LARRY LARIVEE'S RECREATION OF BOB POLVERARI'S 7-11 TAKE TWO

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"TAKE TWO...ROLLING THE DICE"

The new 7-11 has been stripped of it’s old flanks and is in the process of getting new panels made thanks to Tobi Smith..Frame has been painted and very old damage to the back end fuel tank safety bars has been completed..Fuel tank has been restored and new cell foam installed..Larry has been in contact with Northern Hall of Fame inductee Bob Polverari, who is very excited over the new recreation and has supplied Larry with numerous pictures of his 1980 season paint scheme, which he carried over through the 1985 season..(Larivee photos)

Spy photos have found the soon to be transformed ’80 modified just picked up by Larry Larivee. This old Plymouth Horizon TC3 will soon be the new 7-11 in it’s white and blue paint scheme. Larry and Tobi Smith of 2X fame ventured up into the high country of North Carolina to scope out this barn find. Both were a bit tired after Tobi’s race at NSS only to get home and jump into larry’s truck for the overnite run. Larry promises updates to the car as he progresses with its transformation. Stay tuned!

"THE RISING OF THE PHOENIX"

ALL OF LARRY'S HARD WORK WAS REWARDED WHEN HE WON THE "BEST APPEARING STOCK CAR" AWARD AT LOUDON..BEATING OUT BETWEEN 75-100 CARS IS A FEAT IN ITSELF..PRESENTING THE TROPHY IS AL NOVOTNY..(Vaughn Rockney photo)

BOB POLVERARI WAS IN FOR A SURPRISE WHEN LARRY LARIVEE PAYED HIM A VISIT WITH HIS RECREATION OF BOB'S 7-11..NO WORD HAD LEAKED OUT ABOUT THE PROJECT..(Larivee photos)

THEN AND NOW PICTURES OF BOB POLVERARI STANDING BY HIS OLD CAR 37 YEARS AGO AND NOW WITH LARRY LARIVEE'S 2007 RECREATION..BOB STILL HAD HIS OLD HELMET FROM THEN BUT IT WOULDN'T FIT ANYMORE SO HE PULLED OUT HIS LATE 70's OPEN FACED FOR THE PICTURE..THE NEW PICTURES WERE TAKEN IN THE SAME EXACT LOCATION 52 YEARS LATER IN WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS..(Larivee photos)

LARRY LARIVEE AND BOB POLVERARI HOLD A MODEL CAR LARRY BUILT 38 YEARS AGO OF BOB'S 7-11 WHEN HE WAS 14..LARRY USED IT AS REFERENCE FOR THE LETTERING ON THE RECREATION..IT WAS THE ONLY DOCUMENTATION HE HAD TO LETTER THE CAR..(Larivee photo)

WHEN LARRY LARIVEE WAS GROWING UP HE WAS A NEIGHBOR TO BOB POLVERARI AND HELPED OUT IN THE RACE SHOP AND NOW HE HAS CREATED A EXACT RECREATION OF THE 7-11..

WELL HERE IS THE COMPLETED 7-11 DETAILED RIGHT DOWN TO LARRY'S NAME LISTED AS PIT CREW THE WAY IT WAS WHEN HE WAS A KID..

LARRY ROLLED THE DICE AND CAME UP WITH A WINNER..

READY FOR A LITTLE RUBBING..

IT EVEN HAS STICKERS..

HE CAN EVEN TAKE A DATE ALONG FOR A RIDE..NOTE THE FUEL AND ELECTRICAL SHUT OFFS ON THE FLOOR..

LETTERING IS THE SAME AND WHAT A NICE PAINT JOB..

YOU TAKE A RUSTY 1938 PLYMOUTH AND A LOT OF $$$$$$$$$$ TO BRING BACK A MEMORY...LARRY LARIVEE FROM TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA DID JUST THAT...SO READ ON AS HE TELLS YOU THE STORY ABOUT BUILDING THE CAR..

The car was a perfectly good P-6 1938 Plymouth rumble seat car that could have been restored I found in Orlando.

We removed the wanted body and sold everything out from under it on E-bay.

Larry used an old Will Cagle car for donor parts and the engine..Larivee photo)

Frame rails are brand new 37 chevy master boxed .125 rails from Progressive Automotive. Very nice pieces. They make new street rod rails for just about everything. Excellent starting point. I made my own fixture and evened them up.

Had an old Wil Cagle coupe that was beyond repair or restoration so I borrowed all the racing items off of it for the axles and Buick type brakes. The front axle was too beat up from dirt tracks so I bought a new 48 Ford axle from Speedway motors. Front Flemke split springs are new from Ferrara Springs in Springfield Mass. The original spring shop that made them for Flemke.

Bringing up the rear is a brand new Winters 10” heavy duty quick change fitted with old school tubes for the Frankland bolt on hubs and Frankland “A” frame backing plates. Winters was the only company that still had these tubes in stock!

Installed new king pins, wheel cylinders, linings and spring kits from NAPA in Titusville.Special thanks to William for finding applications of parts I had no clue what they were from,(try that at Autozone)

Fuel cell and components from Finney racing in Merritt Island helped out on a lot of parts.

Orlando Speedworld Super Stock driver Tobi Smith from Titusville used his racing expertise on building cars and cages to bend the roll cage to exact 1970 United Stock car club specifications.

All racing specs are current to Northeast 1970 United Stock Car Racing Club and DARRA safety specs with fuelcell, safety hubs, overflow tank, shutoffs, 5 point 3” driver side belts, and 1 3/4 .095 gusseted gage.

All interior and firewall galvy 22g sheetmetal is from Britts a/c in Titusville.

Autometer gauges supplied the vitals monitoring.

Springs are Chrysler type Landrum racing springs 212 spring rate mounted to Plymouth barracuda front mounts and racing sliders with jacking bolts in the rear, again from Speedway Motors. All work was done in my garage in Titusville.

Friend and modified builder Bobby Judkins, now from Edgewater, built the equal length 30” headers.

Along with the headers Bobby also built the driveshaft for this car.

The warmed over Wil Cagle 305 solid lifter motoris topped with an Edelbrock intake and rejetted Holley 750. Spark is by a new Mags-ar-us Vertex mag.

Moser Axles supplied the new 31 spline 3/4 ton truck axles. Special thanks to Wally Finney at Finney racing in Merritt Island, Florida for his excellent nostalgia memory and finding axle tubes and parts.

Hopefully we can shake it down in Orlando on April 14, 2007. Although it is built for the nostalgia circuit it is fitted with a right seat and 4 point 3” harness. It’s northeast debut will be at the 17th annual vintage festival at New Hampshire Speedway in May. Hopefully we can get all the bugs out at Orlando. See you there!

Cooling provided by a U.S. Radiators new 57 Chevy triple cool radiator. Cross steering is provided by a new version heavy duty Vega box from Flaming River industries with Pro type heim joints from Speedway.

Test ride, hope the neighbors won’t mind? A change of exhaust, street tires and detachable lights and it is a legal titled street rod too! Waay cool! The car is an exact replica of the 7-11 that ran in 1970 at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam , Mass.

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