Projects The 56 Chevy Continued Adventure Build

Well getting prepared to start down the path of a new/old build of my 56. My Dad bought the car in 1970 and played with it until I turned 16 when the folks gave me the car for my first car. Grew up going to drive in movies in the back seat of this car and I clearly remember Dad asking if we should blow the doors off the car in front of us as he would pass a car. I would try to be cool but would end up giggling like a school girl when he would open her up. Has never been winter driven since we've owned it. I drove it until 97 when life took me away from cars for awhile as it does to many of us. Then got my Camaro and then the coupe currently in the stable so she has been ignored for too long. Now downsizing my Dad from his property which is making me get off my butt and give the car some attention. she's going to reside at my uncle's for a bit until I get my shop set up with space for this build. She's just a touch bigger than the coupe so will take some adjustments needless to say.
The car is very solid with only a little rust on the quarters and a couple spots underneath but otherwise all the sheet metal and floors are super solid. Still sporting the original colours sherwood green and pinecrest green but that will change with the new build. Original 265 car but she still has the 283 my Dad put in it along with an aluminum air cooled power glide and rearend out of a 65 Chevelle Plan is to do a 4 door conversion to start as that has always been the dream. Been watching lots of vids on various approaches to the job and I think I've settled on how I want to do it but if some of you gents have been down the path, please fire away with any learned dos and donts as I am always open to learn. I will need a set of 2 door doors so if you boys have a solid pair hit me up! Want to get a really good look at the current condition of the frame to decide if I can work with it or if a whole new frame makes more sense. I have been back and forth on a gasser build or a sleeper/stock look with steel wheels/hub caps. Either way she is going to get a big block, stick and all mechanical will be brand new. Don't like to cut any corners when it comes to parts. New full wiring harness and redo the interior but looks like I'll be able to at least use the door panels. My Grandfather did them for me back in the day and the material is still soft!
Super excited to start down this path as I have always had this build in the back of my mind. Always about squeezing stuff in with the demands of work and family. Can't wait for the day that I can pound the pavement with this old girl again!

 

Check out @Squablow he is the master of the two door conversions, he helped me with mine. In my opinion the fake gasser thing is played out.

 

Great to see you are getting it going. Side trim says 210, but is that some Bel Air window stainless?

 

Street Strip is where it's at...bring it on Giggler...

Funny I have a vision of you kids with your hands on the package tray, faces pressed against the rear window giggling, tongues hanging out...rubbing salt in the wound...

 

I don't think in the good Ole days the Tri Fives had much in the line of frame swaps to engage in drag racing perhaps they had suspension swapped out to run straight axles with parallel leaves but many retained the Independent. I recall some builds had rectangular tubing added forward of firewall when converting to straight axle...but whether that is a modern phenomenon I'm not sure...

Is this due to rust on the original which is surprising considering you say the floors are solid with a couple spots underneath...I get it's sunk right up to the frame in dirt and that's hard on metal no question...

 

Is that a Del Ray? Door panels don't look like regular 210s.

 

A Del Ray would only be a 2 door 210 sedan.

 

Neat car, very interesting that it has the Belair side window surround trim but 210 side moldings, I wonder if that's a Canada-only thing? I like the old gauge/switch panel under the dash too. It's already got kind of a sleeper/street racer vibe, that's personally the direction I'd take it.

I've done a bunch of 2 door conversions, here's my latest on a '57 that I have been driving all summer (drove it to work today in fact)

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/57-chevy-2-door-conversion-pics-build-thread.1199065/

and here's an old one on a '56 I did for my dad

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/56-chevy-2-door-conversion-build-thread.753008/

You really want to get some donor B pillars, I know guys do it with just longer doors and fill in the back part with old rear door sections and the 4 door posts but having donor bits makes it so much easier and then quarter window regulators bolt right in, too. I have extra pairs of B pillar cutoffs I could sell you but you're awfully far away and I don't know how you'd possibly ship them.

Certainly if you have any questions about the conversion let me know, it's kinda my signature move at this point and I love to talk about it. Lots of pics in the threads linked above (along with 2 different methods of cutting) but I've probably got more if there's something specific you need to see.

 

Also, those door panels are really neat but you won't be able to use them with a 2 door conversion unless you transfer the skins onto a new set of longer door cards and sew some more black vinyl squares onto the ends. The rears would also have to be heavily modified. Could be done if you really want to save your Grandpa's handiwork but it'll take some careful effort.

