Would you dare drive this 1957 Chevrolet?

[Robert W]

When I returned from Vietnam I still had a year plus left on active duty and I was stationed in Albuquerque and the photos I attached of my Ford at the strip are from there.

I drove through Albuquerque on one trip to the East and it was pitch black night time.

 

[Robert W]

When I got discharged from the Army and eventually left the states I never drag raced again but I did build some mild customs.

I got married the same year I was discharged from the Army and still owned one of the 56 Chevys I had before being drafted. It sat not being worked on at the home I bought and my wife finally asked me to sell it off. I did.

 

[GLASNOST]

I drove through Albuquerque on one trip to the East and it was pitch black night time.

But the city lights coming over the Mesa must have been looking good! Did you at least linger to cruise VIP's Big Boy?

 

[Robert W]

I didn't know he was murdered.

He and his wife were shot to death that same time.

https://people.com/who-killed-mickey-thompson-racing-driver-murder-8677921

 

[GLASNOST]

I got married the same year I was discharged from the Army and still owned one of the 56 Chevys I had before being drafted. It sat not being worked on at the home I bought and my wife finally asked me to sell it off. I did.

Ouch.

 

[toobfreak]

I recall Mickey Thompson before he got murdered at his home. I noticed your valve covers are his product.

I think I still have those covers. I have shelves full of ring gears, manifolds, gauges, distributors, ignition coils, carburetors and stuff in the basement. Mallory used to send me free spare parts. Think I also have an Edlebrock Water Injection system down there too--- it artificially increased the compression ratio.

Custom built the firewall in the car shown to fit in a set of Hooker Headers.

 

[Robert W]

But the city lights coming over the Mesa must have been looking good! Did you at least linger to cruise VIP's Big Boy?

The lights were on as you say and some highway work was happening to #40 going my direction so I had to drive city streets till I passed the highway work. It was night and I did not so much as stop other than at traffic lights. My destination was Branson, MO. I had a check in time to meet where I stayed there. After cruising past Albuquerque I spent the night at Santa Rosa, then off to Branson.

 

[Robert W]

I think I still have those covers. I have shelves full of ring gears, manifolds, gauges, distributors, ignition coils, carburetors and stuff in the basement. Mallory used to send me free spare parts. Think I also have an Edlebrock Water Injection system down there too--- it artificially increased the compression ratio.

Custom built the firewall in the car shown to fit in a set of Hooker Headers.

I check some of the younger people who drag race such as the girl at this site, but get tired of her goofy laughing all the time. I once had plenty of that stuff. Before I got drafted, I was building a dragster and the engine was the V8 Buick that was the small engine.
Enderle Fuel Injection offered me free fuel injection if I would first race at Bakersfield and that was okay. The Army changed all of that. I was working on the 671 Supercharger at the time as it was to be blown to go fast. Iskenderian had shipped me a free Roller Cam and total kit for this engine.
It was the Oldsmobile 215 engine shown as a sample here.

 

[Robert W]

I heard about Jeff Lutz at the time he took his 57 Chevy around America drag racing it and also using the same car to move all over America. The deal was the races had to be cars driven on the Street. And he was whipping many racers.

A recent report is this report.

 

[Robert W]

I didn't know he was murdered.

When Mickey was murdered, he already had broken at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah the land speed record. After reading the article on his death, his actual killers never got prosecuted or found. His earlier business partner was arrested and still is in prison for setting up his and her murders. MT Tires are still used in Drag racing. His son handles the company and he races too.

 

[whitehall]

A '57 Ford was the hot car in Robert Mitchem's Thunder Road movie. A classic.

 

[BULLDOG]

Those cars were very comfortable to be in. Gas back then was cheap so the economy was no problem at all. I forget the mpg it got.

Yep. I remember getting aggravated because it took so long to pump $5 in gas. I didn't think I had enough time to waste pumping that much gas.

 

[GLASNOST]

The lights were on as you say and some highway work was happening to #40 going my direction so I had to drive city streets till I passed the highway work. It was night and I did not so much as stop other than at traffic lights. My destination was Branson, MO. I had a check in time to meet where I stayed there. After cruising past Albuquerque I spent the night at Santa Rosa, then off to Branson.

It must have taken two or three days.

 

[Robert W]

It must have taken two or three days.

From Santa Rosa NM, I got to Branson around 9PM or so. My room was ready and I went to bed.