55 gasser WANABE lots of questions and ideas NEW PICS

been looking for a while found this one close to home ( one mile )--- owner was a really nice guy and was able to trade parts for most of the 900 dollar price---i was thinking axle car with radiused wheelwells now i don't know---maybe just high in the front with tires tucked in on the rear---all my other body work has been on glass cars so i am sot sure about the body work---we will see---engine will either be an old race 327 i have or a mild big block sniffing gas ---have olds rear with 488's and 35 spline axles---looking for a glass front cap but not in a hurry---home made traction bars of my own design---pipe bumper in rear, battery in trunk etc.---has to be a cheap build but i hope it does not end up in primer---i have pics and will be trying to post them---hope this does not turn into one of those really fun Gasser slugfests...

 

well that is about 1/2 of the pictures i thought i posted...

 

Nice find

 

Congratulations. You have way more parts to start with than I had to start with on mine.

 

Cool! It'll be fun to watch this one build up.

 

love it when you find them in your own back yard. keep us posted.

 

Nice score, I vote to not radius the wheelwells.

 

Congrats....Love the 55's

 

kQQL neet keen........
you guys are killing me
after this summer i just might CUT up a running driving
51 H J ... id rather buySELLtrade for a tubbed 55 or a 51 HEnryJ

 

Nice car.... IMO if the wheel wells are not to bad I personally would not radius them... if the floor and trunk are not too bad, you are way ahead.... our old '55 race car (now in the hands of a friend) was not in that good of shape from what I can see.

 

if you want to paint it quick and cheap, get some rustoleum from Walmart. It cost me about $65 to paint my truck

You can get a cheap New windshield at Petit Jean

 

many that looks great...

 

Great start!!

 

Yes a great start. Being you've already got and Olds nut and a three-two-seven, and it's not exactly a cherry grandma's barnfind....gasser the hell outa that sumbich! Eph the nay-sayers.

 

It doesn't need a straight axle to be a gasser, maybe just some ball joint spacers and Impala wagon springs instead. That or kinda keep it as is with some body work and paint for a junior stocker look would look real good too.

 

$900 and most of it was paid for in trade? As the auction experts on tv like to say, "Well bought." Looking forward to seeing your progress. I read the Roth book back in the '70's that had one section dedicated to building a low buck '55. He radiused the wheel wells and I've been a fan ever since. Good luck on building one of my dream cars.

 

Good find love them 55's sounds like you got a good plan good luck...

 

nice! maybe use coils in front rather than straight...axle...use spring spa eds to get right...nose up look...see my dads 55 in the Boston.street racing thread i started..,..take a look

 

bostoncamaro---that is a great looking 55---really like the picture of it under power...

 

It's a 55, it's awesome.

 

Not a bad looking 55 for 9 bills. Looks to be a 150 also so no messing around with stainless. Go ahead and radius it if that is what you are looking for. It is not like you are going to hurt a cherry original.

 

thanks, here is some history on the car and it is cars like the one you are building that echo such history of days gone by and cars that guys ran. My dad spent 3 years building it from 1965 to 1968, the body work was all done in lead, my grandfather had a body shop for over 50 years and had the entire roof in moultan lead, my dad built a 409 for it and their first date was to go pick up an intake on the South Shore of MA (Nantasket), they went down on the rocks and my mother almost fell into the ocean, and of course the intake the guy had for sale, it was the wrong intake, they had a good time..she should have known then though cars would be a reoccuring theme. He found the right intake a block from his house, in the basement of a guy he knew. He had such issues with the 409, first time he had a guy build the motor, he used the wrong valve retainer, my dad shut it off one day and heard the valve fall into the chamber, easy fix...then right after getting back together, realized the guy used the wrong oil pump driveshaft...then one night in early fall got it back together, it dropped into the 20s, the water in the block and froze and cracked the water jackets, my dad pulled the motor and was about to smash it, literarly was about to smash it when my grandfather walked in and said stop! He pulled out nickel rod and welded it, it NEVER had a problem and in the picture you saw, it was lifting the front wheel into second, the car went high 11's low 12s on the street in 68. After the debackles with the engine building, he and then (we) never had another motor built again, everything done now at home aside from actual machine work. He sold it before going to Vietnam in case something happened, wanted my mother to have some money to get buy on. 6 months later, shot down for the 3rd time, after 6 months in the hospital went to find the car, the kid had blown the motor, put a 327 in then totaled the car.

 

great story about a car and a car family, thank you for sharing...

 

found an old set of smallblock fenderwell headers but they need repair---also two 14x6 keystones for the front---some floor board pics---anyone know anything about fixing headers or getting the rings off these keystones ?

 

Looks like a good project. If you need an questions asked or advice feel free to ask. I have been down the road that you are travelling right now!
Jay

 

Radius, radius, radius. It's about the only thing that could make that car any cooler than it already is. Bad to the bone.

 

i would mig...some sheet metal patches on...rather than sectioning tubes in......but only if the rest of them are solid

 

What is the least expensive 4 speed that will stand up to abuse, also what clutch and pressure plate ? I have a blow proof bellhousind and a mr gasket in line shifter for a t10...

 

Not really cheap unless you get lucky but I have beat the stuffing out of my M20 Muncie in my 56 gasser. Shattered the drive shaft slip yoke at a race the other night but the trans is still hanging tough. Running a ram 11" clutch because the 10.5" wouldnt hold up.

 

yikes ! i have replaced floors but never rocker panels also looks like front floors need replaced ---i was hoping to patch---good side . body has been off frame and frame has been blasted and painted---i will be posting pics of my rotisserie adaptors for shop cranes