1956 Chevy Pro-Street Build

[my56chevytruck]

Hey PTC, I like how you did your front valance area.

[ptc]

Thats not mine... somebody elses pic on my page.

This is mine here:

[ptc]

For those that want to know - where to hide their wiring and all the other goodies coming into the engine bay, but dont want to see it there, heres what I did;

On both sides of the engine bay the inner fenderwell covers mount from the tops of the fenders down to the frame rails at about a 45 degree angle. There are two studs that stick out from the firewall; these are lower mounts for the inner fenderwells on each side. As long as you stay inside of that angle you can poke all the holes you like through the firewall and they will never be seen in the engine bay. Just keep all your wires and tubes and hoses up high to stay out of the way of your tires rubbing into them.

I used the American Autowire electrical harness which is a pretty decent harness for the price. I got the 20 fuse box for a show price of about $200. I mounted the fuse box to a plate with my CDI ignition box also and then mounted the whole plate to the drivers side interior firewall. From there I drilled two holes for 1/2" flex tube for wiring to go out and will put grommets on them when finished to seal them. The REAR harness goes out 1 hole and then loops down under the cab along the frame rail and all the way to the back tailights, tank sender, fuel pump, etc. The FRONT harness goes out the other hole and goes to the high beam switch and then up high under the fender lip all the way around to the radiator support and to all the headlights, signals, electric fans, water pump, everything up front. The ENGINE harness will come out of a hole on the passenger side with the starter, Batt, ignition, coil, oil, water and volt senders all in a loom going to the motor.

Once all the wiring is done I can make my customized inner fender wells. They will have to be made to go around my fenderwell headers that will take up alot of that space in this engine compartment. Not your typical rebuild an "old truck".... everything has to be CUSTOM!

Pics below

[Nut Case]

ptc

Fun progress, thanks for sharing your process. Strong Work!!!

I'm looking forward to see how you do the inner fender. Which I'm sure will be fandamtastic.

I'm studying the possibility of mounting the fuse block on the back wall, do you think that the wiring harness would have enough length to do that?

Keep on keepin on

NC

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Nut Case

ptc
Fun progress, thanks for sharing your process. Strong Work!!! I'm looking forward to see how you do the inner fender. Which I'm sure will be fandamtastic.

I'm studying the possibility of mounting the fuse block on the back wall, do you think that the wiring harness would have enough length to do that?

Keep on keepin on

NC

Thanks NC for checking in / on your ? --- The REAR would be fine, but you may have to extend the FRONT , ENGINE and DASH harness' as they are made to go from the firewall. I think the cab length would add another 4-5' easy. But not hard to do... use solder and heat shrink tube, not BUTT SPLICES! - just takes more time!

[Flysocal]

Slick wiring job!

[my56chevytruck]

Here's what I did to run my wiring from the dash to the front lights. If you look at the inner fenders, you'll see on the passenger side the (2) indentations, whereas the drivers side only has the one. I welded over the lower indentation, drilled a hole in the upper corner of the firewall large enough for the front wiring to slide thru and down to the lowest front corner of the inner fender. Then all the wiring was run under the lower radiator support to the passenger side thru a wiring loom I made. This keeps the wiring our of the weather and out of sight.

[ccreddell]

Originally Posted by ptc

school me on this option.... is it body work intensive? or just adding something between the fender and bed panel?

The ones Ive seen just were a spacer made out of wood. Ive even seen guys lay their fenders on a sheet of plywood and trace it out and cut it. a little bondo and paint and its invisible. You can get plywood up to an inch and a half pretty easily, or just stack two 3/4-or less, depending what you need.

[dug224]

Wandering back through your build and rediscovered you hood modification. Incredible undertaking with great results!!!

[ptc]

Originally Posted by my56chevytruck

Then all the wiring was run under the lower radiator support to the passenger side thru a wiring loom I made. This keeps the wiring our of the weather and out of sight.

