Update: 2024, Never in my wildest imagination did I think this post would be read by so many people. Because of that I am now adding three vehicles I have added since. Finally I think my fleet has ended, never say never, but I hope you enjoy!
1986 Chevy C10
"Rescue Dog" Was another questionable purchase on Ebay. I had to make a 5 hour one way trip to rescue this truck in North Carolina. Everything he told me online was a lie and after returning home and 5 quarts of oil it sat in my driveway for 1 full year while I tried to calm my urge to burn it to the ground in my driveway! Finally I calmed down and embarked upon a project to turn this into a tow vehicle project. The bones were so so, it just needed some help. I replaced the tired 305 with a 350HO crate motor, had the 700R4 gone through. The interior needs upgrading but a complete front end rebuild and some new shoes and she doesn't look so bad. Today there is nothing left to tow and though she doesn't garner any awards, I still love going to show with her and just hanging with my friends.
1966 Chevy Nova Wagon
"Black Betty" One of my most regrettable purchases. Reported to be built by a reputable shop on Huntington Beach California shop it turned out to anything but true. The true story was it was bounced around to multiple shops of questionable reputation. It was visually appealing which is the reason I bought it, but once in my possession the truth started coming through.
The paint was amazing and straight as an arrow, the interior was obviously over the top, the drivetrain was non descript but that wasn't the intent to begin with. 327/ 700R4/9" Ford rear. She certainly collected lots of awards but continued to be a thorn in my side and was eventually sold after a few short years. She continues to collect awards today under the new owner. Sadly this was a money pit with no end because of the short comings of the builders.
The paint was amazing and straight as an arrow, the interior was obviously over the top, the drivetrain was non descript but that wasn't the intent to begin with. 327/ 700R4/9" Ford rear. She certainly collected lots of awards but continued to be a thorn in my side and was eventually sold after a few short years. She continues to collect awards today under the new owner. Sadly this was a money pit with no end because of the short comings of the builders.
1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup
1963 Chevy II Gasser
"Casa de Nova” 1963 Nova Gasser with a Speedway drop axle front end, 327 engine, 350 turbo, 3:70 9” Ford Rear, Pro Comp Electronic Fuel Injection, Accel Gen 6 computer. Another Ebay purchase, this car was the least done of all my cars. When I got the Nova the body work and build was fresh but hardly period correct. I did the exterior in vinyl lettering, completely fabricated a red roll and pleat interior, installed a rollbar, stereo system, and finally removed the single 4BBL carb ad installed electronic fuel injection. Fun little car that ran on 87 octane! 
1967 Chevy Suburban
“3 Doors Down” 1967 Chevy Suburban, Air Ride suspension,
Vintage air, 500 watt Stereo, Train horns, tow package, wide whitewalls, 350
/220HP, 700r4 trans, 3:31 gears, vinyl woodgrain wrap. Originally purchased
from Volo Auto Museum this truck was built in Florida and later sold to Volo
for display. Chasing rust with an early (67-72) Suburban is a non stop job and
this truck was no exception. Most of the body panels had been replaced before I
bought it but it was about 6 yrs old when I purchased it, so the chase was on
once again. I added the train horns and the vinyl woodgrain wrap. Very
Impressive looking truck, especially when towing my gasser!
1967 Chevy Camaro
“Casper” 1967 Chevy Camaro pearl white with Ghost Flames,
350 aluminum heads, 350 turbo, 3:73 12 bolt rear, white/black hounds tooth
interior, Coy’s 18” wheels. This car was purchased on Ebay and panel fitment
was horrible when I received it. Unfortunately none of that was visible in the
pictures when I bought it. After a full week end of panel adjustment and moving
the front end sheetmetal back almost 2” the fitment had improved 100%.
Drivetrain was strong in this car, and was rather quick. Impressive pearl white
paint with ghost flames adorned the outside. Originally had the black Coy’s
wheels but I painted them light gray.
1957 Ford Thunderbird
“Saltbird” 1957 Ford Thunderbird fiberglass reproduction
over tube chassis 502/502 Chevy engine, 350 turbo, 9” Ford rear 3:70 gears,
American Salt Flats wheels. I bought this car on Ebay one night after reading
the impressive build sheet and consuming a bottle of wine. I was surprised to
find out the next morning I was the new owner! The original owner spent over
$70k on this car and bought it for pennies on the dollar. A fiberglass body was
stretched 12” before being put over custom square tube lower chassis and a moly
upper cage. Suspension was ladder bar A- arm front. The quality of the build
was VERY nice, but it could be a HANDFUL to drive! One night had the car up to
160MPH with the existing drivetrain on REGULAR gasoline!
1971 AMC Gremlin
“Gizmo” 1971 AMC Gremlin 406, powerglide with transbrake,
Dana 60 rear, heavy nitrous, Best ET 8.93@ 152 MPH. I bought “Gizzie” as a
roller out of Ohio and put my original combination from my 1966 Nova.
Unfortunately this car was the motor eater that got me out of drag racing, 3
engines in one year was a bit too much. So many times this car baited me back
with another engine because of one impressive pass before eating yet another
engine. Best ET with 406 was 8.93 with 60 ft of 1.23. Fun little car when it
wasn’t eating engines!
1971 Morris Minor
“Minor Problem” 1971 Morris Minor Pro Street 350 with Dart
Pro 1 heads, 350 turbo, 9” Ford 3:70 gears. This car was purchased off Ebay and
was located in England and had to be shipped into this country. It was “pro-streeted”
in England with right hand drive. It had many “not so common” parts by American
standards. Had a foreign car strut front end and four link rear, and had originally
come with a poorly done interior, that had to be immediately changed.
Impressive little car that handled well despite it’s 87” wheelbase. Performance
was impressive due to low weight it got 25 MPG and would run 12.0’s all day
long at the track! Unfortunately it was a NIGHTMARE to get through customs and
I would never do that again!
1971 VW Karmann Ghia
“Sikpup” 1971 VW Karmann Ghia 350 SBC with 350 turbo and 8 ¾
Mopar Rear. This was my first real purchase of a Pro-Street Car and the mechanical
build was far from being “safe”, the bodywork was not too bad but the
underpinnings were questionable. Funny little car to drive, but anything over
60 MPH could get a little scary!
1965 Chevy El Camino
“Lettuce picker” 1965 Chevy El Camino 327 4 spd 3:73 10 bolt
rear. Purchased from a guy who wanted a street/strip car. First I removed the
4:56 gear, then lowered the suspension and added alloy wheels and vintage air
conditioning. I used the car as my primary show car for about 8 years, then it
took a back burner because of it’s heavy fuel use and need for high octane
fuel. The project is being rebuilt right now and will soon have a new name. “Ecomino”
will now sport a full low drag 87 octane 350 engine with FAST fuel injection
and a 5 speed TKO transmission with the aim of being an economic (25 MPG
target) well handling up to date vehicle.
1966 Chevy Nova SS
“Plant hard” 1966 Nova SS 406, powerglide, 4:33 12 bolt rear.
Sadly this car was nothing like the previous owner had represented it. The 2
bolt main 400 had a weak lower end, the cam was designed for a 327 and the Powerglide
was weak. Barely able to run even a 10.90 on N2O, the combo had to be redone. A
new 406 was built with upgraded internals and a proper cam was picked. Later an
ATI powerglide transmission was built along with a proper convertor, and the combination
had improved to 9.80’s. The rollcage had to be totally replaced to conform to
NHRA tech specs. Later a 440 cu in motor was built to replace the 406, and ET’s
dipped to 9.30’s @ 150 MPH.
1 comment:
You have sure had some beautiful vehicles Al. I love this one, but my favorite is the white El Camino...beautiful!!!!
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