My 56 chevy project project

Well I have been state side since the day before Thanksgiving. Flew in to LAX did thanksgivig with sisters, disneyland with kids, laughlin to see my brother, Vegas with the wife, been home in Washington for a week and I leave to go back to Honduras in a few day's. I figured I should start on my truck while kids are at school and wife was at work.

This is not a tech article, just a little update to hopefully motivate some H.A.M.B.'ers or at least give 'em a push (if they need it) to get out there and do it. I fully admit I am was not born with the knowledge and owe the projects to another H.A.M.B.'er namely 53choptop. When I get back from Honduras for good in the summer, I will be doing another portion of my project based on tech article by luxblue. That will be sub-framing my front end with a late 70's F-body clip. both of these gentleman provided very informative data.
I would recomend that anyone with the same vintage truck, that would prefer the highly prized and hard to find short bed to look for a long bed builder candidate and follow 53choptop's article. once done rebadge it as a 3100 and no one but you and the DMV need know its really the 3200 cut down. I do have a bunch of pictures to load up on here. Most are already in an album on my profile gotta figure out how to load them. on to here. be back soon H.A.M.B.'ers

 

here are some of the pictures of my progress

 

thats it for now still gotta take another 3 inches of the rear of the bed.

 

Any progress is good progress! HRP

 

Have you thought about a mustang 2 front end?

 

thanks hotrodprimer I did this in about 4 days between the time my wife left for work and my kids got home in the afternoon. gotta put the engine and trans in my son's MGB-GT before I leave for Honduras next monday been a wild ride lotta fun lots to do still

 

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Another HAMB'er here in WA has a camaro clip for me, I gotta try and go get it before I leave. he was awesome about holding on to it for me and is almost giving it to me he only wants $150 !!

 

awesome man is that the welder series MII kit? looks good

 

Speedway Motors.

 

Very nice start. Thank's for the pic's and keep at it and posting.

 

been a minute since my last update, Back from Honduras, oldest graduated from school had to finish his 69 MGB-GT lost my Mom over the summer and built an ugly *** old Dodge truck for my Nephew.
Wife bought me a lot of 3 fenders 2 hoods and a bumper off Craigslist. a p***enger floor off lmc and a few others odds and ends she says she is claiming it too, this is cool she is supporting me in rebuilding it.

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=647507768703028

again. it seems like forever in between posts. I have to work with the time I got not the time I want but hey I did get my floorboard in my p***enger side!! now I gotta fix it.....then the step....then the sill...then the doors.......blahh....But hey I got to work on my truck !!!!

 

Well, it going allot slower than what I would have hoped. But progress is progress. I have a floor patch welded in. I thought I was going to have to cut it apart and scoot it over. Turn out to be perfectly aligned with the Transmission access panel. Also got the p***enger step in the mail the other day so I have been busy fitting it. Now I gotta wait for a hinge pocket skin. Some of these panels fit great others leave you guessing and unfortunatley I don't want to cut one out without knowing where the other will meet up so I'm back to waiting. I do have a line on a front sub frame out of a camaro I might go look at this weeend.

 

Finally an update. I know I'm moving like pond water. I lost my mom last summer so this summer we had a small family get together (guess who foot the bill for that) to spread her ashes in accordance with her will. Also did sturgis on the Harley, mount rushmore and various other bucket list items. Finally got my nose fixed, they had to cut out a piece of my ear to fix it! Came off convelesant leave just in time for a 2 week field training Exercise. Now I finally get back to my truck.

Truck fired right up and drove from where i had it stored with out a bit of trouble. Off came the front sheet metal suprisingly easy engine and trans kept refusing to let go. Kept catching on everything. Maybe that old 235 was saying somthing.........

Then the measuring began front cab mount to center of axle on p***enger side. 28 3/8". P***enger wheelbase, 114 1/2" Drivers side 27 7/16" cab mount to drivers kingpin centerline..............Hmmmm. driver side wheel base 113 1/2". Somthing is fubar.
Went and remeasured my rear end to make sure all the slicing and dicing I did was correct. The rear axle is less than a 1/16" left to right. It's good. So what about measuring from the cab mounts on the front to the front spring hangers? They are within 1/8" of each other. From the front cab mount to the rear axle everything is less than 1/16" left to right. The front spring hanger is 1/8" left to right from the front cab mount. I'm going with worn out suspension. Gotta find a new datum.

Gonna go look up the wheel base in the books, Cutting tommorrow. Wife wants her parking spot back, So I gotta manage my time wiseley.

