I am borrowing an original V8 bellhousing from a fellow board member to position the engine and then I will do battle with the 12 rivets holding the crossmember in. I have my technique down by now though they don't stand a chance. Your truck idles like a pro stock car. I am impressed with the throttle response, have always liked quick revving engines.
On those rivets...I torch off the head, then quickly whack the rest of it out with a bfh and punch. Some times I have to go back in there with the torch if I didn't get it all the first time. The drilling technique works fine too, but takes a while.
Hey Sqrints, I've cut, drilled, and beat rivets out of dozens of old frames. By far the easiest, cleanest way to make that happen if you have the room to get to them is with a decent air hammer and a sharp air chisel. Put in ear plugs and then ear muffs and lay the flat side of the chisel on the frame against the rivet, preferably the original mushroom end if you can get to it, but the peaned end will work too. Start hammering and rock the air hammer back and forth radially around one side of the rivet head. A good hammer will have the head off in under 30 seconds. You might want to hammer towards a rag or glove or something because the heads can often leave with some velocity on them. About one in 20 will find something to break if you have the same luck I have. Knock all the heads off that you want to remove then put a blunt punch in the air hammer and give each rivet a quick burst. All done before you know it, and if you kept the chisel flat enough there's usually no clean up required. Have fun!
ohhhh bummer. I am having harmonic balancer bolt issues. I cleaned the threads out well with a solvent but can't get the bolt to start by hand, didn't force it either. I tried a 7/16-20 tap which matches the bolt and it doesn't bite on anything, just bottoms out on the crank. Purchased this engine used and it didn't come with a balancer bolt. Please tell me they pulled some funky metric shit, otherwise I will start building a trebuchet to launch this engine back into the original owners living room.....
Damn Jim, I would hate to play Chevy Trivia against you. Do I need to remove the harmonic balancer before drilling and tapping? Thanks again.
Probably not. It will probably do a good job of keeping crap from getting into the engine, if you leave it on. Just be careful to get the hole straight.
Subscribed! This thread just about has me talked into leaving the front axle, suspension, and brakes in my '55... I need to go cheap & easy anyway. The 265 has been sitting, slowly rusting away on the garage floor next to the 389 I want to put in.
Welcome develleish, This is by most parts a low buck, git it done in the garage, one step forward two back, beg for help with the rest, build. Speaking of two steps back. Spent about 8 hrs cutting a 44 gal Sub gas tank down and welding it back up to fit my rear frame rails. It fits but it leaks like a seive cause my welding skills are subpar with this welder. Would cost me $80 to seal it up but can buy a new Blazer tank for that. Needless to say I now have a hacked up burb tank in the garbage and need to order a new Blazer tank. Lesson learned........
ahhhh shit, help me. I wanna keep this a 57 as it was born but was dealt an earlier grill. Do I ditch the 57 hood and go with the early grill or pony up and pay $200 for a 57 grill shipped to me???????
How nice of a 57 grille do you need? How soon do you need it? What fenders do you have? 57 fenders have an extra hole to mount the grille, at the ends of the grille opening.
I've had about a dozen of these 55-59 Chevy/GMC trucks and just spotted one that I would like to get...lol To many projects need finishing and no room for another though. This thread has some good tech in it for anyone with these trucks, good luck with it.
I am not 100% sure but I think they are 57 fenders, will try to take some pics later. I don't see the front end going back on before July timeframe. I don't need anything new and pretty cause it would not match the rest of the truck!!
I need to get a manual. Does this sound like a good way to test this wiper motor, found it on the web for testing a 66 Impala wiper motor? "The yellow wire is power and just below the power wire are three other wires. The middle wire is power for the washer pump and the two end wires are for the wiper speeds. To test a wiper motor, connect power at the yellow wire terminal, ground the case, and then run a ground wire to either of the wiper speed terminals. It should run on either speed and it should park if you have the case grounded. "
that wiper motor is for a 58-59 truck, or 58 car. Won't fit a 55-57 cab, the later cab is relieved to clear the motor. And those motors are flaky....I have a bunch of them, it's a challenge keeping one working in my kid's 59. I like the 55-57 motor, it's like the 55-57 car motor. Don't try the 66 info on that motor, get the right info for the motor. I have the manual somewhere around here.
Judging by your opening photos, your front fenders are indeed '57's....due to the little "flat" and hole in the grille opening. My '55 (the red primered one with beige trim/wheels in your "favorites" post) came with those fenders. I did a little metal working and welding to transform them into '55 fenders. Great looking project! Subscribed!!
yup, that's a 57 fender. See the hole next to the grille? The 57 grille is larger and covers the edge of the fender around the grille opening.
Yep....it can easily be transformed to the '55 with some minor metal working. Or it can be left as-is, if those flats/holes don't bother ya.
Thanks and just so you know that photo of your truck is my screensaver. I might steal your trim/wheel coloring scheme but with some different colors. I like how it ties everything together.
My '59 has a vac wiper motor. I was going to replace it with an electric, but I changed my mind. It always adds more excitement when the wipers stop while driving up a grade
It is for sure. Hey I have a harmonic balancer bolt washer that I need turned down on your lathe. Can I swing it by tomorrow night? OK, great. Feel free to give him my number or PM his to me and we can arrange a meet up. Thanks for getting those shuttled up here!
I want to pie cut my hood too, but I'm afraid of that level of metalworking Looks good http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=30697&pictureid=350077 Here's a '58-'59 pie cut hood example (also with raised rear fenders) - pretty sick
I like how the rear fenders/bed have been raised up to match the body lines - more examples. This is a nice example below. He did a good job. Hardly noticeable
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