Projects 57 Belvedere 4 Door Gone Mad

Keep it comming! Nice ride.

 

Been watching the progress for a while now, and I gotta say that you & Rob do really nice work!! Bet you are all but drooling to get it out and go for the first test drive, and we will be watching for it. Have you picked a color for the car yet??? Keep up the good work!!!

 

I am drooling more to someday hit the paint stage but yeah, a test drive will freakin awesome! Color? I dont know yet, I pick something different every day of the week right now. Must be the ADD.....

 

don't ask me why but soon as i saw this post I keep seeing the car finished in a raelly dark purple, like eggplant....I know it sounds a little weird, but the color would really look awesome on the bodylines & glare like a mofo in the sun!!! Also I keep trying to convince Rob that you guys should come to the Chicagoland area for a couple of days and help me go weolding freakin crazy on my 50...just a thought!

 

Great build! Amazing craftsmanship and fabrication. Only one flaw, but I'll keep my mouth shut about it.

 

just wasted 45 min of work time going through 28 pages of awesomeness. I really dig the work man.

 

i love your car so much. keep going!!

 

Just found this for the first time, have seen it in your avatar, but had no idea what it was. This is COOL! REALLY like it. Any progress?

This thing CRIES OUT for a hot rod poly. Factory 2x4 with those oval air cleaners? Can you see some chromed sawtooth valve covers? I know, I know funds, practicality, you already have the chevy...But can you see it in there? It would put it WAY over the top...

 

Just found the pics of the rear view. INSANE!

 

Hi there racrdad...love your build !! Have been hangin out to do somethin like this myself...alas too many projects at the mo..sorry to hear about your family trouble...been there done that too and it DOES get better..WAAY better for me!
I only have one concern (a safety one)..I could be wrong but I thought hairpins were'nt really suitable for usin with a tube axle? More than happy to be put right on it
really bummed about you not bein able to use all 4 headlights..maybe you coulda jostled em around to fit?
as for the nose I think it needs a nice chrome accent moulding on its leading edge...poss could make 1 outta exhaust tubing sliced in half?
can't wait to see what colour you pick for it!! I'm sure it'll be real cool whatever you go with its such an awesome shape..
all the best and really lookin forward to seein your rod on youtube
Paul ps are you gona name your creation?

 

Take the one color on cars that can rejuvenate itself everytime just by adding water... BROWN!!

 

I see heavy burnt orange flake with candy red fogging. The eggplant purple idea sounded good too, maybe with silver flake scallops? Hard to pick too wild a color for this. Subtle is not on the list!

 

Sweet fabrication, keep it up, i'm looking forward.......

 

that car is so 50's custom it hurts. im seeing big daddy ed roth smiling from beyond the grave on this one

 

We want updated pics, we want updated pics, we want updated pics! hehe

 

+1 hehe

 

Oh this is gonna be sweet!! Thanks for the hospitality, i had a blast! That thing was lookin good. If we ever work at my house i swear I'll cook steak, as long as someone brings that grill they were braggin about!!

 

^^^^DUDE, your car has pink on it!

 

That was the first thing i took care of!

 

~~~~YAWN!~~~~ Where are the pics???????

 

First of all there was no test drive this past weekend. After stripping the frame and reinstalling the rearend I didnt get it back in the correct position. Of course we realized this once the rear inner fenders were almost done. After correcting the position of the rearend, it was too far back and had to be mover forward, then we realized the driveshaft was to long. So another trip to the driveshaft shop is in order to get another 1.5" taken out of it.

Robelitica and JMD82 came in from Houston on Friday. JMD82 got to welding right away. I think he was already wearing a welding helmet when he got out of the truck because I dont even have a pic of him without it on! He kept way busy welding up all the seams on the body where it was just tacked together all this time.



After the MG windshield was added earlier on in the build it ended up being farther back than the cowl was built for. Robleticia jumped right in and put a new top panel on the cowl extending it back under the windshield frame.
Not only was it necessart but it also flowed much better with the car.


JRACER1 showed up Saturday morning. I think he must have stopped for brunch or wine and cheese or something because he was 2 hours late! He jumped right in on tackling the where to mount the freakin front shocks issue that had been nagging me. Started with some Speedway brackets, cut bend weld, cut bend weld, repeat as needed.....!! Ended up with a multi-curved bracket that puts the top of the shock right up under the headlight where I wanted it. One thing about JRACER1, he never gives up, believe me this guy knows what it means to stick with something until you got it beat.





Robleticia and JMD82 also put the inner panel in the rear wheelwells. What can I can except more great work guys! After they were welding in and the bottom edges trimmed JRACER1 jumped in and put a nice curve in them right above the rear spring.



The headers will be capped off and exhaust run under the car. There is a nice void between the frame rails and the outer rocker area. Robleticia and I drilled the headers and ran the pipes through the lower edge of the firewall. He tacked them in place, I held the pipe. I get all the tough jobs. Then he welded them up.

 

The car still needed a rolled pan of some type in the back. So I marked up some sheetmetal according to where the body lines are where the quarter panels roll around to the backside of the car. It was done in two pieces since there is a slight peak in the trunk lid and below the trunk lid. Robleticia handled the welding and JRACER1 helped get it all in place correctly. We all think it turned out pretty nice. The taillight wont be staying just like they are in the pic, they make it look like a bat!





Where did I put that part???? I know its here somewhere...



We had to take a lunch break, refueld with some big steaks from one of our local joints. JMD82 refered to it as the Ole 96er Then we were back on it! JMD82 had to cut out for his company Christmas party Saturday night but he got practically ever seam on the car welded solid before he left. I bet he still has helmet hair this week! Sunday rolled around and Robleticia, JRACER1 and me went after it again. JRACER1 whipped up some caps for the headers and bolted them on.



Made a bracket to attach the gas pedal to the firewall. Robeticia got the nod to be the welder. Under the dash he went. Dont you have it when someone pokes you with a large tool when you are trying to concentrate in an awkward position!



These we had nothing to do with building these. The scoops and adapters came from burt21 here on the HAMB. They are real nice quality and very fairly priced.

 

After a long and very fun weekend with great friends and hard workers its getting real close to Rage Gold time. Strip off the rest of the old paint and it will be go time!! I cant thank Rob (Robleticia) Jonathan (JRACER1) and Jason (JMD82) enough for all their hard work. It was a blast!!! Thanks guys!!!

 

Nice lookin Windshiled Frame !

 

That's some ass-whoopin progress there...

Nice!

 

Great fabrication work !!

 

Here we have Robleticia throwing us a sign. Not sure what the heck it is but I think maybe its a V for Victory?

JRACER1 at the wheel, Robleticia riding shotgun.



Me - I am just as happy as a pig in..... well you know!



JMD82 - this one is for you




I think this guy
must have taken this picture of my butt

 

Looks like JRACER1 is craving the old chilli ring! hahaha!

 

NICE WORK..that intake and carbs is perfect

 

Racrdad, it's wonderful to see you are back on the project! Great progress, I'm tickled to see you are so close to having a running/driving creation!

I hope my move/relocation allows me to get back in the game at some point in time ... Glad to see yours did!

Dan Stevens