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Just another 55 gasser build

947 views 16 replies 3 participants last post by  iequipu 
#1 ·
I built a 55 chevy when I was in high school in 1976, so I had always in the back of my mind to build another one. My dad was not much of a gear head, but he help me find the car and told me if I got it running he would paint if for me. A couple of years of busted knuckles and some help from the local gas station attendant I got the car running. 327, three speed floor shift and a set of US mags. Lots of stories connected to that car, but I had to store it outside and couldn't afford antifreeze (or didn't know to put it in) and the block froze and cracked. I sold the car at a severe discount and never had another 55 until about 10 years ago.
 

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#3 ·
But then I came across a really nice original 55 that had been soda blasted and sat for many years. The car was drug to my warehouse and sat with the intention of someday building it. But momentum gathered and parts began to accumulate. First it was a BBC 502 motor, then it was a 8-71 blower off of a drag tractor in Virginia. After some time my friend Skeeter build the Ace Hot Rod Shop car and the bug bit me hard.
 

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#5 ·
I didn't want to cut the quarter panels, as this body was way too nice to butcher it. So I decided to go a non-traditional route and go with what works - NASCAR truck trailing arms, coil springs, and QA1 shocks. I am not a fan of coil overs, and the NASCAR arms are like Chevy truck trailing arms with a little more artwork in their assembly. But how to connect all this and make it work? It had to be a straight axle as well, but the Speedway bolt on kits did not look right to me. They always had too narrow a track width in my opinion, so on measuring I found that 1950 Ford F1 trucks to be within 1/2 inch of the track width of the factory Chevrolet setting - Perfect!
 

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#7 ·
The other thing that I wanted to do is to make the frame conversion look more factory. I have seen many straight axle conversions done with just stabbing in the closest size square tube and angling the bridge between the original and the tube with "ramps". The factory frame is a non-standard size so tube would have to be made from scratch. I took heavy wall tube and cut it length wise to make two pieces of angle. Then I overlapped them and cut the excess off so it would be an interference fit into the original frame. Believe it or not, the frame could hold itself up without even welding it. It took a sledge hammer to drive them in. Finally some rosette welds and welds along the transition and looks like it grew there.
 

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#8 ·
Next was the front and rear axle. I located a F1 axle that had already been converted to disc brakes, and the F100 rear axle from under a 1972 truck was the perfect candidate for a narrow rear axle conversion. The rear leaf springs had to go as they were taking up valuable room for the 10 inch slicks. The front leaf springs were angled slightly to avoid any side to side sway when turning the car. Part of the original F1 spring perch was used, and the factory shackles were used for the front. My buddy Tony in Comer Ga did the narrowing and bridge reinforcement of the rear axle and did a great job. (Thanks Tony) The center chunk is a NASCAR track lock unit with 3.50 gears.
 

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#9 ·
The rear trailing arm mounts was next on the agenda. I used a drive shaft loop welded to tube for that purpose. Lots of careful measuring and then making some mounts that could be adjusted front to rear if some alignment was needed. I decided on a system where pads of various thicknesses could be used and had a local fabricator build some very heavy mounts for the arms. The top post is just a guide on the perches and the bottom to holes hold the arms to the frame. There are an additional 3 holes for vertical adjustment on the arms to adjust roll center.

Next two pieces of heavy wall tube were welded across the frame to allow for mounting of the spring jack plates. Rear ride height can now be adjusted by simply turning the screw plates up or down. A track bar perch was also fabricated to go on the passenger side frame rail, as you can see here. Heavy quarter inch plate with a threaded sleeve was made for the jack plates to screw into. There was a lot of tack and untack and reweld, as it was hard to get all these parts to sing in harmony.
 

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#11 ·
Next came motor mounts and trans mount. The frame had been sandblasted previously so all this could be welded together without drama. As I had mentioned previously I was determined to construct an X member of sorts for it strength and torsional rigidity. The motor was trial mounted with an original Hurst mount I bought off of a HAMB member. Plans for the motor were to stroke it to 540 cubic inches and run the 8-71 blower at 5% under drive. The goal it to get as much horsepower off of pump gas as possible. The headers are a set of no name coated BBC that I picked up at Auto Fair years ago. Distributor was a rebuilt Zig magneto unit with a tac drive I bought from my friend Timmy. (Thanks Timmy!)
 

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#12 ·
Next was the "small amount" of floor work on the body. It went from small to another and another and another panel as most were good, but thin. I also wanted to tub the rear inner fenders but not with those Tractor Supply bought 90 degree tubs. It had to be something more subtle and had to look like it grew there. I knew with the proper tubbing there was 16 inches of space to house a sticky 10 inch slick with no issues - but how to free that space was a challenge. I ended up finding a 1950ish Ford sedan that was a perfect rusty doner for the rear tubs. Nice and round just like factory tubs. It was a good idea to sandblast the bottom of the car to minimize the welding drama. Also the trunk floor was cut out to allow the fuel cell to poke through.
 

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#15 ·
Next the body was to be trial and error. And I do mean trial. I had painted the entire bottom of the car and then found after putting the body on the frame nothing quite fit. Lots of cutting and re-welding drama insued. But in the end even the nasty hole torn in the firewall was repaired.
 

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#16 ·
s of now this is how the car sits. All the sheet metal work is done, so next is the motor build up and trans build up. Tires on the rear are 8.50 inches wide and slick are junker 9.00 15. I am sure with the proper offset 10 inch wheels with 10.00 pie crust slicks are doable. Blower scoop is going to be a surfer style stickng through a hole in the hood. A 8 point roll cage is in order, but the car is going to be street driven, so nothing too crazy.
 

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