It was about 1 year ago that I drug home this 55 Chevy, not knowing if it would run or not, let alone drive or stop...but either way, at least I got a good deal Yep, it was pretty ugly, but only because of the choices of the previous owner...I'm sure they liked it at one time... First things first, get it running, if possible. There were plenty of wiring issues to deal with. I started by re-wiring under the hood and dash, changing out the points for a pertronics unit, new cap, wires, plugs, and rotor. Rebuilt carb, fresh fuel...blah blah blah, you guys know the drill...and it runs, sort of.... Then, with my depleted budget, I scrounged up some rusty Cragars, got rid of the sidepipes, bumper, and generally gave it the once over....twice... And took it around the block a time or 2. After some fine tuning, and some brake work, and some header muflers, I finally left my daily at the shop and drove it home to my house for the first time...that's alway a good feeling. My vision for the car is getting closer now, and it's summer time. It now has front disc brakes, and seatbelts. Every line on the car that carries fluid is new, as is the radiator and the fuel tank. I took it for it's first roadtrip in May, not without some issues, but I did drive it 150 miles round trip. I learned some things, It had never smoked around town, but it sure did down the highway....(this winters project, the 327 gets a freshening ) While at the car show, I ran across a guy with skinny Cragars on the the front of a full size 74 Buick, I convinced him that they were too small for his car, but just right for mine... Now that I had nice, rust free wheels on the front, I scored some 15 by 8's in the local classifieds for the back. I've also installed a new hurst shifter, just in time to start thinking about changing transmissions this winter, while the engine is out... So, how has your project / driver progressed through the year ?
I can't beleive you didn't keep those sweeet wheels that were on it! Cragars and 55 Chevys were made for each other. Looks great.
Well , I like the front bumper on those cars , unless it has a staright axle under it , and radiused rear fenders , but then it has to be a sedan , not a hardtop , but , cool car all the same...looks like it hads a hell of a body too.
Good lookin' tri-5! One year can make a HUGE difference! Since last October, my project went from this: To this:
Looking good! All the glass appears to be in good shape, too. Are those GM Strato-buckets? How do they fit?
The seats are monte carlo / chevelle seats without the headrests. They were in there when I bought it, and they're spaced up with wood....I'm going to make up some proper bases (metal) for them this winter, but it shouldn't take too much work to do it right. When funds allow, I'll have them recovered, and get rid of the headrest holes. The glass is decent, except for the driver's door glass, which has a small crack on the upper rear corner... I'm thinking about putting the front bumper back on, or getting one of the smooth versions, without the guards, but it does have a mid sixties vibe this way. BTW, I agree with a prevoius post that only sedans should have straight axles, this car will never have one.
I say put the bumper back on unless you are going to straight axle it. But, bumper or no bumper its still your car and a nice one!
The Jalopy Journal
