Projects 1954 Chevy 210 Build

Hey all! Good to be back again with a car to share on THE H.AM.B. In the beginning of July I travelled to Waterloo, IA (Technically Evansdale) and bought this 1954 Chevy 210 for $20K. The highlights:

~SB350/700r4 with a snappy shift kit and a Lokar shift setup (32" double bend shift lever, not my thing)
~373 posi '78 Camaro rear axle
~Shaved and in black primer, no poppers yet
~Bitchin Big Block Firewall and front floor pans
~Air ride on all 4 corners, tunneled driveshaft in the rear
~Mustang II front end with disk front drum in the rear, frame mounted booster and MC
~Custom '53 Desoto grilled grafted in with a shaved one piece and nicely chromed bumper
~New front and rear window gaskets (150 series) and driver and passenger door glass and felts
~Front and rear bench seats upholstered, (don't care for the red) door cards and kicker panels.
~Fully equipped Soundsystem (Already pulled it...I'm 33 and still don't need two 12" Kickers) Plus I have my own audio equipment from the Pontiac I'll put in. And the stereo wasn't Bluetooth capable? cmon!
~Powder coated black original wheels, Cali Tire and Wheel white walls (not so white)
~Dual Thrush axle dump exhaust
~EZ Wiring Kit

Here are the photos of the day I bought it





Kicker subs and amp are already out and sold.




The red and black theme is a little goth for my taste so I've started to remove some of the things I can, also, contentious topic, the red grille light haha, I'll probably replace that with a white LED strip so it is not illegal, shows off the chrome and makes a great engine bay light at night when the hoods up!




My 8 month old son Max. I think he was the most excited ha!


I love that this is a running driving project I continue to update and make my own personal ride. I've already ordered a bunch of new shat to replace some things but also get started on finishing it. The previous owner worked on this car from a shell rolling chassis to this point over about 14 years. The car has 6000k miles on it. Transferred the title successfully the next Monday and I own it! Hagerty insurance for $30K guaranteed value was about $300 for the year, full coverage.

 

If it’s close to your end result and your good with it I have nothing to say.

 

Thrush are nice sounding but they are loud and guess who doesn't like loud cars...of course, the wifey. I would like to atleast extend the pipes out in front the rear wheels or if my exhaust guy can get creative and get them out the back, even better. I may pay to put in quieter muffs but a thought for another day.


My only major complaint on the car was the brakes were like manual brakes at best when I test drove the car. No booster feeling, no good stopping confidence. I did a bunch of research and from what I can tell, the person who created the system did their homework and put the 10 psi residual valve on the drums and 2 psi on the front discs but one thing I couldn't find is, because the proportioning valve has two front outputs, is it alright that the 2 psi valve is BEFORE the Pvalve, or does each line need a residual valve in the front? Anyone have guidance on that? I did bleed the brakes and they didn't seem like any air was trapped but hopefully just getting them flowing and new DOT 3 will help?



I wish these came powder coated or atleast previous owner did it. YUCK RUST! Even if it is only surface. Now I gotta deal with it because I'm crazy like that.


Is this sketchy? My brake pedal return...I guess if I have to ask I already know the answer...



Didn't see this until I bought it...Works I guess.

Otherwise I have heard with boosted disc calipers the MC should be above them and on the firewall...SO I bought a kit to get that started while it was on sale over the 4th of July. Will I install it? I don't know yet. I would have to move my wiring harness and I just spent a fair amount of time cleaning that up.

Here is the Brand New Classics power brake bracket kit for Chevy 49-54. This dude Michael Mobley is a wizard and was super communicative about the product. He found the speedway, summit kits to be to bulky and tip the reservoir up in the air so he made his own. Any way, he's got a lot more stuff on his site and custom fabs it all. I'll likely powder coat this before I install it. I got this for $250 shipped during his sale.



I'm hoping anyone with frame mounted boosted brake with a disc/drum setup can advise me on how their setup feels and if it should be just as good as firewall mounted?

 

Lokar shifters are expensive! I just bought a new 16" black double bend, black ball handle and a leather boot for $328 shipped. Hopefully I can recoup some of the cost selling the 32" lever. This was the older style of Lokar case mount automatic transmission shifters as the nut at the bottom of the lever is 15/16" instead of 1" like it is now, and that does make a difference in what lever you would be ordering for replacements. The more you know. I slapped some sound deadener over the hole but now I'm realizing I need to patch that in better with sheet metal so the boot frame has something to screw in to. Needed to be done anyway, I just may of wasted precious sound deadener jumping the gun. It'll probably reseal? yeah.

