Wrecks to Riches | S2E5 | 1957 Chevrolet

In this episode of Rags to Riches, Barry finds an attached American classic in his own backyard, maybe he'll show a photo to anyone on the planet and they could tell him what it was. This 57 Chevy is headed to the auction floor. I think it's going to be a super super muscle car until Tony breaks the news we're going to replace half of the damn car purchases now that we're done stop drawing that's what Barry has a plan for how to make money Barry White style , finding an accident, is exactly what I'm looking for the right people who can do something.

I don't want to hear that. Draw something. The right parts are easy. These can work. I hope it is impeccable. Someone wants to buy it. Let your money bring you happiness. That's how you get. From ship

wrecks

to

riches

, Berry White lives cars, even during the morning walk with her dog Deuce, he can't escape the pull of American steel. Opportunity can knock when you least expect it. We let a lot of things fall into our laps. It usually happens. When you're not looking for it is when you find it today, it's a 57 Chevy in its own neighborhood of Corona California.

We'll get a lot of people emailing us and asking if we're going to do a 1950s car so far. Barry's super muscular line has celebrated the '60s and '70s, but his neighbor could change that. Nothing like a car to bring the neighborhood together, seeing your Chevy, yeah, again, yeah, well, you know, I put that sign up a few times over the last couple of times. years, but this time I'm serious, this time you're serious, yeah, well, I might as well be serious. Barry thinks he could make his fans happy and his neighbors happy at the same time.

It could be the destination a 57 Chevy because of the fins and such. The entire era is the most recognizable car. I think you could show a photo to anyone on the planet and they could tell you what it was. We've had it for about 15 years. Actually, yes, it has a pretty good shape, yes, well, that's how it has been. a daily driver for us really yeah, what are you asking for? I'm thinking probably about 13,000 per yeah, yeah, let me do a little research, sure, and Barry will think about it, but this car has bitten him. It's okay, Barry, thank you very much.

See you. This icon of American motoring came in three versions: the basic 150, the mid-range 10, and the Hollywood luxury classic, the Bel Air. Its headlights, wide grille and tailfins set a new benchmark in design along with GM's first small-block V8 since 1918. The cars filled the '50s and remained one of the most desirable vehicles of any era that afternoon. Barry is ready to make a deal. Well, I think you know, Kennish, yeah, that's a few thousand off, but you know that would be a cash deal. money nephew Joaquin no, that would be great yes, I would like to keep him in the neighborhood thank you very much in four weeks the car has a date in Las Vegas where money talks it is fast it is furious it is a game of chance waves goodbye but Barry is thinking Classic American iron can remove the bitter.

A super muscular 57 Chevy will be very white first. All things have to come loose, but that is a long way off at the moment. The team is turning a perfectly good everyday driver into a box of spare parts the likes of which we've never seen before. I did a 50's car like a super muscle car so we plan to do the 57 150 complete with bigger wheels, tires and brakes, probably a big block Chevy and probably not a night transmission, air conditioning, I think converting it to a hot rod. It's going to be a super super muscular car.

I'm looking forward to them rebuilding it from the ground up creating a timeless 57 with 2007 technology. You know, we're going to make a pretty fancy car out of this. Not only are we going to you know, painted a bright color and call it a day, this is the chance of a lifetime for Chris to play with one of America's great automotive designs, it's something he's dreamed of since he was a kid. . I came out of a womb, Shankar, that I have been in. car since he was a little boy. I know my parents encouraged me to pick up a pen and pencil and doodle on a car.

They started with flat, square, slightly warped tires and, you know, lumpy pictures I used to make. Sitting there and watching TV and having my little sketch pad in that drawing car, you know, bores my family to death, but showing them all the drawings I made. Chris has been helping Barry create amazing looks for four years and expectations are high. for a 50's idol, the Chevy is back from sandblasting, paint and body guy, Tony Korea, sees nothing but bad news, someone did a meatball repair years ago, there was just a bunch of square patches or a bunch of holes which is not the right way to fix.

