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Projects 1955 Chevy 2 door Handyman

Discussion in 'Traditional Customs' started by redranch, Nov 4, 2020.

  1. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    I too was on the fence about the Pontiac trim, only because to my eye, it is too close to the bottom of the fender lip.
     
    41 coupe and redranch like this.
  2. razoo lew
    Joined: Apr 11, 2017
    Posts: 536

    razoo lew
    Member
    from Calgary

    Really nice car. I’m with @belair on the trim. While an interesting treatment, the horizontal run looks too low on the side panel to me.
     
  3. AHotRod
    Joined: Jul 27, 2001
    Posts: 12,216

    AHotRod
    Member

    Wagons Rule ! I drive a 66 Chevy II Wagon or my 30 Model A Coupe everyday.
     
    Deuces, Just Gary and redranch like this.
  4. 40Standard
    Joined: Jul 30, 2005
    Posts: 5,963

    40Standard
    Member
    from Indy

    very nice metal work
     
    Deuces and redranch like this.
  5. Awesome job on a very desirable car. Watching this one!
     
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  6. Thanks for the comments on the Pontiac trim either loving it or hating it...I agree it's too close to the fender lip, but remember this is only a mock up using magnets, we haven't cut any of the trim yet, this was more to look at the length and if it would work if we went with a two tone paint job.

    You have to remember I'm English, so I never grew up on that whole Chevy / Ford thing, I like all cars...plus as a designer and photographer I will go with my gut and go with what I think look good.

    My aim is not to restore this 55 wagon to factory specs, this is a personal thing for me...if you like it, great, if not, I'm fine with that. If everyone liked the same things, then the world would be a boring place. I think it's healthy to like or not like different things...constructive criticism is a good thing and I can always change my mind if I believe it's a good idea.
     
  7. You might be right, to be honest I've not looked at the front seat since removing it from the wagon. I had a spare sent of 65 Bonneville seats and I think I'm going to go down that route in the wagon, something big, wide and comfortable for my rear end :). But we are a long way from thinking about interiors...
     
  8. ShoeBoxFox
    Joined: Dec 5, 2020
    Posts: 5

    ShoeBoxFox

    Looking good! I've got a '56 2 door wagon that has been sitting in my garage for too long... thanks for the motivation.
     
    redranch likes this.
  9. Happy to have motivated you...I'm just saving some money for the next stage of the project. Hoping to have new updates in the new year and maybe by the end of the summer I might be able to drive it...you never know :)
     
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  10. ssffnomad
    Joined: Jul 23, 2008
    Posts: 954

    ssffnomad
    Member

    Firewall in early pictures. Boy’s had late night in shop with lots of cheap Beer and multiple hammers.
    Metal Work, you definitely sent it to a Craftsman
    Stretch
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2020
    redranch likes this.
  11. RealOG
    Joined: Nov 3, 2020
    Posts: 19

    RealOG
    Member
    from FRANCE

    Pretty nice work
    The 55 wagon is my prefered
     
    redranch likes this.
  12. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Great return to glory...Coming up!!...what a turnaround...
     
    redranch likes this.
  13. Yes, it like a hornets nest with so many hammer lumps in the firewall. It's great you can buy all of this sheetmetal as new replacement parts.
     
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  14. I love what you're doing/have done with your Handyman. I especially like the Nomad quarters, back in the mid sixties we did the Nomad like rear wheel wells on my '55 Handyman. Fortunately, I worked in a body shop and we had a body man that really knew how to work with metal and lead. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it other than 1 that was taken prior to the bodywork and paint. After 50+ years and two divorce's it's amazing that I have this one... 5th car - 1955 Chevrolet Handyman.jpg
     
    Deuces, Rolleiflex and redranch like this.
  15. Love the color on your wagon,, I hope you don't mind but I clean your photograph up a little, its just a quick and dirty clean up, but I can see the color of the car (I painted over the primer too) :) 5th car - 1955 Chevrolet Handyman.jpg
     
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  16.  
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  17. this is very, very rough...but was it something like this? 5th car - 1955 Chevrolet Handyman copy.jpg
     
    Deuces, Tman and 1stGrumpy like this.
  18. Yep, pretty close. Thanks...
     
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  19. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,522

    Roothawg
    Member

    I love wagons. We have had 3 so far....My wife's favorite was our 1956 Chevy 9 passenger Bel Air.
    Great work on the car.
     
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  20. It's been a while but we are finally back on the wagon... the frame has been stripped, blasted and all repair work is done. We have taken off years of old brackets and cut out holes that were made in the frame...all repair work is now done. Here are a few before and after photos, some look more like Swiss cheese with the amount of holes drilled into the frame. IMG_4894.jpeg IMG_4897.jpeg IMG_4905.jpeg IMG_4908.jpeg IMG_4915.jpeg IMG_4916.jpeg IMG_4917.jpeg IMG_4918.jpeg IMG_4919.jpeg IMG_4924.jpeg IMG_4926.jpeg
     
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  21. Now the frame is repaired and a solid chassis again, we can start to fit parts up, like the suspension and rear axle IMG_4895.jpeg IMG_4896.jpeg IMG_4906.jpeg IMG_5072.jpeg IMG_5073.jpeg IMG_5074.jpeg
     
    alfin32, 40LUV, Deuces and 3 others like this.
  22. ...plus lay the body on the chassis to see how it all fits, make any adjustments before sending the frame out to be powder coated. I think the next stage is to get wheels and tyres to see what the stance of the car looks like sitting on the ground. Time to think about the engine as we will have to think about where to put the motor mounts etc. IMG_5075.jpeg IMG_5076.jpeg IMG_5077.jpeg IMG_5078.jpeg IMG_5079.jpeg
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2021
  23. ...and final photos for now, the rear lower tail gate always sounded a little crunchy when you moved it around, it also had a little damage, so to fix it and se what was inside the tailgate...Rudy tool a few small sections off first, but then ended up taking the skin off as it was the best way to deal with what was inside.
    IMG_5080.jpeg IMG_5081.jpeg IMG_5082.jpeg IMG_5083.jpeg IMG_5084.jpeg IMG_5085.jpeg IMG_5086.jpeg
     
    40LUV, Deuces, Just Gary and 5 others like this.
  24. You are doing one hell of a job! Those tailgates are tough. Are you re installing the same skin?
     
    lothiandon1940, Deuces and redranch like this.
  25. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,388

    Squablow
    Member

    Sure was a lot of shit added to that frame, makes me happy to see stamped A-arms found their way back onto it. Very nice work.
     
    Deuces, Just Gary, Tman and 1 other person like this.
  26. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,717

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    Great build of the wagon, and I really like the Nomad quarter panels.
     
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  27. Thanks, it all depends if we can fix the original skin, it did have a little damage…but these rear tailgates are so hard to find parts for. I’ll let Rudy work his magic with the car.


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
    Deuces and chevy57dude like this.
  28. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    Glad to see the progress. The Nomad quarters are a nice touch.
     
    kidcampbell71 and Deuces like this.
  29. Frank36
    Joined: Aug 27, 2007
    Posts: 45

    Frank36
    Member

    IMG_4608 (1).JPG
    This one is nearly done.
     
  30. Rudy has been working on the wagon again. While we wait for the front fenders and hood to come back from the media blasters, he has been busy doing some small but necessary jobs on the car. Like filling in any holes on the firewall we don't need.

    IMG_5301.jpeg IMG_5280.jpeg IMG_5279.jpeg
     
    Squablow, Just Gary, loudbang and 2 others like this.

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