I've posted on here before about this car, but some of my information was wildly incorrect at the time. I'm looking for any photos or footage of the car in it's current race trim from the 70's/80's, but I'm really trying to find anyone who might recognize the car from BEFORE it was painted with this scheme. The car was built in the 60's, and I've run into a wall at this point with figuring out the car's history. It appears to have been red/maroon when originally built, then purple with white pinstriping. There is also traces of gold paint on various parts of the car. WHAT I DO KNOW.. is it was purchased in the early 70's by Wes Johnson's "Locomotion Team" of Suffolk, Virginia and raced by Gary McDonald with a Hilborn injected 331ci. Gary was given the car in 1979, and he ran it with a 2x4 tunnel ram 360ci. It was sold to Scott Pettit in the early 80's and campaigned for one season with a big block. Then it was sold to James Grob who raced it until approx. 1985 with his own 331ci. At this time, the car was re-named "About Time". It raced at all the local strips in Virginia; Richmond Dragway, Suffolk/Creeds, etc.. I have been able to trace the car back through old papers and gather what information I do have, and have spoken with most parties mentioned here. I would like to find someone who recognizes the car from before this era, perhaps by way of something unique on the car. The crudely radiused wheelwells may be a sure-fire way to tell. Ask around! Thanks, -Dean
You said "55 Chevy" and "gasser" in the same title and paragraph. The trend police are gonna come for you EDIT : I saw the video of this car on youtube firing up. AWESOME
If the trend police impound the car let me know. I'll be there to buy it at the auction I live 20 minutes from Famoso I could just drive it back and forth. I like the car!
Here's a link to the Virginia Hamb social group --> http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=69 Cool car, good luck on the history hunt!
I spoke with a great guy named Fletcher Harrison about the car (thanks to 61cad and Howeird 46 chev for the lead), and we think we have it figured out at an earlier point. I'm waiting to see a picture he has, but it sounds like this car was the one driven by Bill Watson in 1962/63 out of the Norfolk/VA Beach area. The car was painted gold (there is gold paint on this), had the same radiused wheelwells, chopped front end, and Watson's car has massive ladder bars that extended all the way to just under the front edge of the doors. I found old welded/cut plates on the inside and bottom of the frame at this point. Next step is getting a copy of Fletcher's photo, and trying to find Bill Watson! He would be in his early to mid 70's. -Dean
My new found friend Fletcher produced this photograph of a '55 Chevy from 1962 that he thinks is the car, and looking closely at it I honestly think this is it as well. The radius is spot on, color perfect (including the teal factory paint peeking through on the front fender), Moon tank location, hood straps, tach on the dash, white headliner, long ladder bars (weld spots on the frame), and the location in Virginia. What do you guys think? -Dean
That gold 55 is awesome!!! LOVE that shot. But the rear quarters look completely different to me. The Locomotion car has rolled or flared quarter openings and the stainless trim is cut back to accommodate that. The gold car looks like it just has the openings cut clean right through the stainless with no lip at all. A lot of these cars (thousands of them) had similar wheel openings to both cars. Glass front end on one and not he other. Moon tank on one and not the other. Those window clamps on the back of Locomotion are pretty unique. Regardless, they are BOTH great cars!
The wheelwells in the rear are different in those two cars. The arch might be the same but the old photo of it has cut rear quarters with no lip, just plain cut. Your car has a lip that matches the front. Maybe could have been added on later I guess. The trim also looks different where it is cut and meets the front of the wheelwell. Obviously, Redlinetoys is a faster typer than me!
You have to remember that this car raced for a VERY long time, I think the lip was added later. It's just a piece of pipe tacked on and smoothed over with bondo. If you look in both pics, you can see how there is a little jog behind the tire, just under the trim, and forward of the tires a little lower. The gold car is early and just cut with a sawzall, and the trim is cut the same... -Dean
The black paint is stock for all 55 BelAirs ans 210s. The rear wheel cutouts do follow the same line. The lip must have been added at some time, either when they were first cut, or later. Is there any traces of gold paint on your 55?
Yes, there are traces of this exact shade all around the windows and door frames. The car was blue/teal from the factory, then looks to have been painted maroon when it was turned into a race car, then gold, then purple with white pinstriping, then yellow/silver around the early 70's. -Dean
No I'm just going to leave the car the way it is. I fixed it up and a bit since I found it and put the current engine in it, but all the history is layered on the car. I may try to make it streetable some day so I can get more use out of it. -Dean
The gold car in the picture was driven by a guy named Bill Watson, that raced in the '62/63 era, somewhere out of the coastal Virginia area. Anyone remember him or have a way to get in touch with him? He would be in his 70's or 80's now. -Dean
Dennis Coker, the original builder of our car cut the wheel wells with a jigsaw and added chrome edge molding. Someone (probably the guy he sold the car to in '65) added the lip using conduit, so the lip could have easily been added later. When Dennis saw his old girl for the first time in 46 years, he was blown away at the straight axle and engine set back, he had run it as a D-E/Gasser with stock front suspension and interior. There is a pic of it in the Hot Rod Deluxe year book. Here is a pic at the '62 Winternationals, so these cars can change alot in 40+ years.
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