Customs De-street rodding my new 51 Chevy

Hi, I joined the site about a year ago, jumped the gun on some posts before I was ready to start a project I had acquired. I have been actively lurking on this site and learning many things from all you people. Still not ready to start on my project 55 Pontiac but I'm at least in possession of it now haha.
This is about a 51 Chevy I have recently acquired, through a trade. I first said no to the trade cause I could not stand the paint job and other cheesy treatments this car had. But the value of the engine and frame won me over.

First off, anyone have an idea whether I can salvage those rims to run for a bit, like painting them or are they just too hideous to salvage. The thing is tubbed so the back rims are huge, and I imagine getting 50's style rims for it is gonna cost me. It will eventually happen but I would like to hold off a year and spend money on it elsewhere.

I need to address this clown car paint job as soon as possible. The car was brought down to bare metal before being painted. So it is a very nice job. Should I take it back to bare metal again or will it look good if I just sand it down a bit and paint it again.

Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide me. Here is a photo showing the paint and rims.

 

If the paint job is good, definitely don't go stripping it off, figure out what type of paint is on there and pick a compatible system. Normally you can give it a really good clean, wipe down with wax & grease then wet sand and respray.

You didn't say what style of build you're into or give us any details on the suspensions and engine? but I'll take a punt at some cost/time effective ways to get it looking good:
wheels and tires for sure, 49-52 steel rims are common and cheap, as are many other chevy stud pattern wheels. Or maybe look out for a set of used mags, chrome five spoke cragars with a set of narrow white wall radials can make for a pretty cheap cool looking setup IMHO (think Astro supremes).

Those wing mirrors have to go, including the iron cross clamp on. If you don't want to have worry about welding up the holes in the doors look for a nice pair of period chrome mirrors (there are some threads on here discussing options).

Change the intake and air cleaner to get everything back under the hood, ditch the headlight eyebrows and get a front bumper on there.

Rub it down and squirt on the colour of your choice, if you really want simple you could pick a more period shade of canary yellow. For a respray you might even be better off taking it to a shop

Of course you could also go gasser or at least faux gasser which might be an easier transition.

 

Thanks Scott51 for the great info. Ya the side mirrors and iron crosses were gone as soon as I got it home. Just have the circle peek abo mirrors for now.

The frame is an Art Morrison frame. http://artmorrison.com/49-54chev.php
Engine is a blown 454, I want to keep that so it wont be tucking back under the hood. I know its not period correct.
I think I would like to give it a 50's or 60's drag race car look. I don't want to alter the frame so I believe a gasser would be out. Couple times a year I will probably take it to the track.

 

Noble work you are doing there!
Many gassers in the 60's had stock wheelbases, guess with the AM frame you could play with the height a little? Is it a coil over or air bag setup?
That body style always looked badass to me.
Those wheels are scrap metal IMO

 

It is coil not air bags. Well that could be cool to give it a 60s gasser look with a stock wheelbase.
Yes the wheels are probably scrap. I don't imagine anyone wanting them


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Lets start by getting a nice Cement floor in that Shop and some Heat Winter is on the way

 

Yes it is in a cement floored garage now. Here are a few more photos.
Has the flip hood, so I guess it could be part way towards a gasser look.

As for finding rims. The front tires are a regular P255/60R15
Rears are Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro tires sized at 31 x 16.50-15LT
Can someone tell me if some wheel manufacturers that make rims of this size. Thanks.

Some shots of underneath and front suspension, as well as a close up of the gross rims.


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Put those wheels on Craigslist. Just because it's tubbed doesn't mean you need to run a wheel and tire that wide in the rear. The car has potential and I think you're on the right path, the things that stand out to me, besides what has already been mentioned, is the missing section at the bottoms of the front fenders and the oddly shaped rear fender openings. If you plan to repaint it, those are the body areas I'd consider reworking.

Bolt patterns will determine what the best choice for wheels and tires is. I could totally see this car with a 60's racer vibe, and it doesn't need an altered wheelbase or a super nose high stance to pull it off.

This car might be the best cantidate for the Photoshopping thread I've ever seen.

 

The wheels are fugly,plain & simple.

That being said,a simple set of steelies would work well and they don't have to be wide just because the rear has been tubed.

You have a good coat of paint so why not stop by a place like Macco and have them shot a suitable color,it would amaze you just how much it would improve the looks.HRP

 

Round out the rear wheel wells. Raise the front about 10 inches. Drive it. Oh yeah put slicks on the rear. !!!
Wheels are just Fucked!!!!!

 

those art morrison frames are cool. that looks like a car worth fixing.

I have seen flames that were sanded off a car come back as an outline in the next paintjob. I don't know how you would make sure that does not happen.

 

around here those wheels would get you about $32.00 a pair at the aluminum place. I had to buy a pair of 14 X 9 slot mags from a scrap guy I know to save them for future generations.

 

thanks for the replies. I did notice the rear wheel wells and that missing bit in the front. I thought of getting that filled in or changing the exhaust and running the pipes from that space and doing lake pipes or something like that.
I did throw a pic of it in the photo shop thread with hopes of seeing it with some other paint and cooler wheels.
Ya I think I will burn the rear tires off with what remains of the summer and look into new wheels over winter, perhaps running a less wide set.
Unless I want to start racing it at the track, then I will stick will get some wide rims to put slicks on as well and thinner ones to run on the street.

