1955 Chevrolet Bel Air – Banana Boat

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Vehicle Quick Facts

Profile ID: 45799
Year: 1955
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Bel Air
Markets: Performance, Racing, Rod & Custom
Vehicle Type: American
Contact: Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts LLC

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Vehicle Story

The "Banana Boat" 55' Belair is a long term build coming full circle in 2025. Dr. Joe, my client (and former dentist of 25+ years), has owned and hot-rodded this heavy Chevy for decades now through various stages of build construction and life. Originally, this was a driver quality weekend warrior imported from So-Cal with Joe circa the early 90's. My Father, Cris, helped Joe install a back-half frame section 20+ years ago with wheel tubs, a Ford 9" rear, and custom 18" wide rear semi-slicks to go drag racing. After that performance upgrades the car went to a body shop on dental trade for the yellow-white two-tone paint and subsequently sat disassembled for 20 years afterwards due to a busy life schedule. Fast forward to present day and we are midway through the fabrication stage getting this ride back on track with some radical modifications. The vehicle features a Scott's Hotrods tri-five front clip, heavily customized for this application. A massive  468 cu.in. Big Block plant will motivate this behemoth with a big-bore 6-71 positive displacement blower and dual Holley EFI Terminator Stealth throttle bodies atop. The power finds the rear axle via a Bowler Performance Prepped Tremec T56 Super Magnum 6 speed manual trans, Tilton hydraulic throw out bearing, and Mcloud RST dual disc clutch. Cooling is handled by, possibly the largest ever fit, C&R Custom spec crossflow radiator with dual 11" SPAL brushless fans, and a custom external oil cooler. Fuel is supplied from the custom spec stainless ricks tank,massive Holley EFI Pump, and a full sweep of XRP Race-Crimp plumbing. From the Fully de-cast and smoothed block and heads to the Cnc billet-tig welded-nostalgia hilborn injection scoop mashup, and everything between the bumpers this classic is sure to turn heads and features all the micro-details you can expect from a Kyle Kuhnhausen build. All I know is it's sure to cause a spectacle ripping through six gears to 7,000rpm with that big blower whining, and those 18" wide tires torturing the pavement to submission, I can't wait.

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