Well, I got it apart today , me and my son got everything out of it , swept and vacuumed out , and all the dash stuff out , down to a simple carcass , super solid body , but floors are shot , its a pretty rare bird I'm told , it's a factory A/C , tinted glass ,power steering , power brake , pois-trac car, no motor or tranny , but , I found a motor /trans combo , a 283 power pak , and the cast iron pg for $350.00 , needs rebuilt , but , I'm well on my way , the idea is to put it back as close to original as possible , it came in a dusk pearl / white top paint scheme , so , the only thing I wana change is mabye a small cam to an otherwise stock motor , and a set of Cragar S/S's , factory interior hopefully , I will try to keep a log of this build , and post it here , thanks , and wish me luck on finding the A/C parts!!!
You have a very nice start.I think cars like that with all that it has should be brought back to original. Classic Chevy or Danchuck should have all the parts you need.Please keep on posting.Tom (Tired Old Man)
Absolutely gorgeous! I love 57's and this one has a monster patina that needs a little CLR bath to reveal the underlying beauty. Good luck to you on your project, its a beauty.
Well I started on the floors , I have the floor pan welded in the pass.side rear of the wagon , but, I have this space that needs to be filled around the bottom of the seat , along the floor between the seat pan and the rocker panel , does this part exist ? , or am I gonna have to hunt this part out of another car? I havent seen this part anywhere I have looked , unless I would've bought the complete floor section , I didnt need that , just wondering if I am gonna have to fab this up , find an old beater to cut it out of , or can I buy this piece , any info is greatly appreciated .
If there are no replacement panels available, maybe a patch panel from a 4d sedan would work as well as a wagon. I figure a sedan might be easier to find. Good luck on the project!
"OL55" has the best 55'-57' Catalog, Very good to deal with. Ask for "Ken". http://www.eastcoastchevy.com/ You have a cool Father/Son project. Love all the options the Wagon has.
Cool car! The factory paint scheme with the S/S Cragars is gonna be perfect. Factory A/C dash vents are available from Classic Chevy International, one of the aftermarket A/C companies could probably set you up with the interface from new to old.
Good call on the color, "Dusk Pearl" is a helluva good-looking color! You probably won´t want that "patch panel" out of a 53-year old parts car...except for patterns/measurements for the purpose of fabbing it out of fresh cold-rolled 18ga Yourself. Pack a piece of paper, a black marker and a tape measure the next time You go looking at stripped-out ´55-7s. In fact I´d skip the cast-PG -option too, get a TH 350 instead. You will have to come up with a trans crossmember, though.
Cool car with nice options. If you contact Ciadella Interiors in Tempe,Arizona and ask if they offer any type of discounts on '56 interiors, they'll give you 10% off of an already fair price and ship quickly. Their interiors are impeccable. Contact www.ciadellainteriors.com
Do these guys have a parts page on their site , I cant seem to find it , thanks in advance for the help!!!
Ratdude, nice project. Try this link to eastcoast chevy. I bought a lot of stuff from them for my wagon, even took a side trip to pick up some parts on the way south one winter. I have bits and pieces I am giving away for shipping cost, if you need anything I may have it, trim etc left over from a 4DR sedan. http://www.eastcoastchevy.com/Catalog/CatalogIndex.html
Looks like a pretty sold wagon,,I fabricated the floor patchs for my wagon without too much work. BTW,,a turbo 350 or 400 would be a better choise rather than the old 2 speed power glide IMHO. HRP
I don't think I would put the cast iron powerglide in... and I have one in my wagon! At least for now...
A/C car...wow. Couple of ideas so you don't go crazy trying to build a correct A/C system... ~KITS...2 of the aftermarket A/C companies make kits that you can put in and use your original controls and route it to the original dash outlets. A very nice compromise since it incomplete, and you're not builing a 100% authentic tralier queen...and original A/C parts are just...expensive. They do finally reproduce the 1955, 56, and the 1957 dash outlets now, if yours are too pitted. Eckler's Clasic Chevy (FL) has them,. etc. ======= QUOTE:
Cant wait to see more ,I love long roofs .Here's one we did a couple of years ago really enjoyed something different. http://tri5classicsofmichigan.com/Restoration_Shop-Gallery.php?g2_itemId=1749&g2_page=10