My 1955 Chevy 3100 build

[55 Chevy Dave]

Of course, after determining the correct mounting location on the frame for the clutch/brake pedal assembly, I realized that it was exactly where I had the terminated the conduits coming from the front and rear of the frame. So I had to cut out a piece of the boxing plate on the inside of the frame to relocate the conduit elbows and then welded in receiving nuts on the back side of the boxing plate for the pedal assembly. I welded everything in and went to grinding. Problem fixed!

I also relocated the rear axle bumpers to the inside of the frame and welded in receiving nuts for them.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Finally onto trimming up the crossmember and preparing it for final installation! And it cleared the pedal assembly and conduits nicely!

[Whumbachumba]

This is awesome! I'm really like all the work you've been putting into this so far. Makes me wish I had the time and money to do something this nice. We just want to get our running for now! haha

[55 Chevy Dave]

The 7" diameter brake booster would clearly not fit between the crossmember and the frame. I contacted Progressive Automotive to ask them if they had a solution. It turns out that they had an answer. I ordered their installation kit consisting of a recessed pan to be installed in the frame and a mounting plate for the master cylinder/brake booster that spans between the recessed pan in the frame and the crossmember.

I proceeded to cut out a portion of the frame and boxing plate to accept the new recessed pan and then test fit the master cylinder and booster.

[55 Chevy Dave]

After trimming the pan for height and depth, I welded it in and did some more grinding. I then tacked in the crossmember in preparation for the installation of the master cylinder/booster mounting plate.

[55 Chevy Dave]

After fully welding and grinding the pan into the frame, I realized that the indentation in the frame was not high enough to allow the master cylinder and brake booster to fit properly. I ended up cutting out the top of the pan, moved it up about an inch and welded it back in. After some more grinding, I was finally able to weld in the mounting plate.

The installation of this kit turned out to be pretty tricky as there were multiple pieces involved. To confirm the proper placement of the pan, it was necessary to tack the crossmember to the frame. After the crossmember was in place, there wasn't much room to maneuver my welder and grinder.

I'll stop whining now!

[55 Chevy Dave]

And here are pics of the final product. Glad that part of the project is behind me!

[Advanced Design]

Wow, nice work!

[Kim57]

Very nice.
Kim

[oldman3]

You did a great job, and it looks good...Jim

[RockinKees]

Nice work!!

[cameo]

Real nice work on this project. Did you use a kit for the rear suspension? If so who's? We're the instructions clear?

[BC Toy chest]

Looks gr8 !!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Thanks everyone for the compliments! So much more work to do!

Cameo, I purchased the rear suspension kit from Classic Performance Products. The kit is manufactured by Total Cost Involved. The installation instructions were straightforward. I had no issues whatsoever.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Tracked down some used tires for an old set of Corvette 15x8 Rally rims I had laying around. I cleaned them up and shot them with a coat of primer and satin black.

The end product can be seen is the pictures on my upcoming posts.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I finished up the welding on the center crossmember flipped the frame over and did the underside. Then I spent the better part of a day cleaning up all of my crappy welds!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I flipped the frame back over, reinstalled the rear suspension and then mounted my "new" wheels and tires. I managed to get the cab dropped back onto the frame just before the stroke of midnight. Long day!

[55 Chevy Dave]

The next morning, I was back at it hanging the forward body panels.

I want to measure it up for the final rims and tires. Past experience tells me it could be 6-8 months before they arrive.

It is amazing how easily these things go together!

Check out those rims!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I dropped the bed on it and rolled it out into the driveway.

I definitely have some work to do in that engine bay! I think the stance looks great. The front end should come down a bit after I drop in an engine, remove my PVC spacers and install the front coil springs.

Has anyone seen any slick modifications done to the recessed panel at the rear side of the cab under the window? I don't really want to leave it stock, but I am not sure what to do. I need to spend some more time looking at all of your build threads for some ideas!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I rolled it back in the garage and pushed it into the corner to make room in the garage.

After I measure for the rims, I am going to pull all of the body panels and get them blasted before starting the body work. Does anyone have any advice on this? What type of media is best? What type of primer should I put on it after media blasting?

Your thoughts would be appreciated!

[Kim57]

truck is looking real nice.
Here's what I did to the rear of my cab.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

Nice work Dave!

Here's a link to an awesome 57 build with great tips for paint and body. It's basically a step by step guide to building a TF truck!

http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107699

[Advanced Design]

Looks really good Dave! Just a friendly reminder that pressure blasting for stripping can stretch the metal causing wavy panels. Lot's of people do it successfully as you know...just be cautious on who does it for you.

[55 Chevy Dave]

Originally Posted by Kim57

truck is looking real nice.
Here's what I did to the rear of my cab.
Kim

Thanks for the picture, Kim. That looks great! I have reviewed your entire thread and don't recall seeing that.

Hope you don't mind, but I think I am going to do the same thing!

Thanks again,
Dave

[55 Chevy Dave]

Originally Posted by ChuckDriver

Nice work Dave!

Here's a link to an awesome 57 build with great tips for paint and body. It's basically a step by step guide to building a TF truck!

http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107699

Thanks Chuck for the awesome link! I have only made it through a few pages, but can already tell that it is full of information and will be very helpful as I move forward!

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Looks really good Dave! Just a friendly reminder that pressure blasting for stripping can stretch the metal causing wavy panels. Lot's of people do it successfully as you know...just be cautious on who does it for you.

Thanks for the heads up, AD. I need to do some more research on this very soon as it is now time to dive into the body work!