just like it I remembered it, Red Metalflake paint , tilt glass nose, straight axle, Good-year blue line slicks, Genuine Torque-Thrust wheels, Impala bucket seats with JC Whitney headrests, Small block and 4 speed. A true time capsule. I ask some history and he tells me he bought the car from a fellow employee after the engine quit. His plans were to make the car a modern driver with Mustang II front suspension and lowered down all around, Red velour interior, air conditioning, automatic trans, chrome reverse wheels and radial tires. All the stuff that was trending at the time. I couldn't let him do that could I? I asked "Have you ever thought about selling it?" He says"No, but maybe I should, I haven't touched it in 20 years"
I say" I'm really interested in buying it, if you were to sell it, how much do you think you'd want for it?" "Oh, I'd have to have $2000 for it" he says. With my best poker face I answer " I'd be interested in it for that." He says"give me a week to think about it and I'll make up my mind" Well, I'll tell you , that was the longest week of my life! I go to the bank and get $3000 just in case I need to persuade him some, and drive up to his house. He's mowing the front yard as I pull in. I get out of my car and walk over to him as he shuts down the mower. 'Well, did you think about it?"I ask. He looks at me timidly and says" Yeah, I think I'm going to keep it, I'd really like to finish it up" My heart sinks, damn, it got away. Then he finishes "Unless you want to give me $2500" Hiding my elation I answer, "I could do that". We go into his house to get the title and I ask to use his phone. I call my friend and say "Do you have anything on your ramp truck?" No, why? he says. I tell him " get over here right now, I just bought the car." A hour later it was home.
Now I know $2500 sounds cheap by today's standards, and it was even then. But the car was pretty rough. Clear coat flaking, bad tires, just the bare short block sitting in the frame, but the rest of it was mostly there. It would need a complete rebuild but not a lot of additional parts other than the power train to complete it. It was likely a $3500-4000 car at the time. Plus, it was just before the "Gasser" craze had started and few were interested in this kind of car at that time. Just by luck I was on the leading edge of the latest fad and didn't even know it.

 

With the car home now, I start to take inventory of what I've got. It's a good solid body as it came from southern Utah in the mid 60's. I find out that a rich kid my friend went to high school with, built the car as a Auto shop project in 1965. He wanted the baddest thing around and he and his buddies built the majority of the car in shop class.
I'm sure there were few cars to compare with it back then. At least in the looks department. During rebuilding, I discovered several things that would have kept it from being very fast, but as far as image went, I'm sure it had it in spades. I tracked down the builder and got a few pictures of it from the old days shown here. One picture even has lettering on it for Barton Trucking. If it was actually drag raced I'm sure it performed poorly. One thing I found was the fuel pickup in the tank was 1/4 inch diameter. That's not going to feed much horsepower for very long! I remember the builder saying that the car would run hard through first gear and just shut off after the shift to second. I wonder why. But just imagine what it would have been like tooling around the streets with this in 65.

 

Great read so far…looking forward to “the rest of the story”

 

We need more!

 

I didn't take any pictures of the car until after I began working on it. This is couple of gag pictures we took after the car was taken apart for repaint. There is a 2x4 standing vertical between the ground and the axle behind their leg to hold the car up. Rear tires blocked so it doesn't roll away. Check out the rear wheelwells. Somebody did a nice job cutting those out and folding a 1/2 inch lip under all the way around. (wasn't me) They never even took off the side trim. It still had green paint under it.

 

This thing practically flew together. The body was so nice it just took filling a few dents and block sanding and it was ready for paint. I straightened the trim, rechromed the rear bumper and it was done cosmetically. The interior only needed carpet and some detailing and it was finished. With the body done, I started on a powertrain. The engine that came with it was a 327 with 12 - 1 pistons and wornout 2.02 fueler heads. No intake, or headers. No cooling system. Home made deep sump oil pan and that's about all. The trans was a muncie with no shifter. I didn't want any of that so my options were wide open. I sold the engine and trans to a local T-Bucket guy and put together a mild 400 small block and T-5 trans for it. Now, small blocks are OK, but not very interesting to look at. And this car needed something to make it really pop. How can I make a small block interesting? Everything has been done before. What if it looked like a 409? There's an idea. It just so turns out that a 409 valve cover will slip right over a steel small block valve cover. No need to worry about sealing. just make a few shrouds for the ends to hide the misfitting areas and you'd be surprised how many people will buy it hook line and sinker. A pair of AFB's on a dual quad manifold and you've got yourself an engine that most will believe is the real deal. And you can service it at any Autozone. I picked up some used Tri 5 fenderwell headers locally that came off a early 50's chevy truck that was jacked up so high, it quote "went around a corner and fell over". A little straightening, blast and paint and they were good to go. At this point it was a mild and very driveable combination. Build time was 5 months at this point.

