SUREFOOTED MUSTANG
December 1, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Inside the Hottest Booths at SEMA 2025
The SEMA Show stands alone as the ultimate proving ground for the automotive aftermarket world. No other event brings this level of innovation, craftsmanship, and straight-up creativity together in one place. Everywhere you turn, there’s something new—fresh tech, wild ideas, and custom builds that push boundaries in ways only SEMA can inspire.
HOLLEY CARB TUNING
Holley carburetors have long been a staple in the go-fast world of high-performance motoring, whether it’s NASCAR, drag racing or on the street. Much like other performance-oriented products—perhaps even more so with a carburetor—a carburetor requires a fundamental setup and a degree of maintenance, and that’s considering you have chosen the correct-size carburetor for your application, at least to get it in the ballpark. Knowing how to adjust, maintain and even repair your Holley carburetor goes a long way toward helping to ensure that your carburetor will make optimum horsepower for a long time. Because of this, we decided to compile a few troubleshooting and repair tips for the popular 4150-series Holley carburetor, which is the series designation for Holley’s street/strip and racing carburetors.
Top Builds from the 2025 NSRA Street Rod Nationals Builder’s Showcase
The Street Rod Nationals returned to Louisville once again, marking its 31st year at the Kentucky Exposition Center—and its 56th overall. Four days filled with some of the best street rods, customs, and classics brought together everything from survivor sedans to full-tilt customs. With over 10,000 cars on the property and close to 70,000 people wandering the grounds, it’s not just a car show—it’s a rolling history lesson, a swap meet, a family reunion, and a street rodder pilgrimage all rolled into one.
Spotlighter
BUTCH
Building a True-to-Form ’57 D/Stock Chevy 150
Back in the ’60s, a youthful Barry Wallner was well known in and around Illinois for his modified ’57 sedan delivery. It was a tough competitor at the local dragstrips, but time took its toll, and most of the dragstrips have disappeared, giving way to housing and shopping-center developments and industrial complexes. But this hasn’t stopped Wallner, who was an adept restorer. So, from the late-’60s through the mid-’90s, he has gone on with other ’57 Chevys to win top show awards.
Author
Doug Marion
Photography & Words
The Story of Barry and Nancy Wallner’s 1957 Chevy 150
We originally met up with Wallner back in the late-’80s, when his 270hp three-speed Sierra Gold Nomad was a top show car example, having won Best Original Restored at the National Nomad convention—twice.
A Car with History
Nicknamed “Butch,” Wallner’s white ’57 150 grew up in central California near Bakersfield. It was a heater-delete car that moved in with Wallner and his wife, Nancy, when it was just a lad of 20. Evidently, Butch was a seasoned drag car that they purchased without engine and transmission. On the upside, it had the very rare California one-piece front and rear bumpers and a seamless (lighter) frame. It was restored at home with assistance from friend Butch McDow. The chassis features all-new suspension, brake components, fuel and brake lines and body mounts.
Power and Performance
A legitimate ’57 283 Power-Pack V-8 engine was machined and bored out 0.060 inch for 292 ci at Gillespie Machine in Roodhouse, Illinois. Carlinville, Illinois’ Casey Boyett did the assembly. The compression ratio is about 9.5:1. A Duntov 270hp solid-lifter camshaft, otherwise known as an “098,” lets the engine make power to 6,000 rpm. The induction consists of a factory 270hp dual-quad setup. A pair of 350cfm Carter WCFB four-barrel carbs sits on the Chevy aluminum intake manifold. A Mallory electronic ignition system fires the cylinders, while highly sought-after Stahl fenderwell headers scavenge the exhaust to a pair of Purple Hornie glass-pack mufflers, with full tailpipes exiting at the rear.
Transmission and Drivetrain
Chevy’s first four-speed, the Borg-Warner T10, became available in May 1957. Butch has a four-speed, but it is a heavy-duty Muncie unit produced in the ’60s. It is actuated by a Hurst Competition Plus shifter. The clutch pedal actuates a heavy-duty GM truck clutch—just like the good ol’ days! Covering the clutch assembly is a vintage Ansen scattershield.
Restoration and Aesthetic Details
In the looks department, Wallner performed most of the body prep and then McDow applied many coats of the car’s original color, Imperial Ivory. The 150’s interior was renewed at Bill’s Custom in Bethalto, Illinois. All of the same silver and black fabric was purchased at C.A.R.S. in Detroit. Butch also has an exact-reproduction rubber floor covering, since 150 models usually had no carpet. If one did, it was an extra-cost option.
Rear End and Suspension
The original differential now packs a 4.11:1 positraction thirdmember. The leaf springs are held in check by a pair of traction bars. While the car is generally not raced, the Wallners uncovered a very rare set of J.C. Penney-brand 800/850×14 cheater slicks.
On the Road and at Shows
Butch is driven all over rural western Illinois, but for car shows a few hours or longer from home, Butch rides inside an enclosed trailer so that Barry and Nancy can survive humid summers in their air-conditioned Chevy pickup tow vehicle. Sitting in front of Butch in the Wallner garage is a rust-free ’57 Bel Air two-door hardtop with a numbers-matching 283 Power-Pack, Powerglide transmission, tinted glass, dual rear antennas and skirts, and in the final stages of a full restoration.
A Crowd Favorite
At the 2003 Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show in La Harpe, Illinois, last August, ol’ Butch was like a magnet. Droves of onlookers crowded around staring at its antiquity. All then gave Wallner a smile and a thumbs-up! Multiple questions then usually followed. If there were a Most Popular Chevy award, Butch certainly would have been a top candidate.
A Legacy of Classic Chevys
In all, the Wallners have owned 10 ’57 Chevys and a pair of Cameo pickup trucks. While their Sierra Gold ’57 Nomad was a flawless two-time national show winner, we believe “Butch” will be how folks best remember Barry and Nancy Wallner.
The 270hp 283 engine features 9.5:1 compression, a Duntov 098 solid-lifter camshaft, 1.72 and 1.50 valve heads and a pair of Carter WCFB 380cfm carbs. For better overall electricals, a 65-amp alternator replaces the original generator. Note the heater delete.
Note the heater delete.
Being NHRA drag racing fans, the Wallners have gotten some famous racers to autograph Butch’s dash: ’03 Indy F/C winner Tim Wilkerson; feared hot shoe Larry Dixon, Jr.; and “Swamp Rat” veteran dragster driver/builder Don Garlits.
