55 Chevy rear wheel wells, radius ???

I've always thought that 55 Chevys NEED radiused rear wheel wells to look "right", and the AG/TLB 55 drives home that point! Done CORRECTLY, nothing looks finer...but done WRONG, nothing looks WORSE!

So, since I'm sure that this has been done many times over by older rodders, is there a set way to go about it? Do you just scribe an arc and go to it with a sawzall?

I've seen guys try to mimic the flattened top of the front wheel wells on the rear, and it usually looks like **** that way...I think rounded lines work better out back, even if they don't match the fronts.

Here's a long-shot...does anyone make quarter panels WITH a radiused rear wheel well already incorporated into them? It would really **** to go blindly into something like this and end up with a terd on your hands!

Let's see some pics of 55s with radiused rears...and hear some tips and advice on doing it "right" without making a very expensive mistake!!!

Is this a job best farmed out? I can do SOME bodywork, but it's WAY down on my list of specialties!!!

 

'55 Nomads had "factory" radiused wheel openings,...they were the same shape as the regular '55's, but about 3" higher, so you still had a nice, slightly flared lip. Back in Kentucky in the late '60's-early-'70's, my uncles and their friends were splicing Nomad quarters into their sedans to get their tires on....alot of Nomads got cut up!(cringe.....)

 

here ya go...my buddy Erik's '55

 

You're absolutley right, radiused wheel wells are where its at on a '55. Unless of course you're after the resto rod look Perhaps a big ol' set of hoops...

When I was in High School (late '60s early 70s) the way we did it was take a tire (large) and lay it up against the side of the car. Then with the wheels removed, we let the car down until the top of the tire was where we wanted the top of the radius to be. Draw around it with a piece of chalk then start cutting.

You might try several times until you come up with what you want before you cut.

Some got finished by tacking a piece of brake line or fuel line around the cut out and molding, and some did not.

I've seen 'em done with the Nomad opening, and it looks real cool, but the most popular way in the North West was the chalk and cut method.

if it don't make ya dirty it aint yours

 

sure you've seen it but heres mine

 

I'm pretty sure they make reproduction 55 Nomad Quarter panels. They probably are spendy but that would be the nice way to go. I did a 2 dr. sedan using old front fenders. With some work they looked like the Nomad (sorry no picture). I left the rear of the front opening which tapers to the rear and they looked pretty good. I needed the tire clearance because I had the body mounted on a 67 Chevy full size car floor and ch***is. The 67 was wider and longer (I shortened the wheelbase 3" to match the 55.) Helluva nice ride! overspray

 

danchuk has the repo nomad quarters but they are 769 bucks a piece part numbers 011335 and 011336. sure you gotta be able to find them cheaper somewhere else.

 

I'll bet someone makes repo patch panels intstead of the whole panel. Try to find pieces for the fron fenders, you could probably combine a few pieces to make a complete wheel well easilly (and cheaply) enough.

 

For a heavy breathing street car, the Nomad quarters are the ticket, but for a real race car, or a TLB-AG streetracer, I'd go for a radiused wheel well without the fender lip.

I wonder how early '50s Buick wheelwells would look? They don't have a flared lip, but are rolled at the edge.

 

I think it's all personal pref.........when this **** was done it was'nt for asthetics. It was done for function. so with that in mind you can do what you want. Nothin' worse to see someone alter a car just to get attention ( lack of ego ). If you know what I mean. My 55 g***er was done completely different ( in the day ) than those pictured . I don't know how to post pix but can send a photo for another brother to post. ....L B's.... out

 

send it to me I can post it. s_kraemer@mac.com

 

Thanks, Steve, It's on it's way ....check it out boys......F....'N BAD*** ! Say my name, Say my name ***** !.......L B

 

I've done it on a couple cars, not '55 Chevs but the same technique would work.

I used electrical conduit and bent it around a larger tire and held that up to the fender.

Then I traced around the inside of the tube, and cut the fender with tin snips.

Then with hammer and dolly worked the cut edge out to create a lip, t******* and bumping till it looked right.

Roll the ends of the conduit under and trim 'em, weld it all up with a torch, smear it with a little bondo, prime it and you got beer money.

Paul

 

heres LB's car

 

Hot Rod did a '55 several years ago, the Green Machine. They had Nomad patch panels. Check for back issues to get the dates then ask the mag hoarders here to look it up.

 

Look in "Hot Rods by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth" (book). Its got pictures of Roth's '55, and looks damn good. I've always wanted to duplicate that car.

By the way, does anyone have any other pictures of it that aren't in the book?

 

Here is local car that was at the Hotrod-a-Rama in WA this summer:

 

Look at '55-'57 Buicks. They have a nice full radius.

 

Lotsa input...............whatcha gonna do ?