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

The first 55 I ever owned came from a guy that had returned from a free vacation and was fixing to do another tour. $65 was the selling price. However $10 back then was like a $100 is now. Maybe more. The minium wage was $1.60 and jobs that paid minium wage where scarce. That's only $64 per 40 hour week before taxes!

 

Great to see a young guy working on a project car, good job supporting and encouraging your son!



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Some more recent photos of my Nomad

 

Your post reminds me of when my daughter helped me build my 28 coupster. I let her do all the bolts from the body to the frame and she thought she had built a car. She never fell in love with working on cars but that’s ok, I will always remember those days.


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You might want to get rid of the plastic see thru gas filter. one of those under fuel pressure is a fire waiting to happen.

 

He said that's one nice nomad.
Thanks for sharing

 

Those memories are what it's all about.
And hopefully knowledge they can pass on to their kids.

 

You have a nice one. He said he likes that trim package and the scoop.
As soon as it warms up so we can get back to working on it, the pic will start rolling again.

 

This being winter is our down time or as I call it our planning time.
He really likes seeing all the pics. Of your tri 5's and reading your comments and story's.
I would like to say thanks to all of you for sharing this with him.
( and me to)

 

Love this 55

 

Thanks low budget. If Tall T 26 doesn't mind, I will tell you the story of my son's 55. A 70 something farmer who attends our Church mentioned one Sunday after seeing my old cars, that he had one my son should look at (the 55). It was in his cattle yard where it's 265 died. I am not sure how long it sat there but guessing from his stories at least 20 years. It is a fairly rust free car with a virgin floor and braces. In fact the only rust is two spots on the tail pan under the decklid and two spots inside the rear door jambs in the dog legs. What appears to be rust in the headlight caps is in fact from the cattle rubbing against it.

My son purchased it for $300 and spent the next year rebuilding all the brakes, suspension, fuel system and electrical. At that point, needing a drivetrain, we dug into my hoard of parts and came up with a .030 over 283. A used (with matching lifters) L79 camshaft, C4B intake and a 600 Holley. A 3.11:1 first gear Saginaw 4 speed. An Ebay clutch and radiator put it on the road.

It has been to St. Paul for the Back to the 50s and to Des Moines for GoodGuys. Reliable as hell, gets 18mpg on the hiway and will bark the tires going into third. My advise for Tall T is keep it simple, get it running so your son can enjoy it. There will always be time for upgrades later.

 

Cool story.
He is thinking the same thing keeping it simple and getting in on the road.
He has said he would like it on the road before or by the time he turns 20.
So four years should be do' able.
He likes reading all the comments, stories and seeing the pics.
Thanks for as ll the input.

 

Our sons must know each other. He really wants me to drop him off/pick him up from school in the car, but doesn't want to help at all. Zero interest.

 

Oh man, it doesn't get any better than this.
I got my first car at 16 the same way, doing work for the neighbor, way back
in 1955. Made a down payment by giving one of my trumpets to him for his kid, and a cazillion hours of hard work. It wasn't for a cool car that your son has though, it was a more door ' 1947 Kaiser.
Good luck and tell him, "Keep the faith, it will all come together".

 

I really like your story! My father was a mechanic, but was determined I was going to have a better life than he so he did not want me to work on cars. Now I owned and built a Chevelle that I kept at a friends house and he never knew about. (Not for quite sometime anyway). I never played sports and to this day I very seldom watch tv. I have always been too busy building cars! We both got our way, as I have never worked fulltime as a mechanic. Good luck and have fun!

 

Awesome! LOL!

Right into the molten metal, first thing. That sure does a lot to take the mystery out of the whole thing. I wish I had gotten that kind of guidance and encouragement and experience early on.

Don't know if it's okay to ask your son's name. I would like that we can encourage him personally.

Regardless. You GO, DUDE!

And welcome to the HAMB.