This side looks better, oh yeah, this is definitely better over here, but it looks like it needs a blower part. Look at it a little further. You know the lower rear panel next to the bumper that's all rusted out. Did they make this back panel? Chris, yes. I think so, I think it left a pillar in the windshield, they need a replacement, the trunks got completely rusted trying to put something in, yeah, oh this, the front floor pants are rusted, there's a pillar everywhere. We're going to replace half the damn car right now. Once it's done, maybe the 50's wasn't a good idea when you're only four weeks old, you're four to six weeks old and the body is fine, so we have to take it primed to Las Vegas, oh really half the body . done that's not going to work and give it a photo no show is not an option it's time to think fast someone give me another two thousand in 25 days Las Vegas will be packed with gamblers buyers and sellers at the cruise car auction everyone wants something in The question for Las Vegas is how much they will pay.

What buyers have easier. These are your last 10 sales. It's where the stress is. So Barry White was there before he made any money. He lost some money transforming Junkers into objects of desire. Someone did a meatball repair years ago. but the plants on your neighbor's '57 Chevy just blew up, we don't have enough time to make the side panels the way we need to make them, the body is rusted and the dodgy repairs take three weeks to fix. I would only give us a week. put the car together, which is almost impossible, we have to think about how we are going to get out of this, how we can do it, we have to get another car or a solution, I don't know what your decision is on that. one I don't know of course, there's always the old drag racer option last year, burying the boys turned a tame 60 Chevy Nova into a monster, a 700+ horsepower supercharged big block 427 dragster, It was racing legal, it was street legal berries. made a decision, you might want to stop drawing, that's why this is going to take a long time, yes, because of the shape of the car, you two have seen the car, yes, I think everyone liked the gangrene when we turned this thing into a gasser, we are going to build a gas dragster, they can take some shortcuts, there will be no parts to find all over the country, now they will just build their own.

The good thing is that here we have good people, good manufacturers and a lot. This time it falls on our shoulders it's not so much about restoration parts or needing those things for Chris, the bar has just been raised higher, he needs a new design to capture the racing era of the 50's for inspiration, has come to the National Hot Rod Association Museum if you're quick. and famous is here this is hallowed ground for racing historians this is a car of great historical importance some woods and cooks that everyone knows about this car this car is the closest thing to what we are doing visually you have sweet paint you have to have candy paint in a gasifier, I mean, it's just the two that go together, let's do like candied red or something, let's just do a noxious candy and gold leaf, all yeah, alert windows, it has a warning system four port injector, which was really popular then bar sticking out of the hood four four four ports the whole tilt front thing very cool these guys have fun or something we didn't do on the last Kassar was tires like this one that are 29 inches, that's where the top of the tire is.

The tire would be that there wasn't much room under the car, so the solution was to simply cut a large opening for the tire and push it out of the car making a 57 Chevy, but with the issues in This car, this thing is going to look amazing, this is one time Chris doesn't mind going back to the drawing board. Barry wants to experiment with a radical red-gold candy paint. Nothing will be too much of a stretch for this super muscular gasser, in fact the entire team is on board with Barry's new direction. no one is happier than Tony.

An addition to the front section arrived overnight. We are doing it more for the look and freshness of a tip and an opening typical of its era. They would have done it because it probably saved them £500 and sheet metal on it. versus the car in a drag racing world, that's half a second with three weeks left in the auction. Barry needs the 57 in paint ASAP and all the panels need to be separated and fitted together perfectly to do the best paint job they have ever attempted. to put the bass evenly you have to put the candy evenly which means you would really need to have the car put together otherwise the car will have dark and light stripes the front might be a little darker than the back part. and all that radical red starts with a golden undertone that looks like a color that would be your grandmother's old curtains or something like gold, yes, that gold.

It's hard to believe they can read from here, but Barry's counting on it, the candy is so clear that you'll actually see through the paint to the gold base. The level of skill it takes to make a candy, not everyone can do it because if you darken one door too much, you have to darken the entire car. Lightening something to achieve the unique color will cost $8,000 with body and paint, that 57 costs 18 thousand dollars the first week, but the only thing Barry is thinking about now is how he will steal the auction and this will be one of the most vibrant colors As you'll see, this will probably be the brightest, coolest color we've put on any car yet.

