29' street rod, but the oldest stock car I drove was a freinds 50' Dodge. It was the same car his dad learnd to drive in. The oldest car I've owned and driven is my 57' Chevy 210 post. Drove it to high school in 87'. Fun times.
Both of my grand dads were mechanics and my Uncle dragraced untill he was killed and all my freinds when I was a kid were car guys. So I couldn't help it.
If I were in your shoes I think I would go to car shows and the drag strip and talk to the guys. Most are nice (some not so much) and just...
Also remember to put a dryer in the air line to keep moisture out of the line.We use a drive shaft to dry the air, I would have to take pics to explain.