Not much of an update really, but i got the gas tank out (that was some OLD stinky gas in the tank lol…paint thinner more like it)
Tank filler is out as well.
got a few more of the trim pieces off that i couldn’t before. And finally, i cleaned up. working in a small area, cleaning often is mandatory. I swept out the entire car, and blew all the debris off. Rolled the car outside and got a few more pics of where it’s at right now.
I was hoping to have the motor and trans out today, but my buddy with the cherry picker fell through. it will be out this week, and the body should be off by the weekend as all i have left are the body bolts.
Oh, and my girlfriends father gave me a little surprise! see below!
Tanks out!
Check out the trailer hitch, beefed up leaf springs and shackles. classic mods! lol
Got the car outside briefly. Nice and clean! Of course, it started sprinkling the second i pushed it out! check out the ghetto patchwork! Dad claims a lot of it was there when he got the car…i think he just don’t want to admit it lol)
And finally, check out what the girlfriends dad had in his garage…he found out I was doing this build, and gave me a matched set…I’m going to restore them and of course, use them!
Look at the steering column. The collar for the shifter and the shift arms are still on the steering column. They don’t do anything any more but they are still there.
the only lever on the column is the turn signal lever. I see the collar though…however, the car was originally an auto that my dad converted…or so i’m told.
yeah, the entire floor needs to be replaced, as do the rockers, trunk floor and rear wheel tubs. Def. a ton of work ahead of me, but hey…that’s what makes it fun! I can never say that i am bored, or have nothing to do! Should make the winter move by quick.
Are you looking at the same car? I have the column right in front of me and there is only 1 collar and its in the upper right. There are no levers, or spots for levers on the bottom. In some pics, the column is loose and twisted around, where it appears that the top collar is on the bottom…if that is what you are seeing…but there is only 1.
No. While the nine-inches had the “hump” in the middle, it didn’t have a drain plug from '67 onwards. '67 and earlier nine-inches had a bulbous cover. (I gots me a nine-inch. :tspry: )
Down to a more reasonable height. Once i set it, i snapped the pics, so the center supports aren’t shown, but not to worry, it’s supported!! Its all just temporary for a few days until I can get a cart made up for it. It has been strengthened since the pics.
May want to go ahead and cut those midmounts out now as I can pretty much guarantee you they will get in the way later on when it comes to running the exhaust. I had the luxury of cutting mine out with the body still on…and that was quite a pain in the ass.
What are the next steps now that it’s all disassembled???
going to strip the frame and get it blasted…then do necessary repair/modifications. clean up the stock susp. parts for now just to get it back into a roller…then get the body back on, and start all the tin work…when the tin work is done, back off the frame so the frame can get powder coated…will get the frame into the final roller, get the body back on again, and start body work/paint. ugh lol.
Hey, winter’s right around the corner…you’ll have plenty of time!
I know you said stock suspension, but I’ve heard sway bars make a night and day difference on these cars. I plan to pick some up for the '55, front and rear run about $200 total. Right now, the car just is way too loose in the turns.
no no no, stock suspension is only being put back on to make the chassis a roller so i can get the body back on it to do all the tin work…space is a HUGE issue and one of the biggest reasons i have to do it this way. dropping the front with spindals/springs, and the rear is getting the 4 link/coil over setup like this…sway bars will also be added.
Welp, at it again today. Started by building a wooden frame, that mimics the actual frame. Placed it under the body, and got it up on stands. Now, the body sits, as it would on the actual frame. I feel much better with it like this now. In the future, when the time comes, i will install large casters to the frame, and that will make the body mobile. I also tossed in a couple wooden door opening supports. just for extra reassurance.
Also, i started to strip the frame today. Got all the lines, and misc small stuff removed, as well as the entire rear end. All that’s left is the front suspension and a couple remnants of a few body mounts/bolts. Took a few close ups of the rear frame rail that was poorly repaired in the past. It is worse than i originally thought, BUT, it will be repaired properly, and it shouldn’t be much of a task.
Deconstruction is almost complete. It was fun while it lasted! Almost time for the REAL work to begin.
looking good joe,and just noticed I never even replied to the thread yet.sorry about that.If you need some help some night LMK as I’m on days now.Also have some extra jack stands and jack if you need them.Awesome story and awesome investment even though you’ll never sell.
