Skill Set – Tim Irwin Puts His Spin on a Gasser-Themed Chevy II That Will Debut At Edelbrock Sick Smokies Next Week!
Working in the performance industry has its perks, and one of those is getting lots of ideas for either a current or new project. In the case of Tim Irwin, who has over fifty years in the racing world, he needs to looks no further than the racing community and his current employer, Moser Engineering.
Irwin has owned and built some cool rides, including Gassers. “I’ve been a chassis builder for most of my working life, and know what it takes to build a competitive car,” Irwin said. That has played into his interest, as well as a car, for the quickly-approaching Edelbrock Sick Smokies event.
Sick Smokies Presented by Edelbrock, our final drag and drive of 2025, is just a week away - October 12-19th, 2025! We’ve got seven days of cruising winding and scenic southern roads, including Tail Of The Dragon, with over 250 total competitors! Discounted advanced spectator tickets, as well as Sick Ward / Sick Spit Show & Shine entries are available - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE about Sick Smokies!!
A semi-professional racer for nineteen of the last twenty years, Irwin decided to take on a new project right about the time he scaled back his racing. That ride is this 1963 Chevy II, a car build that was already underway before Irwin snagged it.
Although initial photos of the first-generation Chevy II had the car as close to ready to drive, Irwin described it as “super scary.” With an idea in mind of what he wanted to accomplish with this new build, the Chevy II build known as ‘Half Baked’ was blown apart.
Irwin put his skills to work, and accomplished his vision of the classic Gasser in less than a year’s time. Powered by a 337 cubic inch Chevrolet small block and backed with a Doug Nash 5-speed manual transmission, the ride will go into Edelbrock Sick Smokies with little test time.
“(I’ve done) other drag and drive events and had a blast,” said Irwin. “I’m a gasser guy and this works for me.” Will ‘Half Baked’ survive its first event amongst the 70-plus Gassers entered for Sick Smokies? Don’t miss your chance to see over 200 competitors, and the largest gathering of street-legal Gassers, on the Edelbrock Sick Smokies event, October 12th-19th! CLICK HERE for more details!
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Tim Irwin.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com