Projects I bought a 55 chev pickup!

After I built the modified, I quickly realized the importance of having a roof over your head... I wanted something that could be driven all over and all the time(even in the winter if I so choose)

So heres my new BABY, a 55 longbox for $200!! with title
It needs floors, doors(or some work to the origonals)
front fenders need bucket work, and rears need the bottoms of the fronts replaced. But If I raise the bed up to match the body lines then I will be reworking the fenders anyways. Anyone know where I can decode the VIN? J255J004352 I want to know what motor/tranny it had.


If anyone has parts, PM me please!

Oh ya, my plans are to get it running in as stock look as I can get for now(low budget project). And slowly turn it into a bagged big block, smoothed, simple looking truck.
I have no clue what color to paint it, and you dont see too many of these trucks chopped(that look good).

 

I really like these trucks, good score.

Here is a link that has a few links for VIN decoding (listed under 'Identifying Your Truck'):

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/

 

I don't think I would chop it and I favor chopped rigs. Having your glass man pissed at you for the next five years might not be worth it.
Paint is your choice but I have never seen a truck in that body style with a single color paint job that I thought looked bad colorwise. Just about any color tends to look good on it.

There is a pretty well done Chop thread here http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=286987

 

200 bux! Helluva score

 

www.brotherstrucks.com...they can help.......

 

Awesome deal. I have been really wanting a 55-58. Need to sell my other car than I will start looking

 

Love those trucks. That's a cool project.

 

That's a screaming deal for the money!

 

vin decode: no V, so it had a six, which was the 235. J is a 3600 series, which is a 3/4 ton, which you probably knew because of the 8 lug wheels. 255 is a 2nd series 1955, which you already knew. J is for Janesville WI assembly plant. rest is the sequential serial number.

 

nice score, a nova clip with SBC should make a sweet ride

 

welcome to the club , get started working on it so i can have some motivation to get going on mine

FINK

 

...I got a good project 55 shortbox for sale in the classifieds rite now.

 

I have owned mine for over 40 years, and I am still not tired of it. I love the lines of the truck just as they are, even though mine happens to be a Cameo. I am in the process of replacing the 396, which has been in the truck for 38 of those years, with a mild 454. The only reason I am taking the present motor out, is because it is a bone stock 350hp 396 from a 67 Chevelle.
I am still running a straight axle, and for awhile I ran it as a 4x4, using Blazer adapted to the 55 Chassis. I always made certain to change the parts I was adapting to the truck, so that if the day came that I wanted to restore the truck, it would be easy to do.
Good luck with the truck.
Bob

 

love those TF trucks! good score for $200.

 

cant beat $200.00 great score!

 

Yeah man good score on that one.. congrats.

 

frame hasnt been cut off either... good score. i like em.

 

Whenever I gt out of my 56 and then get in my ford ranger, I hit my head on the roof. I forget to duck, after the extra large space of the 56.

I spent a bundle at Brothers trucks (cab corners, rockers and door step, etc, etc).

I'm going to have to redo my doors though. After 10 years they are sagging and the edges stick out from the body. I'm going to figure out how to get a perfect gap and bend the doors to match the body lines.

I'm thinking of taking the plasma cutter and lightening the doors, by cutting out the inner metal, and replacing that with interior panels. Also bought a one-piece electric window kit that deletes the wing vents. The windows are the worst part of my truck. Brothers sells new glass (front, back and sides).

Good luck, and nice truck!

 

Great score! I have a 56 shortbox that I will get to someday, in the mean time I have lots of research completed. Here is a some great thread you might be interested in if you do a camaro front clip like many do:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148978

Keep us updated on your progress!

 

Im going to pick it up today and get it over here before the snow gets too deep.
I looked at brothers and they seem to be the cheapest for the rockers and corners that I need. I still need a seat, anyone know of a seat that is the right width for the truck? I would like to find an origonal seat though.

I saved the rear window, but the front has a crack going top to bottom right in the middle...

 

It's been a few years, but I priced a windshield in town for well under $200

88-98 full size chevy pickup seats seem to fit pretty well if you can't find an original.

 

Looks like a good one to start with. My old truck was in much worse shape than that when I started, not saying it's much better now. I love the 5 thru 7 Chevys. I had good luck getting parts for mine thru LMC Truck and what used to be Chevy Duty in Kansas City. Good parts and good service. Good luck.
Later,
Dick

 

nice score! In WI no less!

 

Any advise on the brakes? I figure the big brakes it has now will be fine for a little while, I just want to upgrade to a power MC and I know theres a cheaper way than speedways bracket and cylinder package. Is there just a bracket and OEM MC that I can pick up?

Oh ya, and motor mounts, should I look for a V8 version in the yard for mounts or would the frame be different? Otherwise I will make up my own.

 

The V8 mounts were kind of funky...they were just like the 6 front mounts that are on it now, but there were brackets riveted to the frame behind the crossmember to move the mounting holes back, and brackets on the front of the block, as well as the bellhousing mounts. If you're planning on keeping a manual trans in it then you could use the repop stock mounts, but if you're gonna switch to an automatic, then you want a crossmember type mounting setup that will use side mounts on the engine, and a rear transmission mount.

The drum brakes work ok for me without power, but I guess that's up to you. Some guys hang a pedal/booster on the firewall, otherwise you'll need an expensive power kit or make your own bracket/pedal pivot and find a small booster for under the floor.

 

So, your saying a crossmember type like this is what I want?
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/327...-Block-or-90-V6-Chevy-Crossmember-Mounts.html

I could make up a set of mounts also, but I really dont like the biscut style motor mounts. I dont like the look really. Since there is a masive crossmember already in place, I dont think I will need another one right?

 

also try www.classicparts.com

 

That crossmember you linked to is what I had in mind. There are two huge crossmembers there already, but they're kind of in the wrong place if you're using an automatic trans, unfortunately.

You could come up with some other mounting scheme....

 

Not bad for $200.

 

Congrats...Before you chop it, think about that windshield....