"Mr. Chevy" - A Period Perfect 1955 Chevy Gasser V8TV Video

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"Mr. Chevy" - A Period Perfect 1955 Chevy Gasser V8TV Video
www.v8speedsho... - Vintage straight-axle cars, often known as "Gassers", are popular wherever they go. Maybe it's the sky-high stance or the cartoon-like appearance. Or perhaps it's the way these cars transport you to a simpler time when racers would try just about anything to go faster. Whatever it is, these cars draw crowds of people because they look like nothing else on the track. "Mr. Chevy" is a period-perfect example of a 1955 Chevy Hardtop gasser raced from 1968 through 1976 where it was parked. Larry Frees knew the original owner and rescued Mr. Chevy at an estate sale. Today, he shares the car with enthusiasts wherever he goes.
Period perfect race cars are always cool to see, and we recently discovered Mr. Chevy, a 1955 gasser style Chevy originally built by Van Heck that looks like it rolled out of a time capsule! In 1968 Van started building the car to this configuration. He put in the chrome front end, had the interior redone, and pretty much finished it to this configuration about 1971 when he topped it off with the Hillborn fuel injection. Van showed the car and raced the car up until 1976 when the rear u-joint exploded. Van Heck parked the car after he broke a rear you joined at a race in 1976 and then crashed the tow rig on the way home! It was in this condition that current owner and former high school mate Larry Freese found the car. For 30 years the car just sat there, and Van was killed in a car accident about a year and a half ago and I've just fixed the car up exactly the way it was the last day he raced it. I guess back in the day everything was weight transfer the aerodynamics didn't mean that much so they would set the car high and and put all the weight toward rear the car lighting up the front and that wheel stands for show or a big part of the deal and just look cool and go fast. The go fast part is handled by a Hilborn mechanical fuel injection setup that requires a little priming but still fires the small-block Chevy with authority.
The car ran in the low times at about 120 miles an hour. It's got a 327, it's got a an Isky cam, it's got a Schiefer clutch, BorgWarner TTM transmission, Pontiac rear-end 556 gears, and that's pretty much it. The drivetrain that sat on fire stones all the way around. Van was very brand loyal any decal you see on the car is a part that's in the car. The only brakes are rear disc brakes which were very new. They were put on the last time he raced it along with the slicks and along with the parachute. The interior was done by Russell Schleicher in around 68 and it's a metallic white diamond interior. This came with the car. In 1968 , the car was presented a trophy by Hot Rod Magazine. This would have been a indoor car show at st. Louis. Right now I'm just taking the car and and showing it as as it was last race besides being a true race car. It's neat in the fact that it was built as a show car - and the car really attracts a lot of attention it's very photogenic and and people love to see it love to hear the unusual history.
#Gasser #MrChevy #1955chevy #V8TV
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[@SoCalJohnston]

One of the nicest gassers I have ever seen. Very tastefully done and just a great piece of history

[@nxlevel2005]

Godbelss you sir . Not many people like you in this world. Thank you for keeping a piece of history alive and being a part of it . RIP to your buddy I know he is enjoying from up above!

[@donshotrodgarage1717]

It's amazing that car survived all these years. Built in a great time of life! 👍

[@futten3230]

beautiful car oldschool gassers have a very special place in my heart i love em the honesty the brute force and simplicity im in norway and when i mention gassers they have no idea what it its

[@davez3838]

Wow that's awesome Love the Nostalgia gasser's & Injection stacks !! Just a beautiful car!!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@everettwilliams31]

Thanks, It's good that you are the care taker of this vintage rod. I was in HS 1965-68 and would have loved to have a car like it. Most of the guys I ran with wanted a 57 but I always liked the 55 back to 53, thanks for the vid and history. I am a nostalgia freak anyway and search the tube for vids just like this one.

[@ozzymd1]

When cars were classy👓 and were fun🙌 to work on and fix up 👍

[@otaka1945]

The Gasser is actually my 2nd dream car, it's super cool to learn some history and specs about this one, thanks for uploading this!

[@Bald-Cypress]

Saw this thing on it's truck at the stl museum of transportation. Didn't even know what a gasser was back then! And now I love them. That had to have been about three or four years ago, and I didn't even like cars until around in between then and now.

[@valricogarcia]

That's just too cool! I love gasser style cars. hope to build one myself someday.

[@wrg1183]

That car is legendary!! It's nice to see it again.

