The Great Fifty Seven Chevy post

Dad got this one new in 57. Photo of my Mom.

 

TTT

 

I still have that HotRod Magazine. I met Chuck Lombardo at a Burlington Vermont NSRA event. I asked him about the body mount when he moved the leaf springs inboard. " you don't need those f-n body mounts back there" hahaha

 

Couple hundred miles round trip for a tri5 cruise.

 

Here's my girl

 

Hello,

This is a very young Tom McEwen. His last Chevy Sedan at the local drag racing events located just a few miles from his house in Bixby Knolls. My brother and his teenage friends were in the next “4 year high school group” to witness the events of seeing the 55 Chevy Sedan, the 56 Chevy Sedan and finally the 57 Chevy Sedan as pictured above when they all went to the same school or Lion’s Dragstrip.

The long line up of Chevy two door Chevy Sedans were a far cry from his original hot rod sedan, a 54 Oldsmobile sedan that he used to win his first trophies while being a young kid.

But, as all stories always have a good ending or funny way to see history, the term was … “It is stock and just fast driving and tuning that wins…” yes, that was the story everyone heard through this time period of So Cal teenage hot rods and drag racing. He was the “King of Cherry Avenue” late night drags and his notoriety grew to legend status.

Then, one day he and one of his friends opened up a custom speed shop a few blocks from our last Westside of Long Beach house. It was in the industrial area near the Los Angeles River and PCH. The shop was called "Speed Engineering." Besides winning a lot of trophies at lions dragstrip for themselves, they helped build the fast 1941 Studebaker Sedan driven by Junior Thompson during this time.


Jnaki



As old time hot rod/drag race events are supplemented with tons of history and stories that have a life of their own, his was legendary. Then finally, as advertisements came out with is 57 Chevy, front and center, he no longer could say the Chevy Sedan(s) was/were stock.

So, the designation of D/Gas was on the 57 Chevy Sedan in the top photo. Even that was questionable as what else was inside that supposedly stock 283 motor? Perhaps a Reath Automotive Stroker kit, plus a bore to make it a 352 cubic inches? Actually moving him to B/Gas status? Ha!

Then the sponsors rolled right into the picture and the rest is noted history from Bixby Knolls. YRMV