Mine will be up along the fender top inside edge in tube -so it should be good and safe. then it will run just under the top radiator support across to the other side for headlamp and signals. Yours looks clean with the stock inner fenders. My innners are going to be all new sheet metal and formed to fit around the headers and new upper A-Arms.... just gotta be custom!!!!

Originally Posted by ccreddell

The ones Ive seen just were a spacer made out of wood. Ive even seen guys lay their fenders on a sheet of plywood and trace it out and cut it. a little bondo and paint and its invisible. You can get plywood up to an inch and a half pretty easily, or just stack two 3/4-or less, depending what you need.

Yea I was thinking of wood, then tacking metal over it but just alot of welding. Kinda screws up the step attachement too.... Im just gonna take the axle apart and drill the flanges. Seems easiest.

Originally Posted by dug224

Wandering back through your build and rediscovered you hood modification. Incredible undertaking with great results!!!

Thanks Dug - It was a head scratcher at first trying to figure out the best way.... but once we decided, we just started cutting and welding.... My favorite mod of this build.

[ptc]

Build Update - Stardate 4/20/2017....

Ok so we got back onto the truck again and finished a few more things and started a few more things that need more finishing, is this going anyplace? --- seems like forever making lists to do and to finish... but the lists just keep coming!

Completed the rear tailight install, trailer hitch 6-pin plug connector and wiring, the bed is totally wired and the harness unplugs at the front of the bed to the wiring harness that comes from the frame rail, just waiting on an 8-pin Deutch connector to complete that part. This bed harness powers all my rear lights, my fuel pump circuit and my inline brake light psi switch. Unplug it and the whole bed can be removed with only 4 -- 3/8-16 bolts. (and about 4-6 friends!!!)

Also got the bed templates made out of cardboard for all the sheetmetal panels that will be made and then painted. Also got my beautiful battery cover finally mocked up that SLAMMED57 made for me.... looks great, thank you much!!!!

Also am getting the interior underdash things installed, vent ducts, wiper motor got rebuilt and runs perfect and the new wiper shafts are on order to complete that little stuff.

Next comes the gauges.... Not sure what to go with... ? That Racepac dealio is $900, thats alot of dough---- Think I just need a Tach, Oil PSI and BOOST gauge for now.... maybe a Fuel Level?????

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by ptc

Thanks NC for checking in / on your ? --- The REAR would be fine, but you may have to extend the FRONT , ENGINE and DASH harness' as they are made to go from the firewall. I think the cab length would add another 4-5' easy. But not hard to do... use solder and heat shrink tube, not BUTT SPLICES! - just takes more time!

Something I saw on another forum - sorry, I don't have a picture - the guy mounted his fuse panel on a small metal panel and mounted it on short full extension drawer slides. Then that was mounted under the driver's seat. Standing outside the vehicle you could just pull the fuse panel out from under the seat, see which fuse blew/replace it, and push back in. Simple magnetic cabinet latch was used.

[Roadkill58]

Looking good PTC!

Looks like you will be driving yours before I'm driving mine.


.

[oldman3]

Looks great and making progress...Jim

[Kim57]

Looks real nice.
Kim

[lower50's]

I really like the look that you have going on in the rear of your truck, well done!!!

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Roadkill58

Looking good PTC!

Looks like you will be driving yours before I'm driving mine.

Not much sooner - you have already been down the road! -- My driveshaft should be here next week... So we can have some "motion" added to it.

Originally Posted by oldman3

Looks great and making progress...Jim

Thanks Jim - yea it feels like it once again, still some lingering issues, but nothing that cant be overcome...

Originally Posted by Kim57

Looks real nice. Kim

Thanks Kim - hope to be seeing yours up and running soon too ???

Originally Posted by lower50's

I really like the look that you have going on in the rear of your truck, well done!!!

Thanks - I like the simplness of it. - I have room for groceries too!