 

As expected, shite wiring the more you dig in. I do appreciate everything is connected and works like the turn signals, brake lights, radiator fan etc. But this irks me so of course I have already completed tidying it up. These photos are along the way so I'll have to snap some new ones of everything cleaned up tip top.

Couldn't see behind the audio receiver and this was the cluster plugged into the back of it. Lots of ground sharing and power sharing to the remote wire for the amp, 12V constant to the air tank pressure switch and the air ride remote controller.


Clean up clean up



Clean up to the light switch. Just lots of cutting and reconnecting wires that have ridiculous lengths

 

Of course the car had a dead like 9V dead battery the next day. I thought I left something on so I charged it back up and waited another day with it disconnected from the car, nope, it was just trash. So $350 later the Chevy has a nice new 7/23 Yellowtop Optima Battery for all it's goodies.

Unfortunately the terminal connectors were trashed and couldn't be tightened anymore so I did replace those and in the meantime they sparked everytime I tried to connect the battery and I shorted out my air ride solenoid that gets the signal from the tanks pressure switch that the psi is below 120 and it should turn on the compressor. This took maybe a week to find. I was just looking in all the wrong places why the compressor wouldn't fire up. I replaced the pressure switch to the tune of $33 dollars and then traced it down the line to the solenoid. Oh well, at least they are both new now. Back in the game.


I removed the Kicker Amp power and Ground wire from the battery terminals


Glorious day when you find out what the electrical problem is.

Also there was zero printed on this solenoid. I just bought one that looked similar and was name brand it worked. Whew.

 

Good to see the new car and looks like a fine replacement to the Poncho.
Glad to see the replacement shifter and other potential changes.

 

I enjoyed your last build thread a lot, looking forward to seeing where you take this one.
Are you going to leave the black primer?

 

So, valid question, absolutely not. Ha. I have two friends that paint professionally and part of the reason why I got this car is the money off because it was in primer. I'm thinking satin black but also potentially other very dark colors like green with flake or pearl in it, but really thinking black at this time. Here's an example of 51' that I'm like, YES.

 

I replaced the Solenoid and got my air ride back up and running for about two days. There was an air leak overnight and I'm just praying its not the bags because I can't get to those fittings without pulling suspension parts up in the front. I leak tested all my trunk connections with foaming stuff for natural gas lines and I do find a tiny leak in the tank psi gauge that is mounted in the air ride box. So I snug that up, I figure, hell I'll just 1/4 turn everything and make sure it's all good.... I snapped the right rear gauge solenoid fitting. Freaking out I'm like its ok right? it's ok right? I'll just not know the psi in that gauge and can still drive it. Wrong. Bag air dumps out that little port too. So, not thinking clearly, I should have just easy outed the flimsy chrome connection in place but I panicked and pull everything thinking I was going to need to buy a new air engine (solenoids and manifold) because I thought they used like crazy psi sealant and I wouldn't be able to get that removed. I did eventually get it out. Saving me $333 to buy a new one




So I'm looking at the mess I made and said F it, I'll just take this opportunity to replace a bunch of things. Its a 14 year old system and there's no water trap on the tank from the compressor so I'll just plumb new stuff. And I removed the box and am having it powder coated at my local joint Adrenaline Customs in White Bear Lake, MN.




One of these double needle gauges was off by about 10psi and I didn't particularly like that the system was mounted in the glovebox because I feel like these are readouts you want to keep an eye on and always use, plus if you want to read them you have to have the glove box door down infront of the passenger. They were also connected incorrectly so the readouts weren't easy to understand. So I removed them and realized they are push to connect fittings on the back. So potentially another spot for leaking. I found some sweet GlowShift online and ordered a digital read out for the front and rears on one gauge (expensive!) and another single read out for my tank (also expensive!) which previously I would only know the psi if I were looking in the trunk. Now I'll have both options. This is my $plurge car and I want to bring some sweet technology to it so it was worth the $500 in my mind. I hope they work well ha. I will mount them under the keyed ignition likely.

 

Having spent a bunch of time figuring out my own brakes from the assortment of parts assembled by the previous owner, your feeling of un-boosted brakes could be that you have too large a bore on the M/C.

It’ll be a bunch of work no matter how you go from here. Firewall mounted or frame mounted, either can be made to work. But unless all of the parts came from a single donor car, what you have is an hodgepodge. Getting it to work starts with pulling it all apart and figuring out what you have, down to the part numbers and the make/model/year the parts are from. Disassembling the parts, like the M/C, to measure bore diameter, may be needed. Only once you know what you have can you start making changes to make it better.

