Body and frame look to be in really good shape. :tup: to a great project car!
Ugh so nice, and I love the copperhead color.
Is that a Corvette grille in there? That might be worth some loot to a resto guy.
yeah, i mentioned it in the OP. its from a 53 vette…my dad cut the ends off an original light bar and attached them to the vette grill. i have another light bar for it already. he wants any parts im not using to go back to him…so they can sit in a pile for another 35 years…hes funny like that. dont like selling anything.
Looks awesome. You definitly have a lot of work ahead but it will be worth it in the end I’m sure. I’d go Big Block over an LSx motor in this case. Good luck and keep us updated.
Yeah, I was expecting to see rockers flapping in the breeze and what amounted to swiss cheese underneath, but that looks solid. Nothing a sandblasting and powdercoating won’t make look great. I love the 55’s the most of the 3. I say go pro touring on it, leave the exterior mostly stock looking, but update the driveline/suspension and put an LS7 in it.
Well, I started ripping into this thing today. Got the whole front clip off, including the vette grill and makeshift bumper. No surprises here, the inner fenders are rotted to nothing, as is some other inner sheet metal. The factory fresh air venting (from the headlights to the firewall) basically disintegrated when i removed the fenders. No biggie There, not like its going back in anyway.
As for the inner fenders, front bumper pan and other sheet metal that’s rotting away, that was all going to be replaced to begin with.
From checking it out in a little more detail today,
All the BIG things checked out so far…such as the firewall, from what i can tell is in excellent shape, as is the frame (after looking more closely).
The rockers will be replaced (see pics below) and at least 1 floor pan. Fenders are a bit rough in the corners where they meet the rockers, but savable.
More updates as i get further along.
Removed the Grill for starters…
Then the horns, headlights and bezels…
Hood latch striker, chrome fender trim and hood all removed…
Just a few of about 100 old bees nests i found…
Here is a surprise…when my dad decided to do a little patch work to the rockers, and fender corners…he decided to put one piece of sheet metal accross the rocker and fender…he made them look as one. this was a little tricky when removing the fenders. I had to cut it to get them off.
right fender removed…
Inner wheel wells? who needs them!
Passenger side fresh air ducting…
Both fenders removed…
Inner wheel well gone on that side as well.
Driver side fresh air ducting…well, sort of.
The good news. firewall and main body structure look excellent!
That’s all for now.
Nice start:)
TriFive.com has been a hang out of mine. Many old men in there who have nothing more to do in life but sit in their garages and make some badass cars. Dig around a bit, check links in sigs, and you’ll find some really inspirational projects.
Nice! I love doing stuff like this… The easy part is taking it apart lol its tricky getting it all back together and lined up.
I think its cool the way it is, I would just try to get in running and roadworthy.
That’s what I told him. Easy to disassemble and quick.
Takes forever to get it back together the right way.
It helps a lot if you’re the one taking it apart, so long as you don’t forget all of it when you put everything back together.
It’s also great that the car is pretty much complete. Having to hunt down brackets and all the other little things takes a lot of time and repro’d parts don’t always fit as well.
Got the inner fenders, or what was left of them and the grill pan out…got the rest of the fresh air ducting out, a bunch of wiring is gone, hood hinges and master cylinder removed and i started on the interior/dash…got the driver side door off, gauge cluster, tach, door sill and a few other odds and ends out.
Only surprise for tonight, Found to rust holes on the very front of the frame, where my dad attached the makeshift bumper…easy fix though.
The heap of rust i took out…
Driver side rocker looks great…can see a few little holes in the floor, but nothing a pan cant cure…
interior coming apart…
Back at it again tomorrow.
Nice.
I know a guy that has 1 or 2 of those and a wagon too.
Looks like a fun/big project.:tup:
looks awsome joe. i’m gonna have to stop by and check this sucker out!
god dude that shit is awesome! such an neat story too…
i was wondering why you sold your fox, the shit was minty. now i can see your reasoning hahah
good luck!!
ps if you need anything blasted pm suzukiriderman, good work at a good price
^^Thanks…already PMd him 
I sold the fox because i needed the money for bills…then a friend reminded me about this gem…so i called the pops and he said to come get it…so i did lol.
welp… been at it off and on the past couple days…I’m just a few hours of work away from being ready to take the body off the frame.
A few more discoveries were made…good old pops used a “flammable” sign for floor repair around the shifter. i also found 15 cents under the back seat. nickle from 1945 and a dime from 1943. pretty cool i guess. I am going to have to replace the entire floor basically. front and rear pans, and inner and outer rockers also. the tunnel is solid, but needs a bit of patchwork. nothing major. the trunk isn’t that bad, but a new trunk pan, and side walls will be installed anyway. better to do it right. The rear wheel tubs are pretty much screwed. I discovered some more 1970s ghetto patchwork. That’s ok though, I was going to mini-tub it anyway. Body wise, everything is solid…so that’s really good. I found some patchwork to the very rear of the frame…nothing that cant be easily fixed…its at the end, so its not like its structural anyway. same with the front of the frame, couple rust holes. no biggies. The rest of the frame is excellent. There is just a ton of tin work ahead of me. which i expected so its all good. It makes threads like this worth while anyhow. 
The interior is basically 100% out with the exception of the steering column, and a few pieces and parts under the dash. All the glass is gone except the windshield. There is still a couple pieces of window trim and moldings on the car because the screws are stripped. going to have to use the easy out on those.
See the flammable sign? :nono:
Tail lights, and rear bumper removed, as is the molding on the fins.
Back at it again tomorrow!