 

When this thing was finished I was a little apprehensive about driving it at first. I thought it was cool as hell but I wasn't sure how others would see it. I really worried how the local cops would view it. When I was a kid you were under constant surveillance by the cops for "Altered suspension" and missing bumpers and other vehicle violations. Would I make it block out of my neighborhood and get it impounded? To my relief, it turned out that all the cops I knew growing up had retired long ago and the "Kids" that replaced them were more interested in busting ricers with fart can exhaust than even looking at me. I also believe that gray hair is practically a license to steal.

 

So it's 2001 and I've been driving this thing for a while now and working little bugs out along the way. The power train works flawlessly, but, the old speed monster raises his head. The Oldie but Goodie Drags are coming up in Boise Idaho soon and I decide to make an appearance. A fresh 406 is built with 11 - 1 pistons , roller cam and some ported 292 "turbo" heads. A victor jr. intake and the crowning glory, a Richmond 6 speed! I also installed a Pontiac rear end at this time. (A mistake, more on that later) and with a spool and 4.88 gears I was ready for the drags. A trip to the local track showed easy 12.30's at our 4300 feet altitude. Boise is 2000 feet. We arrive and the car is a hit. Going through tech a problem arises. The track had recently had an incident and they were not cutting anyone slack. The tech guy gets out a tape measure and measures from the crank to the ground. It measured 25 inches. Nope, 24 is the limit, can't let you race. We have a nice car show over there if you're interested. SHIIIIT... I drug this thing 5 hours to race and now what. They huddle for a few minutes, I ask if I can lower the tire pressure a little to get through tech, They say"you can't race with flat tires", I say "I'm not gonna, They will be flat just long enough to get through tech. I thought they were gonna do it , but no. I beg, "ask the track owner". They confer and finally agree to let me run.

 

The first pass was a shock. I pull into the water box and do a burn out, then roll out onto dry pavement. I rev to about 5 grand and let the clutch out to do a dry hop, testing for traction, and..BAM! the car leaps forward, my head bounces off the headrest and the front end comes down with a thunk. I seriously thought "Did someone just rear end me, what the hell". Boise has great traction and the car dead hooked and pulled the front tires about a foot high! I'd never had anything hook that hard before. The run was aborted because the linkage fell off the carb during the pass. The next run was better. I lined up next to a friend and raced his Willys truck. He knew I would be faster so he redlit to try to beat me. Here's that shot. Pulled them about a foot again and ran 11.90 at 114mph. That's more like it! What a ride. I pull onto the return road and I am met by a track official. He hands me a ticket for going to fast! Back then the limit without a rollbar and belts was 12 flat. If I did it again I would be asked to leave. I made a few more easy passes and loaded up. I accomplished what I need to do so it was good.

 

Driving around town with the race engine was getting old so I made a quick change assembly with the street engine. I had a complete duplicate drivetrain from driveshaft to crank pulley that could be switched over in a few hours. Most of the time I ran the street setup but if there was a need for speed I could be ready in an afternoon. With the street setup in place our local group did a fuel economy run to Wendover one Saturday. I managed to get 21 miles to the gallon by drafting a semi dangerously close most of the way there. The Chevelle got 24. Thought I was gonna win there for a minute.

 

2002 and the track hosted the "Graffiti Drags". Swap engines and grab some watercolors and a brush. Ready to go racing again with some local sponsors from the old days. Here's a shot of the deal heading for the track.

 

Be patient, we're getting to the Ego-Rama. Just setting the tone. One more year to go. That fall I take the car to Wendover for Speed Week. The car is an absolute sensation on the salt. People freak out. I'm approached by Super Chevy Magazine for a photo shoot. The car shows up on the cover of the trial issue of Chevy Muscle with a big spread inside. Hey, that's pretty cool!

 

Awesome, that car looks so good! W powered, too.

 

OH MAN!!! What a story so far! Thanks so much for posting this!

