Built With Speedway Motors: Bill's '55 Chevy Bel Air
As you know, we love sharing customers' cars and stories. And, they're always better when told in their own words. Bill tells the story of his dad's '55 way better than we ever could, so we're going to turn in over to him...
My father bought this ‘55 from his cousin in the late 70’s. He stored the car in a garage he rented for several years until the house sold and he needed to move the car. It went directly into the back yard of my parents’ house. That is where I come into the story and my childhood memories begin. My first memories of the car are of it sitting in the yard, immobilized by the high grass growing around it. I would open the door, get in, and pretend I was driving it…“VROOM VROOM”. All the while breathing in the intoxicating aroma of mouse nests! When I was in high school I bugged and bugged him until he finally relented and we moved it into the garage attached to the house so we could begin working on it and bring it back to life.
Like any project, the teardown always goes very fast. Within a week, the front clip and the front suspension had been removed. It didn’t take long to realize that we could not completed the task on our own, so it was decided to look for a shop that could take on a restoration. A few miles away was a shop owner by the name of David “Beans” Kotuby. Over the next few years, the car was restored frame off. I made so many memories with my dad during that time. Searching through catalogs, going to local (and not so local) swap meets. We made a few family trips to Carlisle and Butler Parts-O-Rama. Even the paint color was a collaboration. It was originally going to be yellow and white, the yellow paint was already purchased, until I got my first Franklin mint model, the ones advertised in the back of the Sunday paper. I order a 1956 Corvette; the color was Cascade Green with the white side insert. One look and I knew that had to be the color combination. The white was also a special white. A friend’s dad had a completely restored 1969 mustang Mach 1 and it had the deepest white color. It seemed like the paint was six inches deep. Much to my surprise, my dad was ok painting his Chevy a combo of Chevy and Mustang colors. So, the paint combo ended up being 1956 Corvette Cascade Green and 1969 Mustang Mach I Wimbledon White.
After it was completed and the road, we took it to car shows and cruises in Beaver Falls, Butler, New Castle, and Beaver. It was a regular at Jerry’s Curb Service in Bridgewater. It ran for several years until the engine failed. It went back into the garage of my parents’ house. Each year we would talk about putting a new motor in it, but 16 years later it hadn’t moved. Funny how things work out, I was back to sitting in it dreaming of driving it. “VROOM VROOM,” except this time without the mouse smell. I had plans to drive it in my wedding, but that didn’t happen.
My father suffered a stroke in late 2014 and passed shortly before Christmas. After his passing I realized how many more memories I could have had with him and my family enjoying the car. It took a social media post of my friend whose dad has the 69 Mach 1 to decide to do something about it. The post was a picture of him, his father, and his three brothers, all together standing by each of their muscle cars. I decided to get the ‘55 running. It took over two years, but I accomplished my goal. Along the way, I got to know the car all over again, reconnect with my father, suffered a shoulder injury, and made new friends.
When I started the process, there were no issued with body, paint, or chrome. The garage was heated and the car did not see direct sunlight, so the chrome was pristine and all the rubber was still soft, but I had to do a lot of mechanical work.
As I worked on the car I spoke with my dad, asked for his guidance and help when things got hard.
I restored the 3.73 rearend with factory Positraction and the Muncie M20 4 speed with Hurst shifter. I added 4-wheel power disc brakes with a new brake booster, master cylinder with proportioning valve, all new stainless steel brake lines, new rubber lines, new calipers, and new bearings. The radiator and heater core were restored before adding a brand-new BluePrint Engines 383 Cid stroker motor with aluminum heads making 450 hp 450 ft lbs. torque. The exhaust is 2.5-inch stainless steel duals with ceramic headers. The interior was restored to original spec with the addition of a tachometer and gauge package (oil pressure, temp, volts). I added front and rear sway bars, new shocks, new inner and outer tie rod ends, new ball joints, new drag link, new pitman arm, new idler arm, and a new steering box
My father loved the Cascade green so much that the entire underside was painted that color. Everything…frame suspension, trans, engine; it looked like it was dipped in it. I decided since all that stuff was coming out, I would break it up. So, there is a lot of flat black, grey, and Chevy orange under the car.
My goal was to do as much as I could so when I talked to people about the car it wasn’t a conversation about what I paid to have done. But while working with the rear end, I ended up tearing my right shoulder up. While lifting the rear end I suffered several partial tears of my shoulder and partially detached my right bicep tendon, which lead to rotator cuff surgery in July of 2016.
I felt like the project was over. And it was for the next five months.
Through the wonder of social medial, I posted a question, asking if anyone knew of any local mechanics who could help me finish what I started. Long story short, I met a local guy named Bill (go figure) a few miles from my house. He works on cars in his free time and has restored three “one of one” ‘70 Chargers to factory show quality. He was up for the task and after a few months, my 55 breathed its first breath in 19 years.
We became friends and our families hang out…and I continue to borrow tools from him!
