Hot Rods 1957 Chevy 150 Gasser Build "Midnight Special"

I am finally going to start a thread for my 57 Chevy 150 Gasser build. This is something I have been thinking about for a long time. I have ran my 57 wagon in the stock class at the Meltdown drags twice and just shook my head because I have an O/T drag car at home that runs 10s and can't be used and I am here running 15s. I built the drag car 5 years ago when there was plans to build a new drag strip close to home. Well those plans fell through and now the car hardly gets used, the closest strip is 2.5 hours away and the closest good track is 3.5 hours away. Mostly the car just sits and uses up good space. So I have decided that I can part that car out and use the parts to build me a gasser that I will have more fun with. I have 150 two door sedan shell that my dad got as a parts car when he bought a few other 57's. I originally planned on putting a 55-59 Chevy truck axle up front, but this past week I bought a 56 that is already set up with a speedway kit so now I am just going to use that. My vision is of a nasty all black 57 150 two door sedan with a BBC, straight axle, and aluminum slots. I have read many of the gasser builds on here, but I could use all of the help I can get.

I bought these 15x4 Ansens at this years Meltdowns.

I am going for a similar look to this car except my rear wheels are a little wider.
Here is the 56 210 I bought last week. I split the purchase price with my old man and he is going to put the body back on a stock frame and built a cruiser for my mom.
Here is my rough old shell that I am going to build
15x4 and 15x10

 

Got to start somewhere... Love the wheel combination

 

Alright!

 

Funny funny posting this 210 pic first

 

Sounds good! I vote no radius but .....I will be lookin forward to seein whatever you come up with
Rock on!

 

Tell us about your big block.

 

Sorry Didn't mean for any confusion there, just a goal I am going for.

454, .030 over stock stroke, 12.5:1 SRP Forged Pistons, 049 oval port iron heads, comp roller cam. It is nothing special, but it gets the job done, has ran low 11's in the quarter in a heavy '78 Malibu and since then has ran eighth mile times that say it should be a 10 second car. The intake is a modern team G single plane with a quick fuel carb so not exactly period correct there, but I am trying to do this as cheap as possible so it will probably stay for now.

 

Sounds like you have a good plan in mind, good luck on the build !

 

Don't be sorry. Look back and you'll see I but a smiley face as well. I fooled myself not you. That's what was funny.

 

I need some HAMB knowledge laid on me. I am trying to decide what to do for front brakes and rear suspension.

Front Brakes, The axle that I have is set up with 49-54 Chevy car spindles with drum brake hubs, but they didn't install any brake component in the hubs. Probably ok as I should do disc anyways.
Three options I have found

• Wilwood; what I want, but more than I can afford

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Wilwo...Chevy-Spindles-2-Piston-Steel-Rotor,1352.html

• Metric/Mustang II brake kit. Affordable, but I HATE metric calipers and the idea of Mustang II rotors

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Front...ang-II-to-1949-54-Chevy-5-on-4-3-4,36437.html

• Chevelle Caliper and Rotor kit. This is what I would prefer to use, but the notes say that is won't work with stock steering arms which I have and would prefer to use over the speedway flat arms. Also they say that the will not work with a straight tube only a drop axle because the caliper interferes with the turning radius.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Front...to-1949-54-Chevy-Spindle-5-on-4-3-4,2013.html

Lastly what does anybody know about machining the spindles for disc brakes that speedway says is required? Is that something a local machine shop could do? I don't want to send mine to Speedway and pay $120 to have them machined and also I don't want to buy their aftermarket spindles as I have heard those are weak.

 

Rear suspension. I have looked at and read a lot of threads but I still feel really stupid on this.
My knowledge of rear suspension is basically limited to leaf springs and slapper bars, Caltracs would be hi-tech for me. That is the way I am wanting to go out of simplicity's sake, but I would like this thing to work good and look the part of a real gasser.

• Leaf springs and traction bars
• Ladder bars with leafs and floaters
• Ladder bars with coil springs and separate shocks
• Ladder bars with coil-overs

If I go the ladder bar route I feel like I am going to have to enlist a chassis guy to help me. I have attached a picture of some clamp on style ladder bars that came with the 56, but I don't think that they would really be a good choice, maybe I am wrong?

 

Well I have the Malibu shell sold. It is completely stripped and scattered across the shop. The feller that bought it is supposed to come tomorrow to pick it up, I had cash in hand before I starting stripping it. I have decided to go with the speedway metric/mustang II brake set up from speedway, I am going to try and use my original steering arms and if they don't work I will buy their flat arms. I am going to go pick up a trifive one piece floor from a semi-local dealer next week. As for my ladder bar situation I called semi-local chassis shop about doing a cage for me and also discussed ladder bars with him. I think I am going to have him build my ladder bars, coil-over, panhard bar setup.

