Once the ’55 hit BP Racing’s garage floor, the work started. “I basically cut out the whole underside of the Chevy and just used the body,” Pedus says. “Everything else was tossed away. A custom chassis was fabricated right here at the shop from scratch. What you see here is a vintage body on top of a brand-new, freshly engineered chassis and drivetrain.”

Pedus built the chassis the way he envisioned. For the front end, he used a first-generation Camaro round-tube Smith Racecraft front clip that he cut and modified. He then added it to the BP Racing 25.2 NHRA-certified chromoly tube chassis designed and built specifically for this ’55. Next, Pedus fabbed up a set of removable driveshaft and transmission tunnels to help make this Chevy quarter-mile compliant.

The front suspension consists of the BP Racing tube chassis along with a pair of Menscer drag shocks, TRZ upper and lower control arms, and a manual rack-and-pinion steering system. Out back, Pedus went with his BP Racing back-half tube chassis constructed with a four-link and a BP Racing wishbone locator, Menscer shocks, and a severe-duty antiroll bar. Racepak shock sensors are installed fore and aft. A BP Racing sheetmetal 9-inch rearend housing stuffed with 4.30 gears and 40-spline, gun-drilled axles gets the power to the pavement. Front and rear TBM disc brakes do their best to stop this behemoth on a dime.

The big-block is set up with most of the goodies you’d expect from Musi. It starts with a Dart tall-deck block stuffed with a Callies crank and Diamond pistons. It’s topped with a set of Edelbrock CNC Big Victor 12-degree heads. The combination makes a hefty 14:1 compression. Next, a 1,600-cfm APD 4500 series billet carburetor bolted on top of an Edelbrock Big Victor CNC intake feeds this mill the go-juice it craves. Add in the Switzer wet fogger nitrous system and this ride turns into one straight-line menace. An M&M three-speed Turbo 400 gets this ride through the gears. Tuning was done by Dave Kogan at Kogan Motorsports in Island Park, New York.

Pedus continued to make modifications, including smoothing the original firewall before transplanting the new drivetrain. He also added 40-inch custom carbon-fiber tubs out back in preparation for the monster meats. Knowing he’d want this ride to cut the air and look good doing it, Pedus fabricated custom belly pans for the entire length of the car. He also constructed and installed the wild 75-inch wheelie bars out back.

Mike Pollaro from Diamond Collision in nearby Amityville, New York, cleaned up the bodywork and laid down a combination of silver and gray hues. Pedus finished off the look with a set of RC Components wheels shod in Hoosier Drag tires up front and Hoosier 33x15x15 slicks out back.

The interior is all business, and that business is going fast. Carpet and carbon-fiber accents make up the majority of the cockpit, which is encased in a chromoly ’cage. An M&M billet shifter sits between the Kirkey seats and gets this beast through the gears. The factory dash was modified to match the contours of the Racepak gauge for an appropriate integration. Pedus followed up by fabricating a custom steering column to fit in the stock location, then custom wired the entire car, keeping all the necessities like lights, blinkers, and horn functional for street-driving purposes.

After completing the project, Pedus summarizes the construction as follows: “The car leans toward the radical side yet remains suitable for street driving to local shows and cruise spots. However, it possesses abundant power for those instances when it’s time to unleash the beast.”