Thread: 57 Chevy Cruizer

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Golden Age Gasser video:

I'm in this video somewhere! I'm the long-haired kid with the T-shirt and jeans. (This was about the time Montgomery was getting ready to "kill" the class!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEZA8...eature=related

Thanks Jay! Some really great video of "the good old days"!

Gary, I believe the rules used to allow 10% engine setback, I have a source at the new track out in Pierre, SD checking on it for me. But definitely will have some setback!!! How much will be determined by the intake selection and how much room I can crowd out of the cowl area....

Going the beat everyone else on this one.I am calling out first dibs on a ride once it's done.Dave driving of course.Cool.

Originally Posted by 1gary

Going the beat everyone else on this one.I am calling out first dibs on a ride once it's done.Dave driving of course.Cool.

Speaking of running the car, I have emailed back and forth with the manager of Oahe Speedway, a new dragstrip (NHRA) in Pierre, SD. Last year they ran two nostalgia events with good success and are planning more for next summer. Dates aren't definite yet, but when I get them I will post it up and let everyone know when "Mellow Yellow" will make it's debut!!!! Would be a blast to have some of the CHR gang show up!!!!!

A CHR pit crew???.Couldn't get much better.

That would be kool,Dave..I might take a rain check on that,,we are a bit far south to make it up there...

Been thinking about the rear suspension..... Don found this picture for me of a set of long ladder bars. Trying to decide if I should build something like these in the pic, or would it be more gasser style to use a piece of rectangular tubing taper cut towards the front with a pair of the big heim joints on the end. Also, would you guys rat me out if I added a set of housing floaters between the leaf springs and the rear end housing?????? Oh yeah, think the wheelie bars pictured would be close enough to era correct for the '57?????

Dave is this going to be a strip only car ???

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Been thinking about the rear suspension..... Don found this picture for me of a set of long ladder bars. Trying to decide if I should build something like these in the pic, or would it be more gasser style to use a piece of rectangular tubing taper cut towards the front with a pair of the big heim joints on the end. Also, would you guys rat me out if I added a set of housing floaters between the leaf springs and the rear end housing?????? Oh yeah, think the wheelie bars pictured would be close enough to era correct for the '57?????

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Been thinking about the rear suspension..... Don found this picture for me of a set of long ladder bars. Trying to decide if I should build something like these in the pic, or would it be more gasser style to use a piece of rectangular tubing taper cut towards the front with a pair of the big heim joints on the end. Also, would you guys rat me out if I added a set of housing floaters between the leaf springs and the rear end housing?????? Oh yeah, think the wheelie bars pictured would be close enough to era correct for the '57?????

I like those bars! I remember seeing many of that style back when (They do look upside down, though (as cffisher said). Nah, we won't rat you out on the floaters. They wouldn't be readily visible and nobody will know you have them unless they crawl under the car. You could even put coils under the rear if you wanted to (they were used sometimes back then). As for the wheelie bars - I don't recall seeing wheelie bars on anything until sometime in the 70s, but someone else's memory may be better than mine...

You won't need wheelie bars with an injected sbc. Early wheelie bars tended to be more straight up and down devices, largish wheels and right at the rear bumper, they were found on the blown gas cars.
The ladder bars shown are not upsidedown, they look kinda modern because of the pinion angle suggests that the rear sat well up into the body as opposed to 'back in the day' where the ride height was higher and the pinion angle would have been quite different.

I like them... especially using square tubing! In the early days... as you probably know... they were much longer than the "lift-style" bars. It seems to me they were often mounted as far forward as the bellhousing area.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

I like them... especially using square tubing! In the early days... as you probably know... they were much longer than the "lift-style" bars. It seems to me they were often mounted as far forward as the bellhousing area.

I did some rough scale measuring on a few of the really primo tri-five gasser pics you guys have put up links too.... Length seems to run from 40" to as long as 50"!!!!!

Aren't the ones in the picture mounted upside down?? I do like the length should look real mean under a 57 gasser

Engine setback was 10% of the wheelbase as measured from the spindle centerline to the nearest spark plug hole. (#1 driver's side front on a Chevy).

Originally Posted by cffisher

Aren't the ones in the picture mounted upside down?? I do like the length should look real mean under a 57 gasser

Seems that way to me, too.... Would look better if the bottom bar had an upward angle towards the front attachment point, right??

Richard, thanks!!! I wasn't thinking to the #1 plug hole but rather the front of the block!!!! Better stick with what the original rule was, huh??