Whether it’s going fast or looking good while cruising, some cars are built simply to achieve a single purpose. Others, though, such as Andrew Starr’s showpiece 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, are lifelong commitments that encompass so much more. A project 35+ years in the making, Starr has transformed the car from a rolling hunk of junk to a treasured family heirloom hot rod.

Now a 56-year-old professional EFI tuner and owner/operator of Starr Performance Tuning & Consulting in Horsham, Pennsylvania, Starr first got hooked on cool cars when his English teacher gave him a copy of Hot Rod magazine. “I started sweeping floors at a local auto repair shop, bought my first car at 15, moved into parts at Sears Automotive at 16, and then NAPA when I was 17,” recalled the man. “Aside from street racing in Philly, I’d go to Atco Dragway [in New Jersey] with my friend Gene Irvin, and it lit the racing fire for me.”

Starr’s first car, a 1966 Chevrolet Nova with no engine or transmission, gave him the opportunity to learn how to build and install engines – thanks to the guidance of his neighbor, Paul Tholey. “I also installed a Muncie 4-speed and drove that car to my first day of senior year in 1985, after picking up my best buddy and his girlfriend Diana,” noted Starr, who later married Diana in 1997. Clearly no stranger to sentimentality and a good love story, it’s unsurprising that Starr’s current Bel Air has been with him for decades…

After seeing the dilapidated 1956 Bel Air every day for years at a friend’s shop, Starr knew he had to have it. When his friend finally decided to sell it around 1990, Andrew didn’t hesitate – he quickly sold the 1968 Camaro SS he was building for Stock Eliminator and used the proceeds to purchase the “rolling dumpster” of his dreams.

“It was in pieces and full of junk,” laughed Starr. “It took a couple of years to make it roadworthy, but it hit the streets with a dual quad 355 small block Chevy, Jerico 4-speed manual, and a Ford 9-inch with a spool and 5.14s.” The raw and rowdy revived Bel Air ran 11.90s in the quarter-mile, and Starr had a blast, but he was enamored with the Fastest Street Car scene and decided to transform the car to run Pro Street in 1996.

First, Starr installed an S&W Race Cars back-half and roll cage kit in his modest home-based garage. Next, he replaced the rusted and rotted floor with fresh sheet metal. Finally, he built and installed a 564 cubic inch big-block Chevrolet engine running at 9.5:1 compression on pump gas, kept the stick shift Jerico transmission, installed 4.88 gears, and ran much quicker 10.30-second elapsed times. Andrew even painted the car himself in 1996, laying down gorgeous turquoise and white Sherwin-Williams base and clear coats.

In 2003, Hilborn Fuel Injection sent Starr one of their individual runner intake manifolds for research and development. Starr’s pre- and post-dyno testing showed a gain of both 60 horsepower and 60 lb/ft, and his Bel Air dropped down into the 9.90 zone.

“IR manifolds require a synchronization process that makes them one of the most drivable intakes available, and it took over a year to develop the technique that is still used today,” explained Starr, whose expertise didn’t go unnoticed. “I love this induction, and after working part-time for Hilborn at shows, I went full-time in 2006 and ran the EFI sales and technical until their sale to Holley.”

Of course, Starr’s quest for improvement – both in his career and with his car – never ceased. So, in 2007, he switched the Chevy to a stronger G-Force Transmissions GF5R 5-speed manual and pistol-grip Long vertical gate shifter.

Having honed his car on the street and at local tracks including Atco, Starr eventually found his true calling in the demanding world of drag-and-drive events. Unable to afford a competitive weekly racing program, events like the Hot Rod Pump Gas Drags, and especially Hot Rod Drag Week, offered the perfect challenge – a marathon of racing, road-tripping, and roadside repairs.

However, stick shift racing with a heavy car is brutal on drivetrain components, and after breaking the 9-inch several times, Starr swapped to a Dana 60 instead. “I wiped out three ring and pinions in one summer testing for 2016’s Drag Week,” confessed Starr. Ultimately, the installation of a Clutch Tamer saved his HRDW experience, and Starr was finally able to get the hefty hot rod to hook hard with its Ace Power Force clutch and aluminum flywheel.

