55.2-59 Ol' Blue

[8man]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the 1957 Chevy. It was a 12-hour day to go get it and take it to my dad's place for storage until I can get the 54 done to a point where I can sell it and maybe get some money back from it.

So here goes, we were looking at colors last night and I think we are going blue, a dark blue with some flakes. That's why the thread is Ol' Blue.

Here are some pictures of what i have so far. He has redone the side steps, the upper floor pans and some other cab parts. He hadn't finished the cab when he stopped work on this truck to work on another car, more on that later.

This is the cab on the 79 frame;
IMG_1348 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

This is the dash and the dual electric fan;
IMG_1349 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

The cab from the other side and a shot of the trailer. I brought that trailer so I could put some stuff on it with the truck. The inside of the trailer is 76" and the outside of the tires on the 79 frame is 77". Thankfully the seller had a John Deere tractor with a front loader and was able to push the truck up on the trailer.
IMG_1350 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

The new body parts are from LMC, like the hood, bedsides and all four fenders. The white truck is my brother's long bed Dodge that was loaded full of the boxes of parts.
IMG_1351 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

The windshield and other sheet metal parts in boxes on my brothers little trailer.
IMG_1352 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

The doors were in pretty good shape, but I had no idea how heavy they are.
IMG_1354 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

The carpet is in the box on the left in the picture, the radiator and radiator bracket are original and had been used with a Chevy 305 when he brought it home. He saved all the brake and fuel lines and gave them to me as well. I won't be using the 79 frame, but they might come in handy when bending lines in the future. The doors and this loose stuff was in my truck.
IMG_1355 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

Fan shroud, back window and a box of small parts like emblems and the like.
IMG_1356 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

There were new bed steps and brackets, new bed sides, tailgate, front panel, red oak flooring and stainless bed strips to name some of the stuff he had already purchased for this truck.

The seller is actually in the business of rebuilding old cars and trucks. He bought all of this to build and sell the truck but found a Corvette to do and spent the money doing it so the truck was for sale.

Tuesday the 8/1 I go pick up the 57 frame. I plan to do the Mustang front end, but still looking at ideas for the best ride for the back end.

It will be some time before I post on this again, as I need to get on the 54 and turn it into something, but Ol' Blue is coming......

[mongocanfly]

Wow...truck-in-a-box..!!!

[8man]

Thanks, and yes, a lot of steel is still in a box. But it makes moving it safely a lot easier.

[Tempest67]

looks like you are off to a great start,

I am excited for you on this next project.


Thanks for sharing

[8man]

Thank you. I'm ready for it, but I have to contain myself until I get the 54 further along.

[Tempest67]

I have a new project as well, but I have to sell one before it can come home........ can't wait to get at it.


I always tell the wife, "just 1 more, I promise"....... she knows not to listen to me ha ha

[dsraven]

lotes of parts anyway. nice. if the seller was into rebuilds then hopefully the work done is completed right. curious, is it just the pic or is the brake booster not centered to the driver? it looks closer to the middle than most.

[8man]

Raven, I didn't look at the booster as I'm going to go with a hydro boost and will need to adjust the firewall anyway. I know there are a lot of other things to consider, like making them fit, but it's a start.

[dsraven]

good plan on the hydroboost. there are a few guys on here with task force trucks who have used the hydro mounted on the frame and had success. check Ogre's thread, he used one i think. there is one with the mechanism for the pedal connection mounted normally and then the actual unit is further down towards the rear with a longer pushrod. that makes the bulky part out of the way and also easier to get at the master cyl reservoir.
you will likely have several full rebuilds and scenarios done in your head by the time you actually get to working on it. haha.

[8man]

I'll check that out, thanks.

Today I got the frame. It looks straight, has no real visible problems. The springs and hangers are still in place, and I think that will be helpful for the future. More on that in a moment.

IMG_1361 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

I'm thinking Mustang II front end kit. Here are some I've started looking at:

Full Tilt Street Rods
Southern Rods & Parts
TCI
Helix
Heidts

I have no idea which one is better, I do know Helix is super expensive and that the first 2 are probably on the lower end.

So if anyone has any suggestions, I'd like to here them.

As for the rear, maybe new springs and shocks. It is going to be a driver, as showoff driver, but a driver nonetheless.

So again, suggestions WITH reasons are welcome.

Other than checkin in on the thread, this may be the last real post for a bit as the 54 is demanding some attention!

