Hi everyone. I've lurked here a little in the past. I recently joined so I could follow a thread so I decided it was time to make my introduction. I bought a 1951 Chevy 2 door sedan a few years ago in original condition. It was not my first car, but it was the first time I attempted to do anything other than routine maintenance. I did have experience turning wrenches, though. My other hobby is restoring antique outboard motors. I have replaced, rebuilt or repaired pretty much everything mechanical on my car since I've owned it. That includes swapping in a hopped up 235 inline 6 and rewiring the entire car with a homemade wiring harness. Who would have guessed that a running driving car would need so much work? I've learned a lot along the way and I've done all the work myself. There is a lot of knowledge on this site and I hope to capitalize on that. With any luck I may even have something useful to add to the forum now and then. Of course, we all like photos so here are a couple of my Chevy.
Welcome to Hambsville, or maybe I should say, good on ya, for becoming a member, since you've been lurking for awhile. Nice car, kinda a sleeper, with that great looking 235 under the hood. I always liked the 51s, after building several scale model kits of em, years ago.
Great intro, cool pics. Nice to see a hopped up 6. Love the boat too. Looks like you're in Ontario. There are a lot of "interesting" Canadiens here. Since they can't beat you with a hockey stick over the net, they administer virtual black eyes....
Welcome wbeaton. Neat rig, what a nice car. Lotta parallels with my own project, it would seem. 'Cept mine is way back down the road..
Welcome to the HAMB.....you got a real nice, clean car....love the boat added into the picture...a pretty cool visual! The boat looks very similar to a Aristo-Craft Torpedo from the mid 50's....minus the wraparound windshield. I used to have one (1957 model), and it was fun, if not a little squirrely in the water if not paying attention....had a big old fin on the bottom too.........................plans for the car? ....anything into the 'hot rod' upgrades???
Welcome aboard! Your car is sweet. The boat looks like an "SK Hallett" to me! I also collect and restore antique outboards. I have had everything from a "Clark Troller to a "Waterman Porto". (I have since traded them off!) Most of my available time is spent on my Dodge.
Thanks for all the kind words. The boat is a 1955 Feather Craft Vagabond powered by a 1955 Mercury MK55. It's a blast to drive. It's round chine hull allows it to slide around turns at any speed. I bought the 235 from a friend of a friend. He pulled it out of his late father's 1951 Chevy and was going to put it in a truck, but the project fell through. The motor was rebuilt after it was pulled. It has an Isky cam and a shaved head with hardened valve seats. Unfortunately, the cam specs were long forgotten, although, he thought it had the same grind as the 1953-55 Corvette which is a pretty common choice. I added an Offenhauser dual carb intake and rebuilt two Carter YF's from a 216 for it. I had a friend help me split the original exhaust manifold for true dual exhaust. It pulls so much better and harder than the old 216 even though I replaced the 4.11 gears with 3.55's. The only future plans for the car at this point is to replace the torque tube center section with the pumpkin from a 1954 Corvette. It's pretty much a drop in conversion to open drive. I have the pumpkin on the shelf. I'm just waiting to get a 3 speed overdrive transmission before I start on that project. I have an agreement to buy one from a fella who is planning to swap to a TH350. If the Corvette rear doesn't work out I'll swap in a tri5 rear axle and a 4.56 posi.
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