Projects a kid and his car (project 56 chevy)build

This is my sons project.
alittle about him, he is now 16, he got this car at 15 he spotted this car 2 years before down the road tucked away and the was all he talked about until he worked up enough nerve to ask if it was for sale.
Of coarse it was not, the gentle mens dad had bought the car new and he wanted to fix it back as remembered.
Fast forward a couple years and he asked if my son would be willing to do some work around the house for him , he said he would pay cash OR he would work somethin out on the 56. I don't think my son took any time to decide he wanted that car.
He has been helping on all my projects for years, he was bitten with the car bug early on and is crazy with it. His love of cars, trucks and motors is at a high level and wants to learn as much as possible.
He would like to be a machinist, hes always calculating and reading up on engines.
He has been learning some on doing body work, although he says he not much on sanding he does a pretty good job. we do not have a shop so all we do is out side when weather is good. so that being said we try to do most of our work in the summer and like now in the winter is our plan and relax time I guess.
Back to the 56 chevy it is a four door I told him we could try a two door conversion and he said NO, HE LIKES IT the way it is. its original he says.
We are not professional at anything but we try hard and hopefully it will pay off for him.
someone had taken the car apart before we seen it and boxed all the trim and grill radiator nicely. the floor had been redone and that's where they stopped.
The last time the car was tagged was in early 1960s going by the plates.
My son went to visit with him to look at the work he needed done and before he got started the friend suddenly passed away, his wife told us to come get the 56 and take it home, so we did. Camden, my son would go down and do the yard work and around the house work she needed. it didn't take long and she said the car was his. that being said he will continue to see if she needs anything done, cus they didn't have to do that at all. good people.
Im sure im forgetting some stuff, so I think I will stop typing and post some pics.
He did cut out all the rust, we use 18 guage flat steel to make and shape the patch panels. It has been fun so far, looking forward to getting fired back up this spring.
thanks for looking.

 

Great to see this young man working so hard to make his dream come true. I can tell the apple has not fallen far from the tree. Good luck with the 56!!

 

^X2
Great to see young people into old cars.

 

You no doubt have already done this but the first thing to reinforce in them is the importance of using eye protection when removing rust and paint with a wire brush, especially any powered wire wheels.

For sure!

 

This story is almost the same for me and my son except the car was [is] a shubox ford coupe and it happened 30 years ago. He bought it at the time I owned the car in my avatar. My kid still has that old ford coupe but with it's custom race suspension and LS engine, I can't show photos of it here.
BTW, when I was 16 my classmate and best gear head friend's parents car was a baby blue and white 56 chevy 210, 4 door exactly like your son's car...only difference I can see is Rick's parent's car was a powerpac 265 with 4 barrel and dual exhaust. Man, we use to have fun with that car before we were able to buy our own cars. Great cars!

 

Great father and son project. I’m assuming his boss (aka his mother) knows about this?


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Go Dad, keep on giving your nipper all the help and encouragement he needs . Cars looking great, looking forward to your updates and seeing pics of the car drive down your street with the young un behind the wheel grinning from ear to ear ..

 

You might want to talk to him about using jackstands in the gravel without a wooden base to transmit the load better. The last thing you want is an accident.

 

What a great post. His love affair may never die.

 

This thread makes me smile. Congrats to Son & Dad!

 

My illness with 56 Chevrolet's started with a Model 150 Utility Sedan when I was 15. Had to have a friend drive it home as I had no license yet, and it tossed a rod on the way. Fast forward to today, and I'm on my TENTH 56 Chevrolet; this one's a Sedan Delivery.. I have been asked, "why buy the same year car over and over"? If it were completely up to me, I'd have 50 of them. Get him some Danchuk and Cliff's Classic's catalogs.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Thank you for the kind words and personal stories. Its what it's all about, as he is reading this. And thanks for the pointers and knowledge.
Here are some more pics. I found. Thanks again

 

Roger that!
Ask me how I know.

 

The boss (mom) sure does. Shes taken most of the pictures.

 

From the reading in your post, you may have a life experience he needs to read?

 

It is awesome that your son still has that car. We happen to really like the shoebox ford. I bet it's a nice one. Thanks

 

This is such a wonderful thing, sounds a lot like my son. Kept him out of trouble.

 

Cool story - right place at the right time - four doors are great carrying everyone around in - hopefully some day in the future he gets a chance to pass along some of the help he has received to another young gun car guy or gal

 

Great to see another young guy get into old cars. My son has no interest. Come to think of it, neither did my dad. I don't know what happened to me!

 

Very cool! I will be following along and am doing the same sort of project with my son right now too.

 

That seems to be how it goes sometimes.
My oldest has no interest, my middle son loves everything diesel, my third boy is what this story is on, has a passion for everything automotive. And my daughter likes lifted trucks.
So the wife and I have are hands full. And several project going at the same time.
What happened to you is the love of cars, and that knowledge can be passed down to anyone. If not our kids, maybe our grandchildren.

 

There were a few experiences (read that as close calls) early-on that kept me out of trouble for most of my life.
In the early 1970's (just a kid) I bought four of those cheap stamped steel jack stands, the kind with no pads under the legs and had two under the rear of a 1960 Pontiac four door (4000 plus lbs) with the front tires on the ground.
I had removed the rearend for a racecar project the day before which was a 95 degree day.
The next day I didn't notice that the car was tilted precariously because a couple of the jackstands' legs had dug into the soft blacktop driveway overnight and when I opened a door then slammed it shut the rear of that Pontiac came down and completely flattened those jackstands.
I never got under a car again until I had bought four new heavy duty jackstands.

 

At least it ended as a learned experience and not the last experience.
I have always just threw the jaskstand under in the gravel driveway and went to work. I think after reading this and sharing it with my son we will be safer and learn from that mistake before it happens to both of us. Thanks for sharing.

 

Here's a few more pics found.
The car before he started cleaning.
After he got the inside cleaned up he started opening the crate and seeing what all was there, then started to mock it up. Grill bumpers taillights ect.
The engine and trans where still together but on a wooden stand of sorts. Which had been placed on a trailer with all the other parts,seats(needs redone), door panels( no good), and the crates with trim and chrome pieces which was all covered by tarps.
After he mocked most of it up he then pulled it back apart to start the body work. He removed the door glass which needs replaced the rear quarter glass and back window are good and then removed the cracked windshield.
The engine is the original 265ci with a powerglide trans. Which was stuck when we first brought it home. I had him mix some diesel and tranny fluid and for about a week he put it in the cylinders and down the carb every day. It did free it up.
So now he wants to tare it down and see what needs to be done to it to run good.
The car wasnt on the road much from 56 to the 60's ( going by the date on the tags )had low miles but has sat for a long time.
Thanks again for looking and the comments

 

Good for your son. My son likes driving them. Has no interest in working on them.

 

Driving them is definitely the fun part.

 

Looks to be a really solid project. I met a guy named Roger Hamm ( said he was part of the Hamm beer family) as he was rooming at a girlfriend's place. He had a decent looking '55 Chevy 4 Dr. Sedan (this was 70 or 71), but what was interesting was it was a 4speed. What's under the hood? Nothing much he says as he opens it to reveal a Corvette valve covered, dual quad inducted small block! Can you say, 'sleeper'. Keep us in the loop, Carp.

 

210 trim is my favorite for 56. What’s the plan for paint etc? I like it!

 

I was trying to get him to two tone it slightly different than orginal. Main color up front then white from side trim up. Typical tri five chevy scheme.
He once to keep it simple and go with hot rod black. Possibly blacking out the trim with high gloss black.
He say's he would like to have it on the road by time he's 20. ( so alittle time, we all know how plans can change).
He has a diesel truck which he saved for and bought from friend. For a daily driver, when he starts driving.
He's got another project not suited for this forum a 1980 Corvette he traded for. He definitely has his work cut out. But he is also not afraid of work. So to many project and not enough cash flow I will say is the determining factor on the cheaper paint solution.