If you’re going to firewall mounted, try to get as much (new) from a single donor that is reasonably close to the size and weight of the car you have to put them in. And be prepared to make further changes once you get it together.

No, it’s not just going to be fresh brake fluid.

Yes, that return spring is sketchy.

 

Thanks for all the help David! I forgot about bore size. Obviously the brake system is universal parts mashed together. I may start over with a new MC after I pull it and check the bore size and get an adjustable Pvalve on top of that. Appreciate the heads up on the springs. I need to find one long strong one.

 

Got my GlowShift gauges mounted under the dash beneath the ignition. I ran the cables to the trunk and still need to wire them to power. Seems easy enough




All four corner digital display port connectors ran from behind the dash.


Where the digital display plugs into on the Air Engine.
Until I get my air management box back from the powder coater I can't really hook up the hoses and fittings to make sure they make it through the box holes alright. Just waiting on that phone call and I have everything I need to get this back together and on the road.



I pulled the stainless tank and it dumped a pint of water and was totally corroded inside so I figured this was a good time to replace it. I bought an AVS Water Trap that runs inline from the compressor to the tank as well. I did really extensive research on finding the right tank for my situation and this $107 HornBlasters tank was perfect for my space and had plenty of ports to add some goodies like a schrader valve, 175PSI safety blowoff, drain petcock and a port just for the digital tank PSI display. They are all 1/2" NPT ports and I used lots of pneumatic sealant.

 

The air tank need to be drained periodically.

 

Congrats on getting the car. Regards the price, I'm in the EU and cars like this - assuming they're road legal (not a simple thing in many EU countries) - are advertised for €40K here, so...

 

Yeah, that stainless tank didn't even have a drain port. I guess you could disconnect your fittings every season and dump it but yeah seems like an oversight from the original builder.

 

Good to see your progress.
Perhaps it is time to update your avatar?

 

Haha! Yeah...I was kinda hoping to get some better quality shots once I get it out and about. But yes...the Pontiac is just a memory now.

 

Box is back from the powder coater! "Isn't she a beaut?" -wifey 2023





1/2" NPT male to 3/8" everything fittings except for the smaller lower 90s. I was so paranoid cranking all these fittings to their rightful places. Got the stainless one-way check valve on the top left and below it is the exhaust muffler and regulator. The car didn't have this muf before so I'm stoked to see how slow I can drop it with out just blowing out all at once.

So much "what if?" with this rebuild. Here's all the bullshit I bought just incaseys to fit the design. I'm really happy I could use the 1/8" 90 degree elbows for the bottom digital gauge solenoid connections. They were my first choice, the cleanest looking and the least amount of parts. whew.


All this shat has been rocking around inside my head for weeks. NPT sizes, fittings, check valves, couplers, reducers, compression fittings what a f*ckin nightmare. Imagine being able to afford this insane air ride AVS kit. Dreams. Anyhow, mounting the compressor tomorrow and connecting 3/8" air line hoses and....driving this thing soon??

 

Air ride management over haul. I had no f'ing clue how many fittings I was in for on this project. I tightened my last seal and lock thread today and I am so happy to be moving on. Completely redid everything so I am just hoping everything was done well the first time. It was a great learning experience and I'm stoked I had to dig into the air ride. A totally new subject to me with this hotrod.

Here's the brand new DC7500 3/4hp Compressor installed.



The box in place. Unfortunately the steel hose was inches shy of fitting into the water trap which would have been the shortest route with less fittings.



Did some shrink wrap to protect the fittings and the powder coat.


Since the stainless hose was just shy of fitting perfectly I coiled it and went fittings which sort of matches the vibe coming from the box anyway.




Pressure switch wires were pretty lame so I took way too much time and doctored them up. All good, very happy with the look. Ya know, I get done and I look at it again and I'm like, shat, I could loomed it all or this that and the other thing. At some point you gotta just say alright, I'm happy with that and move on.


Tank pressure switch wiring. Wire that runs behind the seat and over the wheel well goes to 12V constant, and the other plug runs to the compressor solenoid for the signal when the tank pressure is below 120psi.


So as of current, I need to put the circuit breaker from the battery to the compressor solenoid and that circuit is complete. Then I need to wire the tank digital gauges to power under the dash. I also installed my new Alpine BT stereo because I knew both systems need a 12V Constant and 12V switched power. So I'm hoping to integrate those both since they are in proximity. TBD.

 

Crazy heat here in MN right now so an indoor activity was in order. I took out the old package tray, removed the 50 Watt RMS Memphis Audio 6x9 speakers. I picked up some black upholstery vinyl from Jo Anns where 2 yards for $45 and replaced the red material. I added my 100 Watt RMS Rockford Fosgate 6x9 speakers. 2 hours and very satisfying result.

 

Hooked up the 60 amp resettable circuit breaker to that powers the compressor. The power is all wired and ready to go live. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.




I also ran the 18' pressure sensor for the air tank to the gauge. I did have to buy this as the gauge came with a 9' sensor.


I'm going to wire my PSI gauges to power any day now, but I am tempted to use the schrader valve to fill the tank and test it for leaks overnight.

 

Great day today, cars back on the road! Went to my local coffee shop and I was just vibrating when I got there. Digital gauges are hooked up, no leaks (that I know of) from the endless air ride fittings. Car was running really well even for the 92F heat I took it out in! Coolant stayed right at 180F with the fan on. I was happy to see the digital gauges fire right up and seem to be quite accurate. It's nice I have that needle gauge in the trunk to compare the tank pressure on. Readouts are blurry because I didn't take the film off yet in the pic. I also hooked up my radio power on the same circuit as the gauges. It was nice because they both require yellow to 12V constant, red to switch ignition, orange to illumination (dimmer), and black to ground of course. 15Amp fuse.

 

I drove past my local exhaust shop and the door and lift was open. I popped in to ask if we could look at the exhaust pipes I want to extend from the pre axle dump. They said it would be doable out the corners. I have an appt for the beginning of Sept. I'll likely ditch the really loud Thrush muffs and go medium Flowmasters. I'm very excited for that upgrade.





Looks like the transmission oil pan took a beating at some point. It is aftermarket and has air flow holes through the bottom of it for cooling. I'm happy it has a drain plug.

 

Replaced the 32" chrome Lokar shifter with the black 16" shifter. It took about fifteen minutes and only required a 15/16" wrench for the bottom locknut and 9/16" wrench for the handle locknut and cable cutter. Feels and looks great. I need to do some metal work around the shifter before I can attach the boot.

Let me know if you're interested in this pup.




Learning more and more about the GlowShift gauges. They don't show up with proper readings if you just turn the key to accessory. They only read true when the car is on and running. I'm guessing something with the voltage. Otherwise I'm very happy with their readouts. I learned I would never want digital read outs on the dash. I think I'd go cross eyed and would be so distracted by the constant changings of numbers.

 

Took the chevy Friday night to North Saint Paul's History Cruzers and it was very exciting. It definitely got some attention and I had both lids open for people to gawk. Impressed or not, I think showing the work is important.



Found out my steel braided brake lines are rubbing my inner tire as seen in that nice white wear stripe. So I just adjusted those tonight. I haven't worked in the engine bay at all compared to the rest of the car. I put a metal fuel filter, oil change with Mobil1 10W-30 and that's all. I need to replace the radiator fan temp sender as that is broken and I hate the fake chrome fan so that'll turn black. The chrome fan is just always powered on. I will replace it with an A-Team fan I used on my Pontiac. I thought it was quiet and worked fantastic.



Kiddo at the car show. That's me with Max. He rode in the wife's Corolla...for now.


I ordered a repop visor from this dude on Facebook who i talked on the phone with for almost 2 hours. Rudy is a super nice guy and runs a facebook group for 53/54 chevys. $490 plus shipping. It was actually really easy to find a '52 Pontiac visor for a split window but a small search came up with nothing locally available for my '54 one piece window so I just bought new. Now I won't have to worry about stainless trim work or paint.

 

I too am an inhabitant of the Great White North. Found that you should use antifreeze in any air system used in cold climates. Just get a bottle of air brake antifreeze, available many places, truck stops a sure bet.

You may want to use some permanent battery terminals, as those bold on type are made for temporary repairs. They are a weak spot in the system and are a critical connection. If you can seal the connection from air it will stop corrosion. Solder seal or crimped terminals are more reliable. I like the solder seal cables available at parts stores or Del City Wire. You buy a terminal and solder pellet sized for the cable you are using. The pellets have flux built into them and you just heat the terminal with a propane torch to melt the solder. I've never had one fail. I do crimp them after soldering for extra strength because I have the tool but that isn't necessary.

 

Thanks for all the good info. I had never heard of airbrake anti freeze. Sucks I need to undo a port fitting to add it but I'll get to it before winter. Seems legit! I read this little blurb on bagriders.

Do you have any pics of your terminals?