In 2017, Starr found a more permanent solution for his powertrain woes when Kevin Tully welded up a robust Moser fabricated 9-inch housing fitted with Quarter Max Pro Series double-adjustable ladder bars and brackets. The bulletproof rear, Moser 40-spline axles, spool, 4.63 Motive gearset, and 4” Chromoly Mark Williams driveshaft finally delivered the durability Starr needed.

Similarly, the stunning Chevy’s suspension was also addressed. Tubular upper control arms and modified stock lowers work with Viking shocks and Moroso springs up front, all of which had been heavily modified to allow for seven inches of suspension travel. Out back, Viking springs and shocks do their job diligently while the Vanishing Point x-brace serves to tie everything together and provide much-needed chassis rigidity.

Over the last 35 years, Starr’s eye-catching Bel Air has gone through many iterations and upgrades. Its evolution has come full circle from trash heap to pristine, but it’s been an intense journey for the owner, who has built nearly every inch of it himself. “I did the paint, chassis, and engine design and assembly. I didn’t do it to brag, but because it allowed me to grow my mechanical ability by making mistakes and improving performance,” confessed the Chevy connoisseur.

Today, the ‘56 Bel Air is a finely tuned masterpiece with a naturally aspirated 582 cubic-inch engine at its core. Based on a Dart block and with machining by Automotive Machine Services and RaceKrafters, Starr outfitted the big block with a Crower crank, billet Crower connecting rods, and CP pistons to produce a high 13:1 compression ratio.

Each bank of the bullet was then topped with CNC-ported Brodix 351cc cylinder heads prepared with steel 2.350” intake and 1.880” exhaust valves that are actuated by a solid roller Bullet camshaft and Crower lifters with stainless steel rockers.

Of course, an iconic Hilborn EFI-R manifold (ported by Bob McKray Performance) sits atop the engine with its eight three-inch butterflies inhaling oxygen via Outerwears pre-filter booties. A Weldon fuel pump and regulator, along with 1,000cc Injector Dynamics injectors, deliver fuel and fun to the party at 60 psi.

Coordinating the air and fuel’s electrifying partnership is a Holley Dominator ECU, which Starr tunes himself to fire the NGK spark plugs in time with the MSD 7AL-2 ignition, HVC coil, and distributor. He keeps an eye on the vitals via a set of AutoMeter gauges and Holley 9.86 Pro Dash, and Hooker Super Comp headers expel the spent exhaust gasses into a four-inch system with Spin Tech mufflers.

To complement the show car-quality two-tone paint he had sprayed over the modified factory hood roughly thirty years ago, Starr appointed his hot rod’s interior with gray Mercedes upholstery with tweed and pleather panel accents.

Outside, Starr selected a set of WELD Racing Alumastar wheels with Goodyear Eagle bias-ply slicks for the back and Hoosier rubber-wrapped Billet Specialties for the front. Hiding behind the rollers, disc brakes from Wilwood and a GM S-10 pick-up can be found in the rear and front, respectively.

The result of Starr’s passion and perseverance is an impressive 935 rear-wheel horsepower and 800 pound-feet of rear-wheel torque that translates into incredible track performance. To date, Starr has run a personal best quarter-mile elapsed time of 9.32 seconds and a speed of 147.98 mph, along with a 1.32-second 60-foot time – all in a car weighing a substantial 3,865 pounds, with driver.

His favorite part isn’t a prized win or a specific part. Instead, it’s a feeling. “The car fits me like a glove and I know every square inch intimately… my wife calls it my ‘other girlfriend,’” Starr said jokingly. “Frankly, nothing beats rowing a stick and the fact that it is now a well-sorted-out drag and drive car!”

Starr’s hands-on involvement with his Bel Air also helped bolster his tuning skills, which now support his family and fuel his automotive addiction as after Hilborn had been sold, Starr joined Robin Lawrence in Holley’s Motorsports department; the years spent mastering EFI systems, particularly the nuances of individual runner manifolds, served him well when Starr struck out on his own in 2022 to specialize in precisely the kind of complex tuning that he helped pioneer.

For Starr, his gorgeous 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air isn’t just a project; it’s a classic piece of American iron that helped launch his career and has come to define who he is; it’s the culmination of decades of learning, refining, and dreaming. “This car has opened many doors for me, including the amazing opportunity to work with Stuart Hilborn,” shared Starr. “I’ve invested 35 years into this build, and I hope to finish it one day.”