[@BLACKLACDTS]

awsome car!!! im only 27 but i love a gasser! i think its amazing that the car made it all this time and nobody never cut the rear fenders to allow bigger tires! awsome time machine!

[@jzero32]

KEEP THE HISTORY ALIVE AND WELL ! AWESOME PERIOD AND PERIOD PIECE!

[@LRSS46]

Ten Stars. What a cool car! Perfect time peice for those wonderful years in drag racing. High and mighty. Congrats on restoring and keeping history in prime shape.

[@Caveman6666x]

That's fucking sweet. Were a lotta bad '55s rolling around back in the day.

[@robrod56]

BEAUTIFUL PART OF DRAG RACE HISTORY THANKS FOR SHARING.

[@MrGotsquashed]

Mechanical fuel injection- I love it!

[@Scott-gt6od]

Hell yes

[@1971SuperLead]

I remember owning the magazine featuring this car, way back when. I was maybe 12 years old but I was so moved by it that at 16 I bought a 55 Chevy gasser. It was even a sports coupe.

[@ericday604]

Beautiful!!!! I can see that baby rippin down U.S.RT 30 at York PA on a sunny summer day.........ahhh the memories!!!!! THANKS!!!!

[@bamknm90]

My husband went to York U. S. 30. Those were the days. My husband just sold his '55. He owned since '71,his first car.

[@devildude64]

SO COOL !!!!!!!!!

[@railroading29]

THAT IS A VERY NICE CAR

[@robineggb]

THATS a nice car.

[@MonsterHobbiesModelCarGarage]

Very beautiful and well preserved!

[@mrfarmerjimbob]

I remember them--talk about back to the 60's

[@jamespetit1]

From a Mopar guy, that is beautiful. I just love Hot rods, and you are very lucky. SWEET...

[@capecodcuda]

kool shoebox gasser....i like old racer cars

[@stansgarage]

Beautiful !!!!!!!

[@tellmeitsnottaken]

Good lord... Look at the headers on that thing!

[@scottschoenberger6051]

Van is my cousin.was a Great car builder RIP

[@deathkeeper5000]

that is sweat history this is the stuff i like 5/5 !

[@chrisgoffe5048]

...that is sick!!! ...sick!

[@olddogcitypound5859]

I can see it now, '69 Byron Hellinois Shredding the track... Whoa Kick ASS at the Playground of Power 😎

[@ToxicaLBraiN]

GREAT (but sad) STORY!

[@gda882002]

LOVE IT !!!!!!

[@donnabanning3747]

Super cool!

[@V8TV]

@sledge7272 Yes, it's on display there now.

[@doctorluigi]

great show!

[@68dcfats]

thanks for not ruining the rear fender lips

[@josephsmith2521]

Very awsome!!

[@misfitt58]

nice car good vidio thanks

[@xpeacockx]

I took a bunch of pictures of this from the Holly Hot Rod Reunion in 2009!

[@55copper88]

thats grate..

[@milric77]

awsome keep it goin!!

[@kevs56chev]

Would make a great parts car.

[@zeppelin67637]

lol damn thats a bad weekend, blew a u-joint then wrecked the toe rig

[@lowhorn61]

Dude I luv gassers I've always been a fan of them when I was young.I have a 61 falcon gasser now it has a chevy small block 357 350 border out 50,000 more. It's a nice gasser u mite see it soon if u go to any of the nistalga carshowa

[@51rascals]

Bad ass!

[@ChevelleSSLS6]

Fram filters are NOT what they used to be... yikes... had one fail on me. Just random 0psi issue, before I tore it down I figured I'd swap a better filter (I like Hastings, Baldwin, and Fleetgard (Fleetgard is made by cummins).. FYI the baldwin filters are oragne so it'll look like a Fram. :) I hope you have good luck with it and none of the issues I had with fram.

[@CSXT8250]

Awesome '55... Blew a U-joint, and wrecked the tow rig the same day. I suppose his ol' lady made him put it up for the rest of his life.

[@VinnyMartello]

The three people who disliked this video are probably a bunch of Prius driving eco-terrorists.

[@MangoHombre]

I'm trying to find info on a '55 Chevy gasser I used to owned (never raced it) Southern California. Orange '55 Chevy. 427/428 Ford motor. Cars name: "Half-Breed" Car used to belong to Gene Putnam from Ojai, CA. Jim Data of Ojai told me the car had been through many hands during the 60's and 70's. It's the only gasser I've seen with a windshield cut-out for the dual quad scoop. Car is long gone, but I still have the motor and is about to come to life again after 30 years.

