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The ’60s and ’70s saw some wild street machines, but none were wilder than Ed Wood’s ’64 Chevelle powered by an an Allison V12 aircraft engine.
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Ed Wood passed away in 2009, and his wild Allison V12-powered ’64 Chevelle seems to have disappeared years ago. But the Bakersfield, California car builder is still warmly remembered in the community today, while his fabulous creation has found immortality in photos and memories spread all across the World Wide Web.
A hot rodder’s hot rodder, Wood was known for his creative engine swaps, including ’55 Chevrolets upgraded to Oldsmobile V8s and an Olds-powered Corvair as well. His ’64 Chevelle was originally powered by a pair of Olds V8s in tandem, but when Wood decided they weren’t enough, the car was rebuilt to house a war-surplus Allison V-1710 aircraft engine—all 12 cylinders and 1710 cubic inches of it. More often, the powerplant was installed in Lockheed P-38 fighters and suchlike. (See our Allison V-1710 feature here.)
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To accommodate the giant 1,340-lb engine, a ladder frame of heavy 3×4-in steel tubing was constructed with a stout ’56 Chevy truck beam axle at the front. Meanwhile, the steel Malibu Sport Coupe body was lengthened 13 inches in the front doghouse and shortened a similar amount in the cabin, creating proportions more like a funny car than a production road sedan, and in funny-car fashion, the entire body lifted at the front to show off the engine and chassis. Build quality was immaculate throughout.
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A GM Hydra-Matic transmission modified to provide two forward gears, direct and 40 percent overdrive, sent the 1,100+ hp to a Pontiac rear axle and a pair of 12-in drag slicks. To provide decent road driveability, we’re guessing, the Stromberg aviation carburetor was replaced with a set of four Carter AFB auiomotive-type four-barrels. Yes, the Chevelle was regularly seen crusing the streets of Bakersfield.
No quarter-mile times for the Allison/Chevelle were ever reported, as far as we know. But Wood’s friends and fans recall that the monster could leave two thick, black stripes on the pavement for hundreds of yards without a trace of smoke. Gearheads outside Bakersfield and across the USA were treated to a glimpse of Wood’s Chevelle in a single-page feature in the September 1972 issue of Hot Rod magazine, below.
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The post Ed Wood’s Legendary Allison V12-Powered ’64 Chevelle appeared first on Mac's Motor City Garage.
