Newbie with tons of questions about recent purchase

I am so glad to have found this site.I just purchased this 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door off my brother in law for $500.She has the original 235 mill and runs pretty good.She can move and stop , which is 100% better than my last project I had to sell when I needed cash to pay for my wife's health insurance when we got laid off due to a plant closing.
The car is all original from the 6 volt system down besides the fugly rusty chrome wheels trailer hitch and dual exit exhaust.
I want to make a repspectable streecar out of her but am unsure whether to make a rat rod, stret machine or restify to stock looks.
I like the Rat rod thing bcause after I check the brakes out, put a set of rally wheels on and eplace the tires, i can drive her and enjoy her.I'll probably have a thick coat of grey or black primer on her within the end of the week for protection.Wold someone please give me a rough idea as what i can do to make her legit?
Thanks.

 

My opinion: spilt the manifold, makes sure she stops and drive the wheels off it.

 

Thanks for your opinon. i really like the rat Rod scene because they enjoy their cars and dont fuss about rain, and trailering etc. I respect it that there may be some rare autos out there that deserve to be restored and trailered and babied, but cars like mine are plentiful and are more fun driving in the rough than sitting in my back yard waiting for a restoration that I cannot afford on my tight budget.

 

First, get rid of the extra doors.....................

 

ha ha , I wish I could have kept my 2 door '53 210 , but situations forced me to sell. The 4 door makes it easier for your pals to climb in and cruise with you.

 

No wonder it stops good.
Look at the front tire.
I would start by fixing that. Then come back and ask more questions.

 

Second get rid of the extra doors, FIRST fix that flat! Really nice car though, before i took apart my 52 pickup i split the manifold and put some smittys on it, it sounded great and looked cool with the two tips stickin out the back! make sure your friends know its cool because all mine said it sounded like a ho*da (ya know one a dem' for-ee-gin cars). Ignorant anyway. Great ride best of luck to ya!
Brendan

oops sorry there harry, i didnt see that you had already made the joke!

 

go through the brakes (rebuild them completely, lines too), clean up the wiring. Maybe convert to 12 volt, make sure the tires are good, change all
the fluids, paint the wheels any color you want (forget the rallys), prime it
some or prime it all, add them mexican blankets, cut the front coils and get
some lowering blocks for the read (do the shocks while you are at it). Ride
and enjoy! Nice score. Have fun.
Rod

 

Thats a pic I took when she arrived.I want to put a set of chevy 15x7 Rally wheels on and some new tires for safety.i am unsure what size i can run , but others tell me 215-75r15's would be a stock size.I'm gonna looke her over good to make sure she wont come apart on the road and cover her in primer before i put her on the street.

 

I do have a parts car at my dad's with the stock wheels .I may use them and add the small hubcaps.

 

My suggestions would be this.

First off, **** the primer. Primer will not protect your car from rust, as many other HAMBers have found out. In fact, since primer is designed to help paint adhere, it will actually absorb water, and make it rust faster. So, either plan on painting it completely, or just leave it the way it is. Old weathered paint is a lot cooler than primer anyway.

Second, ditch the rally wheels. Rally's didn't come on Chevy's until the late 60's, so they wouldn't show up on custom cars until at least the 70's when they were availible in junkyards. You'd be better off to paint the steel wheels that your car came with, (I'd prefer them black), then grind yourself a set of wide whitewalls (there are many threads on this process, you can also make wide whites with Krylon Fusion paint and it's supposed to hold up really well)

Then, the car needs to be lowered. Sky high stance is for A/Gas drag cars. The cheapest way to accomplish this is to cut a turn or so off of the front coil springs, and remove a couple leafs from the back (use some new U-bolts when you do it) or use some lowering blocks (or both)

Then start with some simple custom stuff. Remove the emblems, door handles, and stuff like that. Put some stripper on those front chrome pieces that have paint on them, and clean up the chrome as best you can. Even pitted chrome would look better than that painted ****.

That's where I'd start. I'd probably cut the trailer hitch off too.

 

Can we get an amen?

 

If you want street cred look up the article on how to convert a 4 dr to a 2 dr and follow along I'll probaby catch flak for this but in my opinion 4 doors are girl cars. That said, for $500 bucks F-it, I'd drive the living hell out of it and convert it to a 2 dr if you feel like it, or p*** it on to the wife, or just sell it and buy something different.

My daily is a 4 dr, mind you, and it *is* a girl car, but I don't give a ******* cuz its cheap and the gas mileage is awesome. And it has A/C so I don't get all sweaty like an animal ;-)

 

His suggestions x 2.


