10 Cool Facts About The Driver's '55 Chevy - Two-Lane Blacktop 

So true!!!

I don't believe that the 3 '55 "movie cars" had rear disc brakes added for filming purposes in the early '70's. I'm sure someone can prove me wrong though.

Indeed it is!

Yeah dialog and character development were both absolutely amazing.

Indeed, she sure sings out loud too 😁

​@@CarStarz42 do a video on the movie The Wraith.

@@johndean2110 Yep, that one's already on the list as well; thanks 😉👍

M22's sounded sweet, just like 3 speed Dearborns...the strongest trans in the day...I have one in my 68 Lemans

I ran one for years . Mine came from a wrecked GTO Judge.

I have watched it around 100 times, and I never get tired of it

I don't suppose you remember what episodes of Adam 12?

It was also in an episode of "CHIPS" where Ponch thinks back to his street racing days..

I​@@HI-RISERI think the name of the adon 12 episode was the old dinosaur

Indeed!🙂👍

The odds of even a built ‘55 back then having rear disc brakes is extremely remote. I consider it a bit of a faux pax personally.

Huge fan Dennis Wilson! He was awesome in the film. 😎

Or running the valves.

He said he was "checking the jets" which was nonsense, and actually changing them would only have been necessary if they had made a significant altitude change.

You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it! I hear yeah friend; not sure why time just seems to speed up the older we get, but it's certainly a cruel trick of nature for sure 😉

Saw this movie at the local dive-in theater. Girlfriend thought it was the stupidest movie ever. I guess she had other things in mind LOL I had to go a 2nd time with male friends to see the movie.

Indeed 😉👍

Thanks and indeed 👍

Indeed it is and that's awesome man! 🙂👍

You're a person of fine taste! I hope you drive the hell out of it!

You are both lucky and astute to have acquired that car. Very nice!

Yep- it is actually a hardtop with some wood placed to make it look like a sedan.

Ah, well; true that they had a hard time getting the car to roll over in AG, but it was indeed the stunt car from Two-Lane. However, the Chevy you see on fire after the roll over was not the same car, but an already gutted different car that they just referred to as the "burn car". I believe they actually sold the "burn car" after the film though, so not sure if that one ended up being crushed or not, but the former Two-Lane stunt car that actually rolled in AG did for sure get scrapped and crushed..

The burn car coupe was bought / borrowed from a junkyard, had a wood B-post installed to look like a sedan, set alight then returned to the junkyard.

i noticed that too........love that aar

You're right about what it ORIGINALLY came with, but that doesn't mean that car didn't get an engine upgrade. Back then, they didn't really see it as sacrilege to modify an AAR cuda to have a big block and torqueflite trans.

Your welcome and indeed😉👍

Funny, I was just talking about it with someone the other day as well.

Nice 😉👍

Indeed 😉👍

Indeed, trial by fire there! 😁👍

Actually, the car is supposed to have a 4.56 rear end, but when seen on the strip, it bogs off the line, then pulls 1st gear halfway down the 1/4 mile...

I read that it was an 11.50 car, but same thing-real deal drag car on the street. And on one run at the drag-strip the announcer says something like "and the little '55 will run deep into the twelves." But you got to remember they were looking to grudge-race someone for money there, so they were sandbagging for sure. Don't want to scare away all of the potential victims.

That's still hard core

Up until the late 90’s, any “street car” getting into the 10’s was really impressive, and definitely took well over 600hp unless you had a gutted Fox body, where it still took 500+. Back then, that pretty much meant nitrous, as even big blocks with blowers weren’t so streetable at 600+ hp. Then came the era of stupid big turbos, blowoff valves, and digital ignition control, which was the secret sauce, so timing advance could be almost infinitely controlled, a crucial key. Without serious advance near idle, and serious retard at high RPMs, those engines would burn a hole in the piston top quickly from outrageous combustion chamber/cylinder pressures, and “street” fuel (pump gas) couldn’t handle the spontaneous compression ignition with such pressures. It’s crazy how far we’ve come, even setting aside computer controlled ignition and fuel delivery, just airflow knowledge has come a long way. To think, today you can buy a factory warrantied, street legal car which will hang the hoops and break into the 9’s, factory. For less than $100,000. Unreal. You can also buy its brother car, in four door sedan trim, that will do over 200 mph with Ac blowing cold all day long, and in relative comfort. Also, unreal. Think about how this Chevy was modified to get less than those results, how barely streetable it was, and how common this kind of car was back then. And compare with today. Today there are “streetable” cars with 2000+ horsepower. When traction is a problem at 100mph, you’ve got some serious power happening.

sad

I never heard that, but James did say he never watched the movie.

