Goodguys 2022 Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year!
Congratulations to Will Posey & Big Oak Garage for winning the Goodguys 2022 Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year title with Dan Duffy’s 509w-powered ’61 Chevy Impala! We’ll see you & the vehicle in Scottsdale, Arizona November 18-20, 2022 at the 25th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals!
Dan Duffy’s “Dirty Martini” ’61 Impala strikes again! After winning the Goodguys 2022 Fuel Curve Custom of the Year honor earlier this season, the car has now earned builder Big Oak Garage the Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year award! We showcased this incredible build back in April, but here’s a refresher.
Built on a Roadster Shop chassis, the big Chevy sports Baer disc brakes behind custom-machined 20×12- and 20×8.5-inch Schott wheels. Things get rolling courtesy of a Lamar Walden-built 509c.i. W-engine with a polished aluminum block and cylinder heads, six Autotrend EFI throttle bodies atop a vintage Offenhauser intake, and a custom air cleaner assembly and valve covers. The rowdy engine is backed by a Tremec T-56 Magnum transmission.
The body has received what builder Will Posey calls a “reverse wedge cut,” with quarter panels that are extended vertically to give the body a more tapered, angular profile. There’s also reshaped wheel openings, an extended custom hood, and shortened front and rear windshields bookending a reshaped top. The custom-mixed green metallic Axalta paint simply glows and is complemented by beautiful off-white leather upholstery with tan suede inserts elegantly stitched by Tracy Weaver and his team at Recovery Room.
Lean, clean, and very green, the “Dirty Martini” Impala is a captivating custom and worthy candidate for earning Big Oak Garage the Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year title.
Photos by John Jackson
