Projects Turning a lemon into lemonade - Very rusty 55' Chevy onto a Caprice frame...

Nice way to save the wagon Rick, I started to use a 75 Pont frame on my 57 wagon and after looking at a 57 car that was at Barrie it looked like h**l. I called a guy in BC who did like you and found he cut the floor out of his car and laid it onto the 70's floor pan. After all the trial fitting I went back to my original frame, as my floors were in great shape. I see you have your 57 Pontiac for sale on Canadian Poncho, I am under 59stratochiefwagon.

 

Wow, I must say I thought my 56 was rusty, but I guess it wasnt so bad. Great job, isnt it crazy how you stumble on parts and then plans change and if your patient things will just come together?

Brad

 

Well, I am still working on this one.

I found some rust issues in the roof and have been working on that. All the body mounts are done, the seat is mounted, and I have basically been just tackling the rust issues with the car. I have been working on the jambs around the rear tailgate - its just taking forever because its such a complicated piece and the car is so rusty there.

 

Yeah, I am selling the 57' now because I picked up a 67' Camaro from a good friend of mines brother. Its a very solid one owner car that we are keeping "in the family".

I will never find another 67' Camaro like this one, but I may never find another 57' laurentian hardtop that I can afford.

 

ugh camaro lmao and you were doing such good work on the wagon to ,

 

Rick,

I'm the guy with the '56 Wagon that pulled this off in 2005 and drove it on Power Tour, etc. We are doing another one right now actually that is going to be a pretty car, which is what mine was supposed to be, and it will also be a daily driver. Mine has been driven over 70k miles since I built it in '05. It's greatness.

That chassis is perfect for the 55-57. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise.

Mine uses the chassis, floors, column, engine, trans, etc from the Caprice 9C1. I love it and it works great with Air Ride and all that. I channeled mine 3 inches so that I didn't see the frame, got it extra low, and the seats and dash and column lined up perfectly. Its really really good.

 

I have heard of trusty rusty before. I channelled mine about three inches which puts it at about stock height. I am putting in wagon springs to bring it up some since I am going for more of a gasser look.

I have been doing lots of body work on mine. Still.

 

Well, have fun with it. I love mine.

Mine sat nice with stock 9C1 springs in it, but of course I planned on laying it out on air from the beginning.

The one we are starting to build now is going to be LS powered, clean, nice paint and interior etc. It's going to be a daily driver for my mom. We'll set the engine back a few inches compared to mine, and are doing some trickery with the front framerails as well. It should be cool as hell.

Keep us up to date on yours. I can't wait to see it finished.

 

I enjoy seeing builds like this.Makes you believe you can make something from nothing.Keep up the good work.

 

Did ya get a new camera yet Rick?? I am having rustbucket pic withdrawal !!

 

Rick ...updates with pics pleeeese

 

That make two of us..That`s funny shit Kemp

 

My camera is dead, I am still working on the car, but can't take any pics. I am trying to have it driveable in time to take it to the HAMB drags!

The roof around the rear of the car is all fixed, and I am working on the tailgate posts. They are rotted badly on this car. One side is pretty much done and I am working on the other.

I still have to fix the passenger windows frame for the window just behind the door. Its rotted badly. I am cutting up the original and badly rotted drivers door to get the outer window frame pieces I need as it matches perfectly.

I also cut up the really bad original passenger door to fix the sorta bad one I picked up. One was rusted bad at the front of the door shell, and the other was rotten at the rear. Now the door just needs a patch on the bottom, and some reassembly and its done.

I have a pretty good drivers door that I picked up, so other than filling trim holes, no real work needed there. I also picked up a decent tailgate that only needs minor work.

I am toying with making the frontend a one piece flip setup so I can get to the engine easily. We will see.

I even have a decent little 350 that I have to pickup that will be dropped in since the other motor is not done yet. I have a mockup engine in the car (moved it back 4") with a ST10 4 speed right now.

All the steel is here for the floors, and the tubing for the roll cage. I can't do the cage until I fix the window frame, but I want to do that on the upcoming long weekend. I have 4 days off and am planning on spending them in the shop on the 55. I am hoping to get the window frame, rear tailgate posts, and floor framing done. If everything goes well, I might even be able to start the cage.

 

Holy Shit!! That would RULE!!!

 

It would be drivable, but certainly not done. I also was just given a couple of sets of old cragars (some 15x10,s 15x8's, and 15x4's) that are pretty rough that I am going to run.

I need to get a rear bumper still, and some trim bits.

 

You NEED to borrow a camera from someone

 

rick, this thread just saved the life of another 55 chevy!

 

I wish you the best of luck,Do what you gotta do . John Im no dream killer

 

What's going on????

 

I am just finishing the roof. I am never fixing another car that has a bad roof. It takes forever to get the thing looking right and its right at eye level!

 

Let's take up a collection for a camera.

 

He prolly spent all his money buying metal to fix that roof I know how it feels, did a 55 Delivery that I had to change the whole roof on, then had to repair the donor roof

 

Lol - well, I now have a decent camera, and even went to the shop and worked on the 55'.

I am tired of working on the roof, so I took a break, and have been rebuilding the wagon's hatch pillars. They bottom corners were gone, and both sides were rusted halfway up the pillar. One side is done except for dressing the welds, and the other is about half done.

Pic's to come if the weather is ok this weekend and I go back up! I am not ever buying a wagon that needs a new roof skin. This is one of the suckiest repairs I have ever had to do.

 

Get any work done on the Chevy lately

 

None - the shop is frozen shut with 8" if ice that is slowly melting. I can't get the doors open! All this freeze/thaw crap we have been having up here has layered the ice nice and thick.

Hopefully the weather stays above freezing now and I can get into the shop. And it doesn't flood with all the ice melting.

 

Dude.. you've got to post some pics soon.. please. Heck I started reading this thread for the first time (shhh.. here at work) and I ended up missing my meeting.! I got to this last page and what..? No current shots???!??? Regardless.. I LOVE the fact that you jumped in and just went for it. That's what I like doing.. just jump in and go... Get yourself to the point of no return and there's no where to go but up. I can't believe the amount of cancer this thing had.. looked like it had been sitting by the ocean for a long time.. regardless.. this is turning out great and is huge motivation for anybody thinking that there car "is beyond hope"... It's all doable if you want it bad enough.

Thanks for a great thread.. hope you hit a thaw soon and can take some nice pics!

Great job.

 

lemonade,please.....still waiting

 

The car is currently on the back burner while I throw together a budget 57' plymouth. It took all year to get the roof done. I am never going to do that again.

 

Yeah,I saw your other thread and it made me think of your 55 so I looked up this thread to see how you were doin on it.
Sometimes takin a break from a project for a little bit is the best medicine
I will be lookin forward to seein ya start on it again tho

 

I am thinking of selling this car off and letting someone else finish the project. I have to think about it. The roof on this car just burned me out from working on it. I should have bought the rotten 55' nomad body with the good roof. I could have cut the roof off and welded it to this body and had a nomad!

I may feel different when the 57' plymouth is on the road (hoping to take it to the Hunnert).