Hot Rods 55 Chevy Project

Hey fellow enthusiasts! New to the forum (and forums in general), so bear with me. Finally planning to get started on a project car that I have had for 35+ years and never done much to (except take it apart). It's a 1955 Chevy 210 Del Ray Club Coupe with no interior, motor or trans and I think the original rear end. Now that I am retired, I have time to do some wrenching, but on a budget. To save money, I have an old 1976 Pontiac 455 c.i. engine (from a 1976 Pontiac Trans Am I owned back in the day) that I have had on an engine stand since 1985, that I plan to shoehorn into the '55 after I go through it with some performance upgrades. From what I have researched, this engine has a lot of potential (it was a real pooch from the factory rated at 200 hp in 1976). I also still have the Borg Warner T-10 from the T/A as well (the only two things I salvaged from it) that I plan to use for the tranny. Anybody out there ever done anything similar that may have any advice/direction?

 

I have a ‘57 with a 455 and a Muncie. I didn’t install it originally but I have reworked it a little. My car has a 605 steering box conversion and it’s tight there. Clutch linkage is also tight but mine has retained a modified Z-bar with mechanical linkage. I’m using the reproduction HO cast iron manifolds and they fit pretty well. No firewall or trans tunnel cutting needed. You will need to have the radiator in the 6-cylinder spot.

 

Welcome to the HAMB Todd.
Make sure to also post on the 55 Two-Ten thread.
Here:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-55-chevy-210-two-door-sedan.1218091/

 

i didnt notice it....now i do

 

Yeh, Mark has eyes like a hawk when it comes to wheels!

 

Yeah he’s a real picker of nits.

 

Hey guys. Thanks for the responses. Great info. Working on performance upgrades to the Poncho motor as we speak. Just getting back on the forum and noticed the comment about my avatar and wheels?. Need some help understanding the issue. Can you explain it to me? My avatar doesn't represent my vehicle, just pulled it from somewhere cuz I thought it was close to what I am working towards., not necessarily the wheels shown. Do I need to post another avatar or what? How will I get myself in trouble? I read the rules, but still don't understand.

 

Just change your avatar to a current pic of your project. (Someday I’ll add one )

 

Well, I always figured it had something to do with your name .

 

Friend of mine put a 454 in his 55 it wasn’t a piece of cake but it does look badass. I think he cut up the firewall a bit and made new fenderwells but he built fenderwell headers don’t know if you will have to do it other wise. Keep us in the loop

 

Well, that and taking a pic and showing the mess I have, let’s just say I’d like folks to keep their food down

 

Welcome to the HAMB!

The 455 will provide the torque for a fun ride.

Just build your '55 the way you would have wanted to built it back in 1964-ish if you'd had the time, $$, and skills!

 

Always with the negative waves Moriarity! LOL. OK, I got ya. I'll change the avatar to reflect the "negative waves" reference for those that maybe didn't recognize the classical reference (i.e Kelly's Heroes). I resist posting a photo of the project just yet, it is pretty ugly. Gonna be a labor of love (and a lot of work!). More to come.

 

Hey a lot of us started with something rough and parts and pieces. Great thing is you are saving another piece of iron.

 

Sounds like a neat project @Del Ray Dude
Great to hear you are getting back into a stalled project, and you are utilizing stuff you already have. The 455 may have only 200hp but they produce a bunch of torque, even at low rpm. Putting a Pontiac in your Chevy will take some work with mounts, headers, transmission mount, z-bar, etc. But it sure sounds like a shit load of fun to me!!

 

''Pretty ugly'' that's funny!

 

Don't blow up the rear end. Have fun. But you can't do both.

 

Dude...

 

Appreciate all of the replies guys. OK. So this goes out to any of you Pontiac guys out there. I totally disassembled the 455. I dropped off the block, crank, pistons, heads and main caps to my local machine shop. I would like to squeeze between 400 - 500 hp out of this engine on pump gas with some performance upgrades to the engine. The guy at the machine shop said the 1st thing I need to do is pick a cam. This will dictate everything else (heads, pistons, rods, intake, etc). To run pump gas gas, he says to keep CR to 9.5:1 or less. Original CR was a paltry 7.6:1. Now I have done some wrenching, but never attempted a total engine build by myself. My confidence level is high, but I am not schooled on cams. Where do I start to pick a cam grind suitable for this project? Any guidance is appreciated.

 

You could pick your cam maker say crane for kicks call or email tell them what you are aiming for and they will give you some different cam grinds that can fit. You could do this with several different companies if you need to.

 

Dude, picking a cam is a big deal and you will get some very particular responses here.
You will get asked many questions about transmission, carburetor, gear ratio, tire height, headers, comfortable RPM range, how often you are going to race, solid or hydraulic, compression ratio, heads, air flow rates, and all kinds of crazy specifications. Be prepared for that if you can because they all add up to what performance you are looking for from your combination.
I would get the comp cams 256-268 duration
447 lift cam kit, good all around performance not too crazy and not too lazy. Good luck, Ron

 

Roger that. Should have mentioned, would like to use pump gas (so 9.5:1 CR or less). Manual 4 speed, Borg-Warner Super T-10, 650-850 cfm carb of some kind, not sure on heads yet (original 6H-6 heads, but that can change). Rear end will be new, so can be specified. Headers for sure (dual exhaust), but again can be specified. Hydraulic lifters/flat tappets and 5:1 rockers (maybe original). Not planning to race (organized anyway). Will definitely check out Comp Cams wheeldog. Looking at their 041H right now. Also Summit 2802 may be an option? So many cams, so little time!

 

230-235 intake@050
236-240 exhaust@050
108-110LSA
450-ish lift Shift around 500-5500 RPM
Best heads you can afford
9.5-10:1 CR (higher ONLY with a tighter LSA)
750-800 cfm Edelbrock carb
Single plane intake
Large(primary) tube headers
Basic hot rod stuff..........
6sally6

 

Awesome 6sally6! Great info. Yes, that's what I have been looking at. The GVW is roughly 3200 lbs. I'm not planning on twisting this motor higher that 5500 rpm anyway. New heads I think are in my future (another choice lol). Looks like a +0.030 bore is going to be prescribed as well. The journey continues!

 

How are you going to make the car that light?
Specs I found - 1976 455 ''HO" was rated 200 HP @ 3500 rpm and 330 lb/ft @ 2000rpm

Looks like the transmission is a Super T10 with a 2.43 : 1 low gear and the T/A had a
3.23 : 1 final drive gearset in the rear axle.

 

55 150 3070-3150lbs
210 3170-3350lbs
Belair up to 3700lbs

 

@wheeldog - thanks!
I was amazed how much mine weighed at the track. 3600 lbs.

 

Thanks guys. I stand corrected. I must have been looking at the 150. Prolly closer to 3600 eh? I'll go with that for now until I get it rolling under it's own power and get it to a scale. Guaranteed that 455 is heavier than the original 265. Cubic inches baby! Maybe save some weight with aluminum heads, since the original 6H-6 heads may not cut the mustard. I always thought the TA had a 3.73 rear end, but I've slept since then and it's long gone. LOL.