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Brendon's '55 Gasser thread

86K views 588 replies 22 participants last post by  ultrahots 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys:

Since I'm not too far along yet with this build I figured I'd start a thread here from the beginning. I also have some pics of this on the tri-five forum and Hotrodders.com site.

I bought my '55 a few years back as a stalled race car project. It was nothing more than an empty shell with a rotted floor and a few parts bolted onto it. It sat as I finished up my '67 Firebird project and now that my 'bird is running I have slowly started on this one. My first task was to get the paperwork squared away, and then I tore out the rusty floors. I've since replaced the inner rockers, rebuilt some of the floor supports and reinstalled that. I also added some extensions onto the frame for future roll bar structure. I also replaced the rusty trunk floor, however, I only used smaller patch panels as I didn't see the benefit of paying more $$ for a full trunk floor when I'd be chopping half of it back out to make room for the wheel tubs that came with the car.

The previous owner chopped out the wheel wells with a plasma cutter and took out too much material, so I'll be making some flanges to fill in the gaps (you'll see that in the last pics). That'll be my next task and then onto the passenger side tub.

My goal with this build is to make a rough looking yet wallet friendly build. I spent way too much on my last car so I'd like to keep this one a little more reasonable. It'll be streetable, have a clutch pedal, run on pump gas, and scare prius owners. It'll probably more poser than full on race car. No idea on powerplant yet. The car came with some aftermarket leaf springs and traction bars, and I've located a front axle from a '57 chevy truck so it'll have a good stance, and I've already scored some 200s rims (same as the '55 from 2 lane blacktop).





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#349 ·
Today I made the lower shock mounts. I'm kinda happy with how these came out, especially considering they are all hand cut. The bolts fit nice and snug, too. I also stepped up and bought some AN bolts for this, too.

It's times like this I wish I had a water jet cutter and the ability to program it, ha ha. I know I could make all sorts of cool parts with them.
 

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#352 ·
Made some progress this weekend, I built the upper front shock mounts, added some reinforcing metal panels on the cowl and built a better set of supports for my front marker lights. Sometimes I get into a groove and then realize I should have stopped to take more pics. This was one of those times, so not many pics exist of the upper mounts, but I made them in a similar fashion as I did the lower mounts- cut 4x pieces (the front two are mirrored and the rear two are mirrored) and used a pre purchased "pro fab" metal bracket I had laying around. Once the trapezoid box frame was made I then cut out another cardboard template to fit the inside area to box it - kinda like an I beam in cross section
 

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#353 ·
Next I made some panels for the cowl. this is to give some reinforcement where I have my spring loaded levers as I've noticed that over time these are starting to bow in this area. hopefully the metal will be enough. I used some 2 part automotive panel bonding epoxy I had laying around as well. Lastly, were some better mounting brackets for my front turn signals. I never liked the ones I made previously, and thought I could do a little better. So I made a set that should hopefully look more like the ones for my headlights.
 

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#357 ·
I gotta tell ya Brendon, I would love to have your OCD any day. Your work is very well planned designed and executed. Great job.
 
#359 ·
Small updates this weekend- I trimmed my cowl to fit a little better, and started messing around with my dashboard. I gutted the HVAC controller and made a block off plate behind it for the levers, so I can install the facing onto the dash without the dead weight of the cable controls behind it. I also couldn't find my glovebox door. Maybe I never had one, I don't remember. So I took this as a sign that I should build something better than making or buying a glovebox door- a place for gauges and toggle switches. In typical fashion, I forgot to take pics until I was part way along, so you'll have to imagine what a dashboard with the ash tray frame cut away looks like, ha ha. Beyond that, the pics tell the story. I did break out my computer to make a quick template, sometimes it's just easier this way.
 

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#360 ·
minor update this weekend- spent some time stripping the old paint off of the interior garnish moldings that I have. turns out I still need a driver side A pillar as the one I had won't work (wrong style). the kicker is I had the chance to buy these cheaper before at a swap meet, but passed then because I thought they were too pricey. ended up paying more for one to be shipped to me hopefully by next weekend. oh well. Also started to tear down the interior of the car today and next I'll strip the dash to repaint it as well as the rest of the interior for hopefully the last time. I have some Eastwood rust encapsulator as well as a thermal barrier paint I bought several years back for my Firebird and never used.
 

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#361 ·
Have to strip and paint all my garnish moldings too, but need to check fitment first to ensure they're correct also. I got the diamond pattern black naugahyde for my doors and side panels last week. Still need to get some paneling to fabricate the panels to put the material on.
 
#362 ·
Despite working from home for the past month we still had a long Easter holiday weekend so I spent some time outside working on the '55. I was able to strip the old paint off the dash and repaint it, strip some paint off the front foot well area and rough the surface up for better adhesion (all my paint before was just a quick spray to keep it from rusting) I applied an Eastwood ceramic based paint onto the floors of the car. Mostly because I had it leftover from my Firebird build and never used it there, and I'm sure the BBC will generate plenty of heat, so this may come in handy. It's really thick and is to be textured, which gives it a truck bedliner type of appearance, but not quite as coarse. Once this fully cures I'll paint it black again. I also stripped some of the car's exterior down and gave it a coating of phosphate for now to prevent rust from flashing. You can now see just how rough and hacked the body on this car really is. It's a big deterrent for wanting to have a nice paint job on this. That, and the savings of having to pay for it, pay for rechroming the bits and refinishing the wheels, etc. So my plan is most likely to go with my original vision of a primer- like paint a la 2LBT and no filler. Embrace the rough body and not worry about maintaining another show car. Just enjoy it.
 

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#367 ·
I used some All Metal on my weld joints, and also some Duraglass on others. The All Metal is easier to work, but the Duraglass is much harder material, and I changed to using it for most of my weld joints. I think a thin coat of either would do wonders to making your weld seams perfect, even if you do go primer or some satin finish.
 
#368 ·
Thanks, guys. appreciate the advice. I have some high spots that have to be brought down, too. The driver side before the wheel is all bubbled out, and I have a big bubble on the top near the trunk. The car came with these, I didn't add them.
 
#369 ·
Made some progress this weekend- I added a crossmember underneath the engine, and painted the interior/ engine bay and remainder of the chassis. For the crossmember I made the main hoop first, then added bracing to my engine mount perches to help strengthen everything. Next I sprayed some paint
 

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#370 ·
Here are a few pics of my painting/ making a mess in my driveway. It's a good thing my driveway is lined with trees or my neighbors might complain about paint fumes, ha ha The engine bay interior floor and trunk floor are all satin black while the roll bar tubing is gloss black.
 

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#374 · (Edited)
Quick update- I dropped the car off this weekend with my painter. He expects 2 months, so I'll keep you all posted as I am updated.

The ironic part is I took this back to the house of the guy I bought the car from. He recommended the painter to me and is letting him use his shop to paint my car.
 

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#375 ·
This weekend my painter, George, sent me a few shots of my car and to let me know he got a coat of epoxy primer on it. Pics are his.. I also spent a little time working on some "sub assemblies" by painting my radiator black and installing the gauges on my glove box panel. Also helped a friend work on his '73 T/A and worked on my trailer, too
 

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#378 ·
I got my headers back from Swaintech coatings yesterday. I went with their "White Lightning" as it's advertised to be most effective in heat retention. It looks better than I was lead to believe it would as their sale force described it as a functional, but not an aesthetic coating. I like it. It's coarse, almost looks metallic, and I took a close up with a dime for a scale comparison. It does appear to mar easily. I haven't decided yet if I'll leave it like this of paint over it with white header paint.

https://swaintech.com/race-coatings/race-coating-descriptions/white-lightning-exhaust-coatings/
 

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