Projects My first 33 Chevy 5 window build

Lookin' good! The ol' Chevys have a refreshingly different look to them.
My buddy & I built a '34 back in the 90's. I found an old race car that used to run @ Union Grove Wisconsin back in the day. It was a shell welded to the roller frame. Wood was all gone, no steering, engine, trans or interior at all. Blank slate. We filled the top with a chunk of a '54 Chevy roof that we found in a field and hacked off. The wood was replaced with 3/4" square tubing. It was a blast to build and turned out to be pretty cool.

 

Dang, I'd love to work on the 33. My phone says the Temp is 105, and I only lasted 30 minutes in the shop with 5 fans blowing on my azz

 

Thanks,

Nice hotrod, that's the look I'm going for, except for the chopped top. Before I bought the 33 a friend of mine told me when you go to car shows you'll see 90% 30 model Fords to 10% Chevys, so that kinda drew me to the 33, and he wasn't wrong.

 

Fair enough. Kinda the mirror image of going to the drags and seeing 90% Chevys to 9% Fords and 1% Mopar. I'm a fan of purebred cars so Chev in a Chev makes a lot of sense to my linear way of thinking. Although I think a hemi can really go into anything. So, what'd that take, a millisecond for me to break my own rule?

Good luck with the build, thanks for the build thread; I'm following along.

 

^^^. Except at drags they go Chevy for performance…. Shows are for show. & few old Chevy because interior wood did not save/preserve the bodies

 

My chassis has sterring, finally.
In the body was a ton of uninstall parts and the sterring rack was still in the box "Unisteer" unit. After doing some research, it was suggested to use a Vega steering bracket and weld to the frame, but that didn't look like a clean install. I came up with a little spin on the bracket. I decided to go direct to the frame. The top mounting hole I cut a chunk of 1" round rod and tapped a 1/2" dia. bolt thread. This will go into the rectangle frame.


After setting the frame ride height I positioned the mounting bracket and checked for proper movement and set the first hole position. This is the inside hole for the 1" threaded bushing.


Outside of the frame I drilled a 1/2" hole. This hole I'll use to plug weld the end of the bushing to the frame and bushing.


Here is the bushing bolted to the steering bracket. Now the bracket can be clampped into place and plug welding will begin


Plug welded


Now to weld up the other side of the bushing.


With welds ground down flat, it was time to add the bottom bracket.


This is what it looks like on the inside of the frame.


All installed, tucked up tight to the frame, and was able to get my thru frame brake line fittings installed.










Now run the brake lines.....

 

Now on too the brake lines. I'm using nickel/copper brake line, and chose that for it being easier to bend. The only draw back is the clamping tool to do the flare distorts the O.D. and the flare dosen't rotate smothly, and this is with a new flaring tool. I just happen to have an old flaring tool (30 years old) that had less agressive bite and worked perfectly.

Here I have the lines run for the front calipers. Still need to install the line clamps...of course waiting on parts for that process.


I'm not using the flex line that comes from the frame to the differental. I want to keep all of the brake line free of the rear end, that way if I have to drop the diff. I'm not breaking brake fittings. Mounted the flex line coming off the caliper to the bottom of the frame. I do plan on stripping everything off the frame to do the final paint.


I did "T" off to the center of the frame for equall distance to the rear calipers.


Here is a view of the driver side showing how the rear flex line is routed


Next was running the line thru the center crossmember. I didn't want to run it underneath the frame here, so I made a 2" long bushing so the thru frame fitting wouldn't collapse the tubing when I crank down on the fitting.


I've been accused of being anal when it comes to how I build somethings, and here the thru frame fitting was only NPT on one side and 3AN on the other and to get to a 3/8-24 on that end you can see the number of fittings needed for that. I'm a bleiver in less fitting less leaks. Here's where the anal comes in, I cut the 3AN off and drilled and tapped for 1/8 NPT, less connections...problem is tapping into stainless the taps get dull half way through the tapping process...2 taps later.


It just looks a lot cleaner this way.


Other side of crossmember

 

I haven't done much to the 33 as of late, but I did get the brake lines anchored down.

All the brake lines run to the rear and anchored down


To space it off the frame I used 5/8" dia aluminum rod and drilled a 1/4" hole in the middle and cut to length and tapped the tubing for 1/4" - 20 button head bolts.


The other end of the line running to the rear crossmsmber.