[dsraven]

Do some research on the MII with some questions to the actual companies, not the retailer. If you can contact them for tech support and get real answers in a timely fashion then put a check mark in that box
Instructions on what to do for prep prior to install of the cross member
DETAILED install instructions with dimensions and pics
Thickness of metal used for the cross member. Are there stabilizing/reinforcing brackets for the lower control arm pivot bolt reunion. Is that reunion a full length part of just at the front and rear of the cross member
Tubing used for control arms with wall thickness
Style and manufacturer of ball joints used, from what donor vehicle and are they sealed or do they have push on rubber boots that never really seal
Brake rotor size and caliper type. What vehicle do the parts come from
Spindle donor vehicle
Power steering rack, new or rebuilt and what is the donor vehicle as well as the pressure the system requires. Is there a p/s pump modification required. Do the parts for a p/s pump model come with the kit
Size and style of stabilizer bar and links. How does it connect up
Do the upper control arms mount up chevy style with shims to adjust or are they the older style T bolts
Do the instructions come with the angles that are expected for the control arms to be at when at ride height. Do they include the upper control arm mounting angle for proper antidote angle
Are there suggestions for what springs to use for different driveline weights
What are the expected ride heights with a normal kit spindle vs a drop spindle.
Is there a suggested tire diameter and wheel offset to go with the alignment specs given and also to match those numbers up to scrub angle etc
Just off the top of my head this is what I would ask.
There are also bolt in Kits available
The most forgiving kit is the one that allows the most adjustment. It's also the one that has the most spots to break or wear out I suppose
I suggest to do some research on how independent front suspension works. What all the terms are. What all the angles mean and how they affect each other. Steering axis inclination, scrub radius, bump steer, Ackerman angle, wheel offset, tire diameter, inner tie rod pivot point importance in steering geometry, etc. A manufacturer who will give a diagram of their suspension showing dimensions and angles etc would score very high on my list. One who says "it's all engineered to work for your truck right outta the box" would be close to the bottom of my list.
My 57 had a brand name kit. It was mislabeled or boxed wrong I believe. Anyway, long story short, the retailer wasn't much help and the manufacturer had no answers either except to say weld it is like the instructions say and it will be ok.
I am a lic'd mechanic and know if I had done that it would not have been ok.

[8man]

Thank YOU!

I just printed that out and will use it to make a sheet for each manufacturer I find, answer as many of the questions as I can and see where it leads me.

[Rickysnickers]

I have a TCI MII on my truck and like it. It uses coil overs and not coil springs and shocks. It was not that difficult for the alignment shop to fix either. No T bolts.

[dsraven]

After reading my post I realized there's a few autocorrect words. Antidote should read anti dive for one.
On my phone when I try to reply an ad covers the whole reply box so I dont even see what I am typing

[6DoF]

save the leaf springs!

[8man]

Ricky, thanks for the info on the front end.

Raven, love to hate autocorrect and those ads!

6d, what are you suggesting I do with the leaf springs after I save them?

[dsraven]

A great site for parts and kits is welders series. Great deal for USD

[8man]

Thanks Raven. I've heard of them, but never looked into them. I will look them up now.

[daveshilling]

You have experience with the Camaro/Firebird clips, and they're quite popular for Task Force... great turning radius too. Any reason you're shying away from doing another Camaro clip? They are WELL documented, procedurally.

Personally, I like the C4 Corvette IFS setup from Flatout Engineering. The 80's corvettes had undeniably excellent suspension geometry, superior to a Mustang II. Aluminum arms, great brakes, power steering, and its all GM. If you want 15" wheels with no hassle, gotta stay '84-87 Corvette parts, though. Later years had bigger brakes.

I think No Limit also has a cool IFS, admittedly with some quirks and a premium price, but its a track-tested suspension setup that's designed for handling well and adjustability. They use some off-the shelf GM parts to make replacing ball joints and such an easy exercise...although I think they produce their own spindle nowadays. The owner of No Limit has frequented this board many times as well and is very generous with advice and education about suspension geometry and handling.

That being said, not many folks on here are taking hard and fast corners and would even put a Mustang II through its paces, I imagine. Any of these options, sourced from a reputable company and installed properly will be fine for cruising to Cars and Coffee, and letting you put your foot in it for 5 seconds in a straight line, which I bet is the majority of what folks do to have fun in their trucks.

