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 Karls 55 is powered...  Karls 55 is powered by a 461ci Rat motor with plenty of polished parts and a 750-cfm Holley Dominator. |
 The 55 features a full...  The 55 features a full leather interior, power windows, door locks, and Vintage Air A/C. |
 The trunk is equally finished....  The trunk is equally finished. Its this attention to detail that gets this car noticed. |
 To give the car that extra...  To give the car that extra bite and look, he added Torq-Thrust II wheels and BFG radial tires. The rear wheels measure 15x10. |
In August of 2001, we gave you readers a chance for stardom. We asked you to take some pictures of your hottest ride, stuff them in an envelope with a short description, and mail everything off to CHP, and wed pick the winning car for a feature. We received hundreds of submissions that made for some really animated lunchtime discussions. When the french fries settled, the winner was a gorgeous red 55 Chevy owned by Karl Rubenstein from Lake Havasu, Arizona. As Karl says, When Jeff Smith called and said that I won, I couldnt believe itI was speechless. But Karl soon collected himself and delivered his red-hot 55 to our studio for a photo shoot. The 55 is even more impressive in person.
Karls project began in 1998 when he got word of an original six-cylinder 55 for sale. After a trip to Los Angeles and some careful negotiation, he loaded up his new prize and headed back to Arizona. Once back, he immediately started his hot-tamale mission.
First, he pulled the body apart and media blasted everything. Then he went to work upgrading the chassis. At the rear he wanted plenty of tire, so Karl had the leaf springs moved inboard and the wheelwell tubs enlarged. To upgrade the front suspension, he selected a set of Heidts tubular A-arms connected to 2-inch dropped spindles. Since this 55 is designed for driving, Karl also installed a Mullins 605 power-steering box. But before everything went together, the frame got the full powdercoat treatment in gloss black.
Karl also wanted something big to motivate this 55, so he contacted Blosdale Motor Sports in Lake Havasu. The crew custom-built a thumpin 461ci Rat motor complete with an Engle hydraulic cam with 0.560-/0.580-inch lift. For cylinder heads, a pair of Brodix-2 aluminum castings got the nod. Since this setup makes lots of torque, Karl installed a Turbo 400 with a 2,800-stall converter.
The straight-as-glass Viper Red body is to the credit of New Beginnings in Lake Havasu. Inside, Karl retained the stock seats but contracted Howards Fabrication to stitch up yards of perforated gray leather material. Karl says hes always loved 55 Chevys and had hoped to one day see his car in Chevy High Performance .
So Karl, whats next?