Customs 57 Chevy Budget 4 door build

Raginpin looks like a GOOD start.Good luck with her.Bruce.

 

thanks guys, can't wait till i get a chance to go home for a day or 2 and work on her again! I've got plenty of little things to do as well besides engine stuff like putting the back glass in, replacing the door glass, fixing the door latches and getting door keys.

 

good project. looks fairly solid. i've seen rust easily much worse even on a cali car.

 

Really? Well, it's not entirely rust free, but it actually has floors and a trunk, unlike most cars i've looked at. The doors have rust holes in the bottom skins but for 1500 i couldnt turn down solid floors. If i bought just new floor sheet metal it would have cost that, unfortunately it's a 4 door though


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

it is a good car to learn on. and maybe the 'more' doors will grow on you. and to think... it has survived 60 years. sure a two door is nicer. but it would have cost you a ton more money. just keep the spending in check and just get the car running good with necessary interior work and enjoy. you don't even need to paint it. (and if you do paint it... go cheap.)

 

How long had it been sitting? How's the interior? Post more pics if you can. Good luck with it...

 

Interior is mostly complete, has all the door panels but missing speakers, kick panels, and back dash pieces. Seats are there but the covers are pretty much done. The car was last inspected in 1995, so it's been off the road at least 21 years.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I now realized the guy who sold it to me kept some of the chrome that he had with it... not very happy about that but still not a bad price


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Let me know what's missing. I'll dig it out and send it to you if it's here. The grille bar in the car looks good, often the middle is busted from getting stepped on.

 

He took the good grill bar and rear bumper corners out. I'll just live with beat up ones no big deal, thank you though


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Any tips on getting the gas cap off? It's rusted on and i'd like to get it off so i can see if the tank is actually full or if i lucked out and got an empty tank. Still will probably have to pull the tank out which i'm not looking forward to but if i can use whats in it for a while until i have it back on the road that would be nice


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

I also am pretty sure i need to polarize the generator, but i have no idea what that means, i grew up in the days of alternators

The generator light comes on if i turn the key to on or start, as well as the oil light. I read i may need a new sending unit and i need to polarize my generator.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

The generator light should come on when you turn the key on, it should go off after the engine is running...provided there's enough juice coming out of it, oil light should also come on, until the engine is running, provided the oil pressure is sufficient.

Get it running first

 

... What you would actually need to polarize is the new voltage regulator if you have to replace it ...
...

 

Don't even think about getting it running with the crap in the tank now. There is a drain plug on the tank, open it and see what if any thing comes out. get the eng. running on a can of new gas rigged right to the carb using gravity flow. As far as the gas cap try tapping around the edge of the cap to loosen rust and turn it CCW to remove.

 

Tri five chevies had a drain plug?


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Ditto on tapping the edge of the gas cap. You can also spray some PB blaster under the edge of the gas cap all the way around and let it soak for a hour or two. Then tap around the edge again and try to open. Sometimes a strap wrench ( go to harbor freight) will help a lot to get round caps unscrewed. Take your time and don't force it. You don't want to ruin the filler neck.

 

The drain plug is probably seized. Danchuk is having their annual blemish sale soon. You can get a grille bar at a good price from them. Other front end trim too. Just drop the tank. You're going to have to sooner or later.

 

If i drop the tank, am i going to have to do any welding to put a new one in? I don't have a way to weld at this point so if i can avoid it i will


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

No welding needed. There are two straps that hold the tank to the car. The nuts on those may be rusted, but loosen them, the fuel line and the gas gauge wire and it will drop down. That tank is going to be full of rust and dirt and crap, and you will avoid a lot of trouble if you just bite the bullet and take if off now and clean it.

 

If it were me I would go to rock auto and look at their tanks and straps. For about 150 you would have a new tank and straps and you would be ahead of the aggravation you will face down the road.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...l+235cid+l6,1326147,fuel+&+air,fuel+tank,6268

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...d+l6,1326147,fuel+&+air,fuel+tank+strap,10321

here are a couple of links

 

The two best things you can buy for a present to yourself would be a 57 shop manual and a 57 assembly manual. The assembly manual has pictures of every single piece of the car and it's relation to the part next to it and the part it attaches to in easy to see line drawings, its the single most effective book out there, it has everything period!!! Ralphie

 

You can find your manuals online: http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/
Scroll down to the black box that lists manuals by year.

