Ben Jammin's 1955 Chevy/GMC Project

[northern 85]

Lookin good! Money well spent

[joeys66pickup]

Nice work so far but GOD YOU PEOPLE WITH MONEY MAKE ME JEALOUS damn i have literally built 90% of the parts i have needed to drop my 57' then put the 396ci in it...one day i will have clean parts like everyone else but for now it looks like its from 1958 and im proud of it

[mylow53]

if i've learned anything about money and these builds you never have enough. sides the most creative engineering can't be found in a box from ups. it's generally found outside the box....
GT

[magsnubby]

Nice project. Glad to see you're building a chunk of Americana instead of a Honduh.

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by joeys66pickup

Nice work so far but GOD YOU PEOPLE WITH MONEY MAKE ME JEALOUS damn i have literally built 90% of the parts i have needed to drop my 57' then put the 396ci in it...one day i will have clean parts like everyone else but for now it looks like its from 1958 and im proud of it

On the same note I envy your skill on being able to do those things. I dont have the tools or the knowledge. Do you have a thread on what you did specifically?

And thaks for your comments all you other guys!!!

[pugs]

not to rain on your project but you do realize the 78 truck rear has the bigger 5 on 5 bolt pattern for the wheels

[pgf545]

Ben, I'm impressed with what you have been doing. It is nice to see the younger guys getting into some good American metal. The only thing I can say is keep it up and don't get discouraged when things don't go according to plan. I have been working on my dad's truck for 2 years now and we probably still have another year to go. Also I have a 69 Camaro that I have been messing with for ever...lol actually I have had it for about 10 years and am now just getting the time and money to mess with it. Once my kids get out of school then it is ME time. Keep up the good work and let us know if you run into a problem, I have gotten lots of help from the people on this board.

Bernie

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by pugs

not to rain on your project but you do realize the 78 truck rear has the bigger 5 on 5 bolt pattern for the wheels

It's ok to rain, I brought an umbrella. The car pattern(front) is smaller than the truck, but since I am using painted steel rims I have some steel rims off of a car for the front and some off of a 90's model truck for the rear.

[nuke1]

just a thought but why not use the camaro rear diff?

[pugs]

if there is a local machine shop in your area and if they can do you could have the rear axles and drums redrilled for the car patters

[bensimmons_05]

Thank a bunch Bernie, I would never touch an import... not my style.. And there will be plenty of questions to come, I'm sure of it. And as far as American vehicles go here is my other car...

I shaved the door handles, air brushed ghost flames, and painted it myself. Added remote start and stereo system.

(the last two pictures are before I got ahold of it)

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by pugs

if there is a local machine shop in your area and if they can do you could have the rear axles and drums redrilled for the car patters

Thats a good thought, I havent explored that option yet...

And I know this is kind of a stupid reason but I got the axle flip kit from CPP. It comes with everything to mount an axle with a 3" housing. The rear end on the camaro I have is much smaller. Any other cars I have checked on they are all 2 1/2" I dont have much of an issue with the bolt patterns being different... are there any other factors I should be worrying about?

[bensimmons_05]

Here are a couple pictures of some random things I'm doing right now.

The plan is while I'm waiting on the big things to come together I can work on all the little stuff...

I welded some small holes so the inner fender will be smoother



Blasted and painted the headlight buckets



Got these valve covers for a STEAL on ebay

[joeys66pickup]

Originally Posted by bensimmons_05

On the same note I envy your skill on being able to do those things. I dont have the tools or the knowledge. Do you have a thread on what you did specifically?

And thaks for your comments all you other guys!!!

hahaha never has a 19yr old gotten a complement like that before no i should have one but havent gotten around to it yet

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by joeys66pickup

hahaha never has a 19yr old gotten a complement like that before no i should have one but havent gotten around to it yet

Compliments of a 22 year old

[YOLO]

very nice work. you are on your way to a rolling chassis. keep us posted on the progress.

[thirdstreettito]

Nice work! How much have you spent so far, including new parts? Us young guys have no money and lots of heart.

[solidaxel]

Your hard work is paying you great dividends!!
Keep working on your chassis until you have a GOOD working brake system.
Did the Camaro rear end not fit or was it damaged in the wreck?
It is amazing what Hard Work a wire brush and a can of Krylon has produced, Keep it up you have a good sence of direction

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

Nice work! How much have you spent so far, including new parts? Us young guys have no money and lots of heart.

Well Its kind of hard to put a solid number on what I have so far. Over the past year and a half I have gathered bit by bit. Some hood springs here, Cab corners there. I had to save for a little while to get the big things like the drop axle and what not. I have gotten many things on ebay, and usually its for a less than normal price.

Most of it is that I really don't want to know how much I've spent so far!! Thats kind of bad, but one day I will crunch the numbers. A couple things I have recieved as gifts for christmas and birthday but nothing too big.

The main thing is just to be patient and set aside a little each paycheck.

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

Your hard work is paying you great dividends!!
Keep working on your chassis until you have a GOOD working brake system.
Did the Camaro rear end not fit or was it damaged in the wreck?
It is amazing what Hard Work a wire brush and a can of Krylon has produced, Keep it up you have a good sence of direction

Thanks soliaxel, The reason I chose the truck rear end is due to the fact that the axle flip kit I have requires a 3" axle tube housing. The one on the camaro was smaller. I also got a steal on the rear end. Many are suprised at this choice, but other than bolt pattern and axle ratio is there something I am missing?

[joeys66pickup]

im running the 5x5 pattern all the way around just have to get cragers to fit

[54 jimmy]

you can buy leaf spring pirches for about $20.00 a pair. they are cheap and you could use the camaro rear if you wanted to keep the same bolt pattern front and rear.

[85mudder]

i am getting ready to start a '49 chevy...its nice to see that i am not the only one building a truck, buying a house, going to college, and working a full time job, and paying for a new truck, and sometimes, but very rarely, i get some of that sleep that i have heard so much about, really nice job, and the patience with buying your parts is actually saving you money, nice job and i am watching this thread with interest!!

[bensimmons_05]

Originally Posted by 85mudder

i am getting ready to start a '49 chevy...its nice to see that i am not the only one building a truck, buying a house, going to college, and working a full time job, and paying for a new truck, and sometimes, but very rarely, i get some of that sleep that i have heard so much about, really nice job, and the patience with buying your parts is actually saving you money, nice job and i am watching this thread with interest!!

Thanks man. It is a weird place to be, sometimes I think... I should just wait until things are more stable... but then again I LOVE THIS! This is my dream truck! Patience really is the key.

Before I put the drop axle all together I was gathering parts here and there for MONTHS and then all of the sudden I came to the realization that I could put it all together! I was ecstatic!

I can't wait to see some pictures of your truck!

[85mudder]

ya i am only 22 and i get razzed by my parents all the time for not slowin down, they think i should have a g/f, instead of my trucks, but i guess that when i get outta school i can worry bout women......don't they cost precious $$$$ to??? maybe the elders can let me know on that one, but good luck!!!!

I will get some pictures of the 49 when i get it home from the parents house!!