what did i get myself into 57 truck build

well over a year ago while passing a ford 150 going 30 in a 45 i hit a water puddle and spun a few times ending up on the center divider. the damage.... a front bend frame twisted bed and the so far 1 year loss of my daily driver. anyways at the time i was saving up for a wedding so finally got my funds were they needed to be here i am after 10 months later. try not to be to harsh this is my first build thread. thanx guys

 

camaro subframe was givin to me by a buddy but free aint always good. needed brakes, steering box, etc.

 

off to a good start it looks like

 

dropped in a 56 210 wheel and shorten the column then went on to the rear notch that was badly needed with 3 people in the truck it felt like riding a rigid frame chopper on the railroad tracks

 

after pulling the fenders off i found out there was alot of rusted mainly the spots that always rust on these trucks oh yeah heres a pic of the wheel

 

BTW these pix are from the last 10 months

 

i finally realized after doing 10 things at once and not getting crap done i needed to write a to do list and get it done. finish my exhaust most of the rust is gone, brakes, fuel lines, mustang tank done, all thats left is oil mount the bed on maybe some primer till i can afford paint. oh and some body work

 

You're doing good, it took me 7 years to finally get my 59 truck back on the road after rear ending someone. Keep it up....and see if you can get some bigger pictures

 

I'm 6 years into a 6 month project myself, looks like your daily driver will come back better than ever

 

10 months so far ... you're way ahead of most I would suspect.

Great job so far.

PACO

 

heck i wish i had told myself i would have it done by january and here i am july already. i admit i been lagging alittle but i told my wife i would be taking her for a float at a&w by september in it. so hopefully she'll crack the whip on me about it.

 

Me likey....
When you mocked up the front frame, how did you measure it up? I'm in process of swapping a Camaro sub into a 57 3200. I've read a few threads here on it as well.
I like the wheel positioning on the front on your truck and my truck is the same color.....at least the hood is the same color.

 

thanx gauto5150. i lined up the tip of front fender emblem that says 3100 with the center of the spindle.then made sure it was all squared up. i did it the the lux blue way.

 

I like it I'm 6 years in on the third time I have taken it apart. How many gallons is the Mustang tank and what year is it?

 

I resemble that but I think it's a lot longer than that for me.

The truck is looking good Lowrodder, keep posting and maybe some of the rest of us will get a burst of building energy.

 

Nice truck, most my projects take 10x longer than planned.

 

yeah alot people are saying i'm om tract but i was really hoping to be done 4 months ago. oh well i guess i least it will be getting down right i hope lol BTW i believe its a 16 gal tank. any bigger and it would be to low to the ground. i had a spun aluminum tank in the bed i liked it but when i carried stuffed in the bed i always worried something would slide and hit it.

 

You eye-balled it. Sounds like a plan. I wasn't too hot on measuring since there's many variables I could get WRONG.
I love the fact that you haul stuff around in the bed. I plan on using mine the same way, maybe even haul an engine block or transmission around for the shop. I'm not a fan of modifying the bed up so much that you can't use it for anything.

 

well in the beginning i kept measuring and measuring till i finally told my self man up and start cutting. i kept over thinking it all but i'm happy with it so far. the only bad part of my bed is i did do a pretty good size notch but i'm thinking i'm gonna try to drop in a metal bed floor from a newer truck and just fold it over the notch so i dont lose to much bed

 

look up blue lux and read his build thread it's awsome! should be named: "How to clip a TF truck for dummies"!

 

Nice build .

 

That sucker is low! I love these trucks. The only gm truck I love.. Keep hustlin your almost got her back to daily driver status.

 

so last night i'm putting some work into my truck and i started thinking(bad idea) what if i modified my dashboard. maybe find a donor 57 truck dash and mold in the drivers side hump to the passenger side. or better yet find a 57 car dash(prob harder to find) to replace the truck dash. any ideas? i mean i like my dash but figured i got her apart why not.

 

Looks great! Keep up the good work and keep posting.

 

Little update so after attempting to bleed the brakes this a.m. before work and after work with no luck i realize got a leaking line lol so at least it's a easy fix i hope

 

thought i'd add a weekend update, this is my first time replacing fender panels so it prob looks crooked lol you might think your cross eyed when you see it

 

and the after shots.....

 

tonight after work gonna jump back on my brakes get them bleed i hope think i got all the leaks fix

 

one thing after another has been popping up but i finally got to work on my truck got the fenders almost done (lined up and straight) she runs now but i cant get the brakes bleed. either a shit load of air or i got a leak i just dont see hopefully i'll have more progress pix to show in the next few weeks.

 

Looking good! Im working on my grandfather's 59 chevy pickup now, my uncle was the last one to drive it (over thirty years ago), and he just so happens to live in Visalia, California! He had a dark purple, tubbed, badass 71 camaro for a few years, you might have seen it around. White rally stripes if I remember correctly...

Love your pickup!