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My eldest son never liked getting dirty or greasy. He has college education. Is a State Park Super and has a law degree. And quite often states the things he learned helping me when he was a teen Really pays off. He knows enough that if he pays someone to do something for humself or the Park. They cant bullshit him. He told one crooked Mechanic. You cant get away with that crap. Ive turned wrenches on everything from a lawn mower to a 627 Cat earth mover with engines on both ends. He quite often has to teach his Maintence employees how to fix things & how do their jobs.

 

This thread is great, first off I love 56 Chevy's and reading about today's youth being interested in old cars is something that goes way back to my youth. I don't have any kids but I have a 2nd cousin who father has passed, now he owns his dad's 2 door 56 Bel Air sedan, which is a late 60's build that we are doing some updates to it. Disc brakes, and pull the 283 out and put a better built 327 in it, the 283 runs good but my cousin wants the 327. It will still sport the 60's components, just have a better engine, it already has a 4 speed, tuck and roll interior and pretty good paint. Anyway this is something that my cousin and me and a good friend talk about all the time, that we could be a dying breed that the youth of today aren't into the hot rod scene as we know it, their more into the LS, and tubro imports. So it is great to hear about young guys getting into the hot rod building as us older guys have been, it could drag racing, muscle car, gasser, street rod, traditional rods, trucks to name most of the the toys we enjoy. Just wanted to say great job son for helping to keep the tradition of real hot rodding going, if the young guys don't keep it going it will start to die out. Just like the old cursing and hanging out at the burger places or parking lots.

 

I thank all of you for the kind words, encouragement and knowledge.
My sons name is camden.
He loves all types of cars and trucks since he could say the word. He loves motors and likes to calculate bore and strokes and anything to do with the internals of a engine. Drives is sister crazy talking about it all the time!
At a younger age he also liked most more doors and often said some day those will be the only ones we might be able to afford.
When he was little I had got a 53 Chrysler new Yorker more door with a non running 354 himi (cheap). He loved that car and would mess with it all the time. I ended up letting it go to someone else.
Still here about that car!
Now he has a car "problem" he wants them all. Lol.
Looking forward to starting back up on the 56.
Warmer weather and more memories being made.
Thanks again

 

"... drives his sister's crazy..."

LOL. He's hooked.

Kind of funny, Camden... I used to wear my brothers out talkin about how I was gonna have a 32 Ford 3 Window Coupe with a 350 with 4 bolt mains.

Bad enough that they started imitating me. LOL

Have fun, Camden.
Maybe we'll see you make it to the prom in a couple years with the '56.



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Cool...best of luck with it !

 

Think this one belongs to @wvenfield on here, not a 210 but a really cool subtle Bel air
DP90 sealer will give a little better sheen than flat primer....think this one is mostly original paint.

 

It's actually a very old repaint. Car was originally two tone blue. It's my buddies car. It sat outside for 30 years before he got it so the paint is very aged.

 

That’s a great story about how your son acquired the project. Sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders too, something that is very important. Don’t think it is seen as something of value in a lot of other younger people’s eyes. Keep it up and enjoy the build!


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One of my favorites, I do always want to take a SOS pad and water to that bumper guard every time I see it
I know it would clean rite up
Thanks for sharing the pic!

 

Sort of useless for a daily driver that gets drove in all sorts of weather.

 

Here's a few more pics., in some Camden is mocking it up to check and see what parts was in the crates. He also was cleaning up the engine bay a little to drop the engine and trans in. The next few pics. are where he needed to pull a small dent and or cut out and repair some rust. This I think catch's us up on the pics, up until we start again. Hopefully someday this will make him a great cruiser and something to be proud of. Thanks again for following along and sharing in his journey.

 

So, the boss ( aka your wife) is okay with this?


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Yes she is, she also has a love for old cars and truck.
She say's she's content with just looking at them, so she says.
The boy and I have a motor and trans put back incase we come across one to her liking to build.
Camden stays busy working on alittle bit of everything his cars/truck, and a truck for his (younger) sister, his oldest brothers motorcycle. And he is always helping on my cars.
He's a good kid!!!