My 1955 Chevy 3100 build

[55 Chevy Dave]

For the last 6 weeks or so, I have been busy on another project and have not been able to work on the truck like I wanted to.

My club selected my car to be one of the 5 to represent the club at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show! I have been busy getting it ready to go.

Now that the car is set up at the show, I have been able to get back to work on the truck. More update pictures coming soon!

[Kim57]

Very nice.
Kim

[Joe Pass]

Nice work

[oldman3]

Sweet ride...Jim

[55 Chevy Dave]

While working on the Camaro, I did manage to pick up a Chevy 12-bolt rear end with a 4:11 gear and narrowed to 50-1/2". I torched off the existing mounts and cleaned up the axle tubes with an angle grinder.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I had to do quite a bit of grinding and had to fill quite a few areas on the axle tubes. I plan on taking the belt sander to them next to even them out before welding on the new 4-link mounts.

I should have the frame sitting on 2 wheels soon!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I also fabricated new mounts for the rear cross sill and welded receiving nuts on the inside of the frame so I could bolt the cross sills to the frame after it is boxed.

[55 Chevy Dave]

The cab has turned into a temporary storage area for suspension parts! It is definitely time to get to work putting those parts onto the frame!

[Advanced Design]

Nice work Dave. Great looking Camaro!

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

I managed to get some time in with the belt sander and got the axle tubes smoothed out. Put a coat of weld-thru primer on them. This upcoming weekend it will be time to weld on the 4-link brackets and finally put the frame back on 2 wheels!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I spent the rest of the weekend welding in the remaining holes in the frame and grinding everything smooth. They sure do put a lot of holes in these frames! I also found another rivet that I previously missed. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get rid of all of them!

The remaining rivets and crossmembers will come out and get filled in after I install the front IFS, box the frame and install the x-member/trans mount. I don't want to remove too much of the frame until they are in.

I didn't do anything with the frame indentations above the rear axle bumper mounts as I think I may end up installing a c-notch into the frame which means I will end up cutting this area out anyway. I want to see where the clearance between the axle and frame ends up first. Should I fabricate my own c-notches or buy one of the kits? Opinions appreciated!

[oldman3]

Frame is looking good...Jim

[Advanced Design]

Well, it wasn't too long ago I discovered C notch kits existed. Pretty easy to fabricate if you have the material available. Good work on the frame Dave!

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

This past weekend, I was able to make some progress. I welded the 4-link mounts to the axle.

[Kim57]

Nice.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

The frame is finally sitting on 2 wheels again! The rear suspension bolted up fairly easily, however some of the bolts are a bit too long and some are a bit too short. Before you ask, I did check to make sure I have all of the right bolts in the right locations!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Here are a few more pics of the frame sitting on the rear suspension. Those are not my final wheels and tires. They were on the Camaro when I bought it. While the wheel backspacing is set up right, if my measurements are right, I think I'll have quite a bit of room leftover between the outside of those tires and the inside of the rear fenders! Room for more tire is always a good thing!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Since I now had the rear end of the frame set to riding height, I was able to set the frame rake and establish the ride height of the frame at the front end and proceed to install the front crossmember. I tacked in the boxing plates on either side of the x-member.

[55 Chevy Dave]

After getting the frame rake set properly front to back and getting the frame perfectly level from side to side, I was able to position the front crossmember squarely in the frame and level to the ground. Just when I was ready to finally tack it in place, I realized I was out of welding gas! On a Sunday afternoon, there is no one open waiting to refill my tank. That's how it goes, isn't it? I decided to have a beer and contemplate my next steps.

[Advanced Design]

Good progress Dave. Getting a lot done!

[oldman3]

Dave, doing some nice work. Question, I've never seen top hats that step down like that before, who's front suspension do you have?...Jim

[55 Chevy Dave]

Thank you for the kind words! The front suspension is a Mustang II IFS kit from Classic Performance Products. So far it seems to be going together fairly easily.

I hope to have the front wheels on the ground tomorrow night. I thought I had a coil spring compressor somewhere in the garage, but must have used a loaner last time. I picked one up tonight on the way home from work.

Ready to get to it tomorrow night after work!

[Kim57]

Looking real good.
Kim