I spent a lot of time over the winter making plans to transform this nice original driver into a 1/4-mile racer, only to "change horses" and go in a different direction. Here's the long-story-short version:
Shortly after buying the '63 I called longtime friend Mark Pickett to discuss my plans. Mark is one of the Pickett Brothers, of "Running Injun' Racing" fame. They had rebuilt the engine in my 2+2. When told of my purchase, Mark advised me that I should have bought the '63 Cat racer that they built for another friend/customer. I knew the car well and had always admired it. That car was actually the inspiration for my purchase and plans for the car I bought. They were almost identical in appearance, right down to the Marimba Red paint. I was not aware that the car Mark referred to was available for purchase.
After I came up with a budget for modifying my Cat, I realized that the financially smart move was to buy the other car. Although I have a strong preference for manual shift cars - the other has an automatic - the car is basically turnkey, and "old school" shifting is not the best way to get down the 1/4-mile anyway. So I bit the bullet, sold the car pictured above at a local swap meet, and bought the race car, along with an open car trailer.
Here's a few shots of the new car: