57 Chevy Wagon - Californa Dreamin'

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Beautiful.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Very nice!

Thanks, guys! I talked to Rick at HRE yesterday and he wants to pick up the chassis on Tuesday, weather permitting. Our forecast calls for scattered showers on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I'm not sure what exactly will happen. It shouldn't take too long to get the body on and bolted down if all goes as planned. One potential fly-in-the-ointment is the remote battery cable. I ran a 2/0 cable from the rear of the car to the starter along the top of the frame rail. I won't know until the body goes on if will clear the ribs on the underside of the floor where the body bushings are installed. I tried using a straight edge to gauge whether I had enough clearance and it looks like I may have enough. But then again, I thought the coil covers would clear the firewall and was wrong about that. The good news is that it should be easy to move the cable to the side of the frame rail if all else fails. I gave Rick a heads-up about it, so they know to check it while it's on the two post lift.
.

[Vic1947]

Spent the better part of Labor Day, well... laboring. The inner fenders are now good enough to start spraying 2K primer. Once that's done, I'll mock up the core support, the old stock fenders and other pieces to get a pattern for the filler panels. I'd like to get all that done before the car returns home. It looks like a dust bomb went off inside the place, so once the chassis is gone, I need to fire up the leaf blower and air it out. Can't believe the weather is supposed to be way cooler for the rest of the week. 90 today, but allegedly will be 50 in a couple of days.

[Warrens69GMC]

God I hope it cools soon. 111* expected at my house today, and then it cools, hoping to be under triple digits the rest of the year........

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

God I hope it cools soon. 111* expected at my house today, and then it cools, hoping to be under triple digits the rest of the year........

We did get some cooler weather and even a little rain. Hoping Warren, Dale and everyone out west does too - and soon! Today was spectacular weather and even better... the wagon is in the shop! I was headed down to HRE this morning to pick up the hood and assorted other parts when Kathy called and said they were on the way. As I turned around to go back home they passed me on the road, so I followed them to the house. I think they were even happier to see it leave than I was to get it back. Looking forward to lots of assembly in the coming weeks. But first I plan to wipe off the dust and admire it for a bit. Stay tuned!

[sduckworth13]

It sure is a beauty Vic!

[mongocanfly]

good to see it back home Vic..!!

[72 tigger]

Looks great- has to feel good to have back. Don’t hit the garage door opener!

[Ol Blue K20]

It's absolutely gorgeous!

[Ironhorse]

VERY NICE, love those tri-fives. My 57 two door is under going interior now. Getting a bit impatient wanting it home so I can cruise a bit before I have to tuck her away for the winter.

[BlueJeep]

Looks great Vic!

Is your rear floor supposed to have wood over it? What are your plans back there?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

It sure is a beauty Vic!

Thanks, Scott, you need to swing by and have a look if work or Katina ever let you have a day off.

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

good to see it back home Vic..!!

Amen to that, Greg!

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Looks great- has to feel good to have back. Don’t hit the garage door opener!

One of the guys on the tri-five forum said the same thing. Believe me, I've learned the hard way to lock it first.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

It's absolutely gorgeous!

Thanks, Dale! Hope you're doing okay. Been checking Cal Fire occasionally to see if anything is near you.

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

VERY NICE, love those tri-fives. My 57 two door is under going interior now. Getting a bit impatient wanting it home so I can cruise a bit before I have to tuck her away for the winter.

Would love to see a photo of it if you get a chance. My interior guy called a few days ago to check in. I think business is a bit slow right now. Hated to tell him it would probably be end of November before the wagon sees the inside of his shop.

Originally Posted by BlueJeep

Looks great Vic! Is your rear floor supposed to have wood over it? What are your plans back there?

Thanks! Not exactly sure what is supposed to be there. When I bought it, it had a piece of plywood over the spare tire well. I removed all that and used the space to install the EFI fuel tank. I have a piano hinged cover that allows me access to the tank if needed. I'm considering having the upholstery shop put carpet over the cargo area with Velcro around the edges to hold it in place. I've seen several nice ideas for that area, but if you make it too complex, you lose the access to the underside.

So I've been slowly getting organized. There's so much to do, I find myself getting sidetracked a lot. I needed to get the tack strip in before installing the quarter windows. Due to poor planning, I've used up all the material I bought and the upholstery shop was out of what I needed too. But they'll have some in tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I've been fixing screw ups. The rear tires and wheels can't be removed without taking out the lower shock bolts and dropping the rear end down. I removed the spacers and milled .300" off the lug nuts which helps a lot, but if I ever have a flat, it will be pretty ugly. Not that I've had a flat tire for years and years, but the universe has a quirky sense of humor.

Also realized the condenser a/c hard lines that came with the kit wouldn't clear the splash pan. So I shortened them as much as I could but they were still too close to suit me, so I gave in and built a little pocket for additional clearance.

I'd like to get some of the quarter trim on this week (which is why I needed to get the tires out of the way). Will post progress pics if I can keep from wandering off to do other stuff.

[BlueJeep]

Thanks for the rear cargo area info, seems similar to a 54.

The flat tire, oh yes, I had to factor all of that into my build as well.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...4&postcount=49

I ended up building my coilover mounts for as long of a coilover as I could get away with, and setting it up for more droop travel than up travel so I could get the tire off on the side of the road without unhooking suspension. After some testing, it worked on my application!

[mongocanfly]

Looks great Vic..!!

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks awesome Vic. I'm loving it.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Looks awesome Vic. I'm loving it.

Thanks Dale! Can't wait to get more of the trim on it. Keep getting side tracked, though. Had to remove the motor mount on the driver side and modify it to clear the vibration joint.

[HAULIN' IT]

Lookin Great!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by HAULIN' IT

Lookin Great!

Thanks!!

Sneak peek...

Progress is slow due to having to massage everything but I believe it's going to work out.

[Ol Blue K20]

Very nice peek! I think the color is popping more with trim.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Very nice peek! I think the color is popping more with trim.

Thanks, Dale. Kathy and I were talking yesterday and she asked if I regretted leaving off the red and I said NO! The more trim that goes on, the better I like the solid silver.

Speaking of which, here are a few more progress shots. It's going back together a lot more slowly than it came apart, though.

[Warrens69GMC]

Beautiful!

[mongocanfly]

That trim sure makes it look complete...very nice...

[sduckworth13]

It’s really looking beautiful Vic! I’ve been wanting to stop by, but I’m kinda rebuilding the front window on the house. There was a bunch of wood rot under the window. I had to remove about a 5 ft section from the subfloor to the rim joist. I’m on the home stretch thankfully, should have all the vinyl siding back on the house this week...I hope.

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks fantastic Vic, doesn't appear to be slow to me..

[Low Elco]

Looks great, Vic! Sorry about the window, Scott!

[sduckworth13]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks great, Vic! Sorry about the window, Scott!

Thanks Chip, I’ve about got it whipped.