Projects 53 Chevy Bel Air "Cleetus" mild custom daily driver

Looks great! Congrats and thanks for sharing !!

 

Used the engine for the 54 to test fit a cheap starter adapter I ordered awhile back. Allows me to use my new starter I've had since right after I got the car that was meant for a 57 Chevy. Current Amazon starter finally ****ped out. Aside from the top starter hole it seems to fit great. I will just need to redrill that hole and use a nut and bolt. Starter engagement seems much better

 

Not sure I ever posted a pic. But once I start driving this regularly this will live in the trunk. Lol. Original paint vintage rc cooler in mint functional condition. Probably a high "fair" cosmetic condition. My step mom left it to me

 

So I hope to actually get around to fixing the flex plate and starter again soon lol. Already have all the parts. Went ahead and bought a brand new battery last night for it too. Also have a second watermelon light to do the driver front blinker. May wire the secondary side of the watermelon lights for extra front end lighting when needed. Bit bright to use as running lights. Going to be in the market soon for at least a vortec 350 short block. Kinda made the decision I'm tired of ****ing with the starter on this engine. The durability afforded by a roller cam would be nice too. So I'm thinking when this new starter and flex plate ****s out drop in another engine. I'll be able to use this engine in another rod with a tri five bell housing and starter. So it won't go to waste. Engine really needs head work too. So kind of a deal of multiple strikes. The extra 100 HP will be nice too. Already have a set of vortec heads ready to rock. May see what my old boss has when I go to Arkansas in a couple weeks. Gotta pick up the five speed for the 54 anyway

 

Appears I'll be going to look at this next week. Longtime viewers will remember that the last time I tried to buy two door conversion sheet metal I ended up with another build thread lol. This one is too far gone for me considering I already have two complete cars. But it's dirt cheap. Thinking I'll buy it and chop it up on the premises and have two door sheet metal and rockers for the 53 and repair sheet metal for the 54. Possibly even another rear end as I'm guessing it was open drive converted at some point.

 

So I just ended up with some extra cash. Looks like I'll also be buying a pair of doors the seller also has. Would mean all that I'd need for two door conversion is a front seat. Which I'm already talking to a member here about from a 51 Chevy. So I think we've discovered this summers big project lol. Two door conversion and a shave lol

 

Well doors fell through. Apparently they already sold and they forgot to take listing down. Oh well I'll find more lol

 

Didn't get pics of cutting the driver side. But long story short I have a van full of two door sheet metal lol

 

You might be the only person I know that you showed up with an entire car cut into pieces you couldn’t side a mini van I would not even flinch in believing it lol

 

Seems a reoccurring theme with me. The first supercharged engine I put in my Monte Carlo I drove around for three weeks hauling it in the trunk before I installed it lol.

 

I honestly only ended up grabbing the quarter parts and the package tray. Turns out car was a quarter mile from an electrical outlet. And his batteries weren't the best lol

 

Time for a power inverter for the work van

 

We tried one. It didn't work lol

 

This was the haul. Once I get settled I'll tell the story on the donor car and how it came to be a donor car lol

 

So dude ended up being a cool old dude that is 89 years old that has had an an obsession for 49-54 Chevys since he was my age or younger. Was no less than 20 49-54 Chevys on his property. A good number of fleet lines and 50-52 hardtops along with two and four door sedan 49-52. And a subframed 53 sedan missing a lot and the 54 I chopped up. A 49 fleetline there I'm pretty sure was a hamb era hot rod. Not only had a 57 Chevy rear end that had been in it so long it looked original but also 57 Chevy engine and bell housing mounts. The 54 was actually a completed non hamb friendly street rod that was stolen and sold to a chop shop. Rightful owner was able to recover it before they finished but not before it was a lost cause. He sold it to the old guy. Actually part of why I cut it like I did. P***enger jam was already cut in half. And p***enger quarter was already cut a few inches under the quarter window. After realizing how much Bondo was in the quarters and rockers I decided to cut the jambs above the rockers and cut the driver quarter similar. I had planned on reusing my original door skins anyway. Main reason I saved the package tray is I had to cut it out anyway and I noticed it happened to be an optional rear speaker car. Will probably pull a DD speedshop and glue the quarter gl*** in to save h***le. Side note Im thinking I may use the drip rails off what I got today to fix the drip rails on my 54. The ones off the donor are near perfect

 

Well.....now that Ryan remembered to pay the rent ....lol

Came across an old pic of both the wife and the 53. Only had the car a couple weeks at this point and the wife a couple years.....this was taken right after our 1 year wedding anniversary lol

 

that's going to make the beer warm!

 

I honestly didn't mind lol

 

Always remember, happy wife, happy life.

 

Well yesterday I randomly slipped a $100 bill where the beer is in the pic. She seemed pretty happy lol

 

If I don't go on a diet pretty soon, I will be able to carry my beer that way also.

 

Well it'd save having to put unsightly cupholders in a vintage ride

 

So as with any project I have planned I've been thinking through it constantly. While I'm still going to make the quarter gl*** fixed I'm not going to glue it in. Gonna take a page from my ****py van. Before this van dad bought the same year make and model van brand new and drove till he wrecked it and got this one. One big difference in the first one is it had zero options. Where as on this van the gl*** in the sliding doors rolls down on the first van it didn't. Both used same exact doors and gl***. Base models simply didn't get a window regulator. There was a bracket in the door the gl*** bolted to. Still used weatherstripping etc and didn't require gluing to replace. So I'm thinking on doing the same on the two door conversion on the 53. As it is I got perfect window felts for both sides and a really nice driver side window channel with the parts I chopped off the donor 54. P***enger channel WAS nice but was already pretty mangled before I came along. May still try to straighten it. Feel like that'll make a better result than gluing in. And I can always go back later and make them operational

 

Sounds like a good option

 

So why was a car that's getting lowered, is nosed and decked, is getting shaved, and is getting custom interior moved away from the customs forum?

 

And how does this not fit?

 

Pricey but at least available and with matching steering arms

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ing-lower-a-arms-king-pin-style.317696/page-6

 

Id thought about that route. Even have a stick welder. And I work with a certified welder that told me he'd be happy to inspect any of my welds before I drive on them