Projects Building "Lucy:" 1950 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 4 door

Hi all

In the fall of 2013, at a service garage near my house, I noticed a 1950 Chevy. It was far from the road but stood out in bright green. Once the snow started falling on it, I called and asked if it was for sale. They weren't very kind and let me know it was not for sale and not my business. That was November. After few more similar calls, in February 2014, they finally gave my the owners number. He said that his life was changing and he didn't have time for it anymore. He allowed me to go mess around with it, and even with my unfamiliarity with manual chokes and carburetion (my background was more modern stuff) and having sat for months, the 6 volt starter fired the car right up. A week later when he was back in town, he came over on a snowy mid February afternoon and we counted cash. He drove me over to the car 1/2 mile away at the service garage, and I drove the car home in a 5:00pm rush to my small-town home. The car had 40,030 miles on it and was bone stock. Shade tree restored in the 70's with a 235cid (also 1950) crate motor and 3.55:1 rear end. 3 on the tree.

From the dry/clear days of February 2014 to November 2015, my wife and I put 5,100 miles on the car, driving it every chance we got and weather permitted. In November of 2015, tune ups were becoming more frequent while cold idling was becoming almost impossible. The jiggle in the vacuum gauge was much worse, so I pulled the head. #5 was burned badly and upon disassembly of the head, it needed to be completely rebuilt.

I spent the next 3 weeks thinking constantly about what I wanted to do. I decided confidently that I was keeping the car stock for the wrong reasons, and I wanted a street rod. That's a decision I stand bye. I plan to always keep the car, and am sure one day there will be a small amount of regret that I didn't keep it as I found it, but I am also sure that it will be overshadowed buy gladness that I still have my first rod.

I have been working on this through winter 2015/2016 in a one car garage with no heat. An overwhelming amount of parts have been free blessings from guys who just appreciate my ambition. It's going to be a 73 nova 350/camel hump 194 heads. Th350 with a 1957 rear end @ 3.08:1. 3" rear 2.5" front drop via posie leafs and Fatman uprights.

This is the story of my build. I'm going to try to catch up to where I am today quickly, and will keep the post as updated as I can thereafter.

 

One last phone of the car out and about pulling the head the head damage

 

Pulling the old motor and Trans as one piece

 

Nice ride, looking forward to reading about it

 

I decided I wanted to make my life easier and yank the front sheet metal. Doing this alone was rough but with the little time I get out there it's best to work alone. My wife and son and my top priority

The next photos are pulling the 1950 suspension to replace it with a rebuilt and dropped (uprights and steering arms) 1954 front end. This was super easy as there are notches in the frame to allow the towers up and into these groove that hold it in place, then just lowered the car slowly and adjusted my position as I went down, threw in the bolts and done

 

I decided on early ford biscuit style mounts. Got a set of transdapt (4096 if I remember correctly) second hand from a dude that sold his project for $80. Cheapest elsewhere was $140

As many know, the exhaust manifold clearance is a huge issue with the steering cause of the 90° in the pitman... I decided on 1990's Chevy truck manifolds. They stick out from the block in the back so the firewall braces has to go. I am convinced most of their purpose was to prevent flexing on the body/frame over the awful unpaved roads that made up the majority of travel for most folks in the late 40's early 50's. If I'm wrong, oops.

 

Thanks! Stay tuned cause I have much much more to upload that's done, and much more to do as well

 

The transmission crossmember was quite a fork in the road. I'd recommend anyone building a 49-54 Chevy should get a tubular crossmember that goes up over the transmission with a drop out mount. I chose to save the $250 and use the stock one and hope my tranny lasts a long time cause it's noting coming out without dropping the crossmember or pulling the motor

I made this bracket to mount the transmission to the stock crossmember





Tonight I also finished welding the motor mounts as they were only tacked. They were designed to go around the top of the frame so they can be bolted from either side, but it wasn't a snug fit so I cut off the tabs that went over and welded all around.

 

Looks good.

Sent from my SM-T310 using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Thanks!

 

So my transmission was pressing against the floor of my car.... I made some decisions where to put my motor and transmission and they were well thought. Modifying the floor makes more sense than changing that. I pulled back my carpet and removed the roughy 1'x2' "peek panel" and slit the top of (the toe board side) of the "frame" of the hole. I pried the edges up, then put the cover back on the hole and then pounded (encouragingly) the sides and essentially forced the "oval shape" that the tunnel makes into a taller, narrower circle, and thus making even move clearance. The result was about 3/4" of space between my transmission and the tunnel.

