The “2nd Best” ‘60 Chevy wagon build…

Hahaha...it's all about learning, isn't it...



FWIW, I passed on this Cadillac with a $3500 price tag a couple of summers ago simply because it didn't have a title -the owner had died and his sister way back east had the title. She was a bit senile and her and her brother (the owner) didn't get along...prolly never would have gotten it but the car was complete, right down to the hubcaps, altho it had endured several ColoRODo mountain winters with the windows down...

R-

 

Wow great condition. All the glass there. I got mine that had an older resto 8-10 years ago. I put later model drive train in it & have put 33K miles on it. Its going to the LA roadster show in 8 days.

 

more photos

 

INTERMISSION...!!!

Remember those from long movies back in the day...??? Well, that's what we have here-intermission. Time to take a breather, quit spending money and do some work on my '55 Cadillac and my brother's '54 Caddy in anticipation of a few summer time trips.

The build will continue in a few weeks...or so.

R-

 

aarrgh

 

Cool stuff, Roger. I'm going to go get some popcorn.

Bill

 

these too

 

Cant wait for more!!

 

Really enjoy your builds. Have fun with the Caddy.

 

Roger,

I just reread this thread and didn't find what Master Cylinder you used to replace the single pot. I think a 68 Truck, drum-drum, will work, but would like to know what you used.

Second, on the 2" dropped springs, you mentioned that you had measured the distance between the floor and the frame (not sure at what point you measured) and would measure it again to see how much actual drop you got. Do you remember what the first measurement was, i.e. the stock stance distance between the floor and the frame. I ask because the previous owner of my wagon torched the springs and, while I like the stance, the ride is affected and I want to replace the torched springs with some dropped springs from Ecklers, but am not sure how much the torching dropped the wagon. If I knew the stock floor to frame distance and at what point on the frame you measured it, I can back into the drop and make the choice between 2" and 3" dropped springs from Ecklers.

Also, did you use their dropped springs in the rear?

thanks

 

Well Fat47, my original front end height measurements wouldn't do you any good since I measured it without the front clip on it and without the engine and tranny sitting in it..obviously all the rest of the stuff associated with that would also add weight to it...and I measured from the bottom of the front frame rail...suffice to say, the springs did lower the car...and will prolly allow it to go lower when all the above-mentioned stuff gets bolted back on.

I would suggest finding a stock '60 wagon at the next event you go to and simply measure it. I really don't think a 2" drop is going to cause you any problems if you are using stock spindles...there's plenty of room there.

Yep, torched springs do not ride at all...even if they are collapsed together and touching, I doubt you'd get much more of a drop than 3" or 4" out of it.

I could've sworn I posted what the master cylinder was, but I can't seem to find it now...could be I sent it to someone in a PM and was going to post it here but never did...so, the master cylinder came from Eckler's. Item Number 563843-for 4-wheel drum brakes. Price of $49.99. The best part about this master cylinder is the both cups are the same dimension... and it bolts onto the lower two of a four bolt master cylinder arrangement.

No, I did not purchase any of their dropped rear springs. I have not done anything to the rear axle...yet...haven't even bought any shocks at this point.

Thanx for all the comments guys, the Chevy wagon is sleeping soundly...

R-

 

Any wagon updates????

 

Yeah, back to work on it as of August 9th/10th...update coming after this labor day weekend...

R-

 

UPDATE # 10…

Well, we’re back at it…it’s been a few weeks…had to take a break to work on the Cadillacs and had to take a couple of weekends to go rod running (that’s why we build ‘em…!!!). Participated in GoodGuy’s weekend event in Loveland the first of June, then did a one day show in Castle Rock, a small town just south of Denver the next weekend and then did a full weekend at the NSRA show in Pueblo (I really don’t care if any of these shows are traditional or not, I like ‘em all and I like showing off my Cadillac…!!!).

I was getting only 10 mpg on the trip to Loveland and back…and that ain’t very good…!!! I ordered a 750 CFM Ed LeBrock carbinator (with the Speedway $500 gift certificate I won for GG’s “Traditional Homebuilt Heaven”) for my ‘55 Cadillac and put it on in between the events… IT HELPED…!!! Jumped the mileage up from 10 to 14…and that helped a lot on our trip to Canada…yeah, we quit working on the wagon simply because we had to get our Cadillacs ready for our looo-oo-ooong trip which commenced on July 19th…and ended on August 5th…in case you haven’t read the thread on our two week trip to Canada and the west coast, go here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...hlight=events+4552+miles+two+weeks+three+days

FWIW, we put on 4,552 trouble-free miles -- a testament to the way I build a car…!!!

We didn’t go anywhere in July save a couple of local events, and we started working on the wagon the second weekend in August…work on the wagon has commenced…first off, I sanded and painted the steering column and steering wheel…


Certainly looks better than that faded dark blue that was the interior color.