 

The 2001 Ego-Rama comes to town and we sneak in. Knowing there are magazine guys there I strategically park my car at the end of the burnout box. Maybe I can be in the back ground of a shot or two when they do their burnouts. (Damn glory hog) I meet George Poteet there after they were done taking pictures. He had a magnificent 32 ford with blown small block and zoomie headers. I mean "Riddler"quality. $$$$$ I watched him make a few passes trying to stay under 12 flat and then he made a hail Mary pass. It didn't ET very good because of street tires but it went out the back door at something like 130mph! WOW. Anyway, There is a group around my car checking it out and he walks up to look. He notices my deception (valve covers) and scoffs. He says something like "That's the automotive equivalent of stuffing a rolled up sock down the front of your pants"then he turned and walked off. Kinda rubbed me the wrong way, but hey, he looked at my car! I don't know if he was a good guy or not, but my first impression wasn't as favorable as it could have been. By the way, my car was obscured by tire smoke in all the pictures. Oh Well.

 

I went to the track that day with my neighbor from across the street. He had been a Rodder for most of his life and on the way home he said he was going to try to do the next Ego-Rama. I didn't think much more about it until the next year when he told me he had entered and been accepted. He had a sweet little 32 coupe, flat black with a 400 small block and 700 trans, vintage air and steel wheels. He went, he had fun , he told me I had to go.

 

I watch the magazines for entry applications and finally the issue lands. I send in a shot of my car from Boise and a quick description and cross my fingers and wait. The next issue has this. Holy crap, this might just happen!

 

I made the semi finals, now wait for the voting. Another month passes and I get this in the mail.

 

Too cool! Swap the hot motor back in with the 6 speed and do final preparations(including nitrous)Pack wheel bearings, lube the U-joints, I think we're ready. I hope I've got this handled. The car has been behaving very civilized up to now. You know when I first took it out, with out fail I would run into folks that would say stuff like "Boy, I'll bet that's a handfull", or "I can't believe you can drive that on the road."or "Must be scary". Man, this thing is a sweetheart when it comes to manners! It drives pretty darn good. Rides about like a lifted 4 wheel drive truck, so not terrible. All in all, it was a good car. Maybe mines the exception to the rule though. Probably not.

 

The next issue lands and this is centerfold. 6 finalists. Out of the whole country. We'll find out how unimpressive that was in a minute.

 

Soon the itinerary shows up. Monday November 10th to Sunday the 16th 2003 .

 

Fun story so far. So what was the mistake with the Pontiac rear??

 

Man what a great find/ story!

 

This is Great! When is the next chapter?

 

Cool

 

This is a great ride! Can we get more pics of the Faux-0h -Nine? Looks awesome!

 

My place is about 750 miles from Burbank. Trying to plan for "worst case scenario" I'm going to trailer to Saint George Utah 320 miles and stay over with my Mother that lives there. We'll offload there and drive down the rest of the way. Then if something goes wrong at least I'm a little closer to the trailer. We spend the night with my mother and the next morning meet her landlord as we're loading up getting ready to leave. He tells us he used to work on a Chevy assembly line when he was a young man and welded the frames on 55 Chevy's. That was kinda cool. We fire up and head out of town. Heading for the freeway a car pulls up next to us and slows to match our speed. I look over and I'll be damned it's not an old friend that moved to Saint George a few years before, on his way to work. We yell back and forth for a block and then head onto the freeway. Just settling in at a comfortable cruise speed and it begins to lightly rain. This wouldn't be of any concern in another car but I'm running slicks for this entire event. The rain is light and just damps the road but this is something to keep an eye on. We drive into Nevada and I'm watching my newly installed O2 Meter, checking my efficiency. It's an older version that has a row of lights that illuminate as the ratio changes. All lights on=rich. All lights off=lean. Anything in between is good(at least as far as I'm concerned). I never see a light go out. We're fat as a hog. I pull into a rest stop and tilt the nose and pull the jets. We'll try 4 steps down. Button her back up and hit the road. Next next stop pull in and do it again. This time the lights will flicker while cruising and it feels fine so I'm good with it. Other than the light rain off and on the rest of the trip went smooth. Although as we got into town I wasn't comfortable with the amount of traffic we ran into. We pulled into the host hotel around 4:00 and spotted the group waiting for us all parked around the front entrance. We're the last ones to arrive so we pull right up to them and get out. They all have this astonished look on their faces. We wonder what is going on. We get the "I can't believe you drove that here! " response. Once again, it was the early days of the Gasser trend and people had a hard time accepting these cars can be drivers. The initial introduction to the other competitors was a little awkward. We were, for lack of a better term "sizing up" each other. Every one was nice , but of course we all wanted to see what the other guy brought to the game. We were running a little late so we ran to our room and met back in the lot to leave for George Barris Customs.