Thread: 57 Chevy Cruizer

Tweet

Dave, today I was going to our shop to pick up something and there was a car in front of me that you would like. It was a 55 Chevy BelAire done gasser style. I have seen it running around and the guy has a shop about a block from ours, but I have never had the chance to speak with him. Today he turned into his shop and I followed him in and we chatted for a while.

Super straight body, straight axle front end, tubbed in rear with wheelie bars, Nice silver paint job, no hood, and it has a 454 with a tunnel ram sitting up high. He has fenderwell headers and no inner fender panels, so the engine is totally open from the wheelwells. He has ET 10 spoke gasser wheels on the front and coke bottle ones on the rear. It also has a cage with swing out bars.

We talked about the car and he says the only thing he regrets is that he used a Speedway front axle setup and it is too narrow. It is 46 inches kingpin to kingpin, and when he called Blairs Speed Shop to ask what they used on theirs they told him 52 inches. He was surprised because he thought 50 would be about right. His front wheels did look a little tucked under, but still very nice.

He is running a M22 with 4:88's and he said that was something he also would change as it is a little deep. He's also running a spool. When I asked him how it handled, he said "It's a gasser, so it has it's quirks."

I'll try to take some pictures of it the next time he is at his shop. Overall, it is just a wicked looking car and animated as h***.


Don

Dave if your out this way for nostalgia stuff your welcome here. Glad to hear Texas will be keeping you a little warmer next winter. Still cold in Texas, but not like the Dakotas!

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Dave, today I was going to our shop to pick up something and there was a car in front of me that you would like. It was a 55 Chevy BelAire done gasser style. I have seen it running around and the guy has a shop about a block from ours, but I have never had the chance to speak with him. Today he turned into his shop and I followed him in and we chatted for a while.

Super straight body, straight axle front end, tubbed in rear with wheelie bars, Nice silver paint job, no hood, and it has a 454 with a tunnel ram sitting up high. He has fenderwell headers and no inner fender panels, so the engine is totally open from the wheelwells. He has ET 10 spoke gasser wheels on the front and coke bottle ones on the rear. It also has a cage with swing out bars.

We talked about the car and he says the only thing he regrets is that he used a Speedway front axle setup and it is too narrow. It is 46 inches kingpin to kingpin, and when he called Blairs Speed Shop to ask what they used on theirs they told him 52 inches. He was surprised because he thought 50 would be about right. His front wheels did look a little tucked under, but still very nice.

He is running a M22 with 4:88's and he said that was something he also would change as it is a little deep. He's also running a spool. When I asked him how it handled, he said "It's a gasser, so it has it's quirks."

I'll try to take some pictures of it the next time he is at his shop. Overall, it is just a wicked looking car and animated as h***.


Don

Everybody sez that on the front axle, wider is better! I've got the moly tubing to build mine, gonna wait till the frame starts going back together but with some test fitting I came out at 51 1/2" at the kingpins using Chevy style spindles and the Wilwood brake set up. A lesson from my circle burner days, anything under 50" can get twitchy at speed.

As for all the comments on the weather, I lived in Houston for a few years many years back, so I'm not going into this thing blind. The hot and humid feels very good on this old crippled up body, kind of like an all day sauna!!! The city is a lot more miserable then where I'll be. Baytown area gets as hot, but also gets some very pleasant gulf breezes. The new shop will be big enough to work in, but small enough to keep the a/c going..

Mainly just got to get out of this dang miserable cold weather up here in the poverty belt and get back to an area where people still know how to live, not just roll over and play dead for 8 months of the year!!!

Dave,
You're right about the breezes, and the city of Houston being inland up the ship channel makes it the worst!! I spent about three years in Corpus Christi, and most days there we had an offshore breeze to keep things more tolerable. The thing I found I missed after a couple of years was the visible changing of the seasons. Having grown up Missouri it really messed with my body clock to not see the four distinct seasons, but I ran into a guy who had moved from Kansas to Corpus back in the 30's, and he said you couldn't pay him enough to go back to Kansas!! He loved the more constant temps.

Here you go Dave

I don't do windows.

Originally Posted by pro70z28

I don't do windows.

Me neither!!! Think I'll stay with the aluminum sides!

Got one inner wheel well put together and cleco'd in place, the other side is together, just have to test fit it in the morning, then hopefully finish getting all the new metal cleaned and shot with some Epoxy primer, then the frame and body are off to the sandblaster!

Nice work on the sheet metal. I like bead detail on the inside wall.

Neat metalwork Dave, tubs look real nice

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Me neither!!! Think I'll stay with the aluminum sides!

Got one inner wheel well put together and cleco'd in place, the other side is together, just have to test fit it in the morning, then hopefully finish getting all the new metal cleaned and shot with some Epoxy primer, then the frame and body are off to the sandblaster!