 

I am curious why you took on such a task when there are cars available that are already closer to what your goal is

 

I took this on as I was trying to sell a 41 Chevy I had. This guy offered to trade for it. The engine in this car is worth more than what I was trading, so is the frame, suspension etc.. The fella wanted something more tame as he wasn't in the best health, wanted something his wife could drive him around in, hence he wanted my 41. It was just too much value to not do the trade as no one else was inquiring about my 41. So I figured I would keep the power and excellent driveability of this thing and see if I can fall in love with it once I make it look like something I can stomach.

 

Paint won't hide those wheels. They're a write off. Change out the wheels and as mentioned, round out the rear wheelwells and paint it and you'll be miles ahead with a whole new look.

I gotta say. Those are perhaps the worst flames I've ever seen! I'm not one bit artistic and I think I could sketch more flowing flames blindfolded. The 1/2" "pinstriping doesn't help either.

 

This comes to mind when I see your car, from "return to Macon county". Paint wont save those wheels you got. Burn off the rears before ya get rid of them though. A set of Cragars, and a Maaco coat of, Midnight blue metallic, or Black would look bitchin, although a yellow repaint would save the time/cost of jambing it, depending on how yellow it is, under hood, trunk etc.

 

Agreed, the wheels will go on craigslist for next to nothing. yes the flames are terrible, very cartoon like.
I am looking for just a solid color, maybe a two tone. Going to look into some of the original colors it would have come in.

 

Going to stay away from yellow, luckily the underside of the trunk lid is black and the firewall has a stainless riveted to it. Will just have to deal with the door jams for a repaint. Underside of front clip is all black as well.

 

Very easy to improve this car. Several suppliers could get you some 10" steel wheels with little offset if you don't want the prostreet look, or slots or cragar ss wheels if you want the "gasser" look. The paint isn't all that pricey since it's just a repaint. I wouldn't try to make this a true traditional car, I would enjoy it while building your project, and it will be salable to a street rodder or prostreet guy when your other car is done


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Ya, agreed, it will not be a true traditional car, the blown 454 Gen 5 engine precludes that. I think a 50s or 60s drag race car look shouldn't be too difficult or expensive to achieve.
With the high horsepower and racing gears, this thing is not going to be a daily driver. Short trips around town and occasional trip to the drag strip is ideal.
Once I get this looking how I want then I will start on my mellow cruiser the 55 poncho.

 

Rear wheel arches look to be altered, raised maybe, for the big tires to come off? Good excuse to round them out for the drag car look.

 

Gene and I lived close to one another in Euclid, Ohio, I was on 248th st, Gene was on 260th st. . He raced at Thompson Drag Strip, with the above Chevy, went on to musical fame with band known as Pacific Gas and Electric.

 

Yes, Rear wheel openings are way altered, plus bottoms of front fenders are cut off. Good gasser material now.

 

here's a few 49-52 chevy gasser threads for inspiration:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/49-52-chevy-coupe-gasser-pics-please.663356/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/49-52-chevy-gassers-lets-see-some.183954/
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wanted-49-52-chevy-car-gasser-pics.349310/

Like everyones said and you've acknowledged it won't really be a gasser without some major changes, personally I think the front suspension is kind of a deal-breaker and lifting the car will only draw more attention to it. With that setup I'd be thinking about mid - late 60's style hot rod - drop the nose to give it some rake, front bumper back on, reversed chromies with big bias plies out back, different bug catcher or even a squarish hood scoop, bare bones interior with a simple hoop roll bar and lots of diamond pleats.

Just change anything that isn't badass and it'll be sweet.

There's a picture thread on here somewhere of 49-52 chevys as hot rods that'd be worth digging up

 

How about covering the wheels with some screw on Moon discs?

 

Do a mental inventory. Put the pieces you really like in one pile and the parts you really don't like in the other pile. My guess is that the "go" pile will be bigger than the "keep" pile.

But here's another idea: The Art Morrison chassis bolts to the body. Find another body to put onto the Morrison chassis - one that's not been all cut up and brutalized. Keep the chassis and the motor, customize the new body to fit your own taste.

 

The body itself looks pretty good to me, but maybe different front end sheetmetal might be worth doing, to give you a regular, uncut hood and front fenders. Bumpers you can buy new and the current grille could be reused. Other than the rear wheel openings, which I'd radius anyway, the body looks pretty nice.

 

Thanks for all the further comments and inspiration. A few thoughts on some of the comments; don't think I want to sell it. I have never experienced being in such a fast car. It is ridiculously loud, the rumble is so deep I feel it in my chest. I love the whine of the super charger mixed in with that guttural rumble. Why it has a stereo, I do not know.

I think I want to go the easiest route to make it nice. So I'll forgo any major modifications to the suspension or body work. And probably won't do the fake gasser thing.
The rear fenders don't bother me really. Looking up images of 51's there are plenty with the squared off fender. The front cutout I may fix or run exhaust from there. Front clip is fiberglass so shouldn't be that hard. I know a guy.

Basically a 60s hotrod or drag car treatment would be ideal. With all your comments I think what I want to change is the wheels, the paint, and the stance. May look for a different bug catcher for the 871 blower. I also need a new steering wheel. Of course it has a hideous GT Grant small yellow leather one. Haha



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