Projects 1957 Chevy basket case Canadian fix up and 2 door conversion

please put a few tacks in as well!

 

will do!!

 

So to clarify, the B pillar was no longer attached to anything when you started, and the plan with the rockers is to hold them in place with screws until you can get the floor pan located, then weld it all together?

That seems like a plan that should work. Makes a bit more sense why the post got moved if it wasn't attached to anything at the bottom anymore. (a little surprised, the floor pan doesn't look all that terrible in the pictures) But I still would suggest like Johnny Gee said, once you have everything in place, but before you finalize the door position and weld the B post in permanently, be sure to get your front clip in place and lined up as good as possible to use that body line as a guide to where the door should go.

You want the door to fit the front fender, cowl/roof, and rocker panel with good gaps, then put the B post and quarter panel filler pieces in where they fit against the door best. The B pillar can go anywhere, it's only reference is where the door closes, so those other gaps need to be right on before you make the B post and quarter panel permanent. If you make the pillar match the door without the front fenders on, you might never get the front clip to fit, and factory fit of '57 Chevy front fenders is pretty shit to begin with, so you don't want to magnify that problem, now's your chance to improve on it.

Be sure to post more pictures as you go, I'm going to follow this thread (unless you make a new build thread, then I'll watch that), I'd like to see this one come together. This is one of my favorite subjects.

 

^^^^^ Here’s another reason for it. See how the rocker is a bit twisted (see many 57’s this way) inward at the bottom? It use to look worse but I pushed the fender in but now lower door edge is outward a tiny bit (50/50 compromise) so it looks better than it was.

 

Sqaublow - yup, you nailed my plan. I think I made a post here before about the order of operations for the rockers, floor, rust repair, and conversion. That’s the order I plan on doing things! In the picture the floor doesn’t look too bad, but it’s terrible especially underneath. I believe it sat in a muddy field and likely rotted for underneath up - there is NO braces, and the valley between floors and rockers was completely gone. The previous owner sold it as a parts car and said it was sitting without door. Based on some shoddy repairs I’m finding I’m betting it was a young persons car for a while, and then when they jacked it up from the rocker the door wouldn’t close so they yanked the doors and parked it.

I bought two 4 door cars, but one had the 2 door doors (only way I could find some) and some interior and trim parts. But it’s been in a rear collision and would need a whole near rear quarter. It also has a ton of rust in the seams and around the windshield as well as the truck. The floor and rockers were in no better shape so I chose to fix this car.

I will rename this thread and turn it into a build thread so that those who want to can follow along and laugh at my incompetence and misadventure! The plan is to get a running and driving car, which won’t look all that great and throw a fire breathing power plant in it. This is definitely my most ambitious project yet, and though I consider myself a talent amateur I’ve always started with good mechanicals or a good body. This has no mechanicals is at best a poor shell.

I appreciate all the help and info thus far, and with future updates I’ll try and post pictures properly.

 

Im doing a 55 4 door conversion myself. I dont want to use the 4 door B pillar,and 2 door donors are rare in my area so im making my own 2 door pillars. They sell the lower section repo for about 120 bucks US. The top section im making out of .060 wall 1-1/2 x 2 inch rectangle tube.At the top I made the curved area that welds the top of the post to the roof.On the inside I reinforced the latch area with .060 sheet metal formed to fit. The back door window frame will become the section behind the door,and will get welded on.Im doing glue in side windows so inside clearance isnt a real problem. Weld on the inner,and outer door skin sections,and the pieced together post gets reinforced so nothing can twist.When I open the door the jam area will look just like the factory 2 door. Just a thought on how to do it different.

 

If you're working on the car in Sturgeon Bay (or if you come here regularly and have a way of toting large pieces home) I have some factory B pillar cutoff pieces available that could be helpful to you.

Or if anyone else finding this thread is anywhere near Green Bay, Wisconsin and needs some 2 door conversion sheetmetal, feel free to message me. Most of it is pretty rough (not cutting apart any fixable 2 door sedans, after all) but it's a better starting point than nothing and will be priced accordingly.

 

Thanks for the thought. Sturgeon Bay is my summer time haunt. Im doing this build out west in the Sierra Nevada mountains where its barely warmer than Door county, but projects are where you find them.I like fabricating so its my indoor project.

 

Hey Irishsteve - obviously getting way ahead of myself here, but glue in rear windows? Explain that one?

Obviously getting them cut is no biggie, but I have been thinking about what to do for weather stripping and how to mount them etc.

 

When they install a replacement windshield on modern cars they lay down a bead of adhesive ,and set the glass on it. Sets up pretty quick since they let you have the car in about a hour.Thats what I plan to use. Dont have a brand name yet but I bet its a 3M product.Weld a couple flat mounting pads cross the rear window opening at the correct level below the trim so the glass has a seat to prevent dropping. Put a bead on the opening,and set the glass in.At least thats the plan. If you wanted to use a rubber gasket buy the ones that came on 150 sedans that didnt have roll down windows. On Utube BW garage is building a 55 Gasser,and he installed the rubber in a video.

