History FOUND- Nick Arias Jr.'s '37 Chevy Coupe

Totally amazing!! The thought of you getting that car back in your family is just unbelievable!! Can't wait for more of this story. Thank you for letting us be a part of it!!!

 

- if you can, should check out the never seen before display showing the history of the Santa Ana Drags to be held July 1 through September 4 at the Lyon Air Museum on the West side of the John Wayne Airport - Santa Ana

 

A car can be more than the sum of the parts. This is one of those cases. Very cool that you found and able to get the car.

 

If it ran a Packard transmission - I have a couple here, and adapters to suit GM and flathead.

I can get them to Indy if you know of someone there who can collect and send them to you.

I spoke with your Grandfather at the LA roadster Show in 2012 about his time with Wayne Manufacturing and its association with Cook's Machine shop - what a great story teller he was.

 

Very Kool , glad You were able to bring it back home .

 

congrats ! 302 GMC ... they sound amazing...

 

That's really fantastic, so glad you could find it, document it, and buy it. I look forward to seeing it come together.

 

Very cool. I love hearing those stories about him. I appreciate that offer! I will let you know.

 

I didn’t know about your grandfather’s association with Cyclone (Cook’s machine), this is the Cyclone to early Ford transmission set up behind the 261 Chevy in my Model A.

Most of the Cyclones have the bottom ring cut off, I think it is because 10 1/2” clutch will not fit with the ring on.

I built a bolt on ring for mine.




I have a 2nd stock Cyclone set up for my next project.

 

WOW!!! Great find, especially coming home to the family!! Cant believe that it sat so many years without getting modified into a unrecognizable hotrod/racecar?!?! Please please bring it with you to Nitro Revival this November!! Ill be out there doing pushtruck duty with Dad's truck, wish I could learn more history and pictures of my 37 from back in the late 60s in Houston!!

 

It'll be there! My other grandpa, Steve, runs that event! As a matter of fact, that's his orange shoebox in the first photo, and that's me standing in the back with the Reath Auto shirt on cleaning my El Camino. Both the El Camino and the Coupe will be on display this November. Please come say hi!

 

I am very happy for you. Keep the car in your family, and hand it down when it is time.

 

Awesome story! I wanted so bad to buy a GMC 12 port Aris head a guy had but I was broke! I did manage to get a 270 full race jimmy from him tho!
I have a polished Crager?? Chevy/GMC to Cad/LaSalle adapter. I'll try to remember to get some pictures and post them.
Rooster

 

Hello,

We too, used a 37 LaSalle transmission in our 1940 Willys Coupe 671 SBC build in the 1959-60 season. We ran it at Lion’s Dragstrip until August 1960. At the time, LaSalle transmissions were the way to go for most backyard hot rod builds. In Long Beach-Terminal Island Scrap Yard location, there was specifically a large pile of LaSalle transmissions and access was there.

We got our hands on a good condition unit from a local small neighborhood speed shop and our friends also got parts from that large pile. It was a smooth shifting transmission once we went through the whole thing. The want ad we placed in January 1961 listed several mislabeled parts we were trying to sell. It should have read a 37 LaSalle transmission, not a 41. It was a 56 Chevy engine, not a 57. A 40 Willys 4 cylinder motor, not a 49, a 56 Chevy rear end, not a 55. etc.
1960 Lion's Dragstrip
Jnaki

My brother was a Howard Cam fanatic. We used plenty of Howard Cam products. There was even an aluminum Howard Cam, LaSalle to SBC adapter we used. So, someone like Doug Cook’s Family, Mike Cook and his son probably have access or direct knowledge to Howard Cam products.


One other place may be to get in touch with the folks at the Lion’s Dragstrip museum in So Cal and ask the questions. They have an extensive rebuilding shop and access to various parts. I am sure they would be glad to help an old racer’s project come back to life.


Note:

I also looked in my color movie films from 1958-64 at Lion’s Dragstrip, Riverside Raceway in 1959 and Bakersfield in 1960. I only had one 37 red Chevy running in B/Gas that still goes unnamed and unidentified. Sorry, if your yellow 37-38 was always yellow, there were no yellow Chevy coupes. But, if that red 37-38 was an in-between drag racer transition between Bonneville and the local dragstrips forays, perhaps it was yours.

 

Congratulations Jutin! How exciting for you. This is the kind of stuff I tune in to the HAMB for. That El Camino with your name on the heads, WOW!

John

 

Gave this old girl her first bath in at least 50 years yesterday. Comet is working wonders on this paint!

 

Is your grandfather's orange shoebox Dick Lahaie's shoebox that Dick owned before his passing ?

 

Good to see you finally made it to the hamb Justin, congrats on the find!

Dont know much about early Chevy diffs, looks like a Ford rear axle in the photos?

 

What an amazing story! Really enjoyed this one. Congrats Justin!

 

Great story...Great car! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for the video.

 

I just posted a photo of the car on a FB site when Nick owned it, noted that it was once Kenny Bigelow's before his fatal accident in it...now a few days later I discovered that it has been found.You are exactly the right person to save it, and thank you very much for all the information!

 

Super happy for you!
Love the car and the history, not to mention the handmade masonite jet cards.
These are really neat.

 

Dang thats cool. I love a good history lesson with a happy ending.

 

Super cool story! Congrats!!!!

 

Amazing story Justin, so glad you got the car. Looking forward to watching the progress as you bring it back to life.

 

It sounds like his grandfather is Steve Gibbs. I think Steve has had his shoe box since high school.

 

Chevy/GMC to Cad/ LaSalle adapter. Crager has a part number 317 on the back in the corner. And the input shaft of a caddy trans. The bearing retainer goes in from the back and is a seperate piece. If you need measurements let me know Or anything else holler.
Rooster