Hot Rods 55 Chevy Project

You can weigh it when you run at the track!
Weight my 210 lost :
Front bumper
Front frame, A arm suspension, stock interior, brass radiator
Gains :
Big block, with aluminum heads
Blower & drive, 2nd carb 100 lb
Sound deadener throughout, 100 lb
Roll cage 100 ish pounds
Horsepower wins races, but torque moves the car. That 455 has a 4.21'' stroke! Much longer arm than the Chevy 454. Top end package on that engine to wake it up and you'll be happy. Now about that rear...

 

A 455 powered 55 will be cool, you should really look into a rear axle upgrade tho. 8.8 or 9' ford might be the best options. try trifive.com for more info.

 

No question Scotty. Not sure what is under it now, but guessing OEM, and not sure what GM used with the original 265 cid motor. I'll have to check it out. Trim tag and VIN are no help. Also assuming power glide was original trans? When I got the car, the original trans was replaced with a 3 speed manual behind a 327 (which I sold years ago). The previous owner hacked the body up pretty good putting it in. Thanks for the trifive.com tip.

 

My experience with the 55-64 rear ends is the open ones are pretty weak and the posi’s are quite a bit stronger. But how long it will last depends on a lot of factors.

 

Thanks Scotty. Going to attempt to post some photos. Like I said earlier on this thread, it's not pretty! LOL. Got my work cut out for me. Got all the front end sheet metal and trim. No interior. My starting point!

 

Holy cow that car looks sold as a rock!
Great starting point. Thought the bike was vintage for a second till I saw belt drive..

 

Looks like a great start and will be cool with a Pontiac motor in it! Will be following along!

 

Thanks guys. You haven't seen the floor pans though! Pretty bad shape. The good thing is, after market replacements seem to be readily available. I have been looking at Classic Industries. Who do you guys use?

BTW Scotty, the scooter is an '82 FLH (shovelhead). Had a side hack on it when I got it. It's a hoot to ride. It needs some work as well. Lot's to keep me busy!

 

I probably should get on the trip-five forum

 

I’m not active on there anymore but i do a cruise through fairly often. I go by “scotty t” on there too.

 

The social forums will vanish soon. Hang out here on the main board, and check out the tri 5 threads. The one piece floor pan is the way to go if you have major brace/inner rocker damage.
Otherwise get patch panels, cut out only the rusted area and section them in.

 

If yer gonna go flat tappet cam do a bunch of reading.
Buddy of mine who has been building racing engines for a loooong time just put a cam in his bbc. All the proper procedures and lubricants. Never made it past idle on break in and 13 lobes went flat. Cam company said too bad, musta done something wrong. Cam company rhymes with romp. Your mileage may vary.
And welcome to the HAMB.

 

The car doesn't look too bad. It sounds like a great combo.