Anyone that has any affection whatsoever for classic automobiles has, at some point, discovered a car they wish they had the time and the financial resources to restore back to its former glory. Whether you found it in a junkyard, in a barn, on blocks in someone’s back yard, or it’s a piece of your own past, if you’re a true gearhead, you’ve been there. For many, doing so isn’t a reality in tat moment, but Michigan native Ken Skinner made the dream come true when he rescued a 1951 Henry J that was a little worse for wear, to say the least.

Skinner found the rusted out, barren Henry J in a field, missing its fenders and hood, doors and quarter panels, but with a full restoration in mind, chained it to his pickup and drug it home to begin the process of giving it a new lease on life as a race car.

Skinner stripped what was left of the car down to the bare shell, matching it with doors, fenders, and quarter panels to create a complete body that would cloak a full tube chassis. For that, Skinner turned to the team at Chris Alston’s Chassisworks, who supplied him with a complete Eliminator II four-link back half kit, along with Varishock coil overs, a strut snout, and their off-the-shelf 14-point roll cage. After much welding and fabrication, the results to this point are shocking.

You would never know that you’re looking at the very same Henry J body that was dragged from a field, showing visual signs of years in the elements, while underneath is a true thoroughbred race car, with a complete chassis and aluminum interior, along with all the fixin’s of a hardcore race car. While short on wheelbase, the low slung stance on this ride has an attitude all its own, and we’re looking forward to seeing the final product.

The Chassisworks team has been documenting the build on their Facebook page, and you’ll be able to check out further updates there, as well as right here on the digital pages of Dragzine.

For more information on Chris Alston’s Chassisworks and their extensive catalog of chassis and race car components, log on to cachassisworks.com.