“Back in the day” as your dad might say, most drag cars looked like this. Straight axles and mag wheels were the order of the day, and many of these hot rods featured unique pinstriping or cool nicknames to help set them apart from similarly equipped rides. This particular Gasser, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, carried the moniker “100 Proof”, implying it packed a punch as powerful as the stoutest whisky or moonshine! Judging by the list of modifications, it’s fair to say this classic Detroit dinosaur lived up to its nickname.

Gone is the factory-equipped 427-inch bottom end, replaced instead with the consummate GM big block – the ever-popular 454 – set back 25% to help transfer the weight rearward and hook up the meaty Goodyear slicks. Between the slicks rides a heavy duty Pontiac rear end sporting 4.88 gears. Up front, the car does sport some more modern touches, however. A GM TH400 transmission mates to the big block, which is fed by an 850cfm Holley carburetor on an aluminum riser intake. You’ll also find an electric water pump, an electric Holley fuel pump and a fuel cell out back in the trunk completing the mild modernization of this classic Gasser.

If you check the ad on eBay, there are many great photos, and the wording in the ad makes it clear that this is not a car you can pick up and take straight to the track. While it’s a complete car, and the engine does crank and run, it does need quite a bit of hot rodder love before it’s ready to hit the strip. The wiring would be one major concern, as well as some rust that needs to be repaired before it returns to the 1320, but the body is solid, the frame is straight, and the drivetrain is complete. It wouldn’t take a dedicated gearhead too terribly long to have a fairly unique ride to hit the local strip with on the weekends!