TP: So Bali, how did you come to build this '56 Bel Air?

BS: Well, it was always a dream of mine to build a '57 Chevy as a kid. The older I got I learned to appreciate the '56's lines and paint schemes more, but out of stubbornness and childhood dreams I bought a '57. I sold it 6 months later and bought my '56 a few months after that! When I bought it, it appeared to be a decent "driver" in turquoise and white. The more I worked on it, the more I realized it was barely held together and not very safe to drive! I started thinking, "let me do a chassis swap, well.. if I'm gonna do that, I might as well do this"...we've all been there. Next thing you know, the body is off the frame and every single nut, bolt, and panel were off the car!

TP: How long have you worked on this particular project? What would you say your build philosophy has been?

BS: I bought it in 2005, drove it on and off for a while, then completely started tearing it apart in January 2007. Once I decided to "go for it", the philosophy was to build it as nice as you can, and not think of upgrading later. Unfortunately, given scope creep, the budget was quickly consumed and I realized I would have to come back to the car later for a bigger/better power plant! But in order to do it right, we built the car to withstand up to 800hp.

TP: Wow. That's awesome. The car looks amazing. So is it your daily driver?

BS: Absolutely not. First off, my insurance will not cover the car as a daily driver unless we use blue book value!! LOL!! I've poured way too much blood, sweat and tears into this build, so it's my weekend cruiser, show car, and occasional burn out car! LOL!

TP: What was the first modification made to the car? Tell us about the build process and some of the major milestones.

BS: Once I decided to do it right, the first thing we did was gut the car completely! Then the body came off the frame and went in for sandblasting. We quickly realized there were horrible "repairs" done to the sheet metal over the 50 years of it's life, including what appeared to be part of a stop sign! So the first thing was to get rid of all the bad repairs and rust. Then mods, like cutting out the firewall and installing a smooth firewall with no ribs or holes. I wanted the drip rail cut down and made to look a little sleeker, wanted all the emblems shaved off, including the hood bird (jet). Then was the chassis, I wanted something stout, so I chose to use Art Morrison inner frame rails mated to the stock chassis. We then cut off the stock suspension off the back and installed a 4 link. In order to get the car to sit low and still ride nice, we cut the trunk out and raised the floor so we can mount the suspension higher in the chassis. On the front we chose to use Heidts stainless tubular a-arms modified by Earle Williams for rigidity. QA-1 Coilovers were chosen all the way around to allow dialing in of ride height and balancing and comfort! Then came the body and color. It took me a year to select the right color combo with hundreds of test panels painted before I knew we got it right! Finally was assembly, chrome shop, and interior!

TP: Amazing. So who would you say did most of the work on this car? Is there a specific person and/or performance shop(s) that you guys took it to?

BS: A lot of people did a lot of work on this car, from Earle Williams at Williams Classic Chassis Works, to Mark Mahood for paint, to me and my friends for assembly and build, to Divine's for interior. Along the way, shops like Hot Rod Service Company, Goody's and others were very helpful in tuning, alignments, and installation of performance products.

TP: How did the car do on the dyno? What kind of horsepower and torque to the wheels are you putting down with your current setup? Do you plan on improving the performance and adding even more power down the road?

BS: The engine put down 400 hp and 425 ft/lbs of tq. Not alot I realize, but for a mild cam, and a strong bottom end, it's not bad for a small block.

TP: That's great! So do you plan on doing any sort of racing with this car?

BS: Other than the occasional burn out, light to light race, or cruising, no plans for any racing yet. Later on, I may autocross the pig and see what she can do or run it through the traps at the 1/4 mile tracks.

TP: Haha. That would be fun to watch. So what modification would you say is the most rare or unique to your car? What do you think makes your GT500E stand out compared to the very few others out there?

BS: I'd say the car as a whole is pretty rare.. not many 56 Chevys still rollin around. The color combo, the chassis, the mild body mods, etc.. all seem to make this car a bit unique.

TP: Definitely. Tell us, what do you have planned next? Is this car going to see any more major cosmetic or performance changes?

BS: Cosmetically, no, unless I have custom side moldings made and take the originals off, but I doubt that will look too different to those that don't know these cars. Horsepower wise, yes. Down the line I plan on a LS9 engine with 700 hp. Depending on how mod crazy I get with it, could be 800hp easy.

TP: We can't wait to see that happen. Well Bali, we'd like to thank you for sitting down with us. Any last words before we wrap things up?

BS: Thanks for taking a interest. We are all car guys and gals, and I respect anyone's build for what they choose to do, and am proud you wanted to know more about mine! That's what this hobby is all about!

Car Year: 1956
Car Make: Chevrolet
Car Model: Bel Air
Car Color: Burgundy and Champagne

Modifications: Oh my.. everything! Shave drip rails, shaved and peaked hood, shaved emblems, modified chassis, chassis and power-train is completely painted or powder-coated or polished. Gas tank is custom made stainless and polished, interior is custom out of a Lexus, trunk flow, transmission tunnel are modified, the firewall is custom. The gauges and dash have been modified, the bumpers are custom, etc..

Engine & Performance: The stock engine was 265 cubic inches, this one is a mild build stroked 383CI with 400hp, however it is built to withstand years of abuse. It's got a Holley carb, and MSD ignition with roller rockers and long tubular headers going into 3" mandrel bent exhaust while using SpinTech mufflers. The rear end is a Ford 9" with Posi running 3:73 gears, soon to be 4:10's. The transmission is a Tremec TKO 600 5speed.

Suspension & Brakes: The suspension is all custom from the 4 link in the rear with QA-1 Coilovers to the modified tubular A-arms up front with QA-1 Coilovers. The brakes are 4-Piston Wilwood all the way around with drilled and slotted rotors.

Wheels & Tires: I chose Budnik for their style and quality, running Budnik Cobalt wheels in 17x8 up front and 18x10 in the rear. The front tire are 245's and the rears are 305's. I like the Nitto rubber, so that's what I run. It's a perfect compromise of ride quality, handling, noise, and tread life!

Exterior & Interior:

Exterior: All the lights are custom LED's, the bumpers are shaved and welded into one piece units, the hood, trunk, and emblems were shaved while the hood was also peaked., The firewall was shaved and smoothed, the drip rails were cut back and modified, the paint is custom PPG, etc..

Interior: Using Lexus front and rear seats out of a SC 400, a custom center console, headliner, carpet, and door panels were added. The gauges were a custom unit, the dash was modified, and we got rid of the in dash ash tray and all the seams in the dash.

Audio: Pretty basic, but clean sounding. I like the sound of the exhaust too much to completely overpower it! LOL! I'm running an Aline Head Unit and Amp, with Polk Audio 6x9's and 6" door speakers...that's it!

Photo & Video credits belong to Official TunerPlayground Featured Car Photographers: Jeff Cabacungan and Staff from Photoshootmycar.com

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