The Red Rocket Rides Again!

In the spring of 2013, Dave Lewis was walking the aisles at an Amarillo, Texas, swap meet when he spotted this vintage ’57 Chevy 150 gasser, aka the Red Rocket, and just had to have it. “The car had a 301 small-block and four-speed with jacked up front suspension and period-correct racing stickers all over the side windows,” Dave says. “I ended up trading a full custom 1959 VW I had built plus some cash and took the car back to my shop in Tulsa.” Dave’s “shop” just happens to be A-1 Auto Body, one of the most modern full-service paint and body shops in the Southwest, capable of handling everything from routine collision work to building show-winning customs. Throughout the years, the company’s street rod division (A-1 Street Rods) has built a number of top 10 finishers that have been featured in several of the leading car magazines.

Dave and his sons, Dave Jr., Matt and Brandon, are avid drag racers. Daddy Dave’s last ride was a stout Outlaw Pro Mod Camaro (6.32-218) and Brandon currently races a Bob Miner-prepped Hemi ’57 Chevy Bel Air in the Outlaw Pro Mod class.

But back to Dave’s gasser, he decided to retain its classic looks but upgrade the car with a straight axle front suspension after discovering that the Red Rocket’s jacked up OE front suspension had a nasty habit of darting around in the lights. Dave and A-1 fabricator Jeff Holloway lopped off the 150’s front frame rails and fabricated a 2×3-inch rectangular front frame clip. A Speedway Engineering front axle kit consisting of a straight front axle, front leaf springs and spindles has been bolted up to it. Also onboard are NAPA front shocks, Corvair steering and Master Power disc brakes. Wheels are 15×4-inch Rocket 10 spokes rolling on 6.70×15-inch Firestone rubber.

Out back, Dave chose a Strange Engineering (5.14:1 gears and 36-spline Strange axles) 9-inch Ford with Master Power disc brakes. The Strange unit is suspended by a set of modified inboard- mounted 1957 Chevy rear leaf springs and Speedway Automotive ladder bars and adjustable coil-over rear shocks. A set of period-correct 15×8-inch Ford bolt pattern steelies wrapped with 15×12-inch Mickey Thompson Sportsman rubber give the car the right look while providing superior traction. Speedway Engineering wheelie bars help keep the M/Ts firmly planted.

Stanley Morton, a former NHRA Pro Stock racer renowned in the Southwest for building killer Bow Ties, constructed the 705-hp 408-ci small-block. The big mouse features an Ohio Crankshaft stroker crank, Clevite engine bearings, ARP fasteners, Crower H-beam connecting rods, Speed Pro-equipped 14:1-compression Arias pistons and a Bullet flat tappet cam. The remaining components include an HP oil pump and CSI water pump circulating coolant through a SPAL-cooled Griffin four-core aluminum radiator. Heads are Morton-prepared Air Flow Research aluminum big valve units featuring Manley, Jesel, Manton and ARP components. Induction is handled by an Edelbrock Victor four-valve intake, an HVH carburetor plate and a 1050 Demon carburetor fuel fired by an MSD ignition. Spent gasses exit via Speedway Engineering fender well exit headers.

Rather than your average stick or automatic, Dave unbolted the McLeod 11- inch clutch, McLeod clutch can and Lenco four-speed from his Pro Mod and installed them in the ’57. The final link in the powertrain is a 57-inch custom-fabricated driveshaft from Tulsa Driveshaft. With this combination, the Tri-5 has clocked a best of 10.80-131.

The interior includes 1970 Nova front seats covered in diamond-patterned upholstery by ADI’s John Massey, a six- point roll bar, Auto Meter gauges and RJS Safety Equipment. The exterior is 100% original GM steel.

In researching the history of this vehicle, efforts to contact the swap meet vendor proved fruitless. The next step was contacting Murphy Chevrolet’s CEO Danny Murphy. Established in 1930, the Foley, Minnesota, GM dealer has sponsored many drag racers but this ’57 did not ring a bell. Danny theorized that it could have been a customer car or perhaps a tribute to the dealership. Drag Racer Magazine, Dave Lewis and the folks at Murphy Chevrolet would like to know more about this ’57’s previous life. If any readers out there are able to shed some light on the subject, we’re all ears.

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