 

If looking for manuals, trifivechevys.com, has assembly manuals as a PDF. Free to join.

 

Ralphies54 is RIGHT - the BEST 50-bucks you can spend is on a repop Service Manual and Assembly Manual. I have 2 '57's, and those books are my BIBLE!

Fuel system - DO NOT throw away the carb gaskets you remove - you'll need them to match-up the new gaskets in the kit! Check the float in the carb for hairline cracks - the smallest crack would let fuel in, cause the carb to flood. Remove the sending unit from the tank for a GOOD look for rust, and how much old gas in in there. Use a VICE-GRIP to break the drain plug loose, might need some heat from a propane torch. Replace the rubber flex line going into the fuel pump - today's gas is NOT KIND to old rubber, so expect to replace the fuel pump too! Use a fuel filter before the carb, maybe carry a spare - cheap enough! Prime the carb through the vent tube with a mustard / catsup squeeze bottle, just enough to see the accelator pump squirt as you mobe the throttle. Keep it handy - today's gas evaporites FAST, within a couple weeks!

BRAKES - Brake fluid is HYDROSCOPIC - it attracts moisture! Break the bleeder screws loose on the wheel cylinders FIRST. If they don't budge or snap off, replace them. A brake spring pliers will be your best friend servicing the brakes, makes the springs a snap to remove and install. At the very LEAST, clean and inspect each wheel cylinder for pitting, rebuild with a kit. Same with the master cylinder. Any doubts in their condition, just replace them outright. Consider a DUAL master cylinder upgrade from CPP, for safety's sake! Flushing the old brake fluid is a MUST from the lines - use compressed air or rubbing alcohol in a catsup squeeze bottle to flush. A MIGHTY-VAC hand pump makes bleeding the brakes a breez without a helper to pump the pedal. Check, CHECK and RECHECK for any leaks in the system. Worn brake shoes and drums aren't HALF as critical as a SOLID brake pedal with NO LEAKS! Don't forget to give the parking brake some love and attention too!

PASS on the V-8 for now, but GRAB that 3-speedOD transmission - they are RARE if it's a Saginaw unit, much stronger than the orinignal! Research them, KNOW exactly what you are buying. A Vega 4-speed and 3.08 gears made a HUGE improvement behind my 235, as did a mild cam and dual exhaust. KEEP the six, help it breath - I draw far more attention at shows than with a V-8, unless it's my 283 with Rochester F.I. Later V-8's also require the use of SIDE motor mounts. IMO, oil pressure and water temp gauges are a MUST, not that expensive - mount them where you can SEE them!

Get whatever parts you can LOCALLY, establish a good raport with the graybeards behind the counter - at some point, they will be your best friends to get what you need, WHEN you need it - without paying for shipping from Danchuk or other repop suppliers. What they can't get for replacement parts, check out RockAuto.com, hard to beat their prices from what I've seen.

GET the repop factory books from Danchuck, and they'll slip a WISH BOOK in - should be enough to get you started! Feel free to PM me with any questions, as I LOVE cheap cars! Good Luck, Tim

 

Yes there are articles around to show how to adapt that Saginaw O/D to the Saginaw 4 speed, and then you'll have a 4 speed with overdrive. Grab it, at least.

 

Well, i'll take into consideration what you're saying. I planned on getting a dual master either way, and i'm going to try to use the gas tank i have. I'm alright with cleaning it really well before putting it back in. What size sending unit would my car have? 5/16 or 3/8? Or does it just differ between each car? And about the v8, like i said i'm keeping the 6 at least until i get the car registered and on the road, after that i'll put a v8 in it. I'm also not going to worry about the tranny unless the one i have for some reason is messed up. I plan on swapping in an auto or 4 speed when i do the motor swap anyways. For now i'm going to order the carb rebuild kit from ecklers and hopefully it will
Be there next time i go home. And i'll be taking the tank out and figuring out if my sending unit is good or bad this weekend and i'll probably at least look at my brake situation, but i dont want to do much besides engine work until it can move under its own power, because as you can see, my garage is VERY small.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

NAPA should have your carb kit in stock, if not, would still be cheaper after shipping from Ecklers.

 

And now the fun begins.Be sure to get some safety goggles to keep crud and rust out of your eyes when working under the car.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo