I've been lurking around here for a while now, but I've never had much to post, but now I've got a reason. I just picked up a 53 chevy with the intentions of it being for my son who just turned 15. The body is pretty solid, some surface rust, but very little cancer that I have found so far. It's got no motor or tranny, but the previous owner put in a 10 bolt rear end. I like the idea of getting some disc brakes in there, but money is short, I had to shuffle some priorities to get the car in the first place. What can we do to start that is (relatively) cheap and easy, and that we can learn as we go? Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Have him get a a paper route or a first job to start earning some cash to help out. You can't just give them everything.
Looks like a solid start...have him take some (if they are available) metal shop and auto shop classes...buy him a lawnmower and have him start mowing lawns, recycling aluminum cans, etc...it will mean more to him if he wrenches on it too and helps to pay for it...and he will take better care of it once it's a driver
elbow grease is cheap...I'd start under the car and in the engine bay. Clean everything until all the grease is off then rattlecan detail all you can....get a wire wheel on a bench grinder and have him cleaning small parts like bolts and nuts...anything that can be reused. Then go inside the car and clean the snot outta it...maybe detail the dash and spraybomb it,polish the chrome and stainless,repaint the steering column,repair and paint the steering wheel (JB weld the cracks and sand smooth) Keep your eyes open for a donor car with a good engine and trans and driveshaft. Save up for the disc brake kit....or rebuild the stock brakes...they worked for 50+ years...teach him to drive with drums and upgrade when the funds allow. Maybe pull the front suspension apart and clean it up real nice with shiny paint ...replace what HAS to be replaced and put it back together (maybe cut a coil while it's apart) teach him how to pack the wheel bearings. Make a list of everything that needs done and mark off stuff as you finish it...that way while he may not see the progress on the car...he can see stuff getting marked off the list.
Just start by cleaning it up and fixing a few easy things concentrating on safety stuff asap. Go from there and have fun with it. Take a few things apart and pay attention how it comes apart and put it back together in reverse order after you clean it up, put new gaskets on, etc. Fix the wires - clean all the connections and fix any broken or bad wires. Old wires can cause a fire real quick and then your car will likely be toast. Wires are cheap and easy to fix and could prevent a very serious problem.
Thanks, Brewsir, that helps, especially since I was asking for car advice rather than parenting tips...
Think safety first. His chances of being involved in an accident are pretty high at his age already, so I'd upgrade the brakes and make sure the front end is in good shape, and remember, these old cars don't have shock absorbing crumple zones, or air bags, so add shoulder harness seat belts. Then I'd put in a straight 6 with maybe an automatic (less headaches with a new driver). And, as has been mentioned, make him do the dirty work, and get a job to pay for it, he'll appreciate it more, and possibly have a hobby for life since he'll have learned the skills. Give a man a fish/teach a man to fish..........
That's the idea, Ron. I'm not so worried about him paying for stuff as he's going to be putting in a lot of the work, especially on the shitty/clean up type jobs. He's a good kid, this is something we can do together, and he'll definitely have at least a year's worth of work into it before he can drive it. I agree on the safety ideas. I've been told there is a MII kit that bolts right in, since the original front end is bolted in. Not sure if I want to go that route or not, does anyone know of other options that will fit. I saw some brakes from a 70 chevelle for sale locally and was thinking that those might work, but I'm no expert on that sort of thing. Powertrain options... a 6 sounds good, but it's really goning to come down to what's for sale in decent condition cheap and local when we get to that point. I'm aiming to have all of the front end stuff sqaured away before I worry about putting a motor in there. What about wiring? Now seems like a good time to look at changing to 12 volt without extra stuff in the way? How much time/work/$$ should I expect to put into that? G
I agree with making it safe first... check or replace brakes and brakelines. Then go through the suspension and replace any worn balljoints, tierods, bearings, etc. The engine choice is up to you, I'm gonna say a (mild) 350/350 combo is closely priced to a 235/3spd. if buying used. You don't have to go crazy with it all at once, enjoy working on it, locating parts, getting dirty as hell, etc...
Fatman Fab suspension stuff, maybe not the cheapest option. But you can Ala-cart it. Or swap meets. There's a 235/3spd advertised here on the hamb for like $330. Been up for a while so maybe less. I believe it's in ca as well.
Craigslist can be your best friend. Clean it, lower it, make it safe, and have him drive the hell out of it. Anytime you drive it, just make sure you don't back up into one of your cars, like my step-father did to mine.
Pretty much what I was going to say. Just start by cleaning and detailing what you have. It will start to look better pretty quick and keep you motivated.
You might look for donor vehicles that have complete motor and transmission that would fit into the car, then scrap the donor. I've bought cars and trucks for cheap, pull the motor and trans, and come out money ahead with motor and trans for free or close to it!
Keep your eyes open on Craigslist. Ebay if for guys trying to make a killing, craiglist if for guys wanting a little cash to get rid of something they are tired of walking around in their garage. I've scored 2 running 350 Olds engines for $100 a piece. The heads alone are going for $250 a piece on eBay. You've just got to check everyday... it only takes a couple of minutes out of your day.. time well spent.
dude, find yourself a late 70's early 80's box chevy caprice, strip out the drivetrain for the 53, and scrap what's left over. You could have yourself a running engine & tranny for a few hundred bucks after it's all said and done, plus whatever else you need (brake stuff, radiator, etc), plus, you'll have the cheapest engine to buy parts for when it breaks down. Besides, we all know how much everyone around here LOVES SBC's. You'll be so popular!
Keep your kid on track with the project. My dad was a GREAT wealth of knowledge... but I wish he would've kept me on track with my projects a little better (kicked my ass for getting side tracked), before I knew how to. I like the "make a list" idea. Wish I would've thought of that when I was a kid. I had a really bad habit of starting to sand a fender... then check out the wiring... "oh hey look... only one headlight lights up... I better look at that.... oh look at that oil leak.... but the headlights not done... aw screw it.... I wonder if I can get this thing to start???.... that door sure isn't aligned properly.... and the horn doesn't work... but I wonder if it's just this wire...." See what I mean? Pretty much my thought process with my first classic. I needed some discipline. Not trying to give parenting advice at all. Hell i'm not even a parent... just saying what would've helped when I was kid. I learned a lot by being all over the place... it just took a million years to get anything done. As for where to start... i'll echo the comments already made. Get it safe, and if you want it fairly cheap and easy for the kid to work on, try to get an original style drive train for it. Inline 6's are great for a kid. They can soup em' up pretty wicked... and if it's still not enough... BB it when he's old enough to pay for his own tickets. HA! Oh yeah, and if you do choose to go with an original style drive train for it, be sure to get him the shop manual for the car. I used to look at the '53 F100 shop manual I had for my truck more than I did stolen copies of Playboy... well... maybe not that much... but it was damn close.
I'm very partial to straight 6's in these cars. As noted, you can buy 235's with a tranny (you don't state if it's auto or stick) for very little. You see them all the time in good operating condition for less than $500. People almost give away the old powerglides. The factory brakes do a good job but with a kid driving it, one certainly does need to consider discs with a dual master cylinder. I bought my 56 Pontiac wrecked where some kid ran into a mini-van.
I did a bolt in MII kit when I was young and didn't weld...it worked out very nicely (on the 38 chevy) but was pretty expensive. You already have independent front suspension. Sorry I can't help on the disc brake conversion but do a search on here and see if anyone has talked about it before. For the wiring Take a good look at the stock wiring...how good od shape is it in? Can it be used and do you really want to chase electrical problems from an old system? I would buy a rebel wiring kit for a little under $200 and rewire the whole car...just to get the dependability of a fresh system. I started a father /son project with my kid a couple of years ago and sunk a small pile of cash into it. Got some labor out of my son and had a good time with him.....but now that it's a driver....he isn't. There is no way in hell he would drive this car....he's scared to death at 17 to even drive a shitbox in a parking lot and has no real driving instincts (trust me I have had him out driving many times) Anyway...I am over it and realize this is my hobby and he has no real interest in it anyway....hope your deal turns out better!
Here's a pair of caliper brackets for $40 delivered. This guy is pretty good to deal with, regardless of what his home business name is. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RAT-...ryZ34199QQihZ025QQitemZ380028811808QQtcZphoto Check out the "SEE SELLERS OTHER ITEMS or SELLER'S STORE" for more parts and pieces.
I can't add a thing here. You already have some superb advice from the other posts. Clearly we have some good Dads here as well as good wrenchers.
I gave those answers because I've been building a 54 chevy for my 26 yr old daughter. She lives about an hour from me and works on it when she can, but she's really too busy for me to only work on it when she can make it here, it'll never get done that way. Anyway, make SURE you examine that old front end carefully, and add up the cost of repairs and lowering (if that's in the plan). Wheel bearings were going to cost $260, disc brakes maybe $300 or more after machining, lowered uprights and steering arms $600, add in other little things that could be bad, and you see why a lot of guys (including me) take it all out and replace it. Bolt in is BY FAR the easiest on one of these cars, but, if you're new to this, this is still a fairly big job since there will be a lot of fab work still necessary. As far as the engine, the original 6 is the easiest for you, and I think they're really cool, but a sbc with a turbo 350 is cheap and still easy, (and as has been mentioned a donor car is the best way to go here) and your son and his friends will probably think it's cooler because it's a V8 (at their age they won't know it's only a 305) And yes, now is the time to convert to 12v and it's not as difficult or expensive as it sounds. Here's a link http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/miscellaneous/5412volt.htm Remember take your time in the planning stage and make careful choices, projects like this can get out of hand very quickly, then bog down and never get finished. This project could either open up a whole new world for him, or discourage him from ever trying again. Good luck, I hope it works out and he stays with it, it's hard to keep kids from getting sidetracked these days with all the options they have.
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