[8man]

Ok, after a ruptured appendix, 9 days in the hospital after emergency surgery literally at midnight, I was cleared to lift more than 10 lbs. So, I'm going to get started on the 57.

That said, I've been going through build threads, and I have some questions.

I want it to be about 4" lower than the old 57. I found a rear end spring system that doesn't use bars, but springs, it's a bolt on from TCI. It lowers the rear end about 4", so I think that will work for me. However, before I start on that I had to get the frame home.

IMG_1470 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

I checked it for level, square and width, and it is a good straight frame. So step 1 down.

I've already asked about MII IFS systems, and I have a Camaro clip, but I've thought and measured that one and I am not going to use it. Then I looked at Flat Out Engineering's Corvette front system, and I'm thinking hard about that one. I have to talk to them and TCI about their MII front end and then I'll make that decision.

I have a 79 C10 rear axle, a 69 Camaro rear axle and a 71 S10 ZX1 3.75 ratio with positrac and discs. Is one of these preferable to the other, or is there another axle I should be looking for? I think the rear should be about 61.5" inside the brake housings. If that isn't right, please let me know.

I like the single glass side windows. I've looked at the Brothers kit and the Nu-relics kit. If someone has a preference, please let me know. I am still asking them questions about these.

I like the idea of power windows. I've looked at a couple of power units, but with Nu-relics, I don't like cutting that big hole in the door panel. The Brothers just lets the window felt channel just flop below the top of the frame. Is there a better option, or is one of these the way to go?

If I get a re-pop door latch from LMC or someone, is it a good system? I used Altman on the 48, but I'm leaning toward original style latches on this one unless someone says don't do it.

I'm sure I will have more questions, but this should start me planning the truck. I'm bringing the 55 body home this next weekend to start looking at it on the frame. Then I can mark the frame for the wheel openings.

[daveshilling]

Rear axle width also affects wheel width options, so you want to consider how wide you want that wheel to be, whether you want to tub the bed at all, etc. Maybe you choose the wheels first, fit them in the fenders, then see how wide the rear needs to be to accommodate them, and go from there.

[8man]

Thank you. That is an interesting idea.

[dsraven]

its good to decide what tire width you want, what wheel offset you want and draw a scale model of the frame width, tire width, box width, fender width from the inner lip of the fender opening roll etc. draw it like a cross section would show. you will quickly get an isea as to what you will need to do for a wheel tub or an axle width. don't forget to leave room for tire bulge and axle movement as you corner etc. if using leaf springs there will be less lateral movement but if using a suspension type with a panhard bar there will be lateral movement as the suspension travels up and down.
yor axle choice should be partially dictated by the amount of power you plan to have on tap as well as the amount of traction available to plant it down. it would be great to have the unlimited funding to buy whatever but if you plan to use what you have then I suggest you crack them open and have a look inside. make sure what you have is actually in good shape and will handle the power you plan on using. if you don't plan on narrowing the axle or having special brackets to contend with then slipping an axle you have under there could be saving you money and getting you driving and then the axle could be easily changed later if needed. the ford 8.8 is also a popular axle, is comparable in strength to the chevy 12 bolt and comes readily available with large axles, a posi, decent ratios and disc brakes with a top hat style park brake. the ford explorer uses them but has an offset center section. the mustang also uses them and has a centered middle. some will shorten the long side axle tube to be the same as the short side and use 2 short side axles. there is more info on that in "the ranger station" site if you're interested. I used one in a task force frame with the stock explorer width. redrilling the axles and discs to a chevy pattern is pretty straightforward as well, drill the chevy pattern between the forn studs.
if you are thinking of a new leaf spring rear suspension you could use a modern frame mount, possibly from a ford ranger which uses a 2.5" spring width, available from a number of suppliers. you could "mock" bolt that onto your frame as an assembly and adjust the height till you get it where you want it, with the weight of the finished truck sitting on top-after the front end is installed and completed etc. no special kit required and parts available from most wreckers of new stuff is relatively cheap and not a specially made item you gotta wait for delivery. just a thought. new spring pads can be had from a trailer axle supply shop or a speed shop online, to weld onto the axle of choice.

[dsraven]

https://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/...-bt379-2mbwck/

ford ranger spring hanger and shackle kit

[8man]

Thank you, Raven. I appreciate the information.

I'm still in the planning stages and all the information helps me to formulate what I will do.

Right now, I'm thinking:

Power - LS conversion.
Tires - 15 x 8 maybe 235's
New spring system that rides better and is a little lower.