I just picked up this cherry '53 chevy wagon: Now it's time to make it drive a little easier, sound a little better and look cooler. My first question has to do with lowering the front. I was just going to cut the coils, but after looking at it, the car doesn't have much suspension travel as it sits. I don't really want to be riding on the bumpstops, but it sits way too high now. I know that I could buy dropped steering arms for it, but I was wondering if in the short term I could cut the coils. Is there anyone running cut coils on one of these cars? My second question has to do with the transmission. It has a 3 on the tree right now and it's ok for me to drive, but my wife says she can't drive it. I may just put a floor shifter in it, but I'd rather have an automatic. Rocket 88 told me that I can get a kit to put a TH. 350 behind it, but I plan to swap motors later and don't want to spend $450 just for short term use. I was wondering if I can just swap for a powerglide from a car of the same vintage. All of this will be for naught if I can find a running 6cyl auto nova that I can swap the entire drivetrain over in. My last question has to do with the wiring. I've got an EZ wire kit that I've had for a couple of years and I was thinking about just rewiring the car to convert it to 12 volts. I know I need resistors for the guages and new bulbs for the lights, but what about the switches? Also, is there an easy way to mount an alternator to the stock 235 or do I have to make my own bracket? Any insight or leads on parts would be appreciated. I'm a little low on money right now as my wife and I are in the process of buying our first house and I'm unemployed. Gotta love it when you just finish college! Thanks in advance, guys.
Well here's a few suggestions on your Chevy, if you cut the coils have a spare set lying around just in case you go too low. Don't cut more than one loop, maybe one and a half, max! There's not alot of travel to begin with, but the real problem is there is no way to shim out any of the control arms on those things. The powerglide would make life easier around town, but it will **** out on the highway. Kustomd is pertty good friends with a guy that has a 53 wagon that was originally a powerglide car, so it has the glide that will work with the closed driveline as well as the correct column and shifter. Alternator bracket should be no biggie, ask Kustomd what brackets he uses, he's always ran sixes in his Impala with a one wire GM alt. On the wiring though you're on your own there, I could probably get it wired up enough to start a large fire!!
I can't answer most of your questions, but here's what I can answer. The 12v conversion is easy. http://www.inliners.org/tech/12v.html You don't need to rewire unless you have some nasty wires. I think your switches will be OK, but you'll need to add voltage drops for the radio and heater. I think that a Powerglide swap would be a direct one, but I'm not sure if the Powerglide is the same length as the 3spd, plus you'd have to figure out a way to make it shift. It would be a LOT easier to simply teach your wife how to drive a 3 on the tree. I don't know if a Nova driveline will swap in directly. What engines came in Novas? 250? The motor mounts won't be the same BTW, nice wagon!
I cut two full wraps on the front coils in my 54. It rides good enough for me, doesn't noticible bottom out during normal driving. Don't know if the added weight with your wagon would make two turns of the front coils too much. Geno
In my opinion I would say wait for the donor car and do the full swap (motor, ****** rear.) and just have the wife wait a short time or spend saturday showing her how it works, she is probably just afraid she will ruin your new toy.. Once you start one swap remember it all has to be done just about, motor swap will require a ****** swap which means an open driveline and new rearend, which means new master cylinder and then that will lead to new front suspension and steering (because that will be all that is left to do to make it a nice driver in the city and highway). Find a 70/81 camaro as a donor. get the 6 (or 8) with an auto and the correct width rear end., take the master cylinder out of it (maybe the radiator also) and if you are feeling crazy, do a subframe swap over when you feel like it (just save the front clip and junk the rear of the camaro. As for lowering the front, once i saw how little travel there was I decided not to do mine but others have told me that 1 coil is safe. for the rear I believe someone makes a special kit the rear attachs to the leafs on a hinges set up
Thanks for the input guys. Motor mounts aren't a problem nor is wiring. I've built an entire car from a rusted hulk before so it's not a big deal. At least I can buy parts for this one. I'm looking for a nova or camaro right now to swap over the entire driveline and I'll probably do a clip or a mustang II next winter.
Why don't you just road trip down here and swap me for my 54 Chevy 2 door? It already has later rear end, crate engine, auto ******, and Mustang II front end on it. I need a bigger car.
shiny just put a 283, th350 and 10 bolt in my 54- he said the linkage was a real *****, but he did a great job. as fer alternator bracket, i am using the stock t piece, but it depends what size yer battery tray is on
Wayfarer, I did everything Boones suggested...'78 Camaro, used the motor, ******, rearend and subframe. I've got power steering, disc brakes, sits low and drives like a dream. Good luck!
who needs suspension travel anyway. You just need to look cool right. Sacrifices Man Sacrifices. Ha Ha Goodluck I am in the middle of building a 49 fleetline. For now I am gonna run stock front end with two coils buzzed out. Later will get dropped uprights and discs. Hell maybee even a must II when I can afford it. My suggestion though is to put a built 235 and a 4 speed floor shifted in it with a camaro or nova rear. Would be cool as **** especially in a wagon. MMMM dual carbs, split fenton manifold dual pipes buzzin through smitty's. Gives me the chills. SLAMIT
Patrick's has alternator brackets or you could just make your own. The later Chevy 250-six swap is a good one and it's nothing to build the front motor mount to mount it to the original front frame mount. I'm using a later '50's v-8 bellhousing and an s-10 five speed. so the engine mounts in the original places. You will have to go to an open drive train though. r
I dont know if any of you guys have experience with the bolt on coil compressor clips, but I have a friend of mine who said he runs'em and all he had to do was change the bolts to grade 8. Might be worthwile to check that out before you cut'em....
gino what sort of drop did you get from 2 coils? did you trim the bumpstops as well? Just curious, but what did you do for the rear?
Dr Lovely I did not measure the before and after but a 2.5 to 3 inch drop is about what it seemed to be. I wouldn't go any further though because I am running Coker G78 wide whites and at full turn I have about .5 inch clearance between the tire and fender, perfect! As far as the bumpstops go, the bottom 'A' arm bump stops got broken when we were removing the coils, but the top bump stops are still there. Have not yet had any trouble with bottoming out or tire scrub. In the rear I am running a 1.75 inch lowering blocks in the back that I bought from National Chevy ***ociation, it was a good quality kit that went right in. I think you could get it about 1 more inch lower without binding the tourque tube. Looks pretty good, about a 1 inch rake towards the front. But I like the looks of the rear end being lower so when I switch to me 57 rear end I am putting in the 4inch blocks I took off my pickup. It will most likely ride and inch off of the bump stops but oh well it will look cool. Geno
Wayfarer..you've already seen photos of my primered 50 chevy sedan delivery so I won't waste bandwidth. I cut 2 full loops off my stock coils. It didn't bottom out [very often] but didn't sit nearly as low as I wanted either. If I was gonna seriously drive the car, I'd go with a moostang and sit the sum***** looooooooooooooow.
Geno, Are you running stock shocks aswell? Is there something shorter that is possible to run as a shock? THX Mark
Anyone? Anyone know if I can run stock shocks If I lower the car 3-4 inches all around? If not, is there an obvious alternative? ML
I haven't done any thing to the shocks at all. But I also haven't found any problems with them yet. Don't know what will swap in either. Geno
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