1956 Chevy Pro-Street Build

[ChuckDriver]

Here's the stock V8 setup.

[ptc]

Thanks Chuck for the pic, and yea Ben your thread got me thinking.

I believe with my big block and electric HO water pump and all the front end components on the engine (PS, ALT, AC, PROCHARGER?), my radiator may need to be as far forward as it can be. So it may stay where the 6 cyl was.... I'd also like to change the radiator to a crossflow style and possibly get more opening on that radiator support. Run a couple electric fans too with a shroud.

I'll have to wait and see when I get that all mocked up.

Thanks again guys

[ptc]

Started messing around with engine fitment of the headers and stuff this weekend. Had an old set of BBC headers to chop up so I cut them up and looked at making them go under the frame rail instead of over. It will work but they will have to be totally custom to bring them out the front fenders.

Also with the heads on and valve covers I found I need to cut back the firewall a bit, OR move the engine forward??? need radiator first! I was thinking about just making a box to cut into the existing firewall as a one piece setup. Then taking the trans cover and making it fit to the new 'box'? what do you guys think?

With this enormous engine bay you'd think that GM would have planned this better??? oh well its just more things to do to make it "Custom"....

[ptc]

Friend stopped by with his pride and joy.....

all updated with a brand new SBC 427 and a 5 speed Tremec manual trans.... this thing hauls the mail and delivers on SUNDAY!!!

Laid some rubber in 4 gears ! One SWEET '69~ !

[Kim57]

Very nice.
Kim

[Nut Case]

Fun stuff happening. How about pic's of the bbc resting on the new motor mounts.
Thanks NC

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Nut Case

Fun stuff happening. How about pic's of the bbc resting on the new motor mounts.
Thanks NC

The 509 BBC is getting all 'dressed up for the ball' right now... so that wont be happening for a little bit. The mockup block (Mk IV 454) has the 502 heads on it with the headers and stuff for fitting to the cab.

I looked at some pre-made firewalls to save some time, WOW! they really appreciate their work on those things, big $$$$.... guess Ill make my own.



Thanks Kim for checking in!

[Kim57]

You can always use a steel wheelbarrow as a firewall.
Should be big enough to fit around the engine and can be had pretty cheap at garage sales and second hand stores. Just cut down to fit what you need.
Kim

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Kim57

You can always use a steel wheelbarrow as a firewall.
Should be big enough to fit around the engine and can be had pretty cheap at garage sales and second hand stores. Just cut down to fit what you need.
Kim

Thats a great idea, thanks Kim! I was out looking around the shop at (car stuff) I could cut up and use but never even thought of that.... see all this thinking power helps from all sources!

I think ACE is having a sale this weekend on "GM" wheelbarrows!

[mud.man.rj]

Never heard of the wheel barrow firewall trick, what a good idea. That is what makes this site tick, well and all the awesome Gm products.

[Kim57]

The wheel barrow is an old school hot rod trick.
I still remember a few things from my youth.
Kim

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Kim57

The wheel barrow is an old school hot rod trick.
I still remember a few things from my youth.
Kim

If anybody has done A LOT of sheetmetal work around here Kim its you! so I am very grateful for any pointers you have on doing this stuff.

For shrinking and stretching metals for valances, dashboards, corner trims etc and such is there any "other" way then to just buy the little jaw machine to do it? when I say other, it means with the same net results without being a journeyman sheetmetal man...

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by ptc

If anybody has done A LOT of sheetmetal work around here Kim its you! so I am very grateful for any pointers you have on doing this stuff.

For shrinking and stretching metals for valances, dashboards, corner trims etc and such is there any "other" way then to just buy the little jaw machine to do it? when I say other, it means with the same net results without being a journeyman sheetmetal man...

I'm just learning as I go.
I have the shrinker/stretcher from Harbor Freight and the seem to work just fine for the weekend mechanic.
If you check the body paint section there are some real experts who are more than willing to give advice on how to do things.
Kim

[BIGglaSS]

Originally Posted by ptc

For shrinking and stretching metals for valances, dashboards, corner trims etc and such is there any "other" way then to just buy the little jaw machine to do it? when I say other, it means with the same net results without being a journeyman sheetmetal man...