Well, that was the plan, but after a day of painting, the experiment doesn't work, it has a really huge effect. cast gold there is no toner the red just doesn't come out it's a little different because we don't normally photograph this type of painting so there's a bit of a learning curve here Tony is out for the day and it will change a little with the clear banana hole he'll be back home for an unwanted party call Tony and find out why this has Metallica this could get ugly Barry White wants to be at a car auction in Las Vegas in less than three weeks instead of bringing a super powerful car from the years 60, has a new date for the party, an earlier date would have a lot of people emailing us asking if we are going to do a 50's car, a 57 Chevy, it was an everyday driver, now it's becoming a super busted gasser, this thing became amazing, but after two days on the stand, this is not the color Barry signed, separates the magellan.

I'll bring it on white, which would have been redder. Barry thinks Tony ordered metallic red instead of candy red. Husak candies do not have metallic, they are generally a silver or gold tone with a red, a very red transparent color that goes away and you continue applying it until you get the tone you want. Tony, it's Chris Tony off site and in trouble. Hey, they're spraying the car with red paint and they've got the first coat of panic all over the car and it just looks bronze. There he relies on an exclusive paint job to make money. at an auction like Tony doesn't know he just wants Barry to trust him, he just needs more layers.

You're making me panic. Flow, then it's your fault, you're panicking. Berry had never written so much on a painting job, except the next day. Tony is vindicated Wow, that changed, didn't it? Yeah, a little color change and that's beautiful, it's done, but I don't know if you get it redder than that. Is incredible. I never would have thought that would happen. It happens, that's the sound of Barry eating humble pie if we weren't as smart as we think we are, huh, hot rod guys think they know everything, nothing we don't know When Tony's done polishing, no one will doubt him, it's Very transparent, you can see through. stick your finger in it and everything should have us looking like it's just a red tint.

I mean, basically you'll still see each other. Flesh doesn't color your finger. That's how transparent the paint is and it basically takes layers to get where you do. They like the color Some of the kids feel guilty They question the paint Teacher, do you need a hug or something? Barry wants to rebuild the front end to reduce weight and make room for a racing engine. Chassis 57 undergoes the mother of allnose operations. We want the car with the nose high and a kind of old drag race. I went to put the blown injected big block Chevy on it, so it's very much about looks, but they would have done it back then because of the weight of a drag car. manufacturers dream of the opportunity to rebuild the vehicle to their own specifications, we're going to slide this in here, we want to pull it out, this is actually starting to blow up right here, so we're going to cut this out, bring it in and then re-weld what GM did not do.

I don't think about this in

1957

, basically, but we weld them back together and then we'll put what they call a fish plate, which is a triangular plate that goes on the edge and what it does is give it a shear resistance right in that place. strength and speed of the parts Barry has been chasing them since his first trip, but in all his years of construction he has never compromised on safety the 57 will be missile proof you turn the body into a cocoon in which you are sitting forms a triangle Ivan, makes it stronger So what we're doing is coming out from the back towards the main hoop, coming out of the main hoop forward to protect the driver and his hands direct his legs and Then from there we hit the firewall and then we come out to the front of the car, which gives strength to the front of the car, where all the power is applied to the chassis and triangulate that front area with the cage, back here.

Chevy will be prepared for the worst, its previous supermuscular gas gangrene hit 110 miles per hour in six seconds in the quarter mile and it hopes to go faster with the 57. The sixties race car has to have a name, we'll give it other. illness that's the last one his illness can we do something it has to be something crazy how about an eliminator or something it can't be a strange name it's going to be exterminated that will work that's cool 14 days until the auction and the red monster has a name Chris work on design for graphic artist when you make a car like this it's just fun it's pure fun and I'm treating it that way and I'm having a great time.

This isn't just a '57 Chevy, this is the exterminator, this car is more about its looks than anything else when you're cruising on a night out, you want people to look at it and have that wow factor. Berry will have only one artist, marks the exterminator. Gold leaf expert Phil Whetstone does a lot of nostalgic race cars, you know, sprint cars, Indy cars, drag cars, he's really his main line: doing all that kind of stuff in Phil's paint, putting three hundred dollars in gold, this particular gold. It's what they call patent gold, it's stuck to tissue paper and it's 22 carats anyway, the real stuff as Phil meticulously works his magic, Barry's thought later on the track, on the racetrack, When the Chevy is finished, he has challenged foreman Adam to a race.

