It's not everyday that you see a true '60s drag car survivor. After all, 40 years of Mother Nature can really take a toll on a car, almost making it impossible to survive. But today, well to be honest with ya', today isn't going to be the day you see a survivor either, at least not in this magazine. However, taking even a long hard look at Josh Bailey's '57 "Tennessee Shaker" you would swear it's an O.G.
Instead of finding this Super Stock drag car packed away inside someone's garage, Josh and his dad Joe found in on the bottom side of a hill that went straight down. They could only see one side of the car, but the rear quarter was in excellent shape and they knew it was worth the work to pull out of the ditch. Even if it meant fighting off the swarm of bees that decided to reside in it.
Once the car was on flat land back home they noticed it was going to need new floorboards, rocker panels, and a trunk floor. The car was also covered in old primer so they decided to sand through it and get a peek at the metal below. As they began to sand it off, they noticed the original paint was still underneath. Before going any further, they decided to stop and think things over. That's when the Bailey's got the idea to make the car look as if it were a survivor from the mid-'60s. They finished sanding the primer off and began prepping the Shaker for paint. The rear quarters and trunk didn't need to be repainted.
The black sheen on top of them is still the same paint from the factory. The rest of the car was shot in a thin coat of black lacquer and buffed thin to make it look old and thin. Many of the stickers in the rear side windows were on the car when they found it. They filled in the gaps with new stickers, but scraped the back of them to give them a worn and tired feeling as well. The car was named "Tennessee Shaker" in honor of drag cars in the area during the '60s that carried the same name.
In fact, even the sponsors on the side of the car are named after businesses in the Bailey's hometown during the '60s. Josh Shaw from Cincinnati, Ohio, applied the lettering. He, too, made the lettering look as if it was applied back in the day. Above the fender where it says "283 H.P." Josh rubbed the paint extra thin to make it look as if the fender has had mechanic after mechanic leaning over the engine to tune her up.
As far as the undercarriage goes, it looks as if it were made today, and that's because it was. Bailey used all modern-day parts to give the '57 the perfect stance and the ability to run the 17- and 18-inch American Racing Torque Thrust IIs. Keasler Racing assembled a gnarly 492hp 383 stroker that truly is a Tennessee ground shaker. Other than that, fake me fooled!