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My 55 Nomad - project & progress

6K views 39 replies 13 participants last post by  ssffnomad 
#1 ·
I do not post often but figured I'd go ahead and start an official thread of the progress on my 55 Nomad.

The link below directs to where I've been posting the progress up until now:

http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156829

I bought the Nomad back in 2008. It pretty much sat in my garage while I finished school and then looked for a job. Finally, eight years later, I've gotten to a point where I could get the project started. The best part...my wife is totally on board with this!

I do not have the time or talent to do the work myself but do hope to do some of the small things. I will many questions along the way and appreciate all of the advice I've gotten so far. Much thanks to Madmooks, who has been totally awesome in assisting with many of my parts needs.

And thanks to everyone else who has helped point me in the right direction over the past few months.

Will post pics and ask questions as the project progresses!
 
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#7 · (Edited)
Quick little timeline. Thanks for looking!



Shot taken in 2008 before I purchased.



Fast forward to 2014. Over the years I'd drive occasionally up the street and back but that was about it.



Eight years after my first pic. First shot at the shop, March, 2016.



Work in progress.



Neat shot on the rotisserie. As seen in my other thread, she pretty much has the new floor in. Quarters and outer wheel house within the next few weeks.
 

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#11 ·
#15 · (Edited)
Passenger side Inner Fin

Nomad continues to progress, I had the shop take a break during the holiday season...

Passenger side Quarter/Inner Fin area was in terrible shape. In my opinion, the shop has done a great job in working not his area. I bought a right rear inner fin panel from Real Deal Steel [not made for Nomad] for them to use and I'm very happy with how it has come out so far.

Still some work to get it where it needs to be, but progress in this area is being made.

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#18 ·
Last post for the day....Guys at the shop are really excited about the build and the progress. In my opinion, they have done a fantastic job. They welcome my frequent visits and are more than happy to take the time to discuss the process and answer all of my questions. They've done a great job to make sure I know all the necessary details of each step. So far, I've been very happy with their patience, professionalism and suggestions.

The one area where they have tried to change my mind is in my decision to go back to the original color of Harvest Gold and India Ivory. Original body color and interior color is an absolute must for me. Its going to have to be a wait and see for them. I'm thinking the Harvest Gold is going to look way better than they are thinking.

 

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#27 ·
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The one area where they have tried to change my mind is in my decision to go back to the original color of Harvest Gold and India Ivory. Original body color and interior color is an absolute must for me. Its going to have to be a wait and see for them. I'm thinking the Harvest Gold is going to look way better than they are thinking...
Stick to your guns! That is a fantastic color combo (when correct). My guess is it doesn't have enough "pop" for their jaded eyes. They want people asking who painted it...not enough people thinking about the paint job when it looks like it just rolled off the factory floor.
 
#20 ·
Smokey Mountain Traders have a '55 Nomad right now that they *say* is Harvest Gold and Ivory, although the yellow looks closer to Daytona Yellow to me... I do think this one looks great, especially with the 'gray/ivory' Nomad interior (rather than the green/ivory of stock)... here's the link...

http://www.smokymountaintraders.com/vehicles/307/1955-chevrolet-nomad
 
#29 ·
Thank you! I really enjoyed following the build on yours, beautiful Nomad!

Stick to your guns! That is a fantastic color combo (when correct). My guess is it doesn't have enough "pop" for their jaded eyes. They want people asking who painted it...not enough people thinking about the paint job when it looks like it just rolled off the factory floor.
I agree with the above comment completely. When I first had my wagon painted my wife determined the colors. The painter wasn't convinced and wanted us to go another route. She said nope, this is what I want, but she did leave the actual shades up to him. When we saw it painted she was delighted. She knew the basic colors would work well, he knew which two shades would contrast nicely without being too much or too little.

If you want it done a certain way don't let anyone change your mind. You are the one living with it for the next extended period of time and you have to be delighted with it.
My wife and I are committed to staying with Harvest Gold. They've painted the firewall as you can see in the pictures. So far I'm happy with the color as it seems to be a good match from the sample sheets I've seen. I will say that in certain lighting, it is very yellow. Most Harvest nomads I've seen in pictures seem to be somewhat toned down.

In any case, I like what I've seen so far and welcome any thoughts.


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#30 ·
It does look to be a brighter yellow than any 'harvest gold' classic I've seen, but how long has it been since we've seen a NEW one? :) If you are really concerned, then check the paint brand and code that your painter purchased... the colors are generally a little different from brand to brand, and the type of paint can make a difference in the brightness as well..

Personally, I LOVE that brighter yellow... :)
 
#31 · (Edited)
I thought it was a bit bright myself...and I actually can't recall seeing a new one. I've messaged back and forth with a couple of guys with 'Harvest Gold' Nomads that were painted back in the 80s. Seems somewhat subdued on theirs.

The paint the shop is using is PPG. Apparently PPG cross matches the old codes with new codes. For the Harvest Gold, they cross matched code 631 with the new code they have for that color. Maybe that is the reason for the slight variation.

So far, I do like this version of the Harvest and think it will look pretty good with that green interior.
 
#38 ·
I love it Jonathan! Did you have a professional shop do the restoration or did you do it yourself? It certainly looks professional from your photos. I'm not a fan of '55 harvest gold, but I love the yellow color on your car (more like daytona yellow imo)? And the interior appears to be turquoise/ivory? rather than the beige/green?
 
#39 ·
Thank you. I had a shop do the work. A few things need to be worked out before done. Interior is actually the green/beige. Got from Ciadella’s. Harvest Gold is the original color for this one. Very happy so far, just need a few things corrected before done.
 
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