[ptc]

Last Week of April 2017- Tear down all the electrical in the front end and cab again and remove the fuse and CDI panel - prep truck to go to my friendly neighborhood fab shop JLC Fabrication in West Sacramento for some welding up of some custom headers... finally biting the bullet on this one and last final roadblock that has been keeping from running this thing more...

All the wires are cut and term'd to length and plugged so when it comes back its all just plug an play. Found a great supplier for electrical stuff and they dont have to order it from CHINA!!! ---- right here in the USA and lots of great stuff- DEL CITY - heres the catalog online:

http://catalog.delcity.net/app.php?RelId=6.10.6.0.3

Also picked up my new custom driveline from Jimmy at DRIVE LINE SERVICE SACRAMENTO; 3.5" tube, spicer joint and billet yoke, and its ready for painting, then install it.

My windshield arrived from Auto City Classics, great price and shipping was reasonable and the box and packing is fabulous! ---- very nice piece.

And all my bits and pieces from CLASSIC CHEVY TRUCK.com

There will be more to do----- there always is....

[lower50's]

Wow your ducks are all lined up right now

[RockinKees]

Really nice PTC.

Especially now I see it with the pics on a big screen!
You can see there's much love involved in this build!

[mud.man.rj]

More exciting every day, for you and us.
Mudman.

[Nut Case]

ptc

It's so fun to watch your build, I'm missing the orange frame, not.
What are you going to tow? An M1 Abrams?

Keep on keepin on

NC

[ptc]

Finally completed another one of my trucks single-most-wanted modifications I really wanted to do on this build. Because its a '57 I really wanted to have the '57 Bel-Air parking lamps in the front grill. There are many obstacles in making this mod happen but if you really want something bad enough I guess you just have to grin and bare it and persevere to get it accomplished.

I got ahold of an original Bel Air light bar, (and only the bar) at a swap meet, it was in pretty bad condition, but I figured I was gonna be cutting it up and doing all kinds of things with it anyway. My '57 truck grill was in really good condition so I sold it and bought a less than fancy one because it too was going under the KNIFE! (errrr cutting wheel). So I cut everything up about oh 8 months ago and then put it aside and forgot about it because it was looking like it was gonna be alot of work! - worked on it a few times, tried to get a chrome shop to strip it to no avail, tried sand blasting it, NOT... then just took a 60 grit flapper to it and cut through all that chrome in no time. Then comes the welding, well brazing of the pot metal with some aluminum stuff I got from a swap meet carnival barker, but the stuff looked like it worked.... after a few burnt fingers and melting alot of the holes in the pot metal I finally got it all brazed together and filled.

I wasnt going to re-chrome it, my whole build is about simplicity and NON-SHINY things, so it was going to be painted. I chose stainless steel because I really dislike silver and aluminum is SILVER! --- hello? Stainless has a greyness tint to it that just looks different....

Long story WAY shortened.... I got ALL the parts and pieces ordered,
delivered, sanded, prepped and primed and painted and then got it all put together today and am just loving this look.... Hope you guys enjoy too!



This is once the grill surround was modified and welded up and the light bar was also completed and being final sanded.



All of the holes in the bottom needed to be welded up, ground smooth, mudded, sanded, blocked, primed....... to look like nothing had been there.



This is the grill mesh I finally found online that I liked that didnt look like grandmas kitchen wallpaper.... with the light bar fitted into it. It bolts from behind so it looks like it is just floating.



Here is the final assembled light bar with the satin stainless paint coating all completed. All the bulb cups, lenses, wire looms are new from Danchuk parts. they got everything!



The finished grill surround in satin stainless steel..... smooth!



And the mesh grill I used truck-bed liner to coat it heavily with. Looks thick

and......

Here is the final product.... - ME LIKE

[mongocanfly]

gotta say...it looks GREAT!!!!...

[oldman3]

Nice job and looks great...Jim