And those hood scoops were more commonly referred to as “Dog House” not mail box scoops - the latter were rounded up top. It would have been nice to show at least an actual big block Chevy for the L-88 pic instead - product knowledge is slipping away and most folks don’t know or even care…

Glad you enjoyed it 😉👍

Yep, raw power racing with very little dialog = one great drag racing movie for sure! 👍

Indeed. Yep, the GTO is on the list to do when I eventually get to second rounds through my large list. Thanks

Cool 😉👍

Thanks much friend and glad you enjoyed it 🙂👍

😉👍

You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it 🙂👍

That’s why I’m American Graffiti you never see engine, was no big block in 1962

​@@peterjohnson9077when did the 348-409 come out? That was kind of a big block, truck engine it was. But yeah.

My dad runs a 57 Pontiac rear end in his 55 Chevy, bolts right in

Good stuff indeed🙂👍

Glad to have ya, yep one great movie for sure 😉👍

You're very welcome and it is a great movie indeed! 😉👍

No way a real ‘55 would have rear disc brakes back then.

Serious stuff indeed for back then 😉👍

Glad to hear that 😉👍

What??? Engine noise is from forged bottom end and solid lifter camshaft. A bar thru the roller lifters...hahaha thats pretty funny!!

@@stevengriswold5280 there's a slot in the lifter and a piece of hardened key stock that runs the length of the oil galleys in the block and keep the lifters rolling straight on the cam. The square bar, drilled in 3 places and studs, tapped into the valley sides. The studs are double nutted, one on each side of the bar, to adjust the clearance to the lifters. Trust me thats the valve train noise you hear in the movie.

Solid lifters, thinking not many roller setups in those days, big, big bucks for those . And they were factory crate engines not full blown aftermarket race engines like some of the crate engines that are available today. The clearance necessary in the valve train for them makes them clatter. That's why passenger cars have hydraulic lifters, no clatter.

Yeah I think it’s the pushrod guides and the lifter guides. Duly noted. Through the lifters? Sorry bro. Check it.

Sorry but you are incorrect. The distinctive noise is from solid lifter (non roller) in the valve train. These require a small amount of lash (gap) between the rockers and the tip of the valve and that is what creates the distinctive mechanical noise.

By 1983 The Girl and The Mechanic were both dead. Laurie Byrd killed herself in 1979 while she was the girlfriend of Art Garfunkel and Dennis Wilson died in 1983 at the boat he was living on, Wilson had a big time connection with the Manson Family back in the late 60's allowing them to live at his house for a while, something they say haunted him the rest of his life which most likely is why he drank himself to death.

Warren Oates -GTO - is also dead.

You are very much welcome and thanks for watching; many, many more to come down the road too 😉👍

It's certainly not a movie for everyone, lol. Definitely have to be car guy to fully enjoy it as there is very little story or even dialog, mostly just driving 😉

@@CarStarz42 if I can make it through the slog that is gone in 60 seconds. I think I can handle this lol

@@iiPotatoes Alrighty, have at it then 😉👍

Yep, a lot of those are already on my massive to do list and I added some of the ones you mentioned that weren't. Thanks 👍

Stallone still owns the Merc last i knew.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. 🙂👍

There might be more car movies, but they will all be CGI, and really stupid plots....just like Fast & Furious movies.

I think road trip movies, will be made. We just have to badger the studios, to get them to make them about our preferred eras.

😉👍

I remember that!

Series 4 episode 12 old dinosaur, adon 12

Thanks much and glad you enjoyed it 👍

Indeed.

The rolled over, flaming car was a 56 4door.

@@ramblerdave1339 Please check the scene again. It definitely was a 55 2 door sedan. 55s were still easy to get. Not worth making a 56 look like a 55. (like the 68/69 Chargers for Dukes of Hazard)

@@rondpert5167 they didn't even bother, it still had the 56 taillights. Have to go to the library to rent it again, or maybe it's on RU-vid. Not in my collection. The car that rolled over may have been a 55 two door, but the one burning in the background, was a 56, 4door. Sort of like when Tim Allen's Nomad was smashed on Home Improvement, and substituted a regular 2dr wagon just before the steel beam hit it, as evidenced by the red painted door window frame still standing after the beam hit.

@@ramblerdave1339 Yep, when I eventually get around to making a video about the AG Chevy's specifically; I'll talk about the "burn car" too. 😉

Cool, I'll add those to my big list to look into as well, Thanks 😉👍

Yes that him in the gas station seen.

he sure was

The bit where he picked up the hitchhiker (Harry Dean Stanton) is a highlight. The hitchhiker gropes Oates' leg, "I ain't into that!"

10 mile on

Glad you liked it and true indeed friend 👍

Back in 1972 me and my family went to our local county fair and watched the demolition derby, I remember seeing 55 to 57 Chevy's in it, back then they were just 14, 15 year old used cars no one cared about.

