My name is Dale and I live in NW Arkansas. For the last 20 years I have been a computer systems engineer and recently moved into a Solutions Consultant role for IT Services for the largest IT company in the world. Before that I spent 17 years in restaurant management where I gained a p***ion for modding and ridding. My former boss and I would scoure barns and farms for abandoned muscle cars, buy them, restore them, and sell them during the 80's. The shame was our p***ion was over-shadowed by our greed and we kept nothing. The last few years I have been able to regain that p***ion restoring 70's Datsun 280Z cars. I still have two Z's in progress, one for my daughter and one for me! But a month ago I came across an abandoned project of a 54 Bel Air ratrod. The PO had bought the car from someone who reportedly raced it in Missouri and had installed a SBC and TH350 Auto(unknown year) and changed out the rear end. He simply removed most of the trim, pulled the bumpers, puttied it up and primered it black. Drove it on weekends and in parades and that was it. Still going through the drive train replacing hoses, seals and gaskets from all the fluid leaks from not being properly run hard enough! I have started planning out my mods for this old rat and have been collecting parts from the cl***ifieds here-thanks to all the friendly sellers who have been so helpful and reasonable with their prices! I won't announce my complete plans for the mods but will update a build thread once I start full scale. With an already strong drivetrain to begin with, once I can identify everything fully, I need to complete the body work, block, and have painted. The heads have been milled and the engine I'D# has been deleted. I have the block casting number but that only narrows my motor down to 69 Z28, Corvette, Chevelle, or truck 302-350CID. Will have to pull the heads and measure the cylinders and stroke to determine the actual CID but not until I have a reason to pull them. Since I've never been a rear end guy, yes pun intended, still trying to figure out that one out. Definitely not original, appears to be a 57 GM maybe? 10 bolts on the drive shaft side(front) no rear cover plate appears to also have the positrac ribs at 4 and 8 o'clock. Reminds me of a Ford 9 differential a little bit. Oh well, will change out fluid back there one of these days and check the gears out then. Right now too much to do before paint! Now I need to strip the interior rot out, finish the body work, and get it painted so I can install an actual 12 volt wiring harness. PO 1 partially converted to 12 volt without a harness or fuse box at all. Well I've ranted enough for my first intro will upload some pics as soon as I get them up on Photobucket or something like that. Thanks again to all who have sold me parts and will sell me more in the future!
Thanks working on it right now. Hopefully within the hour! http://s1056.photobucket.com/albums/t372/54ChevyRatMod/
Thanks Chopped! I started resizing to upload and got lazy and just linked to my folder so those wanted to see could look. Appreciate your efforts! Thanks to to SaltCoupe and Forty7Ford for the welcome.
The Jalopy Journal