[@ffej980]

at least they did not cut the 55 chevy body up...i own a perfect 55 chevy two door... i would never cut mine up for racing...i have seen so many 55 chevys cut up to look like the Two Lane Blacktop...55...i will never let my 55 get cut up that way

[@4406bbldb]

Bill Jenks like magic circle of the rear wheel wells. I remember the people were cutting the wheel well out like that because of the rust but then people started doing it cuz they thought it was a cool way to look like a race car. I had a 55 Chevy Bel Air when it was 8 years old. I stored it in a friend's garage in Farmington Michigan without my consent so I guess a cops driving my 55 somewhere.

[@40diamondt]

We are building a period gasser right now. All fabbed and no catalog parts other than some vintage items like wheels, guages etc. Hey Shawn, my name is R.(robert) Shawn Parker and I noticed this just now that you are on my subscriber list. What are the odds...? : )

[@captainpegs07]

Don't need a chute for that speed but cool unit!

[@REMBRANTTUBE]

ANY UPDATED VIDEO'S OF THIS CAR?

[@V8TV]

Sure! Here's one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXqVopmpf7yGh7s

[@elijahinky]

low 10's my butt....maybe in the 1/8 mile. beautiful car...love it

[@turboboy0]

how stiff is the rear suspension? it looks as if the were any travel at all the rear tires would contact the body and cut them. awesome piece of racing history you have there. it must have been like finding a ship in the bottle when you opened the garage and removed the car cover..

[@elijahinky]

@mongo0606 Yea I hear that...those 327's do wind out pretty good, but I'm think that car runs more like a 11:20-11:40...but if it is a true 10's car then damn that was a hell of a machine, not to mention it was back in the back then late 60's early 70's when it did it

[@ChevelleSSLS6]

Fram filters... used to be good stuff until Honeywell took over... had one fail on me in my Javelin. Run Wix/Napa gold ever since. From looking at the gasket on the end to cutting them apart and doing a semi-scientific dissection, Fram is junk compared to the Wix. Well, being a show car I think you'll be alright but be careful if it's going to run much.

[@dawggg101]

Your voice would be good to voice for videos of history of stuff!

[@fjbutch]

Good onya mate .... not my style,,,but you can tell that it means a lot to you .....

[@henrybourdon6712]

i love the car but i have to ask about the rear tires so close to the fender. are you telling me they are not grooved until they blow? when i seen it come out of the garage it bounced and it was going maybe 5 miles per hour. i do not know if i would be driving this on the road down the highway and hitting a dip in the road. seems risky.

[@billville111]

A T-10 with those tires?

[@mongo0606]

@elijahinky hard to say, he says low 10's at 120mph, with 5.56 gears, car would have to make some awsome rpm's to hit 120mph

[@omarfuller]

@mongo0606 with that intake i think he knows how to rev...

[@quinnvandekoppel4139]

so … do you want to sell?

[@1971SuperLead]

@captainpegs07 Uh, the car has no front brakes. Maybe a chute ain't a bad idea after all.

[@32fordcoupegirl]

i am in love,,,,,,,,,,, is this guy married?, just kidding, dont wanna make anybody mad,,,, but i am in love with this car,,,,,,,,

[@elijahinky]

@mongo0606 you honestly think that this 55 runs 10's in the 1/4 mile?

[@1310monster]

Beautiful car but no way in hell it runs in the 10's. Back it up the high 11's and I'll believe it, provided a tire swap is done in the back.

[@7777truman]

I had one very similar to this in 1970. It was stolen.

[@willvb13]

2 people own ricers

[@r0ckyesterline93]

don't ever touch a hardtop only a 2-door sedan with the post drive that off a cliff

[@markhuffman64]

anyone know what color this is.

[@MrCoffeekelly]

Mark Huffman gold

[@salemcripple]

Why would you put all that work into a car, then park it and never race it again simply because you broke a rear U-joint?

[@omarfuller]

What an excellent chevy, i hate all the fucking people who dont understand this style.... will love a hella flush amg turbo uff uff yupikayei be beated for this chevy!!

[@mongo0606]

@elijahinky 10's in the 8th would be slow as shit

[@prostreet55]

what do you drive??? street legal only not trailer queens.... i have a 55 for you to run,,, its real slooow lmao.....

[@RacerDude96]

ok i think gasser r ugly lol nice cars not my style