It’s no secret that students who take auto shop in school get to work on cars during class and learn about how engines work. While some might think it’s all easy work, it’s often work that others didn’t want to do, or couldn’t do, and the students usually come up with something pretty cool for a project.

For the students at the School of Automotive Machinists (SAM) in Houston, Texas, they got to take on a project that was destined for something other than a Power Tour. You see, right across the street from the school was a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, right where it had been sitting for about 15 years, and it was in a world of hurt.

But the school’s owner, Judson Massingill, had an idea, and he had some visions for the car to make it to the 2015 Hot Rod Power Tour. The timeline? Well, it was just eight weeks away and the students were given the challenge to take on something no other students had been able to complete the build. But one group decided it was time, and they began that long eight-week journey with a two-hour transport of the car from one side of the street to the other – that’s because of the shape the car was in. It needed tires, and it needed a lot more, but the students were willing to give it their all and complete the curriculum.

They started by removing the body and went to work with the cutting, grinding, and welding to bring it back to shape, and then called on Tasco Auto Color to provide them with the paint and materials to finish off the body. Meanwhile, the chassis was off getting repaired and straightened and then was powder coated at Spectrum Powder Coating.

But what’s a musclecar without any go-fast goodies under the hood? So some of the other students reached out to vendors to get some parts for the engine build. Holley, MSD, Mahle-Clevite hopped on board and helped them out with some parts and the students took an LS3 block, some small chamber LS7 heads, and went to work. The heads came from PRC, and the custom billet intake manifold was made by the school’s CNC department (it had been used on Massingill’s wife’s car that went over 200 mph).

A Muscle Rods LS swap kit helped the students drop the powertrain into the Bel Air, and after many long nights and a T56 Magnum transmission was figured out, the power went to a Currie 9-inch rearend and the interior borrowed seats from a 2010 SS to get the car ready to roll. Heidts‘ tubular A-arms and dropped spindles hold up the front end, while CPP springs hang the rear, and Wilwood brakes peering through custom Fiske wheels complete the package.

So how did this package do on the chassis dyno? They needed to know, and brought back a respectable 510 rwhp on the rollers, making this not only a fast resto-mod but a powerful one at that. To think this all started with student Mike Wilson raising his hand and helping to create the team for the build. Back in 1999 the school participated in the Hot Rod Power Tour, and he knew he had to hit it too, and they made their goal.

Check out the SAM website and see some of the other projects they have going on. If you’re in the Houston area and want a tour of the school, give them a call – they’d love to have you. And congratulate the team if you see them on the tour: Matt Petz – Block, Head and CNC, John Gwinn – Engine Block and Cylinder Heads, Oscar Zabek – Block, Head, CNC and Associate, Jackie Perry – Graphic Artist Extraordinaire, Mike Wilson – Block, Cylinder Heads.