My 1955 Chevy 3100 build

[Rods57]

That is some really cool work. love all of the detail on the interior. Ill take the automatic version please

[Advanced Design]

Truck and the bench look really good. That is a nice lighting feature on the bench too.

The open area next to the cabinets to the side of the cab....speaker? Tool storage locker? Jack? Just for some random ideas.

[Nut Case]

Dave

Oh you honor your father and such a well built beautiful bench.


Keep on keedpin on

NC

[Scottish58chev]

Fantastic work

[55 Chevy Dave]

It is definitely time for an update. Believe it or not, I have gotten some work done on the truck.

I made a lid for the console between the seats out of 2 layers of 1/2" MDF. I cut out an area in the middle to sit odds and ends such as my cell phone. I still need to do a bit of sanding on it and still need to find the right hidden hinge to mount the lid to the console.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I am pretty nervous about picking the right wheel/tire combo for the truck, so I decided to make some mock-up plywood wheels to see what an 18"/20" rim combination would look like on the truck. The measurements of the rims and tire sidewalls are exactly what I am thinking of buying and the truck is basically sitting at ride height.

I think this is the look I am going for.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Turning my attention to the brake system, I installed the thru-frame adapters at all four corners.

I drilled the holes and then welded in a tube to accept the adapters.

Now, at each of the 4 wheels I can connect the brake hoses on the outside of the frame and the brake line on the inside of the frame.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Here's what the connection looks like on the inside face of the frame and what one of the front connectors looks like.

I gotta get rid of those brass fittings!

[Scottish58chev]

Nice work. Always good to see progress 😃

[Advanced Design]

Great update Dave! Truck is coming together nicely. Good looking tow rig you have there too.

[Kim57]

Looking real nice.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

Finally...out for a little ride. https://youtu.be/NlLUr3YCF2k

[Advanced Design]

Nice cruising sound....good tunes too!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Wow! Aside from the video of my stroll around the block, I apparently have not posted since April. Here is some of the steps I skipped before the video of her out on the road.

Installation of the brake system was long and grueling, but came out pretty good. I bent all the lines out of regular steel. When I tear the truck down for paint, I plan to bend all the new lines out of stainless steel. I'll use the steel lines as a template to bend the new lines.

I already have the stainless line and fittings.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Here's another pic of the pieces all laid out prior to installation. I highly recommend the Eastwood brake line flaring tool. It's expensive, but makes flaring a breeze. I watched it for a while and ended up picking it up while on sale.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I mounted the brake line to the inner side of the frame by drilling and tapping holes for the screw-in mounts. They seem to hold everything nice and tight.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Since I have not yet settled on my final wheels and tires, I decided to pick up some "temp" rear tires that filled out the rear wheel wells a bit better. It occurred to me that I had some steel rims sitting in the shed that just might fit. Sure enough, the backspace was about right.

I picked up the 295/50-R15's on sale at the local tire shop. I didn't think $120.00 a piece was too bad.

[Scottish58chev]

That's looking really good. Really nice work, bed sides look great

[oldman3]

Nice job building the bed from scratch, looks great...Jim

[Scott2]

Great job!

[nuke1]

Cool build so far. I must be getting old. But those 295 s look sweet. Lol. Turned the clock back some there.

[Advanced Design]

Impressive work Dave! For the spongy brakes, bench bleeding the master is worth a shot though with the vacuum bleeding, if the master never went dry, it should have handled any air. Just some random thoughts...new master is bad, caliper upside down, drum brake adjustment, wheel cylinder sucking air.

Do the brakes pump up and hold firm? If not, I suspect a master cylinder problem if the other ideas are proved wrong.

My $0.02 for what it’s worth.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I'm back. I've been away for a bit, but I have been getting plenty of work done on the truck.

I decided the back end of the truck was sitting a bit high. The rear coil-over shocks were already dropped as low as they could go. I decided to make some new upper shock mounts. I picked up some tube that measured the same ID and OD as the tube that came with the rear suspension kit I bought. I made the rest of the mounts out of some plate I had laying around.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I cut off the original rear upper shock mounts and welded these right over them. This dropped the rear about 2-1/4". That looks better!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Oh, I also got the tailgate on my bed.