 

So the wheelbase if this was originally a shortbed 3100 would have been 114". I started with a longbed 3200 and took out 9" from the middle. It's within 1/16" left to right. If the p***enger side is 114 1/2" than it it forward 1/2" if the drivers side is 113 1/2" then it is back 1/2". If the p***enger measurement from the body mount is 28 3/8 and I move it back 1/2" that would take it to 27 7/8" if the drivers side is 27 7/16" and I move it forward 1/2" that would take it to 27 15/16". So I would be 1/16" diffrent left to right. And my 1/16" diffrent from left to right in the rear would be compensated for in the front!!. Time to mark and cut

 

First of all, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE to our country. Second, I've lived here in Washington State most of my life, and if there's anything you need, I may be able to help you out with engine/trans parts. I like the 55-59 Chevrolet trucks, and at one time I had a 58, long wheel base, Ex-NAVY truck (it was painted grey, imagine that) that somewhere along the way, had a 55, 4 barrel, 265 installed in it; I should have kept that truck. Carry on soldier! Sorry about your Mom. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

So I found the issue. As per usual, it was the monkey behind the wrench. So now that the suspension is at full sag, the frame is level in both directions front end is aligned the wheelbase is 113 1/2" p***enger and 113" drivers. I will let this sit and settle over nite and reverify all my mesurments before I cut. In addition to me failing to level the frame properly I have found worn out suspension bushings. My front axle is pushed to the p***enger side by 1/2". The truck was hit on the drivers side, the truck was a Washington farm truck (see pic) so I'm not expecting perfection just wanting to Make sure I can fix it right!!

 

Butch, thanks for your condolences, she was suffering for a while. Sounds bad but I'm glad she went, she's not hurting anymore. Part of her will was spreading her ashes in 3 diffrent locations, Wolf point Montana, the Grand Canyon and Maine. Wolf Point is only about 400 miles from Stugis, I'm a biker who had never been. Then Mount Rushmore, Keystone, Deadwood, Devils tower. And many more bucket list things. Riding the bad lands, little big horn. Any way this is a message board about cars so I will get back to that presentley. Thank you again.

 

Condolences to your family. When you go to Rushmore go there first then go to Crazy horse second. Since you like building things you will like it there, as Crazy horse is a work in progress, like most of our hot rods.

 

Already went norms!! And yeah I did go to crazy horse

 

So, after a week of head scratching, contemplation, fits of rage and what not. I finally decided that if the front was bent, I would start at the back. Drivers side rear spring perch (near cab) to center line of axle at full sag is 23 1/2". P***enger is exact same. Rear axle travels 1/2" to the rear both driver and p***enger as I load the suspension taking it to 24" even on both sides, from center of axle to rear cab mount is 38 3/4" at sag and 39 1/4" under vehicle weight. Drivers is 38 5/8" at sag and 39 1/8" under load. Front cab mount p***enger side is 85 1/8" at sag and 85 5/8" under vehicle weight. Drivers is 85 3/16" at sag and 85 11/16" under vehicle weight. So this means I an 1/16" longer on the p***enger side over all. For me to extent the wheel base to 115" the drivers side will have to measure 29 5/16" from front cab mount and p***enger will be 29 1/4".......... My head hurts.

 

No going back now OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!

 

.........maybe I should remeasured one more time.........

 

One more for tonite. And yes all the mesurments still line up.

 

I'm gonna leave this here.....

 

Looks real good so far.

 

So, Today is a new day, had to quite last night and take the wife out on the Harley. Rode up to the old coke ovens in Wilkson past Carbonado, came back down through South Praire, Orting. had dinner and drinks with some friends at the Applebees now. Im itching to put the wheels on the clip drag it out from behind the shed and start mocking it up.

 

Just a suggestion from my experience at building my 56. Set the frame at the ride height you want and the rear suspension should be loaded to get this ride height. I made a channel iron fixture with long u-bolts to compress the rear leaf springs. I laid this across the top of the frame and placed the u-bolts under the axle tube; then loaded springs to ride height. The front clip should be set so that the spring height is 10 3/4" between lower control arm pocket to frame pocket. Some guys just level the lower control arms. Bolt a fender up and locate the front wheel/tire you will be using where it looks right to you. Use this to locate your front clip. Ride height influences the wheelbase you end up with to get the wheel centered in the front fender opening. A measurement someone else uses might get you close, but locating it this way may keep you out of trouble. I hope this helps.

 

I know its been a minute, Had some side work show up to pay for some parts and tools ( my wife dosent know I just bought a mill) So, I posted my 235 straight 6 and 3 speed for sale, with in a week I found someone who wanted it and in exchange had a small block, a th350, a drive shaft and another 10 bolt axle. so i traded what i didnt want for what I did. also got some tires on the clip and began mocking it up. need some Argon and some sawzall blades hopeing to get the clip fitted and welded this weekend.