Barn Find 57 Chev Gasser

59imp

59imp

Active Member
1972 was a year that changed my life. i was 12 years old and thats the summer i became a hot rodder. there were 3 events that summer that changed everything for me. first, i went to my first drag race and i saw Jack Sing race his 68 GT-E 428 Cobra Jet Cougar. the second event was when my father brought home a 1950 Ford 4 dr sedan, bone stock, flathead, 3 in the tree. my dad had a car dealership and an old Italian guy traded it in. it only had 48,000 miles on it, totally rust free, not a dent or a scratch and it was the original colour, a faded brown. i immediately thought it was the ugliest car i had ever seen. my pops asked me if i wanted to build a stock car, i immediately thought it was the most beautiful car i had ever seen. the third thing was that my oldest sister got married, now that fact alone didn't make much of a dent but one of my future bro-in-laws buddies had a 57 Chev gasser. and my life changed forever.

the owner had bought the car in 1966, it had a 348 4 speed. over the next little while he pulled the engine and replaced it with a 455 Buick, left the 4 speed, installed a rear ladder bar set-up, and a straight tube axle, chrome reversed rims on the rear, red line tires up front and a teardrop hood scoop. this is exactly how it was done in the day.
a couple days before the wedding, the owner came by and took me for a ride, we ripped around town for quite a while, engine roaring tires squealing. it was nirvana...... i will never forget it as long as i live.
the owner left town and had a career as a long haul trucker, he left the 57 stored away here at the family home. until today. it has been parked since 1975... 39 years, its not perfect, but its an amazing piece of local history. the owner is taking it home with him tomorrow, and will begin a sympathetic restoration, only replacing the consumables and leaving it as original as possible.......he told me when he gets it running he will come back and take me for a ride, i'll be 12 years old all over again, only this time, maybe he'll let me drive.........:)

i hope these photos do it justice, enjoy......




























 
Last edited:
A great story...thanks...and lots of photos too !!

Did the car languish on the Sunshine Coast\????
 
PG409 said:
A great story...thanks...and lots of photos too !!

Did the car languish on the Sunshine Coast\????
Click to expand...

yes the car has been in powell river since 1966, but heading to its new home in the lower mainland tomorrow. with the same owner, and it is not for sale......
 
just gave away a set of wheels like the ones on the front the other day to a friend of mine:eek:
 
Wow what a story thanks..... How come the owner left it sitting for so long? Hope guys didn't charge him storage lol it must have eaten away at you to have seen it sitting there for so many years just waiting!
 
lueger68 said:
Wow what a story thanks..... How come the owner left it sitting for so long? Hope guys didn't charge him storage lol it must have eaten away at you to have seen it sitting there for so many years just waiting!
Click to expand...


sometimes life goes by way too fast. the owner had moved away, ran a few highway trucks, family comitments etc. the car was here at his family home stored away. a few of us knew it was there and knew it was never for sale. the owner is about retirement age and now still has his original hot rod he bought back in high school. how cool is that....
 
That is a cool story, way to go and good on him I hope he gets some fun out of retirement with the Chevy.
 
Last edited:
Pulling out cars out of, well, "anywhere" never gets old. Especially if ya gets to do it your self. Enough to put a smile on any rustaholics face:D
 
Man, you folks in PR sure have a Stash of "old iron"!! I'm going to have to spend more time there, with my daughter this summer,and do some catching up. Whats the latest on the Cougar GTE Project? Thanks, John.:D
 
lebaron413 said:
Man, you folks in PR sure have a Stash of "old iron"!! I'm going to have to spend more time there, with my daughter this summer,and do some catching up. Whats the latest on the Cougar GTE Project? Thanks, John.:D
Click to expand...

well there was a flurry of work at first, then we got kind of stalled out the past little while. i was in Bakersfield in Oct, Pomona in Nov, Jack spent a week in Vegas just before Xmas, then Xmas, and he still runs his radiator shop at 70 yrs old and i work shift so our weekends don't always meet up.

but we got the pumpkin back from a refreshing, it's ready to go in with the axles, the tranny is back from a shop after a rebuild, just need to finish the power steering set-up and plumb the front brakes, then the engine/tranny will go in as a unit, then a bunch of fiddley farting around cleaning this and that. we willbe back at it in the next few weekends.......
 
lebaron413 said:
Man, you folks in PR sure have a Stash of "old iron"!!
Click to expand...

and there is more too, i was born and raised here so was my pops, so i know all the old timers my dad was friends with. there are a few more gems here for sure....

if you ever get up this way give me a shout, the local hillbillies i chum around with do a sunday brunch and i can take you on some wicked shop tours.....
 
Very cool story and pictures. I'd stick a 348 back in it.

Being from Powell River do you know anything about a dragstrip south of town that almost got finished there? Jack Williams told me he was invited to a grand opening of it but it hadn't been paved yet and apparently never did. On Google maps it sure appears it could be one of the current roads. Any idea where it is and why it wasn't finished?

Did you know my uncle Charlie McLean who was at the Dodge dealership for years?
 
Last edited:
59imp said:
and there is more too, i was born and raised here so was my pops, so i know all the old timers my dad was friends with. there are a few more gems here for sure....

if you ever get up this way give me a shout, the local hillbillies i chum around with do a sunday brunch and i can take you on some wicked shop tours.....
Click to expand...

Hey, Thanks for the invite! I will be back in the Spring, as my daughter just bought as new place south of PR. Last time we spoke, was when that "Fool" parted out that 66' Mopar Wagon!:eek: John.
 
Tom P said:
Very cool story and pictures. I'd stick a 348 back in it.

Being from Powell River do you know anything about a dragstrip south of town that almost got finished there? Jack Williams told me he was invited to a grand opening of it but it hadn't been paved yet and apparently never did. On Google maps it sure appears it could be one of the current roads. Any idea where it is and why it wasn't finished?

Did you know my uncle Charlie McLean who was at the Dodge dealership for years?
Click to expand...

there was an old dirt runway they connected with a logging road to make a ciircle track. back in the late 60's early 70's the local timing association teamed up with the cops and the cops used to send cruisers out to shut down the highway so cars could race. i don't know about spot to be paved for a drag strip.
and i remember Charlie working at Monks Dodge, i used to run parts for my Dad's shop and i would deliver to Monks. i was a young guy but i remember Charlie at the pumps sometimes.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom