ALL THE WAY
May 23, 2023
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Strong Armed
Chevy engineers began using trailing arm and coil spring rear suspension designs back in 1958, and in one form or another, this treatment ran through 1964 without much change. Good news for families but bad news for performance enthusiasts, the crossframe cars were remarkable in that they began an era in which suspensions concentrated more on ride quality than on nimble handling.
HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR
Looking at the Stallion shows the influence of Unique Performance on Foose’s design. Actually, once you really sit down and look at the car, it appears to be a collage of design features from classic Mustangs, all herded together on the same car. The new front fascia replaces the stock headlight buckets with a large round light and smaller driving light, and this arrangement looks very similar to that found on the Unique G.T.500E. Horizontal billet bars replace the stock honeycomb mesh in the upper grille, shaped very much like the original ’65 grille, down to the offset Foose badge in place of the stock Mustang emblem. The lower grille contains another pair of round lights and more billet bars.
PEEL ‘N STICK
When dismantling your project car, you probably ran across the crumbling remnants of the original insulation. Old cars are notoriously “leaky” when it comes to heat and sound barriers, making them louder and hotter than the typical daily driver. Sometimes a loud exhaust system overrides the road noise, but you’ll always notice when your air conditioning system never seems to keep the cabin cool. If you’re in the midst of an interior refresh, or a full restoration, it’s a great time to consider new insulation.
Spotlighter
FREDDIE’S ’55
A Family Keepsake
Once a West Coast gasser, this ’55 Chevy made its way to Lebanon, Ohio, thanks to longtime Chevy enthusiast Freddie Green. That was back in 1978, when his son Jason was just four years old. Fast forward a few years, and Jason, professing to be a Chevy man since birth, took ownership of the car from his father at the age of 10.
Author
Doug Marion
Story and Photography
A Family Legacy: The Story of a ’55 Chevy Gasser
Once a West Coast gasser, this ’55 came to Lebanon, Ohio, by way of Chevy man Freddie Green. That was back in 1978. A family man, Freddie’s son Jason was then a mere lad of four. Professing today to be a Chevy man since birth, Jason acquired the ’55 from his dad at age 10. From that time on, the father and son duo saved their pennies and dimes and went to swap meets together looking for just the right parts. Talk about father and son fun!
That was back in 1978. A family man, Freddie’s son Jason was then a mere lad of four. Professing today to be a Chevy man since birth, Jason acquired the ’55 from his dad at age 10. From that time on, the father and son duo saved their pennies and dimes and went to swap meets together looking for just the right parts. Talk about father and son fun!
A Father-Son Project Begins
Seven years later, Jason, a conductor for the Norfolk Southern Railroad, decided to test his learned mechanical skills by rebuilding the entire front end and braking system himself. He then got the ’55 running and proceeded to snap the spindly rear axles, one after another. Sound familiar? As a direct result, a call went out to Jack Tekelue, a local rearend specialist. He then built a Ford 9-inch rearend, complete with 4.56:1 gears and Moser axles. Ansen Ground Grabber traction bars and station wagon five-leaf leaf springs were also installed on the ’55.
Power and Performance Upgrades
Jason then stripped the body to bare metal, prepped it and applied PPG flat black primer, code DP 90. It has been that way for several years. The powerplant is a healthy 350 small block with 2.02 heads and an Edelbrock Performer high-rise intake manifold with a Demon 650cfm carb. An MSD billet distributor fires the cylinders in conjunction with an MSD 6AL spark amplifier. Hooker competition 1-3/4-inch fenderwell headers sends the spent gasses through 2-1/2-inch diameter exhaust pipes, mounted under the doors to Dynamax bullet-type race mufflers with turndowns. A GM-steel flywheel rotates a Centerforce clutch assembly. Bolted to the bell housing is a stout Muncie four-speed built at Liberty Gears. It is actuated by a Hurst Competition Plus short-throw shifter.
Classic Styling and Interior Touches
The black vinyl tuck-and-roll interior was done at the famous Dixon Auto Trim in Lebanon. Interior extras include a Sun tachometer, Stewart-Warner gauges and a Cal Custom steering wheel. Cragar 4×15 front S/S wheels rotate 6.70-15 Firestone tires, and 8×15 S/S wheels rotate 8.20-15 Radar slicks in the rear.
A Tribute to a Beloved Father
When Jason was 27, his father, Freddie, suddenly passed away. As an everlasting remembrance to him, Milford, Ohio’s Josh Shaw lettered the ’55 just like you see it here. Over the years, Jason has also owned a ’57 Chevy wagon, ’62 Biscayne, ’66 El Camino and a ’31 Chevy rat rod pickup, but none as important as this ’55; it’s a family keepsake. Jason enjoys working with his wife, Angie, and their son Logan (who, ironically, is 4-years-old) to continue with this gasser-of-old, having great fun in the process. They earned a Doug Marion Editor’s Choice award at the 2005 Ohio Open Run event, and we thought you’d like this ’55 as much as we did.