I think the exterminator will take it and have a better tire underneath, but I don't know, wholesale it'll be a pedal fest, lots of smoke, lots of fire, hopefully it'll be good for the shop, it'll be good for everyone the boys. everyone gets excited and starts choosing sides and having fun. This will be Adams, who will travel in a 1960s checkered taxi built for a client who can no longer drive it. Barry promised to stretch his legs from time to time. We're having a good time, you're going to lose, but we're having a good time, there's 20 bucks to the winner and bragging rights.

Barry wanted a five dollar bet and I told him not to be so stingy and let's bet 20 and I normally don't bet. Unless he's going to win, Barry could use some additional earnings. Phil's flourish cost another three thousand dollars, bringing the speedometer to twenty-eight thousand one hundred and fifty hours of work, but Barry is a satisfied customer. All the gold leaf has been. The engine spins have been done by hand, Phil went back in and did a fade from purple to black, he put some things in a swirl like he would have done in the 60's, the cars, it'll be an awesome car, if you like them the gassers, you'll like the car, Barry is betting all they will be Gasser fans at the Las Vegas auction, it's good, but are you looking in the right place?

It's right where he should be. It's hard to beat the dazzle of a very large Las Vegas auto auction scheduled to be here in just 10 days with another speed shop, first a 1950s supercar, you can show a photo of it to anyone on the planet and they could tell you what it was. This '57 Chevy wants to be a straight-up street restoration and I want to stop drawing, but Barry. had a better idea to turn it into a drag racer the exterminator now has another great idea he came up with it since we're making a gasser out of it, street gasser, maybe take it, call people to any commercial museum and see if we can manage our own I walk there to have an auction at the museum, that's cool.

I mean, what better place to have an auction than knowing where the whole car thing is. The national hot rod racing association museum is hallowed ground for speed. fans for an afternoon at least berries 57 Chevy would mix it with the best that beat some good company are all the other cars that are changing auction venues it's one thing now Barry wants to experiment with auction style: why don't we see? If maybe we can do a silent auction where people come in and bid a little bit whatever they feel like or maybe we can have bidding rounds or something like that, yeah, and try to make this work, that would be a great thing, a more relaxed atmosphere. . found a little more fun it might be cool to be a man Barry has never done a silent auction before Morehouse but if Chris can get the NHRA spot they'll sell it and drag Heartland down this crazy idea Barry better spend another 10 thousand dollars worth of racing parts. speedo at 38,000 with 260 hours of parachute work price goes up further north when custom engine arrives John Barrett excellent it's a small piston engine and he says it shouldn't work with the blower with the supercharger on at 871 it shouldn't work 750 horsepower minimum, so that should be enough, lots of noise when this thing takes off.

The Chevy's sloping front end means John Barrett will be on display regularly. Barry wants the entire engine bay built to show that we're trying to do everything. polished thing, everything is shiny, since we can make it look more like a show car. I'm taking some aluminum and making some panels to cover the original firewall. The problem is we have to make them in smaller pieces because I don't want to remove all the firewall reinforcements, this total old school, you know, the hammering usually has a roller or whatever, but I'm hammering it really fast and we're probably going to make a scotch oven, rotate them to make them look nice. like the old gasser from the '60s, that's our idea is to keep that theme throughout the car, although the '57 Chevy will be street legal, it won't be a family vehicle, there will be a racing shifter because you're going to be pushed back in the seat at that point a tilt front end will be all greasy sink so it will open and close all the time this thing moves so easily its cool a racing fuel cell and a special compartment for the battery if they put more weight in the back, but the most important thing is to keep the exterminator safe.

The battery is a sealed battery and it is a gel battery, so this battery could be cut into pieces and nothing would hurt you. Nothing can come out. The gas tank has foam padding. If it were to rupture the gas can't just gush out, it will leak instead of gushing out. It's all about truck safety. Payday is just six days away and so is the racetrack showdown between Barry and Adam in a checkered Gasser Taxi. Who do you think will be the fastest? Who are you talking to? I still feel like the last thing you'll see is Tony's name on the back of the Declan.

