My 1955 Chevy 3100 build

[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!

[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.

[Kim57]

Nice brakes.
Truck looks real clean.
Kim

[RockinKees]

Yep, a nice solid cab you have there!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I hauled the truck to a local shop to have it measured for rims and tires. While I am fairly certain I could manage to measure it myself and order everything online, I prefer to pay a bit more and let the experts take the risk.

The shop owner wants to try a couple different rims and tires on the truck before ordering the final product. He even offered to bring some sample rims and tires by my garage to try them on the truck and check sizing before ordering. I think that is worth the premium!

[55 Chevy Dave]

A couple more pics of the truck ready to head for the wheel shop.

"The old and the new" Hauling my 1955 1/2 ton with my 2015 1/2 ton. Amazing difference 60 years makes!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I removed all of the body panels off of the frame and finished removing all of the odds and ends from the doors and loaded everything up to head off to my media blaster. I decided to keep the hood and sand that down by hand.

I'm crossing my fingers that the blaster finds metal under all of that red paint and very little rust!

[Advanced Design]

Good idea having a shop that will work with you for measuring and fitting wheels and tires. Very cool he offered to come to your place. Love your new tow vehicle too! Nice!

[Kim57]

Nice tow rig.
Truck looks good also.
Kim

[Ozzy2013]

The rear looks real close to the frame how much room is there?Are you going to notch the frame?

[55 Chevy Dave]

Ozzy,

I did think about installing c-notches in the frame. After installing the axle, I decided there was enough room to allow the frame to be kept as is.

I took a couple pictures that better illustrate the space I currently have between the frame and the axle. I have approximately 5" from the bottom of the frame to the top of the axle. This measurement will be less than 5" once I install the factory axle bumpers as they do hang below the frame a bit. I relocated the bumpers from the outside of the frame to the inside. In the first picture of this post, you can see two of the three mounting nuts already welded into the frame. (The third is hidden behind the tape measure).

You will also notice that I still have the adjustable coil over shocks lowered all the way. If I need to increase the space between the frame and axle, I will can always raise the shocks a bit. Also, I do not plan on hauling anything weighing a significant amount. If need be, I can also shave some material off of the stock rubber axle bumpers I will be installing. I would prefer not to do this, if it is not a necessity, but I don't believe I will be testing the suspension anywhere near it's limits.

I believe the rear sway bar I plan to install will also help to distribute some of the load across to the opposite spring/shock. This should further reduce the amount of travel either of the rear shocks experiences.

I already had the bed and rear bumper installed on the frame over the suspension as you see it set up in these pictures and the axle didn't come close even when I stood on the rear of the frame and jumped up and down. While I didn't have any bed wood installed, I still think I will be OK.

If you or anyone else thinks I still may be cutting it a bit close, please let me know.

Thanks for your thoughts. This is one of the main reasons I spend the time posting my progress to this forum. I have never done this before and would prefer to be corrected if someone sees that I am headed down the wrong path.

Thanks again,
Dave

[Ozzy2013]

Cool my leaf springs are worn out i only had 3 inches of clearance when i put my axle on top .Im just going to a spring shop in Baltimore and having a lowering set made . Your right you have plenty of room!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I picked up the cab from media blasting today. I finally get to see what was hiding under the paint. Time for the body work phase to begin! It is amazing what people do with body filler!

[55 Chevy Dave]

More pics of the cab. Not too bad! Bring on the patch panels!

[55 Chevy Dave]

Most of the other parts aren't bad either. More dents and dings than I expected and less rust.

[55 Chevy Dave]

More parts blasted and in primer. It certainly is nice to see them all clean.