I thought I would start this thread by first saying a big "Thank You" to those fellow HAMBer's for giving a couple of green horns some great info. My son purchased his first vehicle last summer at age 15. It is a 57 Chevy Shortbed. The purchase of the truck was an event and story in itself. I will share that story another time. Our build, as with most, has sort of spiraled, but we have kept up with it by receiving great info on here. This is the list of completed tasks so far.. Camaro stubbed front end- Thanks LuxBlue for that beautiful article and prompt response on our tech questions. Sand blasted and painted frame with c-notches welded in rear for axle flip. Rear axle from '02 Blazer= rear disc brakes and 3:42 gears. Rebuilt all steering and suspension including relocating rear shocks to a more friendly vertical position using Blazer shackles and some flat bar stock. And the big push that will generate haters everywhere.. a 5.3/4L60E. It was a low mileage, cheaper alternative for the 16 yr. old than rebuilding the 400 sbc/ 400 turbo we had already in the garage. Better fuel economy for the 16 yr old wallet too. Here are some pics of what we started with up to the current status that we are continuing the thread with:
Very cool project. I'm also going with an S10 Blazer disc brake rear on my 56 but keeping the straight axle in the front. Just adding disc brakes to the existing spindles.
That was another option for us as well, but he wanted low and we picked up the subframe from a buddy for $50 and our local parts store hooked my son up with a complete front end camaro rebuild- brakes, steering, and suspension. Quality Moog, Wagner, Energy Suspension, and Monroe pieces. They price matched the online places. As a side note, we used the 4wd Blazer axle since it is 2" narrower= bigger rear tires.
Wish us luck. I'm going to teach him how to weld in the new rocker panels this week. I'm holding my breath on this because I will start the tacks and turn it over to him for the "experience". He'll be fine when its done, but he's a little apprehensive.
Looking good. Great learning experience... for both of you! I'm in the process of a total rebuild of my 55 for my boy too. Chassis is set up (s10), and now we're ready to start working on the body.
Haters may come but that is a great combination and should make for a good reliable truck. Keep up the good work Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Have him do a lot of practice on scrap pieces. I spent hours and hours in the weld shop while in body & fender school - practice makes perfect. Sick looking project already for a 16 year old! Reminds me of my first build starting at age 15, circa 1970's below. And again 25+ years later, after finding it was saved in a barn all that time. Get some pics of him with it for posterity. What paint did you use on the frame?
Very nice truck, but I thought..and I may be mistaken that the whole late model motor/injected thing doesn't fly on here these days? I am wondering what is ok and what isn't. I truly like the truck and the LS series motor in it...so traditionally styled means looks like vintage car/build but can have modern stuff? I am guessing this is a new edition?
Great Truck + Great project = great bonding for you both. Not to mention he'll have the coolest truck where ever he goes.
If more Dads did things like this with their kids it would be a much better world! Way to go... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I know that, but at first when all the forum changes were made or rather being more strictly enforced, something like a computer controlled, injected motor would not be acceptable...but seems like this new forum of traditionally styled cars will allow it?
From what I can tell, it's more of a "don't ask, don't tell" kind of a deal. Don't focus on the new stuff or spend a lot of time talking about it, and you should be fine. Somebody said you should photoshop all new stuff out of any pictures that get taken, but that seems a bit extreme to me. For a vehicle that's going to be a daily driver, the modern drive train seems like a no brainer to me. Plus, you can do for $1,500 what would cost $5k-$8k to buy and use "approved" old and rebuilt stuff. My '36 will most likely be getting an L33 mill and a Getrag 5 spd, but I will not be talking about them here on the HAMB. As far as you all will know, the motor could be anything from a straight six to a supercharged hemi. A mystery wrapped in an enigma orbiting a conundrum. If the traditional police complain too much, throw a tarp over the engine when you take pics. I bet the Camaro stub brings you more grief than the engine/trans anyway. Although, how a Camaro swap differs from a MII swap or a Jag swap vis a vis tradition, I couldn't tell you. Whatever the nuances are, the Camaro stub seems to draw people's ire around here. Don't even think of saying anything with the term "S-10" in it either. lol
KBS Coatings makes some great chassis paint...and it comes in like 10 colors and a clearcoat too. This was called Galvanized Steel. About $85 for a half gallon shipped.
I thought that by selecting this section that I was allowed to talk about newer drivetrain. I read the different areas and this fit the description. The drivetrain isn't necessarily the focus, but a budget neccessity that a 16 yr old could afford. The Camaro subframe was not an issue except for how much time we took staring at it and re-re-re-re-re-remeasuring before turning on the grinder/cutoff wheel. Had to pull up the man pants before cutting a good frame to make progress. We do love the outcome though. Yes, the bonding time is great. We really click on working together now. It is as if there is no tension while in the shop. He comes up with ideas that he wants to incorporate and we figure out how to do them together. Heck we're heading to the NHRA Nationals at Gateway this weekend because he asked me to go with him. This project seems to draw the rest of the neighborhood in too. I think even a few girls have "stopped by" when we were working on it. I know that we have gained an extra helper or two, that would like to do their own hot rod, but don't have the funds or a parent willing to jump in with both feet like we did. I just spell it out with a formula of hard work, a job to make some money, and the ability to pull the trigger when finding a score for your build. I have financially supported this vehicle by only buying the fuel tank that is mounted at the rear of the truck and not behind the seat. I will support any part of this build that makes it safer for my son and his passengers. Otherf than that, he has paid for it all. I hope that covered everyones comments so far. Keep the thread goin with input and great ideas. We love sharing any help we can offer too.
Mom has been involved in the build by using the camera and shooting pics along the way. You can tell the seasonal change by what clothes we were wearing that day.
I like your project. What are you doing for engine management? Will you use the stock GM computer or an aftermarket programable ECM?
This is the way my father started me in this wonderful life of grease and gears . Father day for you every day ! Nice truck and great project .
We are getting the original ECM reflashed without the secondary O2 sensors, cats, or vehicle anti-theft. We will also have a performance tune done to it to squeeze out a little extra go for the same price of a reflash.
really cool you are doing this with your son, my dad did the same with me and my brother...he still is heavy into cars, we have a good time with it
Makes it all worth while. We talk alot more and I get to hear what his ideas and dreams are for the truck. Sad part is that my younger son (15 yrs old), could care less about hotrods. Hope he comes around. Better late than never.
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