For Go & Show: ‘The Trailer Is for My Race Car, Not My ’51.’
In the words of Don Doster: “To get a rust-free body isnotcheap, but well worth the difference of finish quality. Better yet, I sold all the original manufacturer equipment options and add-ons to the guys with trailer cars.”
Looking at Don’s slightly smoothie ’51 Bel Air is a treat. The 48-year-old cabinet salesman from Buford, Georgia, managed to mix metaphors and pull it off, combining a drag racing-inspired “Pro Street” stance with a subtly shaved exterior.
Don did most of the work himself, but he’s had a lot of experience—four ’52s, three ’57s, and a ’34 to be exact.
The transition from nosebleed to low-down required that Don modify the Bel Air’s front suspension. He exchanged the front spindles for dropped aftermarket pieces, then added new shocks, an antisway bar from an ’89 Chevy truck, and the coil springs from a ’40 Chevy.
The narrowed rearend is a ’74 Lincoln Versailles (complete with disc brakes) modified for use with semi-elliptical leaf springs and a custom-built antisway bar. Don replaced the 15-inch uglies with Weld wheels, skinny Michelins, and M/T Performance balonies.
Forget about a thrifty-6 vibrating in the engine bay. A small-block Chevy equipped with a Crane cam, an Edelbrock intake, and a Holley fuel mixer does the deed.
Don shaved the hood and decked the trunk. He used quarter-inch rod to make the hood appear solid and match the one-piece ’50 Olds windshield. Don was responsible for the flat and smooth R-M Red acrylic lacquer paint job too.
He adapted the gauges, built the console, reworked the dash, and affixed Datsun armrests to the doors. Another Buford resident, Lamar Stephans, trimmed the Chevelle seats in light tan leather.
Although Don swears his ’51 isn’t a daily driver
He has still managed to put 10,000 miles past its bullnosed hood—and not on the back of his race car trailer.
Engine: ’89 350-inch Chevrolet V-8 with Crane cam, Edelbrock intake manifold, Holley 650-cfm carburetor, custom-made air cleaner, GM HEI ignition, and ’87 Chevy truck exhaust system
Drivetrain: 76 TH350 transmission, column shifter, 11-inch converter, 3,300-stall converter, Fram trans cooler, ’77 Chevy Caprice driveshaft
Suspension: Front: Fatman dropped spindles, Pro-Gas shocks, ’40 Chevy springs, ’89 Chevy truck antisway bar, ’73 Chevelle disc brakes, ’82 Citation rack- and-pinion steering
Rear: 77 Lincoln Versailles rearend (narrowed 14 inches), leaf springs, ’77 Lincoln disc brakes, ProGas shocks, custom-built antisway bar
Wheels & Tires: Weld, 15×7 front, 15×15 rear; 205×15 Michelin front, 18x33x15 M/T Performance rear
Body: ’51 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop, shaved and decked, hood reworked and original two-piece windshield replaced with one-piece ’50 Olds. Body painted R-M Red acrylic lacquer with no clear coat
Interior: Tan leather over 72 Chevelle seats, ’83 Trans Am gauges molded into dash, Corvette steering wheel, handbuilt console, ’89 Olds stereo, Ron Francis wiring, Datsun armrests
