anybody cut up a 55 chevy 4 door & make it into a pick up

What I'd really like to see would be a 55 painted flat black with red wheels.

 

I think this would be my choice...

Before





After



So-cal Tex build:

http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350312&highlight=55+4dr+to+2dr+conversion

 

^^^ I remember your build thread. The car looks great!^^^

 

How about a the caddy from greased lighting

 

Man... I would like to see some more of that 4 door convertible.

 

Just to make sure we're on the same page, are you thinking of using the original rear window?

 

Man, Iv'e spent hours on photo shop trying to get the look just right. I found a 4dr thats rusted to shit. So I thought it would be a little more acceptable, however I didnt think of putting pics up for fear of being banished for bastardising a tri five chevy. Now that I see im not alone I'll upload some stuff tommorow

 

I have to disagree with your opinion on doing this conversion. I have driven a 66 El Camino for 5 years and worked the thing hard. I own a motor shop and hauled at least a 1,000 motors with it. At first it was very ill handling with a load, I removed the body and installed Energy Suspension body mounts. While the body was off I fully boxed both the upper and lower control arms and installed Energy Suspension bushings & heavy rear sway bar. I ran P235X75RX15 LT truck tires on the rear & 215's on the front. I finished the upgrades with good air shocks. Now this was now a hauler, I could load 3 SBC's in the back and it still handled OK. It went to Sweden to one of my customers. I always wished I would have done parallel leafs to that car as that's what I like. A 55 will easily do what the 66 El Camino did & more. I'm not going to build this for just show, it's going to go to work.

 

No I was thinking of flat panel with a pick up back glass, ether big window or small

 

Here's a quickie, should be kinda close to scale but the angles a little off. This should give you an idea though. Had to add some wheels to make up for the difference in fear fenderwell openings.

 

You hit it dead on the mark. I'd give it an A & since you tossed the ugly wheels an A+
Thanks for doing this for me
Van

 

You're welcome and yeah those wheels were ugly as hell. Lol! When you do this just start a build thread so we can watch your progress. Good luck!

 

Somebody explain to me how modifying a car, into`something that has been done from the start of the automotive age (thus traditional) can be considered a problem on the HAMB. And its not like he is cutting up a 55 Ferrari, its a 55 chev 4 door, remember the grandma car that no real hooligan would have been caught dead in back in the 50s. Never would have thought growing up for me in the 60s that any grandma wou;d end revered as some sort of holy grail. In my neighborhood they would have nothing more than a parts car or grandmas car.

 

gezzz dont be a goon and cut up a '55 Chevy .. 4 doors can make nice rides .. check this one -

http://www.dallasclassicchevy.com/FeatureCar1007McGee.htm

 

You first statement about ill handling. Ok so you did a shit load of suspension work to get it to a point where it did a small portion the same job a real pickup will do in stock form. My wife has a stock 66 3/4 ton chev her daddy bought new. she commonly hauled 6500 lbs of feed no problem. One time the guys at the feed store miscounted and put a extra 20 bags of corn on. That,s 7500 lbs. three small blocks will weigh about 2300 lbs. I once unbolted a complete model U moline farm tractor and put it without the tires in the bed of a 61 half ton chev pk. It was grossing 9700 lbs at the scrap yard. empty weight was 4100. Ive crammed four 1000 pound cows in the bed of a 58 half ton short bed stepside with a wooden stock rack. No problem. I still maintain a truck is a truck and a car is a car. And a ranchero or elcamino isnt a good truck or car. about as worthless as these new four door pickups with a four foot bed. if your gonna put it to work just buy a pickup. Just my opinion based on past experience. OldWolf

 

I wish I had the skills, time, and/or money to chop up a 59 chevy 4 dr flat-top or wagon w/ and rough `59 Elky to make a crew cab. I have a Rod & Custom from the mid 90's w/ a Thom Taylor or Steve Stanford rendering and it was badass! I will try to find, scan,
& post it.

 

on Las Vegas CL right now.

 

Here are two Cads, and a Studabaker.
Customs have always been either Hated or liked. I know that they made some real ugly ones back in the early 60s.

 

Heres one that I think is ugly. Someone proably loves it!
Don't know what this one started out as.
The 57 chevy that some posted earlier looked like it was running a Rancharo roof.

 

your kidding right?

 

If you build it this way I would use a pickup frame and just use you front sheetmetal clip on it.

 

That reminds me more of this than a 55 chevy,just buy this for $1675. in the mendocino county craigslist and keep the 55, I like it as is alot better than the truck idea,but its yours, do as you please.

 

I owned one of those mine was a 64. it had a 4 cyl three speed and a 456 geared no spin rear. Real speed demon 45 mph top end. Drove and handled like crap. I still have the frame slant four and the three speed. The no spin parts made their way into a 56 ford pk rear end housing. the cab made it way on to a 3/4 ton suburban that had been cut down into a pickup. some one stole the bed. OldWolf

 

you have a point. The pickup frame is stronger and it would be a good truck. a car frame gets a lot of its rigidy from the body being attached to it. A pickup bed on a car frame if loaded heavy would kink and cram the bed into the back of the cab. Use a pk frame & bed and put 55 nomad or cameo quarters on it and it would look ok and be a real truck. i realize the original poster merly asked if anyone had done a conversion. He didnt ask opinions. However with the Hamb you sometimes get more than you asked for. Thats not really a bad thing! OldWolf

 

What about a Cadillac funeral "flower" car?
Its a mullet. Party in the front and business in the back.

 

If you're going to do a frame swap you may as well use a later frame from an SUV or S10 and get better handling, parts availibilty and maybe even 4x4!
Ed

 

WHere at in Mo. Was it for sale

Oh, my vote is go for it, I'm a ute fan, have an Elco and Ranchero both ; p

 

I didn't do a shit load of suspension work, bushings & boxing the arms along with a sway bar is pretty much the standard.
I do have the ability to read the MAX LOAD rating on the tires and follow it. I can assure you that a half ton is at max with the same tire. One block from my shop is a large scrap metal yard and the CHP are always setting up road blocks in the area to catch dumb asses who overload, Immediate impound & huge fine.
For your safety and others stop doing the dumb overloads and if you must, Please keep it far away from where I drive.

 

Dude, That's the Trendero. A '57 custom Ranchero. It was bitchin' before it got rear ended, then built into what we see now. It was in the Oakland Roadster show ages ago. Rod & Custom has done a few articles about that one.

 

That Stude was in the first Oakland Roadster Show, with a matching Go-Kart in the back. I think he used the original back glass, stood on end.