Then the very next thing we did was order more parts…well, not exactly parts, but more like gaskets and the like, necessary stuff we need to put the car back together and that includes the new rear quarter window rubber…didn’t think we’d ever find that quarter window new, but Eckler’s had it…for only $99.00 a pair…


Got some new taillight lenses, heater gaskets and blower motor gaskets and the rear quarter window channel.

I think I mentioned some time ago in this thread we’d found a pair of quarter windows and the stainless trim that goes around them in a local yard…so before we went on vacation we went to the yard and pulled all of it out. The original Brookwood outside window trim was simply metal, not stainless, and painted, and rusted badly:


Not only was the top piece rusted, but the rear of the roof is rusted thru as well, but I think we’ve got that one figured out too.

We pulled some stainless off a ’59 Chevy four door wagon to replace those parts that were rusted thru…and we’ll use them – I just don’t know at this time if we’ll polish them or paint them to match, but stainless certainly won’t rust at all now. We also cut off the rear of a ’60 Pontiac wagon top to replace the rusted section above the rear window…apparently the seam sealer in the rain gutter deteriorated and water got inside …rusted it out. The Pontiac wagon roof section is almost like new…




Haven’t decided if I want to spend some cash for new instruments to put back in here, or put the stockers back…I’ll have it figured out by the time this goes back together…!!!

A couple of weeks ago, we took a load of parts down to the blaster - inner fender panels, the fenders themselves, inside and outside heater parts, blower motor, radiator support and battery box…while we were waiting for that, we got out the new Rebel wire wiring kit and proceeded to lay it out. I pulled all the gauges and stuff off the dash in order to make the wiring a bit easier, besides I need to paint all that Champagne color before I put it all back together.



I had to build a couple of spacers to keep the fuse panel up off the firewall since all the wiring comes out the bottom of the fuse panel…but that’s alright, it’ll make adding the insulation under it a bit easier. I gotta tell ya, the Rebel wire kit comes with some great instructions…for example, illustrations of where wires go…!!! I bought a Painless kit for my Cadillac, and while it was good, the instructions were definitely lacking…you had to have a good idea where all the wires ran…the Rebel wire kit actually shows you where they go and for dummies like me that ain’t got a clue where all the wires should go, it’s great…!!!



Yeah, I’m well aware we can’t hook anything up just yet, but at least the wiring is run to the front and back…

As soon as I get the fenders and rad supports painted and hung back in the car, then we can go at it again, besides, I’ll need a battery to make it all work.

It took almost two weeks to get the stuff back from the blasters, but once they were done, I laid them all on my outside ‘table” and shot some epoxy on them…



I let the epoxy dry on the fenders and inner fender panels cuz I ran out of time as I had a couple of articles to write about our trip to Canada…

Labor Day weekend I got the fenders and inner fenders out of the garage and sanded them…I had some Raptor left over from doing my Cadillac a few years ago and mixed it up…I scuffed the fenders and inner panels and proceeded to spray out some Raptor on them…they certainly won’t rust now…





Once that was taken care of I put all four pieces (two inner panels, two fenders) back into my garage to let it dry.

On Monday, Labor Day, I decided to work…yeah, I know I’m supposed to ‘rest’ on Labor Day…but when you are ‘retired,’ every day is Saturday and holidays and long weekends don’t mean much anymore….!!! So, I got out the inner fenders and the radiator support, sanded them, proceeded to mix up some Champagne and shoot them…




Since paint is so damned expensive anymore…and I had about two cupfuls left over that I didn’t want to toss…

I had Dan 800 the interior moldings (he’d already sanded them with 400 so they were almost ready for paint …and proceeded to lay some paint on them. Do you realize how many interior moldings there are in a wagon…???



We used up the paint we had left but that only took care of about a third of the interior moldings in the car…so we quit for the day…and that’s where I’ll quit for now…it’s getting closer. FWIW, the seats are at the upholsterer and should be done in the next month or so, hopefully by then we’ll have the car wired and fired-we’ll see.

R-

(to be continued)

 

Excellent read as usual! what's the plan for the hearse under the tarp over there?

 

Thanx for the compliment Fan Attic, the hearse is my son's...wish he'd sell it and get it out of my back yard...it's a '63 Buick...

R-

 

Lookin' good Roger! I love the champagne color.

 

Roger, you're making me wish I still had my 56 Studebaker wagon! I guess I should be happy my daughter and son-in-law have their 67 Malibu wagon project at our place, it'll probably help cure the wagon itch.
You're much faster than I am, been working on my 56 210 2 door sedan for 6 and a half years now, and you're further along than I am.
Sure do love seeing the work you and Dan do..........
Bill

 

This thread is inspiring me to work on my 61

 

Beginning to look like a car again...!!!