 

Sounds like a good plan ,I am building a 57 right now ,not making much progress with the cold though. I am using Ford I beam axle ,"I like the look when they are drilled", Truck arm style suspension and Ford 8.8 rear. I will not cut the wheelwells and plan on narrowing the rear . Where in Mo. are you ?

 

Mexico, Close to Columbia. The '56 came from St. Joe which shouldn't be too far from you.

 

I`m liking it ! Building a similar one in Kansas. Will be watching.

 

I'd look into bigger drum brakes from PRAISE, then add a booster with hydrovac or a vacuum pump, just to kinda keep it period correct. If you gotta have discs, maybe Heidt's can machine your spindles for S-10/Camaro rotors, make a bracket to mount a Chevelle caliper - fits inside 14" disc brake steel wheels, or most any 15" wheel. I have a '57-150, I upgraded with this combo, with a Chevelle master and a Citation booster. STOPS like it has ABS!!! I think a early '60's booster is a bolt-in - somthing to look for... Jus' thinkin' out loud here!

I have a buddy north of LA that built a '57-150 4-door sedan vintage drag car - NOT a gasser, but painted like a LAPD cop car, complete with custom door decals, siren and radio... lights are next! He is having a BALL with it! Mucho luck with the build! -Tim

 

Brake boosters and straight axle gasser's do not go together! I'm not real familiar with the spindles that Speedway uses on their axles but I am sure you make something work. The straight axles in my cars use spindles from mid 60's Dodge 1/2 on truck/van and I made something up that works out just fine at about a quarter of what Wilwood's kit costs. Took some research to get it all together but brake pads are available anywhere and brake rotors are about $25.00 each. Check out my build thread and there are some pics there.

 

I agree about the brake booster on gassers. I am currently resisting putting a booster on my 57 Wagon daily driver. Although it seems like it needs one after upgrading to discs up front. I actually went ahead and purchased the metric disk brake kit yesterday, as well as some parts that I will use to fabricate an engine mount for the BBC. I purchased the brake kit minus calipers because I kept the good wildwood brand metric calipers off the car I parted out.

 

I need to get directions to your place and drop by a check it out.

 

Check your private messages/conversations.

 

I hope you don't cut the quarters. Love the rest of it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

Well I had a very good progress day last Friday on the gasser project. We have been working on Dad's 150 lately and recently got the body dropped on the new floor and frame. So Friday morning I got his '57 rolled out and brought in the 56 210. I got all of the body mounts removed quickly and had my straight axle frame liberated. I then rolled the original frame to Dad's 57 150 under the 56 210 so it can be moved around until we start on it. After I completed that I moved outside, where my '57 body has been stored sitting on some power poles. I set up a metal a frame over the body and lifted it up with some heavy duty straps and chain come-along. After I had it lifted I backed up a metal trailer made from an old pop-up camper frame under it and lowered it down on that. I now have both the body and frame right outside of the shop and ready to be worked on. My plan from here is to modify the trailer with temporary mounts to hold the body in place while I weld in rockers, patch the toe boards, and other necessary patching needed before I can attach it to the new floor.

 

loves me some 150 tu-doors. Good luck with this cool project.

 

I have all the makings of a '57 150 BUT missing one quarter panel spear. Isn't it silly to let such a little thing like that stop you from building something that would energize you at almost 70 years old!
I will be visually excited living threw your build till I find one. Subscribed!

 

57 150's make me weak!

 

In between my Dad and I we have three '57 150 two doors, but we have only two sets of stainless for them because my Dad stupidly sold the set off of my car too cheap. There are guys that are taking 56 150/210 fender and door stainless and cutting them to length and welding them back together. There is a full set selling for 600 on ebay, I bet they would just sell you the one you need if you are ok with a clone piece.

 

I seen those "clones" not real impressed with the piecing together of. About the only way I will get one is in trading to some one for something they need more. Sometimes money doesn't work!

 

I have it in the shop and on the lift and am starting the metal replacement process. Last night we made our body cart/jig, We ended and decided to just weld a rusty 55 frame to the trailer so that we could have all of the body mounts and use it to do floor swaps also. I also threw a fender on to get a quick feel on how it will look, one word Awesome!

 

Would 55 Chevy 210 spears be the same, or at least work?

 

The will work, and I have seen it done, but to those of us "in the know" they are obviously wrong. It is one of those things that it would probably only bother the owner and two or three other people that ever saw it.