Clearance to the brake booster is tight and that is with the engine shifted 1/2" to the passenger side. Also the current alternator is close but could get a little closer to the frame rail. There should be an extra inch of clearance at the back for the faux generator/alternator though it will need a revised bracket.
With over one and a half million '57 Chevys built, they aren't sacred. Your Bel Air sport sedan is one of 142,518 built
My friend needs his shop space back so I would like to wrap up as much as possible before I move out of the ample space that is well lit and heated and it is parked next to my 1913 Single car garage. My plan is to get the front axle fully mounted, try to get the steering mocked up for trailering, slap the hood back on, swing by a driveshaft shop to get that measured up on the trip between locations and hopefully get the used windshield installed before the move. After it is at my house I plan to tackle brake plumbing, fuel system and wiring. With an aim to at least getting it running in my driveway this year. I mean I still have exhaust, cooling system and a million other tasks before that happens but I hope to keep up the current momentum and keep picking away. Future updates may be smaller but I hope this thread keeps me accountable to keep getting stuff done!
Glad to see you started a build thread to document your '57 Gasser! Of course I love that it's got a different engine from another maker too! I've always been a Chevy guy, but I love seeing the looks on people's faces when they see the unexpected under the hood of any old car! If you need a hand on moving it to your place give me a shout!
Love it! When you add your race car graphics, please include Lincoln Power , so you can watch heads explode.
Very cool. Those Mel engines are great. In 58 they were the most powerful engine available with 410hp. Though the picture of the ash gauges you have looks very modern generic catalogue accessory stuff. Just go with stock Chevy dash. It looks more old school.
Very cool and I totally support the MEL improvement. I have a '58 Lincoln 430 and a host of one, three and six carb manifolds waiting something cool to put it in. And don't forget Don Thelen's classic 6x2 carbed, 430-powered '32 Vicky!
Ride height isnt finalized as I will keep adding things to the front end including a radiator full of water and antifreeze but I set it up with the engine block as low in the frame as I felt I could and the crank centerline is still just a touch below the 24" max many of the rule books have or had.
Here is how it is currently sitting at approximate ride height. The tape is being used to emulate the drag link as I was trying to see if the steering box could move far enough forward to keep it parallel.
Here is the vertical 2x4 tube that will carry the rear swing shackle of the front spring. It has a taper cut to marry up to the stock frame and will add strength to the front clip. The tape is holding on a 1/8 plate that is spacing out for a weld bead that connects the main new rail with the previous frame rail. Also you get a feel for the oil pan situation. The last photo shows how much I cut out of the inner fender well to run the headers. Hoping the flanges come in soon! Also I plan to make mounts for the front sheet metal to have some rubber isolation from the frame rails. A round tube spreader bar will go in place of the temporary angle iron.
Subscribed... I take some heat from the hodads about the SBC in my Ford. Did Chevy ever make a front-sump oil pan for the big block... hmmmm...
LOL there was a guy named Bookout in Hillsboro that drove a black five seven more door for a while back in the later '60s earlier '70s. I was from a couple towns over so I only saw him when we were beefing.
If you are not too far along you might consider moving the engine even farther to the pass side for the steering box. Mopars typically had an offset of up to 1-1/2" and no drivability issues. Also, consider that the crank does not have to be drilled for a pilot bearing...just mount it in the center of the flywheel via a pressed in bushing. This is for an EarlyHemi:
Excellent work! I put a 430 in a 55 Ford back in about 1965. It was a four door also and I kept the stock exhaust and hub caps! Looked just like a granny car…..had a lot of fun with that ride! Bones
love it. Building junk with more junk. How dare you!!!!!!! I do have a minor request. Click one of these when uploading pics.
I will post up some photos of the current situation for clarity on the steering and how much room is available. Also I can grab a photo of the back of the crank to see what the options are there in stock form. Thanks for the input!
You got it! My apologies for not doing that on the initial posts but I will see if I can make the changes to them as well.
I put the Mooneyes Steering wheel on and bought an ebay matching shift knob to go on the shifter that came from the same Edsel which I think is a vintage aftermarket 3 speed shifter. I need to make an adapter to go from the 1/2 13 thread to the shifter M16x1.5 pitch. Also got what I hope is a good deal on a Radson Tach.
Worked on getting the Three on the Tree column out, looked at where the tach could mount, close up of the shifter knob issue
I also fought to get the crazy ass MEL exhaust manifolds that bolt in two different directions with brass nuts on studs that stay in the upper part of the manifold and bolts that hide underneath and may hold back oil? One nut had to be chiseled off as it was stuck and rounded itself off. Another nut was misshapen from heat and/or overtightening? That required some metric help to be removed. I held up the fender well headers and they should fit pretty well once my flanges come in and that spaces them out another inch or two. I will need to trim the inner fender well opening up higher as well. Also they leave ample room for steering shaft to live!!!!
The Jalopy Journal