Yes, you will be looking at the stars. Hey, bring it. Fresh 20 that's all I can tell you, Fairy is not allowed to hang around the cab an hour after the drag race, whatever the outcome, Barry Chevy will sound like a winner through the magnaflow exhaust s-- what were you doing with full three inch headers back 4-? inch box with a three inch core to go with the pipe Barry told me to give it some noise so we went with one of those smaller mufflers we could see what it does it will sound and look bad with a custom grille growling in front who wants something different, we just want to put a common girl on the thing, so they are going to build a very nice round tube rack, it is also adjustable, so after the cube holes are placed here, honey, yeah , you can adjust it out and that's fine, that's very Mad Max Ish in the super muscle tradition, this classic American brand is being reborn with nostalgia and modern technology.

If you had the money to build a car like this in the '60s, you would have built it like this, you know, with the nice things we have. you had on the car back then, you had drum brakes, this thing has four-wheel disc brakes, you know, the modern aluminum seats versus a basically like sheet metal seat, that's what it's about, make something different, make it cool, one of the coolest components, the supercharged 427 is ready to fire, no fuel going in, it's supposed to be pre-primed, you're seeing it, so I don't feel the injectors firing, wait, power comes out from the computer because the injectors don't seem to work. be priming right now I don't know why maybe we just have to get the shovel out to check for sweat, the injectors are firing to start the car, this has the team beat, the injectors are dry.

I'll try again. Garrett's electrical systems are fine. The components are first class. What does our voltmeter say? About 12 1/2 the fuel line is solid, 78 pounds, that gasps, we have spark or cut running these two days for the auction. Barry doesn't need a mystery in 48 Hour Drag Racing fans will travel to the National Hot Rod Association Museum in Pomona, California, come enjoy the history of speed and have the opportunity to bid on the latest creation by Barry White, a '57 Chevy Gasser named after the exterminator that the car will become. awesome car if you like gass you will like the car but the chevy may need to be towed to the NHRA museum if they can't fix this you have a new car you have a lot of complicated systems so try to get it. everything works, you'd think at some point it would be worth it, your fuel doesn't pass, the first thing you do is check everything and try to figure out what's working, no matter how much fuel you put on the spark plugs, they're dry, you know, obviously. at some point the plugs got wet with the clock ticking, no other option but to start lowering the supercharged 427, let's pick it up and put it in there in a hurry Barry forgot some people, this is totally my fault. responsibility for all of this is totally my fault to whoever at home is trying to work on a car take this decal it's really good the paper doesn't let fuel through now the wyan fan is not blocked the engine should start it makes a lot of noise it has some power and It's good, so what's it all about?

Normally, the crew would be drooling over the pulse of over 700 horsepower. Good braking. Okay, it works, but it's been a frustrating night. I'm going home, you're going home and you're going to Read that book, but that's your homework for tonight. See you tomorrow the next day with the complete Chevy. Everyone feels a little better. I get so excited when I see something come to life that started as a piece of paper or a thought in my head. the final price $58,000 380 hours of work simply a beast, it's pure power, it's a really strong berry team that has captured a classic era of speed, a timeless tribute to the quarter mile and then some, for me it's a super sculpture muscle that they don't even have. to run to me, they are just a work of art as they look with the right wheels and tires and the stance and the blown injected engine sticking out of the hood and you know, all these things are what make the car what it is . and it brings back those memories once you get bitten by that bug, you can never seem to get rid of it.

Barry's offer is good and he hopes the bidders have done it too, but first a date at the airport, there will be some flights on this California runway. We have an injected Hemi cab on the ground and so we thought it would be an appropriate buggy. It's as crazy as '57, so have fun. Barry and Adam are ready to shake up the exterminator in the best way. They know, okay, man, let's have some fun, are you ready, okay, bet $20 to see who gets to the other end first, it's kind of a slipper, it's going to be a driver's pedal, you know, we have a lot more power, butWe'll see if we can. get some of that on the ground, both the cars and Barry's creations, but Adam wants to leave his mark not only as a builder but as a driver.

I can compete with Barry, it's been a long time until warm-up. Barry has his first feeling of The Chevy's potential is really strong, he is extremely strong. I think Adam just lost 20 bucks unless he's smoking the tires and he leaves me sitting there, time to bury myself and grab a cab first to cross the impromptu finish line. The boss, where is my 20 dollars? Wow, that's a good one, really, you didn't make it. I'm leaving here, but Barry's big bet is yet to come. It's Crew Night for nostalgic California racing fans at the National Hot Rod Association Museum, they've come to show off their hardware. swap stories and check out the newest addition to their ranks it's a really cool place to be it's where all the enthusiasts are this is the core of what we do all the people here love cars there's nothing better than these berries waiting it's payday and Heartland dragster oh, it's beautiful, beautiful restoration, it has a nostalgic look, what I wanted to do at 57 I never could because it was my mother's lines and the ice, it has a personality style, I like the front end, ma'am, how they made the front part.

The straight shaft makes our blood boil seeing things like this, but it's definitely my first date, my first kiss, all together, it seems like Barry is in the right place, we have a couple of guys who are very interested and then We'll see where they go. Someone will own it tonight. I can tell you that we are going to have a sealed auction tonight so far. Barry's gasser instincts have been on the money now that he's counting on someone in this room to write him a check for at least fifty-eight thousand. In Pomona, California, nostalgia fans returned from a night of cruising to the National Hot Rod Association Museum inside the hallowed California Hall of Speed.

There is nothing slow about the past. A sublime collection of historic racing cars attracts visitors from all over the world. Barry White has been here many times, but today. He can bring his own vehicle, a '57 Chevy Super Muscle Gasser. It's cool to go to the NHRA museum. Have the car that I know some old cars and things that are historic cars. I mean, I've been into drag racing my whole life. You know, I grew up around them, so it's really an honor for those interested in bidding. Basically, you sign your name and the amount of your offer. and let your checkbooks do the talking there will be three rounds in this silent auction in the first round bidders over 35,000 will qualify for the second round I think it will be different three minutes of many times you will just have to bid or just back off because you are not sure what who are purchasing after everyone has bid, we will reveal who are the highest bidders and who are the bidders who qualify to move on to the second round in this silent auction.

Barry knows that buyers must reveal his hand early. It's definitely different. I can't play any games. It will all depend on who will pay more for the car, ladies and gentlemen. We have five bidders who have received 35 $1,000 and will move on to the next round. The reserve increases to 55,000. Who will stay in the game? Place your offers if you reach the maximum of $55,000. This beautiful vehicle caught my attention. I think I'd like to have it, but at least try it. The color there is. The fact that I called my wife. and she asked me if she could do it and she said yes, second round offers are fine, guess what, ladies and gentlemen, mr.

Murray Brian's view has been $55,000 mr. Marty Ponton met Sister Anthony Monaco, mr. Bret Lewis, you have a $55,000 offer for potential buyers, make the final round, it's open season on the '57 Chevy, all four can put their best foot forward, this is a final no-holds-barred bidding opportunity tonight, whoever wants that car. you have to do your best Barry needs at least 58k to break even but profits are the name of the game we have had it for about 15 years actually just four weeks ago the Chevy was the daily driver of a neighbor and it was very planned to restore it. the showroom until they got under the skin we're going to replace half the damn car but now that we're done that's not going to work so Barry changed horses halfway Mona quits the drama they turn this American classic into a gasser of race track with gold leaf lettering maybe a lot of noise a blown up 427 John Barrett special with over 700 horses the exterminator rose from the rust to become a street legal monster he's really strong he's extremely strong you're the first in line sir now a silent auction is about to decide its new owner Take all the time you need here in the bidding box.

I know it's difficult here. You may have to take out a second mortgage on the house. This takes about 20-30 minutes to complete everything. Just a small chance to stay free. and not being so tense may make the bidders a little more nervous, they had time to think about it. Thank you very much, I appreciate that the final offers are fine, ladies and gentlemen, we are at that point. Now I'm going to read the offers we have. I have an offer of sixty-two thousand five hundred. Wow, ladies and gentlemen, I have some with a cost price of $58,000 and the berry increased a profit of twenty-three thousand five hundred skins.

I have been a great customer and friend for about a year and I. I'm so happy you received this stroller because I know how much you wanted it. It's just a good deal. It's also exciting for us to have someone with that kind of passion in the car. It is a work of art. It's not a car. It is a work of art. You know it's amazing, it's unique, nothing else exists like it. I came here tonight to buy that car, great, Carrie, what's your wife going to say now? Did you keep it in your store for a while?

I'll keep it there. the store for a while I need I need to get into it