This is UPDATE # 11

And back up from page 11...sure slipped down... something you all should know is the wagon has been in my garage, and we've been working on it for one year now...

Anyway, well, we’re getting closer…I’m happy to report the front seat is undergoing upholstery as I write this, now all we need is the rear seat finished and then Dan and I will do the door panels and start laying the jute padding (or vice-versa) in anticipation of putting carpet in…then we’ll start putting the new vinyl on the rear floors and putting that in …that should make a lot of difference in the look of the car. I think we’ll need to order a new headliner and have that put in before we put the floor in tho…

But first, I needed to finish painting…I pulled the dash all apart and sanded the individual pieces in anticipation of new Champagne paint, then when all the pieces, including the dash, are painted we can continue the wiring.



As you can see, the passenger’s side floor is now covered with insulation…I ran out so will have to purchase more to finish the driver’s side, but that’s only a minor setback.



While I was painting most of the underhood items, I painted the firewall parts of the heater, and then painted the heater satin blak on the interior side, that way it’ll kinda ‘go away’ under the dash.


As you can see, while I was painting pieces I also did a few more.


Here’s a shot of some of the stuff when it got some sealer… the sealer made them change color from dark blue to gray…makes for the Champagne to cover quicker.

You’ll notice that my makeshift table is outside…and I’m shooting PPG Concept acrylic urethane with ‘fast hardener’…

Once I was done with the sealer, we sanded the few pieces that needed it and shot them with Champagne…that’s one good thing about the new PPG epoxy sealer, it sprays on so well and smooth, sanding is not necessary after you put it on…simply wait an hour or two and spray your color…



This paint dries so fast, and with a good gloss, that 10 minutes after I shot it bugs were walking around on it…none of this ‘hide-it-in-a-sealed-up-place-until-it-dries-for-an-hour’… within ten minutes you can actually handle it…without worry of putting fingerprints on it…love it.

Check out these next two photos…that’s how many parts are in the interior of a ’60 Chevy wagon, minus the radiator support and the radiator shroud of course…I think I’m going to have to invest in a screw factory in order to get enuff screws to put this stuff back in place…!!!


Only a partial amount of pieces…


Here’s the rest of it…and oh, BTW, all of that interior stuff took half a quart of paint…


Check out the instrument pods…looking good, eh…???

With the interior pieces finished and in the garage drying, we decided to move on to the front fenders and put them back on, so we got the newly painted inner fenders and assembled them and hung them (we didn’t even have to go searching for the bolts, they were right where we left them…in the last place we looked…!!!) When the assembly gets taken care of, we’ll retreive the radiator support and bolt it in. Then we can put the front bumper on and start back on the wiring…

And here’s the other half a quart of paint:

Plus two quarts of Raptor on the insides of the fenders and inner panels.

That now makes two quarts of Champagne I’ve put on the car…and I’ve got the dash to do , under the hood, the grille/hood support panels and the outside of the car yet…hope I can do that with two quarts…LOL…prolly not…!!! Better start saving some money for more paint…!!!



ANNNN-NNND here it is, both front fenders bolted to the car…I think we’re getting closer…!!!

It’s beginning to look like a car again…need to grab the front bumper and clean that up…but first, I had to go find it…after pulling it out of my son’s storage shed, it looked like it had been in someone’s paint shop for several years…it had a lot of overspray on it…so a quik go-over with lacquer thinner and it’s shining up good…we’ll polish it with some chrome polish after we get it bolted on…



You’ll notice I pulled the license plate center section out…I think I’m going to paint that Champagne too…the aluminum is quite patina’ed and I’m not going to polish it…besides, the license plate won’t mind if it sits on aluminum or shiny paint…!!! Then the last thing we’ll need to do is find the lower pans, clean them up and check out the connections (pigtails) in the parklights…after that, we’ll get the grille cleaned up and painted and find the rest of the trim…I think the hood will be the last thing to put on since we still don’t have the engine running…

Oh, I forgot, we’ll need to put the new aluminum radiator in along with the newly painted fan shroud…and the battery box…and the horns…and get the driveshaft shortened…and purchase a new carrier bearing…and put the gauges back in their pods…oh wait... I've got to paint the dash first...and then we'll put the steering column back in…and build some shift linkage…and finish the wiring…and bleed the brakes…and overhaul the Ed LeBrock carbinator…and then…uhm…uhm…I guess I thot we were getting close to driving…not yet…but a least it's beginning to look like a car...!!!

To be continued…

R-

 

Awesome

 

It's looking super nice Roger....

 

Your attention to detail is awesome. If I had the time, room and money I would love to restore a car like you have. Keep it up! It will always be worth it in the end!