 

Cool man! I'll be watching

 

The more I look at it, the more I think I would buff and detail the paint that's on the car, then do the conversion and just blend in the doors and the forward parts of the quarters, it really looks like the paint is all intact. Could be a cool survivor, especially with all the family history it has. I wish my '57 had that much paint intact when I cut into it.

 

Cool !

 

Good eye. The car is a true 210 but Dad added some of the Belair trim. We always like to be a little different than the crowd...

 

Thanks so much man and yes I will definatley watch the threads and pick your brain. Always so much easier to listen to the guy that's done it before, especially in your case of more than once. I'd be interested in the pillars for sure. Shipping is easy for us as we ship from the US to our store all the time. Shoot me some pics of them when you get a chance and I can figure out best way if that's okay with you.

 

thanks brother. yes going to be fun. and a lot of work with swearing and complaining but it will all be worth it

 

That would be the cheaper way to go for sure. While it is the history of the car being the two tone green, the colour has never been my cup of tea. Have a few colours in mind but nothing in concrete yet. My coupe was easy being bare steel and I always knew I wanted a traditional maroon hot rod. decisions decisions...

 

Here's some inspirational pics for you!

 

cool stuff

 

Many years ago somebody at a car show made the comment that a certain 57 210 sedan started out as a four door and I responded with "no f#@king way".
I'm actually still in awe of you guys that have pulled off such a convincing conversion.

 

...Fitness done yet?

 

Much cheaper to buy a good 4 dr in many ways but you have to have the Metal Collage Pizazz...it in a way is fueled by High Prices...no more mint 2-10k 2dr Hrdtops/Sedans...

 

My '57 wasn't even a very good starting point, it had a fair amount of rust issues that had to be dealt with before I could do the conversion, (Best to do any floor/floor brace/inner and outer rocker repairs before a 2 door conversion, body needs all the integrity it can get before cutting it apart) but I bought it in 2005 for $300, cheap even then.

Not just price though, I am also somewhat sentimentally attached to the '57 like Fitnessguy is to his '56. Even if the price wasn't a factor, it was well worth the effort to have the same car, just in 2 door form, rather than another one just like it.

 

I move fast but not that fast! Once i get the car hauled down to my Uncle's the plan will be to strip the interior and do a few other things with it being outside. I think I probably won't dive into the project until the spring but maybe over the winter if things work out.

 

Look forward to the rebuild

 

I can imagine the time spent on your 57 was some of the best time spent anywhere. Whether it was therapy just to be away from the daily struggles life throws at you or just for the sake of putting hand to steel because it just needed to get done.

 

Looking for a set of two door doors if someone has a line on them. Would rather buy clean originals vs repops.

 

Well started the process. Hauled the car to my Uncles property yesterday. He has a bigger shop than me and they head down south for the winter so I will have full use of his shop to start the build. Going to strip the interior and do a real good clean to start while the car is still outside. A few mouse nests to clean out so will be sure to wear a good mask and gloves. Looks like I have a line on a set of doors so excited to hopefully close that deal. been building out the list of parts needed like I did on the coupe build. Will do the rockers and door conversion to start and then start with more of a tear down. Front end will come off, pull the motor and tranny etc. Then I can separate the body from the frame and see if there are any issues with the frame. Lots to do and looking forward to it!
I have attached a couple pics of the trim tags. if any of you boys know the codes for Canadian cars let me know what they read. i know the car was an original V8 car and I am pretty sure the factory colours are what's on her now.

 

Based on those trunk pics, this car looks really solid, I don't see any "ring of death" rot on the inner rear wheelwells, and that's usually the first spot to go, so I'm betting this one is pretty decent underneath it all. Nice scenery in the background at your uncle's place there, too.

 

Got the majority of the interior stripped this weekend. Knew the rockers were going to need to be done and overall happy with the condition of the floor. Two bad spots up front at the front body mounts where the water can pool. Will order both patch panels to replace those corners. If I need to cut up the toe boards at all I can make up those panels myself. All in all a solid starting point compared to some of the scary stuff I have seen. Will be doing some other cleanup while the car is still outside and then Will move it in to the shop to start makin sparks fly. Been surfing the interwebs as far as pricing and availability on the sheet metal and it seems like Real Deal Steel might be a good way to go. Any suggestions let me know.