Entering the gates for Sick Week, we anticipate the unexpected. Drag & Drive events bring out wild builds, crazy engine swaps and street cars making 2,000 horsepower or more. It’s a given that you’ll find a variety of brands, from common to not-so-common — and all types of powerplants, too.
Of the many classics, we spotted a half-dozen Tri-Five Chevys, but it was Roy Galyer’s ’55 that made us do a legit double take. At first glance it appeared as if no one was driving, then we noticed Roy clutching the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Since Chevrolet never made a right-hand steer ’55 Chevy, that led us to investigate. Rolling up, we greeted Roy and it wasn’t shocking to hear a Kiwi/Aussie accent— but it was interesting to hear his story.
“Im originally a New Zealander who spent 20 years in Australia,” he told us. ”I built the car while living in Australia. That’s why it’s right-hand drive.”
Galyer explained that from childhood, he was in love with the ’55 Chevy. Over 20 years ago, a good friend imported this very ’55, along with a ’57 Chevy from Arizona. Both cars were rust-free and ready for restification. The catch: Australian regulations (at the time) dictated that any imported street car be converted to right-hand steer before it could be registered for highway use. Knowing this, the transformation began.
“The ’55 two-door hardtop is my dream car,” exclaimed Roy. “My buddy decided to do the ‘57, so I bought the ‘55 from him. Rules have changed now, but back then there were all sorts of restrictions. We converted it to right-hand drive having no idea that it was ever going to make it back to America. It’s interesting because when Americans look in there and see that right hand dash, they go, ‘Holy cow! You did a great job.’
But the dash was the easiest part of the whole thing.
“The challenge, especially back in the ’90s, was the brakes and making sure the brake pedal was aligned properly. You can’t just move it from one side to the other because the firewall isn’t designed for it, and you must deal with the steering gear and steering box and all that sort of stuff. In fact, the only factory steering part on this car, when we first built it, was the drag link. Everything else was custom. We did the whole conversion in my garage. It’s not a pro built car or anything like that, and it’s not unusual to do [this type of conversion] in Australia, but it was challenging.”
Roy’s story took an ironic twist when two weeks after the build was completed, he decided to move his family to America.
“I had been traveling [to America] the last three years while we were building it. I was back and forth opening a new business for the company I worked for at the time. That was cool because I was bringing parts back, but I was out of the country 75 percent of the time, and I had two little kids. It was hard on my wife, so we applied for a visa. We didn’t know when it was going to come through, and ultimately we made the move. We finished and started up the car on December 1st, 2000, and by January the 7th, it was in a container headed to America,” he said. “It arrived here late January 2001 and it’s been here ever since.”
The ’55 is powered by a ZZ454 GM crate engine and backed by a 4L80 overdrive transmission. As delivered, the 454 develops 469 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 519 lbs.-ft. of torque at 3,700. It has forged rotating internals, forged aluminum pistons and comes with aluminum oval-port heads with 110cc chambers that net 9.6:1 compression. Valve sizes are 2.190/1.800 intake/exhaust, respectively, and it’s got a .510-inch lift hydraulic roller cam.
With a dual-plane intake, it makes a great power from idle to about 6,200 rpm. The combination is perfect for cruising, or the occasional trip to the drag strip. It’s capable of mid-12s at 106 mph in the quarter, and along with seeing the occasional track action, Roy regularly drives his Chevrolet and enjoys doing it with his wife and daughters.
“It’s got 80,000 miles on the engine, but even more on the car. It’s a fantastic street combination that has gradually evolved over the last 20 years and 140,000 miles. I keep making it better and better — the joy is in driving it,” he stated.
“You know, it’s got fuel injection and everything on it, plus an overdrive transmission and four-wheel disc brakes, all that sort of stuff, just to make it a reliable car. It’s not the quickest thing on track, but it ran 12.60 on the first day. That was my personal best. Unfortunately, it got slower and slower during the week due to warmer temps, but we’re only here for fun. I’m spending a week with my daughters and there’s no price you can put on that,” he stated.
Danielle and Ali Gallier enjoy the car, the racing and the trips between tracks so it’s a family vacation as much as a race event for the Galyer clan.
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