@@dukecraig2402 True, kind of in the same way we look at late 90s and early 2000s cars now. Of course, I don't think most of those are cool enough to ever be missed, but who knows, lol.

@@CarStarz42 One day someone will want them and they'll be collectable.

@@dukecraig2402 Probably so, time seems to have a way of doing that 😉

Indeed 😉👍

😉

Lol, that is sad indeed. Although, not surprising really.

Yeah, if I had the money I'd have a big block crate engine in my car right now

Glad to hear it 😉👍

Thanks. yes; the volume issue hat only some folks have been experiencing has been resolved starting with the most recent video and will be good going forward as well... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Rm5qNqwFSwA.html

Thats opposite of me, its the greatest movie that I have ever seen...it represents total freedom and I would go back to those days in a heartbeat if I could.

Can't call it a "judge". No body knows what the two cars used in movie were.all the characteristics of a " judge", but no judge decals. In movie they refer to it as a 455 Mark lV ram air with the carter high rise set up and 390 hp ???? Dosnt exist! Car has NO 455 call out decals on hood. If they were '70 orbit orange "judges" with 455,they would be 2 of 17 ever built. Both went back to studio and can be seen in some TV shows,but were either sold by studio or went back to Pontiac.

Yeah, her story is definitely a sad and tragic one 😕

Lol 😉

Cool and glad to have you onboard🙂👍

Cool and yes, I often wish we could all just return to more simple times.

😉👍

There was an additional separate junker '57 used just for the burn scene in AG only, but that was not the same car as the stunt '57 that did the crash itself.

Thanks much friend, I've already cranked the voice volume up on my videos progressively over the last few; any louder and you wouldn't be able to hear the background music and other sounds. Make sure you have your video and device volumes up high enough as there is plenty of voice volume for sure. There's also Closed Captions that can be turned on too if needed. Thanks again 👍

@@CarStarz42 Cheers.

😉👍

Interesting and probably.

Yeah, that's one I haven't thought about for sure; I'll add it to my large list of cars to look into and I do plan on doing Knight Rider at some point too. Thanks for the suggestions 😉👍

​@CarStarz Can you do a video on the Mad Max Ford Falcon?

@@davidh7339 That one is most definitely already on the list friend, so yeppers!😁👍

Indeed, very little acting or even talking in the movie, minus Warren Oat's chatterbox character that is, lol! It's all about the cars for sure though!

Very true indeed😉

What got me years later..was when James Taylor said when they were in the town...".. it must be Saturday "..... because children were about..not at school..nor was it Sunday as folk wouldn't be out shopping....it just brought it home to me that they lived and drove...not even bothered about the time of the day....or what day it was...true freedom...

Indeed, and same here.

or seen

Yeah, the deal on that is actually the producers just thought it was too "polished up" looking for the character's life style. They wanted to portray that the characters put all of their money into "go" rather than "show" essentially 😏

Interesting I never knew that, but at the end scene there's a blue and white roof 55 , similar to how mines painted up

@@dontjivewitha5559 I think the blue and white one may be the crash car used in American Graffiti.

I read the same thing. Only that when the director was shown the first car, it was bright metalflake blue. He looked at it and said "Yeah, but these guys are gearheads. If they had the money for a paintjob like that, they wouldn't have spent it on a paintjob like that; they'd have put it in the motor." He looked at it for a second then said "Primer it." No one on the internet reports that part of the story, so I wonder if this was one of those stories that was proven false?

Plot, acting?; what plot and acting, lol! I think the one in the film was just one bone stock GTO, but I haven't looked into that yet; at least that's how they portrayed it in the movie anyways, but might do that. Thanks for the suggestion 👍

@@CarStarz42 I wasn't sure if you would be able to drum up some "cool facts" about the car being filmed. I know it's stock, but a 70 455 Pontiac motor was the 1st and only high compression Pontiac 455, and even tho the paint and stripes are in my opinion "ugly" as all get-out, the drivetrains were good. Also the only year Pontiac offered a 12 bolt rear. Too bad Warrens car wasn't a stick. You sure could hear the QJ. LOL

@@joequillun7790 Yeah, I'll probably look into it when I eventually make a second sweep through my very large car movies list to get the secondary cars as I do love GTOs. So, I will most likely revisit that title again down the road 😉👍

Two stock Orbit Orange ‘70 GTO Judges bought brand new. They added mag wheels and had the Judge decals removed except for one left on one glovebox. Director kept one after filming but kept getting pulled over by the cops so he sold it. Universal kept the other GTO, it appears in the titles of the Baretta TV show and made several appearances in Columbo and Adam 12 - as did one of the ‘55s and the American Graffiti ‘32 coupe. The GTO was eventually sold, stripped then restored as a stock Judge with all the decals reapplied and stock wheels.

@@CycolacFan Cool, that info should hold Joe over until I get around to making a vid on it 😉👍