Also, I'd get rid of that paint on the chrome before I left the driveway.

 

I third the motion.
...with one minor addition-- painted steel wheels with baby moons and trim rings are period correct, look great and they're cheap too.

 

Thanks everyone for all of the great suggestions.i was amazed to see that you could actually convert a car to 2 doors.All i need now is the donor......
I really am not a fan of lowered cars.I actually like the factory ride in front with a slight rake in the rear.
I am still undecided about the primer thing.I will probably clean the painted chrome, but am a bit nervous about leaving the sheet metal exposed to the weather...for years i was taught that primer would help protect against mother nature.

 

i agree with squablow

 

Seriously, primer DOES NOT protect you from the elements and is gonna be a huge problem in the long run. The 'primer jobs' you see in the 'rat rod' scene are actually flattened paint if they're gonna last any amount of time. Also, drop the 'rat rod' thing, we all love cars and love drivers, but the tradition you're toying with is much older than the term 'rat rod' and a lot of the posers who see things that way...

 

And lower the whole damn thing, it's too new to be a taildragger. Don't be that guy who's trying to make a car into something it's not. Play up it's strengths instead. I agree with leaving it a 4-door though, while I'm not a huge fan of a lot of 4-doors, Chevies of that era look good as 4-doors...

 

I hate cars myself that drag in the rear.I want either the level ride height or a couple inches raise in the back for an aggressive lok.In my younger days (before I turned 35 lol) I woulnt had even looked at a 4 door.The one thing i notice though is that Chevy didnt downgrade the looks of a 4 door from a 2 door.the original body lines and such arent as marred as say a '60 or later where it changes the whole look of a car.

I am not really looking for more power, just a clean head turner to cruise with in my little rural town.mine is the only 53 , so it will stand out in any form.

Thank you for your input

 

Oh, you want the muscle car rake? Sorry, I was confused. By the way, I'd give $500 in a second for a running, stopping 4-door chevy of that era. You got a 'family' price...

 

there is a great flat black paint out there I found while doing a pro street truck for a guy. Industrall black from benjamin moore. Reduce it 25% with laqure thinner and it flashes off perfectly. Paint the whole car this color and youl'll Have that ol' skool look.

 

wrong bananabreath. more doors are makin the scene.. and they are a heck of a lot easier to cram people in. Heck if I ever do any custom body work on my 60... it'll be to lengthen it and add 2 more doors.

 

I agree with Squablow....my exception would be paint the rims and just put chrome lug nuts on them

 

You do not have to make it a 2 door to be "cool". Get it starting, stopping and steering, and drive the hell out of it.

 

I'm with Rodman---go thru the brakes COMPLETELY--don't skip or cut corners---then convert to 12 volt---I used to do wiring and I can tell you that living with 6 volt ****s today--maybe 20 years ago but you can't even jump start the car without screwing up something.

Put on GOOD tires ---primer it --and drive the **** out of it!

 

My '54 Chev is a more door. Started life as a 210 but is fast becoming a Bel Air. I've been able to pick up 3 other parts cars over the last few years for a grand total of $700. I've sold parts off of all of them, picked up 2 sets of Bel Air trim, swapped doors, hood, and trunk, got 3 fenders, 2 bumpers, and still have a nearly complete car to play with when I decide I want to chop something up.

You are right that the lines are still pretty OK with 4 vs 2 door posts. The only thing I've had a problem with is finding the sill plates and good rockers for a 4 door. Not too many replacement parts out there! The rustiest parts of the car are those with primer on them! My buddy works at NAPA and he's got a gallon of Oliver tractor green someone ordered and never picked up. Looks like my car will go green this winter!

I agree, brakes, whitewalls, cool caps, and lower it. I'm still running 6V but will change it over eventually to 12. My generator is just for looks right now anyway!

 

May I suggest building a car that YOU want instead of what everyone else wants.
Besides, cars built by committee rarely look good.
This sounds like your first time so just play with it and see what you like.
Search online for other 54's and pick the look you want, then go for it.
There will never be a shortage of folks on the HAMB (or any other board) that will tell you exactly how to build your car, but you'll end up with someone else’s look not yours.
Make it safe and learn as you go.
Brakes and wiring are always more important than looks, and will get you home in one piece.
Then when you decide for yourself what look you want, ask for help on the board for suggestions on how to get there.

As for the number of doors, shave the back door handles and leave the front on.
My two cents.

Craig