This connection looks so much cleaner without all the adaptors to go from 3AN to 3/8" x 24 flare.


The front lines run and locked down.


I'm not going to run the rest until I get the body back on the frame and mount the master cylinder to the fire wall. Transmission rebuild is next and finding a bench seat...the list seems to not get any smaller, I guess that's part of the fun.

 

Great project I'm doing one very similar.

 

Let’s see it @bugx18 !

 

Do you know what front disk brake conversion kit this one is?

 

This is mine mocked up with a '35 truck hood. Since this picture it has a 4" channel done to it and I'm working on the floor.

 

@bugx18 looks fantastic you should start a thread so we can follow along!

 

This is the conversion kit less the slotted and drilled rotors.
1937-48 Ford Disc Brake Kit, 5 on 4-3/4, Metric Caliper, Drilled (speedwaymotors.com)
Copy & past the link in another window then click the site that comes up. It's not a direct link.
My rotors have a Chevy lug pattern, but you can get in Ford also.

 

Nice, looks like a good solid body.

 

It is a real clean original paint no rust body and I was able to find a hood also with original paint in nice condition. I took the project over half done with lots of parts so been a lot of mocking it up to see what is going on and then trying to get an idea on how to get it where I want it. That's when I saw your very nice project I love where your going with it and hope to achieve a similar result. I also have a 327 but went 200-4r for the overdrive since I'm starting with a 411 gear to mitigate the tall rear tire. This is also my first 5 window project so I'm following your progrees keep up the great work it's inspirational.

 

Hey bug your hood looks like a 34 car hood , 34 36 truck hoods have up and down louvers .
This is my 33 chev 3 window with a Canadian hood on it ,all Canadian cars came with this hood in 33

 

You are probably correct this is my original '33 Master hood however the frame is a custom rectangular tube frame modeled after '32 ford? To make this work I will neeed to modify it and I'm having morality issues regarding cutting it to fit. LOL

 

That is an American 33 chev hood, our cars were not available with that hood ,although the top looks the same ,I might have some extra 33 canadian hood sides .Be the first on your block to run them LOL

 

Bug ,your 34 hood on your car appears to be a standard hood . Master hoods had a piece of chrome along the edge of the louvers and standard did not . Maybe see if somebody filled the holes along the louvers on your hood ??? A 34 standard hood is a tough hood to find .

 

Wood Remover Thanks for your incite! If you could post a pic of those Canadian hood sides I would like to see them.

 

Sorry wood remover I just realized you did post your vehicles are super clean.

 

They are now !!!

 

I know I haven't posted in awhile about the progress of the 33. I had changed the focus of the project to getting the body blasted and primed, then get the seating set to install the steering clounm, break pedel, and brake booster.

First I needed to get a air compressor big enough to do small blasting, primer, and paint. After doing some research and reading reviews. The new compressors aren't lasting two to three months without having motor or pump issues. So I found a local company that sells new and recondition (old school) air compressors at a fairly good price. The compressor I bought has a Belaire two stage pump with a 5hp electic single phase 230v at 175psi 80 gallon tank and the owner of the company gave me a life time warranty. (sweet)

The bucket seats I want to install will be new so I don't want to get rust on them, so blasting needs to be done first.


This is the rust in the back of the body.


Here's the new to me compressor.


In its spot and wired to a breaker. My plan for the compressor is to build a cart with wheels so I can move it to other spots in the shop, I have muilt 230v plug receptacles around the shop.

 

Cool

 

I recently took this photo of my friend's 3 window chevy

 

Well with the wife telling me to cut back on the 33 spending. I figured since I already had the material to work on the radiator grill. (grill work coming up)

I really didn't feel like spending 800.00 on a re-pop grill and a good used one isn't much cheaper, so I decided to do my own. Being there isn't much original but the upper shell, and I don't have the chrome/stainless edging for the grill. Making my own grill will follow the theme of the build.

I'm using 1/4" cold roll round rod for the outer perimeter and the vertical slats, with 1/4" spacing. I ran out of 75/25 gas so this is all I got done for the day.


I did tack weld the outer perimeter to the grill shell, and it will be ground loose when all the slats are in and the mounting brackets are finished on the inside, which should make it removable.

 

I did the grille in my 34 chev the same way ,but used stainless rod and I had the trim ring , looks great!!!

 

Just read to whole thread.Keep up the good work mixerman!I'll be following!