The floor was almost rusted through on the passenger side, but still solid. The driver was patched twice. It would appear this thing barely ever carried a passenger. Maybe it was a little old lady car? I wire wheeled and vacuumed the floor, poored a bunch of primer on it and then brushed it all nice and even. I am super happy with how it came out

 

Looking good Drew. You are a lot further along than I thought you would be when we talked about your plans last fall. There is a Custom 53 build out at the barn that has a similar undercarriage as your 50. If you need ideas or measurements, I am sure we could arrange for you to come by.

 

Hey Ray,

Thanks! I just make take you up on that. Thanks.

 

I have been having a nightmare finding flanges and flared pipe for the manifolds (90's vortec) I chose to use. That can be seen here

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/late-1990s-vortec-exhaust-flanges.1012111/#post-11439953

the only source was $125/side. like many other things on my build that I couldn't afford to buy, i just decided to take my best shot at making a solution.

I used a MAP torch to heat the pipe edge and used a crescent wrench to flair the edge out. This made a bulge in, which I used a 1 7/8 (can't find my 2") trailer ball and a hammer to fix. Using the ball in the pipe and the base off the ball, and a stirring motion, that smoothed out the flare.

As for the flanges, the 2 1/4 ones I have on hand fit the flare nicely. I added metal to the outside edge of the holes for the studs with my welder and will "move" the holes by bringing outward and filling with weld on the inside.

I am thinking I want to use a length of pipe inside the donut that is as long as the donut is thick, that way exhaust goes THROUGH the donut and is less likely to burn it or find a tiny imperfection in my (less than perfect) home made parts.

 

Any exhaust shop can make those pieces for you, and should't be anywhere near $125.00 for BOTH. Shop around. My DD, OT truck, for some reason, breaks the header pipe within the swedging that helps to seal the donut ring. Happens every 5 years or so, and it cost very little for my exhaust guy to cut out the old, make the new, and weld it in. I have header waiting for the next time it happens, and it's about due. Advertise on Craigs List what you want used, someone may have what you need having installed headers. There's nothing special about your manifolds, other than possibly metric studs. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Butch,

Trouble is they are 3" center to center (the studs). The only ones I found like that - I didn't even find them, someone else did on the thread about the topic I posted above - were wicked pricey. The flares I made seem up to the task. What do you think?

 

Nice thread, Drew!

 

Hi Drew.Looking good.Please keep the updates coming.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Thanks guys!

 

Walker sells split flange repair kits, that sell for $20 or so. They are 2-piece so you can wrap them around your y-pipe while it's still in place. Not the prettiest on an open engine compartment, but works.

 

Thanks for that! I've heard of them... I think I'll be able to modify or even make flanges that are perfect but the split ones may come in handy later. It's one thing to build a car, but putting 200,000 miles on it is another thing. this car will be DRIVEN. I am trying to build it to be easy to work on

 

You can also buy completely welded, header reducer cones that will bolt to your 3 inch C/C spread. It's what we used on the L-99 exhaust manifolds although we had to make aluminum gaskets (then they came out with copper ones). You do have to add a down pipe. Check E-Bay for the reducers/cones. Do not go with the slip fit ring and cone.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

nice lookin ride man! keep posting.

 

Thanks bowtie!

Butch i don't think there is enough "flat" contact. These things have a huge bevel. Here is s photo. Disregard the way the pipe is in there that was for measurement sake

Thanks!

 

Does anyone know if the "rusty metal primer" I used from Rustoleum to paint my passenger side floor pan needs a coat of actual paint to be effective like body primer, or can I just throw the carpet right back down on it?

 

I was working on the exhaust a lot last night and today. I basically followed the design of the old one for the driver side which is where the stock single exhaust ran. I did similar with the passenger, but did many test fits (and am still not done) because there is a fuel line and spare tire well to watch out for. I am at a point where I can't go father until I get some frame brackets made up and weld them on.

The stock position for the muffler, based on what I can tell, is below the frame rail. With flowmasters, Fatman uprights and Posie rear springs, that's just not going to work. I am thinking I will weld the brakes to the the top of the frame instead of the bottom. NO idea how I am going to remove the "undercoating" which is used out and dirt over the first 20 or so of 66 years. Prolly going to light it on fire welding. Yay.

More on this later

 

Tonight, I also partook in some simple pleasures. I permanently installed the driver side manifold, which is a HUGE point of concern when working with 49-54 Chevy v8 swaps as the steering (pitman arm) can hit the exhaust dump and or the motor mount because it does a 90° toward the motor.

I also removed (Lord willing permanently) the load leveler for my engine hoist, and I put on my oil filter that's been sitting in the box on the cowl since November. I stood back and looked at these three things and was quite satisfied for how simple they are.

The exhaust manifold gaskets had a shiny side and a cardboard colored side. I pointed the shiny side away from the motor. Please tell me I was right for doing that...

 

You're right, Drew, shiny side to the manifold.

 

Thanks tommy