Larry T's 55 Chevy build

wow thats going to be a bad ass 55 lookin good....

 

Thanks Butch, looks like you have your share of Tri 5's! (G)


A couple more random pictures of stuff I've done on my 55.

I figured, since this is a race car, as much of the air as possible needs to go around the car instead of through it. So I blocked off the grill with thin sheet aluminum and covered it with mesh. I'm pretty sure I dropped a little weight compared to the stock grill & trim.

And I got tired of barking my shins every time I walked around the front of the car on the filler panel that goes between the bumper and grill. So I got out the cut off tool and took care of it.

Also a pic of the dash, gonna get a Sun tach on the dash and a couple of hidden gauges. More on them later.
Larry T

 

Hey Larry the grill and filler panel look great... maybe you can get that bad boy done in time to go to the Hamb drags ..........

 

Butch,
If I get it done and debugged I'll be there. But don't hold your breath. I don't get along very well with deadlines. (Just ask my customers and friends).
I probably won't get it out but 4 or 5 times a year. But Mo-Kan and Temple-Academy/Little River (if it's still open) will be on the list.
Larry T

 

Hey Larry Iam the sameway I only got out once but I would love go to down to Texas and play around on those Dargstrips....

 

Nice work Larry, I see what you meant by your steering gearbox issue when you were asking about mine on my build thread. Looks like it will work out fine though. Good luck with the rest of the build and looking forward to the updates, Bill.

 

Larry, glad to see you back on the '55!!! What triggered this . . . , you get tired of bein' "iced in" like the rest of us??? Great work, stay after it!! If you need anything, LMK. I am supposed to head up to AmaTx this week, will stop by and bother you a bit. Take care, K

 

Bill,
I still have your build bookmarked. Excellent work! Looking forward to updates on your build too.

Keith,
Yea, it was cold enough in the shop last week that I didn't get much done. And the thaw was even worse. Worked on plumbing at the shop for half a day yesterday, then went out to the farm and plumbed out there some more. Texas plumbing and single digits don't get along very well.
Stop by and visit, I'll be here.
Larry T

 

Larry T...I love this thing...'55s are one of my all time favorites...the nastier the better...d32


when it's done..can we hear it run??

 

Nice 55, I am partial to straight axles on them but I'd take yours also,
I had a 55 hard top years ago, wish I had that one back, hell I wish I had them ALL back. Gordon

 

Thanks Gordon,
It'll never be the car that Eriks is, but maybe I'll make it to the track to play one of these days.
Larry

 

just in time for the Tri- Five Texas Showdown At the 2nd Annual Texas Nostalgian Nationals!!!!!!

 

Rusty,
Maybe next year, real life has kinda got in the way. (G)
Larry T

 

Hope to atleast have you out with the rest of us then

 

Subscibed

 

Larry, you need to work on one of your other projects, you're making me look bad.

 

Andy,
I've been doing a complete rehab on a Sportster for my son in law. I don't even know how it got moved to the front, but it should be done this week and maybe I can get back on the 55. I hope so anyway.
You should be ashamed of yourself, neglecting your 55. (G) Like I've got room to talk.
Larry T

 

Larry,

Nice build! Your dash insert, is that a kit or did you make it up?

Vic

 

Vic,
Man, I need to plead the fifth on this one! (G) It's homemade, I made the patterns and transfered them to aluminum. I wanted to see what it would look like (maybe to busy?) engine turned before I went to the trouble of turning the panels or the expense of ordering engine turned stainless sheets, so I bought some "shelf paper" engine turned stuff off E-Bay and stuck it to the aluminum panels. It turned out well enough that I probably won't redo it until the car is finished and I going back over it to do all of the detail stuff you miss the first time around.

Yep, poser engine turning. I guess I've sunk to a new low. LOL
Larry T

 

Larry T , The 55's lookin great, keep it up ! I know I know ,to many projects ,not enough time . But your makin us look bad ! Bob.........

 

Thanks Bob,
I've test ridden the Sportster and I'm just putting the finishing touches on it.

A buddy of mine made me a good deal on some S&W wheelie bars, gonna have to rework them a little, but that's normal.

Nuther buddy said he'd let me have a 400 with a reverse valve body and brake that they've just freshened up for a smokin deal and that's the last piece I needed for the drive train (except driveshaft, always something else).

And earlier this morning I ordered a Lancaster Shrinker/Stretcher, so I can get back on my tin work.

More in progress pictures shortly, I hope.
Larry T

 

nice job,bitchin car

 

Cool!! I really like what you're doing here, skipping the straight axle. Not that there's anything wrong with straight axle cars, quite the opposite, but from having talked to a bunch of old racers, they say the majority of gasser cars did not run straight axles in the beginning, and even as popularity grew, only the fastest classes were running straight axles. "Gasser" didn't define the cars back then, it shouldn't now either.
Again, cool build!!

 

Keep it up Larry and you'll get that bad mutha out, way cool, I have been watching that bad banana thread , should we start making guesses at your E.T. yet? Gordon

 

I know what you mean here, I have a hundred thousand dollars in percision tools and there all hammers !!! Gordon

 

Gordon,
Maybe a guess at what year it'll make it to the track. (G)

As far as ET's go, I'm not looking at anything faster than 10.00. As much fun as going faster would be, no more than I'm gonna run it all the chassis certifications, aviation checkups for license, etc. probably just aren't worth the effort and money. So when I get to the track anything in the 6's (1/8 mile) or 10's (1/4 mile) will be fine. Then I'll start trying to shave tenths off from there.

While I'm here, how long are your wheelie bars and how high do you have them set?

Off to work for a while. Not on my stuff though, customers are getting restless. (G)
Larry T

 

Well, I finally got to do a little more on the 55, but not much.

I marked the center of my radiator and lined the mark up with the center of my waterpump, so I could figure out where the radiator mounts needed to be. It turned out that the lower support needed to be slightly below the brace for the frame horns, so I notched them out and bent the channel down to make end caps for the lower support. I wanted the radiator to be supported the full width, because I've seen radiator tubes sagging in the middle on some race cars. I guess the weight of the water and wheelstand landings don't mix. Anyway, I used a piece of 1X2 tubing for the support. I'll put a cushion in when I mount the radiator for good.

Then I cut the adjuster brackets and welded them to some 1" square tubing for uprights. I decided to mount them off the forward struts to give me some extra room when I was pulling the engine. Welded them in and built a removeable top "cap" and there you go!

Why did it take me so much longer to build and mount the stuff than it did to post about it?
Larry T

 

I cleaned up the frame horns. Pictures are pretty self explanitory. It's about finished from the cowl forward.

Now I'll go back to the trunk and start forward again. Battery boxes and trunk tinwork are next-- I think.
Larry T

 

Nice work Larry .. .progress is a good thing

CC

 

Nice work there Larry