Yes. You can also shrink with heat or tuck/planish. You can stretch by pounding into a hollow stump, or hammer on dolly. If you wish to go further down the rabbit hole, check out: http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/

[ptc]

Thanks BigGlass for the info....

Well I tried my hand at working the metal (by hand) without any special tools to see just how it would come out and I guess it worked ok. Took the better part of a WHOLE day to complete one fender but got it done!

I wanted to shave the turn signals off the front fenders and close in the lower valance area and smooth it out. There is a detail that comes out from the grill that I will carry down the front of the valance also.

My idea is to close off the length of the front valance area behind where the front bumper will sit. Im not going to run a stock bumper, but I will have a piece of 6" x 3/8" IRON "C" channel directly behind this sheetmetal welded across the frame rails just in case I bump into something....

So heres how I did it, if anybody cares....

Photo 1 shows where I cut the protruding side of the signal mounting spot with a cut off wheel, but only half way. Then take a hammer and dolley and flatten it all out smooth. Then tack it in place from the front.

Photo 2 shows the back side with the fender crud all cleaned out and ready to take some backing metal to support it all.

Photo 3 shows the backing metal piece made out of 18 ga metal and then I punched holes in it to weld thru to the fender.

Photo 4 shows it all welded in from the back side of the fender. I clamped it tight against the fender as I welded from the center outwards. there is a crease in the fender there you have to hammer and dolly it into shape a bit while its hot, it works well.

Once everything is done on these fenders they will be blasted and then prepped. That metal piece will get some body seal around it and then the inside of the entire fender will get LINE-X coated. I am going to do that in all my fender wells. The stuff is great.

That was part ONE of many for the fender upgrades.....

[ptc]

The second part was the closing in of the valance area behind the front bumper. so heres that part. Most of time is spent on just cutting and shaping the piece of metal that will go into the spot to be filled. Its time consuming..

But here it is ready to go

Photo 1 shows the piece all fitted and ready to weld into place after mostly just shaping it around piece of pipe and rigid steel conduit.

Photo 2 shows it welded into place using the old slow and non warping method...

Photo 3 shows the signal and the valance parts all finished. Needs sme final finishing and some bondo ....

Next upgrade will be the frenched in Merc Headlight rings!!!!

[Kim57]

Looking good.
Kim

[RockinKees]

Yep, looks nice!

[Compton]

This is one angry looking machine!

Love the build and valve covers are super cool!!

[ptc]

Originally Posted by Compton

This is one angry looking machine!

Love the build and valve covers are super cool!!

Those are original Custom Chrome BBC valve covers with their old logo on them... and they are for sale - $50 + ship if you're interested.

[ptc]

This is my 1975 Sanger hotrod boat - Its what they call a "true flat bottom" with a gull wing front. Its 18'-10" in length. I have recorded about 96mph on GPS in it but my TFH pilot friend has taken it well above that. 90+ is more than enough in that little boat on a good water day!

It has a 496 BBC running about 720-ish hp at 6900 rpm with its current setup. its a pump gas 91 octane motor at 10.55:1 CR, dual quad 850DP carbs tunnel ram, iron 990 heads all port matched, polished and large valves. The cam is .638 lift at I-270/E-280 duration that works from 3500-7000rpm just perfectly for this torque range on water. It was built for reliability and longevity, this is its 3rd season now running around. Was thinking of putting it in the truck.... but the boat is setup perfect and I dont want to mess with it, took awhile to get it there.

This photo was taken at a H1 Hydro race event where some of us "Nostalgia Boat" old timers were allowed to go out and run around the track with each other. And this pic was taken there at Folsom Lake in CA. Some big water that day! Usually we run the smooth water rivers and sloughs of the CA Delta with these types of boats.

[mud.man.rj]

That boat is super cool, wow, nuts too.

[Kim57]

I like that look.
Kim

[mud.man.rj]

Continually stepping it up, I like your style and ideas, out of the box the right amount rules.

[RockinKees]

Nice grill insert, I like that!

I also like your boat, but I think it's more of an aeroplane, it hardly hits the water
Is that a "drag" boat or is it for a "racecourse"