The owner of this 1961 Biscayne Restomod has many great memories of driving in his family’s ‘61 Biscayne as a youngster, so he’s always wanted one to commemorate the good times he had back then.
His vision was to have a perfect, concourse body and interior, yet have extreme performance and style, as his dream was to build an Ultimate Sleeper.
Unfortunately, hardly any parts are available for a ‘61 Biscayne (many are available for other models), so we fabricated almost all the sheet metal parts it needed and had to have a custom heated stamp made to press the door panel design.
We go to any lengths when it comes to nailing down the vision perfectly, so here is the performance behind this awesome concourse level Biscayne.
Schwartz Performance Frame, capable of 1.06G in a 60’ Skid Pad
Track proven, custom suspension geometry
14” disc brakes all around
6 piston front calipers
4 piston rear calipers with E Brake
Double adjustable Viking shocks
Custom in-house designed and built brake pedal system
Eliminates the need for power brakes yet has perfect performance brake feel
Limited edition ZL1 427 aluminum block
6 speed auto inside a 4 speed casing
Switchable street mode to track mode
In-house designed and built Paddle Shifter inside the factory 2 speed column
Custom built Vintiques wheels that fill the fender wells perfectly
Custom heated stamp was designed and built to stamp the lines/design into the door panels
1961 Biscayne panels were not available at the time of the build
With the frame and suspension under this Biscayne being capable of pushing 1.06G in a skid pad, yet have a concourse body and interior, it really is an Ultimate Sleeper.
The top awards and the magazine feature this beauty received are and honour but the best compliment it received was at the BC Classic And Custom Car Show, where it did not receive any award. The judges passed it by because they thought it was a concourse car, not a performance car like it was classed in the show. This is what we call success, if the mandate is to build an Ultimate Sleeper and the judges are fooled by it, it’s a Big Win because it did exactly what the intension was.
Of all the challenges we faced while building the ‘61 Biscayne racecar that is completely original in appearance, the shifter was the most difficult. We created a Paddle Shifter inside the factory 2 speed column shifter because that is what’s needed when you build a full out race car and slip a concourse perfect ‘61 Biscayne body & interior onto it.
It took some head scratching but it was a major hit with the onlookers at the Portland Roadster Show. So much so we were the class winner with it. The modifications are completely hidden which is exactly what the client specked
It’s a very special weekend for us at Jellybean AutoCrafters as we are debuting the Chopper we finished and this gorgeous 1961 Biscayne at the Portland Roadster Show today.
The Biscayne sports a concourse body and interior but a full race mechanical system featuring a two speed column shifter that we converted to a paddle shifter for its 6 speed transmission.
It all started with the idea of using a limited edition, all aluminum ZL1 427 engine in a ‘61 Biscayne but morphed into what is most likely the most convincing sleepers we’ve ever seen because as stock as it looks, it’s capable of 1.06 in a 60 foot skid pad and it’s acceleration and stopping power are equally as impressive.
Many hurdles needed to be overcome to mate these two different worlds together and one was the transmission. Typically a performance 6 speed auto is a huge transmission that takes away interior space but we utilized a TCI 6 speed which is inside a much smaller 4 speed housing. This way the floors wouldn’t need to be modified or the throttle pedal moved to accommodate such a large unit. Hence we have a stock, unassuming floor.
A closer look at the ‘61 Biscayne sleeper which was very well received at the Portland Roadster Show this weekend.
Fresh out of the booth and straight out of the gun. Check out the gloss, reflection, etc. This has had no wet sanding, polishing, or any type of enhancements, nothing, just straight up excellent equipment and materials and a very talented body and paint staff.
To get this from a white colour is a task in itself so we are honoured and very proud of the staff we have. Once again, thanks to our crew, we have the makings of a fantastic vehicle.
We painted the main body shell on the ’61 Biscayne today. It’s the original colour, Ermine White, which suits this one perfectly.
For more info see www.jellybeanautocrafters.com
Here’s the frame and power train for the ’61 Biscayne we’re reviving.
The mechanicals on this beast are over the top in cool factor. It features a ZL1 427 Engine, 6 speed automatic in a 4 speed auto housing, 12 bolt differential with a 373 Posi, 14″ discs all around, 6 piston calipers all around, Schwartz Performance perimeter frame (not X-frame) capable of hitting 1.06G in a 60 foot skid pad, needle bearings on the front upper control arms, hand build performance spindles with the correct Ackerman angle for this exact wheel base, dual adjustable Viking shocks all around, triangulated 4-Link rear suspension with track proven geometry, etc.
This car will be a force to be reckoned with!!
The body and interior are going completely stock to concourse level
Pro Touring 1961 Biscayne Update.
It was an exciting day as we took the frame and mechanicals out of storage and into the shop to mate the frame to the restored shell.
This Schwartz Performance frame is capable of handling 1.06 G in a 60 foot skid pad, the limited edition 427 ZL1 aluminum block (#254 of 427 made) pumps 500hp of ground pounding muscle, the custom built 6 speed electric transmission is coupled to the 12 bolt posi and a triangulated 4 link suspension which will plant the tires and launch this beast while the 4 wheel 14″ vented discs with 6 piston callipers will stop it on a dime.
Our passion, when it comes to the mechanicals, is to design and build perfectly matched systems where every part compliments and enhanced the others performance giving the vehicle ultimate performance on the street and the track so this is another example of a product we are proud of as it fits the bill perfectly.
This Biscayne is not just another pretty face, it’s an ultimate performance car at heart that’ll kick you in the pants and put a smile on your face that’ll last for weeks
Ultra-rare parts sourcing is a big part of what we do here in the office at Jellybean AutoCrafters. Ideally we go with NOS parts so it takes some digging but it’s always a bonus & well worth the effort when we find them so here’s an example of a great, once in a lifetime find.
A mint condition set of Chevrolet Hubcaps for the ’61 Biscayne we have on the go.
They’ll be mounted to a set of one-off 18″ X 8″ & 18″ X 10″ custom smoothie wheels giving it the stock yet high performance look that this build is all about.
The ’61 Biscayne we have on the go is making some great strides in the mechanical department.
The frame has arrived from Schwartz Performance & it is everything we’d hoped for. 14” Rotors, 6 piston calipers, huge sway bars, dual adjustable shocks, the works, all top of the line.
This frame will provide the capability of hitting 1.06 on a 60 foot skid pad. Not bad for a “big boat” that these cars are known to be.
The client with the ’61 Biscayne we have on the go has decided to go with utilize the limited edition aluminium block ZL1 427 engine he has “laying around”. It’s #254 of 427 built so it’ll be the crowning jewel of this build.
Combine this engine with the 6 speed transmssion & the Schwartz frame & this ’61 Biscayne will be a force to be reckoned with on the track & other
