Have you ever seen a toilet that will put you back in your seat? How about one with a blown 383 stroker? Ethan Clarke’s 1956 Chevy 210 Sedan is just that. I like to call it “Blown Porcelain” although the car is currently unnamed. This car was featured on our YouTube channel in late September with the same title and many people questioned; why “Blown Porcelain”? A good group of friends in Central Alberta, nicknamed the Toilet gang as an inside joke. They proudly portray the ‘Toilet’ sticker on their cars. Toilet being their way of calling them ‘shitboxes’. Break it, Fix it, Break it, Fix it again. The car is equipped with a Weiand 142 Supercharger and toilets are made of porcelain, therefor Blown Porcelain.
Ethan bought this car as a kid off of his brother for $350. He drove it through fields and down backroads until he parked it for a long time. He went on to build a 1984 Caprice with a 383 Stroker but had a hard time keeping the transmission functioning. He decided to pull the 383 and keep it for a future project and sell off the Caprice. When Ethan and his wife were to get married, he decided it was time to get the 1956 Chevy built and on the road before the wedding. He got it built just in time and it has been on the road 6 years now.
Under the hood this thing is equipped with a built 1997 Chevy small block at 383 cubic inches with a stroker Eagle rotating assembly. All this is topped with a Weiand 142 Supercharger and a Holly 600 carburetor. The engine is cooled with a custom aluminum radiator, electric fan and shroud. The power gets its spark from an MSD ignition controller, HEI distributor, and Accel ceramic boot wires. Power is transferred with a rebuilt 1993 BorgWarner T56, Spec ceramic clutch and a custom driveshaft from Extreme Driveline to a Ford 9” with 4.11:1 Detroit Tru-Trac gears and Currie axles.
What is really cool about this car is that it is an original Canadian car with real patina, including an antique AMA sticker that has fused with the paint on the back of the car. The fenders on this car are original witch is rare due to the lack of a factory inner fender, rust was commonly prevalent around the headlights and the bottom edge. The metal was solid on this one, so much so that an early life fender bender on the front driver side was able to be banged a pulled out with original patina left intact.
Ethan hosts an annual cruise out to historic Markerville Alberta every year and leads the way for cars, trucks, and bikes of all kinds on an all day adventure that ends with ice cream and a bonfire. Good times, great company and burnt rubber.
Ethan is a talented mechanic and also helps his wife fix and restore interesting items and antiques that she buys and sells. They would like to thank and give a shout out to former employers and now friends, Bill Crowson and Sharon Housman at Hometown Auto in Innisfail for giving him unlimited shop access to build the car. It might not have ever happened without them.
For even more on Ethan Clarke’s 1956 Chevy be sure to check out our YouTube channel, Cruise Culture Magazine.
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Article: Brian Holzli
Photography: Brian Holzli