 

Thanx Ben...good to see you checked out this thread...and there's more to come...as you can see with...

UPDATE # 12

Well, it’s a lot closer…got the front end all put back together…had to take a break and go to the GG’s Lone-Star show in Dallas, Texas, the weekend of October 4-6…great time, got to see lots of cars we don't normally get to see…put 1746 miles on the ’55 Caddy…trouble-free, again, I might add…and spent five days traveling across Texas...that state is b-i-g...!!!

But this thread isn’t about my Cadillac…it’s about rebuilding a ’60 Chevy wagon…so let’s get into it again…oh wait, let’s go with that writer’s requirement: show, don’t tell…!!!

So much so that we’ll call this update:

IT LOOKS LIKE A 1960 CHEVY…!!!


So let’s go with progress shots…here it is after I hung both front fenders on it.

And here is it after I got the radiator support bolted in:

And here it is with the fender/grille support bolted in:


And here it is with the grille bolted in:

And here it is with the headlights in place (but not bolted in cuz we still have to wire it):

You’ll notice the lower valance laying there, and the wiring hanging…that valance will bolt in next, then we’ll add the bumper and the lower pans…

The lower valance bolted on and the bumper hung…

Looking good, eh…??? Notice I've already got the 1960 license plate bolted on...

Now all I have to do is find the lower pans, pull the lenses out and clean out several years of spider web and dead bugs, polish the surround and clean (soak in soapy water) the lenses…then trim the wires and add some butt connectors…oh and find the bolt baggy to hold the pans on…once that’s accomplished, then we’ll set the hood on…

It now looks like a ’60 Chevy…again…and FWIW, it’s been one year of work to this point....one year since we rolled it into my garage.

Of course, we cannot put the hood on in its present state…so Dan gets the dirty job again…

…sanding…!!!

This will, in all likelihood, be the last thing he’ll have to sand on the car…we are going to leave the car in its various shades of color and patina for the foreseeable future…as it is, we now have a very patriotic American-made 1960 Chevy: it has a white body, a red front clip, a blue tailgate and dark blue park lite pans below the bumper…doesn’t get much more patriotic than that…!!!

So, let’s back up a bit and show you how we arrived at a complete front clip.

Here’s the painted fender support, the latch assembly and the secondary latch painted and drying.

While I had the color mixed and while I was painting, I decided to paint the bumper license plate holder…and the dash…it took more time to paper the dash and windshield than it did to actually shoot paint…


The license plate holder is now Champagne colored...


Dash looks good…eh...???


Of course, as long as we are cleaning and painting, we cannot forget to clean and paint the headlight buckets…


No sense putting headlight buckets on with spider webs and mud dauber nests and bunches of dead bug bodies behind the headlights themselves. Doesn’t make for good contact in the electrical department and just goes to show you the level of ‘clean’ Dan and I go thru. If someone steps up to buy this car, when we get to that point, we can have them check out this thread so they can see what we’ve done, that way there’s no question as to what was done to the car.

Now that the front clip is back on we can go back to the wiring process…I put the battery box back where it supposed to be and we bought a new battery for the car, all I have to do now is run a couple of battery cables and we’ll run wires.

So that's what's been done to the car up to this point...oh, the carb is out for a rebuild and once that gets back, we put it on the engine, run some gas line tubing to the carb, pour some gas into the tank and see if we can fire the beast up...without exhaust under it. That should be good...

Then it'll be hang the hood (after it's painted) and adjust the gaps and tighten the fenders - we cannot be that lucky that there won't be any adjustment to fit the hood...!!! Once the hood is on, we can fit the new radiator and the shroud and plumb the tranny lines to the cooler...

After that it's back to the interior: put the steering column back in, secure all the gauges in their place, put in the new speedo cable, put in the dash windshield trim, put the rear quarter windows and trim back in and then crawl under the car and figure the length for a new driveshaft. The last thing we'll do is call the exhaust guy and have him come over...he'll build the exhaust while the car is up on stands. That way I can tell him how tight I want the bends and how tight to the frame I want the exhaust tubing and the Flowmaster 40's - I hate to see a nice looking '58-'64 Chevy with the mufflers hanging down below the car-there's no reason they can't be tucked up tight...!!!

The front seat looks really great but I'm not going to post any pictures until we get both the front and rear seat sitting in the car.

R-

To be continued...

 

patiently waiting...

 

Looking good Roger and Dan!

 

Roger, you and Dan are doing a great job. I enjoy following this build.

 

3WLar...waiting for what...??? Thanx for looking in tho...

BrerHair...we're getting there...thanx for checking in...

Pumpman, thanx, why don't you post a shot of your two door Brookwood here, give the readers a look at what a finished '60 Brookwood is like...

R-

 

your last line was: To be continued...

patiently waiting...