Cover Story // April 2008
The Spirit of San Fernando – a Restored 1955 Chevrolet Drag Racer
Story By Dave Miller
I This 1955 Chevrolet was drag raced at the San Fernando Raceway in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angles throughout the 1960s. When the drag strip closed in 1969, the car was pushed into a San Fernando Valley garage and there it sat for 27 years until it was purchased from its original builder, Jack Forrester.
Since then, the car has undergone a slow restoration to refurbish it back to the condition it was in when last raced at San Fernando Raceway.
In the 1960s, there were probably thousands of 1955-57 Chevrolets built similar to this one for drag racing. Almost every town would have a ‘55-‘57 Chevy gasser displayed in front of a gas station, or parked in a driveway; some neighborhoods might have had two or three such racers. However, as years passed and racing classes changed, so did the interests of owners. Consequently, these drag racing vehicles were often sold for parts, junked, or restored back to their original stock condition; thus the ranks of these legendary racecars thinned considerably as years passed.
The Spirit of San Fernando is unique for several reasons, even among remaining 55-57 Chevy gassers. First, with the exception of gaskets, spark plugs, plug wires, tires, paint and some interior materials, ALL of the components on the car were on it when last raced in 1969. This includes its ‘57 Chevrolet motor, punched out to 301 cubic inches, the transmission, fuel injection, magneto, wheels, instrumentation, wiring, seats, seat covers, and Plexiglas windows. Even the fuel and water lines are original. By the way, the original plug wires and spark plugs are still intact, as are the original drag slicks. Most of today’s restored gassers must utilize reproduction components because the original pieces were sold or discarded. As a result, the Spirit enjoys the rare classification of O. A. R. which means Original As Raced!
Many of the components on my car represent late 1960s state of the art performance modifications. The front brakes are Airheart disc brakes and the transmission is a B & M Clutch Flite, an automatic transmission utilizing a clutch to engage first gear instead of a torque converter. The Hurst Line-Lock, a device to engage and hold only the front brakes, is one of the earliest units. The magneto is a rare Schiefer unit. The hood, doors, and trunk lid are Kellison Fiberglass with manufacturer’s labels intact. The wheels are Halibrand magnesium. You are looking at a time machine as well as a racing machine.
Finally, the Spirit is unique because of how and where it was built. In the l950s and 1960s, the San Fernando Valley was the aerospace capital of the United States, if not the world. The multitudes of young drag racers that raced on Sunday at San Fernando Raceway, or the Pond, as it was called by locals, often worked during the week in machine shops of aerospace companies or their contractors. Pay close attention to the fasteners securing many panels and components on the Spirit. They are aircraft standard and the numerous bell cranks and brackets were fabricated on the job at companies like Lockheed, not just by the original builder, but by his friends and fellow racing buddies. Like many of the cars of that day, this was a team effort. In the Valley in the 1960s, cars built in this way were referred to as G-cars, meaning built on Government time.
This drag racer would not be gleaming before you in its refurbished condition without a team of car enthusiasts just as dedicated and enthusiastic as its original builders. Foremost were the efforts of John Sarena of Showtime Chevys in Lompoc, CA. John, with his vast network of friends involved in the restoration of classic ‘55-‘57 Chevrolets, located this car in that San Fernando Valley garage. Utilizing his warehouse of knowledge of classic Chevrolets, John oversaw all phases of the restoration. He also guided the other craftsmen involved; in particular, he created the plan followed from the beginning of not over-restoring the car to today’s standards, but adhering to standards of construction which would have existed for this car in the l960s. At times, this was a difficult dictum to follow. For example, look closely at the door handle on the passenger door. Does it appear askew? It is! Yet, as John pointed out, young drag racers of the era were prone to work rapidly because they wanted to get the car ready to race on Sunday and try out new modifications. If a door handle wasn’t perfectly positioned, well, so what! The door closed and opened didn’t it? Also, fit of body panels was not of great concern. Compare the radii of the rear wheel openings. You’ll see a difference from one side to the other. Like we said, there were things that by today’s standards we wanted to change, but thanks to John we left them O. A. R.!
Owner bio: I'm a 64 year old high school English teacher, and plan to retire soon and tackle those remaining vintage drag cars before I get too vintage myself. Mostly I'm involved in this alone, along with great car guy buddies like John, who's also vintage, then there are some great young men like the Muro Brothers at Hot Rod Ranch here in Lompoc. They assembled the car. Like many of you, cars are my main diversion.
The Spirit of San Fernando team members are:
Engine: Art Foster, Fosters Engine Service,
Santa Maria , CA
Paint: Richard Enos, Richard’s Place,
Santa Maria , CA
Interior: John Sarena, Showtime Chevys,
Lompoc , CA
Chrome: Bob Barnes, Vern’s Plating,
Gardena , CA
Wheel restoration & tires: Don Waldron,
Rods West, Ridgecrest, CA
Final Assembly: Gil, Jaime, & Randy Muro,
Hot Rod Ranch, Lompoc, CA
Original Builder: Jack Forrester,
San Fernando Valley, CA