 

^^^^^ 1/4 glass? Mine is held up with 1 1/2” aluminum angle secured to the inner structure by two 1/4-20 fasteners. Bottom edge of glass (new cut glass) has rubber channel so glass won’t touch angle.

It has cat wiskers so it retains 210 look from the outside.
Ya, I have a few Tri-Fives.

 

^^ That's how I would do it if I were converting it that way, I'd bend up new window felt channels just like a functioning window, I'd get new glass cut and stick a sash on the bottom of it (could even re-use a 4 door sash) and then just bolt the sash solid to whatever inside panel you end up using with a spacer. It'll look like a rolled up window.

My car has all functional regulators and tracks since I used the pieces from the 2 door donor car, but I never roll the rear windows down anyway. I just like the factory style appearance.

 

FYI about 2 door sedan 1/4 glass. 150 series stationary glass lower edge has the shape of the belt line cut into it where as 210 and Bel Air post model (and 150’s with roll up 1/4 glass) have a straight lower edge along the glass.

 

It appears to be a lot of good information here from those who have already done it, and found out the tricks and mistakes.

 

Appears!?
I’ve never done a conversion.

 

Got the floor in today. Sort of. After prepping I had just enough time to get it under. Seems to line up pretty good - I cut it and didn’t use the two rear mount - I’ll likely flange and weld that part together. Bit of a gap around the trans tunnel. Looks like after all that rocker work, I’m gonna have to keep at it. That rocker is about 1/2 inch too high…. Should I double shim the floor to meet it? Or lower the rocker?

 

Did you get the 4 door sedan doors with the car, could you hang them and see if they line up with the rockers? If the rockers are too high, the doors aren't going to close. If they're in the right spot, the floor needs to come up.

I could take roof to rocker measurements of my car if that would help. You should check the roof to rocker measurement on your car on both sides and see if they match. This is a critical alignment part so it's important to get it right.

 

that would be awesome if you don’t mind!

 

Sure thing. So I want to make it very clear since I'm using a tape measure and that's not the most accurate thing, see where the foot of my tape measure is? It needs to be right in the center of that outer ledge of the rocker. That ledge isn't parallel to the ground, it slopes down a bit toward the outside of the car, so if you have the end of your tape all the way out to the edge or slid all the way in, the measurement will be off.

But if you have it lined up right in the center, the distance from there to the underside of the drip rail is exactly 44 inches. That section of my rocker was never replaced (surprisingly), you can see it's got original pink paint there yet. I took the measurement just forward of where the old 4 door pillar was removed.

I'm curious to see what your measurement for that is, on both sides. Not that the tape measure is an exact thing (it's definitely not, even a slightly differently shaped tape measure foot could throw it off a hair) but if it's wildly off, you'll know where your floor mis-alignment came from.

 

You may want to re-think this one... The problem with that urethane adhesive is it's thick, and very difficult to apply with a hand caulk gun. If you check, you'll find all the pros use powered guns (about $300). While they do save time, they spend the $$$ because they have to. Unless you have gorilla hand strength, I was told with a hand gun the first part you get on will be setting up before you get the whole opening done.

It's a huge PITA to remove the glass for replacement besides...

 

Just measure. Drip rail to rocker is the exact same measurement as yours - but that’s likely because I planned the rocker around the door opening. Im betting I need to make the rocker match the floor then pull the roof down another 1/2 inch.

 

Hmm. Do both sides measure out the same? Were both sides of the roof bent? Is the alignment of the floor off on both sides, or just on the one side?

 

Doors Doors Doors! There I said it.

 

only one side was bent, and alignment only off on one side. I’m gonna spend the day with it, and get back to y’all!

 

Small update:

Passenger side two door was badly mangled. Push backwards about 3/4 of an inch and very badly mangler on the front upper corner. Cut the piece out of a 4 door, and made a masking tape temple. Little bending and it fit right in! Hot glued it together and a little bondo should be off to the races.

 

Use 3M 08609 windo-weld. It works in a hand caulk gun.

 

if i were doing one of these i wouldnt even bother with regulators. non roll down rear windows like a base model would have.

 

Small updates - I bought a plasma table and have been learning to use that. Any of the guys in the north here - if you have designs or parts you want cut PM me. I’m just learning now and have had some good success but happy to blast some stuff out for HAMBers and an opportunity to learn.

As for the car - did some body shimming and got it close enough. I kind of had to stow my neurotic nature and attention to detail. Mounted the front clip and go ahead with the project. Ultimately this is going to be a junkyard refurb and will never see two stage paint or 100 hours of finishing body work. After setting the gaps and the doors I mounted the pillars in place and put the panels on. Made some templates for filler on the pillars and with lots of trimming and bending I think it turned out ok. Got everything good, and should require well less than 1/4 of filler.

 

Glad to see this one still moving along, would like to see more pictures and updates in the future.