My 1955 Chevy 3100 build

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by 55 Chevy Dave

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

Don't mind at all.
I saw it on another truck and liked the look.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

I installed the Wilwood rear emergency disc brake kit. It went in with no problems at all. The C-clip eliminators fit nicely in the center of the brake shoe assembly.

Now we're ready to get the truck measured for final rims and tires.

[55 Chevy Dave]

I removed the front and rear glass and didn't notice any rust hiding under the rubber.

I even managed to avoid breaking either glass!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I finished removing everything from out of the cab and out from the dash. I didn't find any surprise rust hiding anywhere and even managed to find some clean, bare metal as I scraped the insulation off of the fire wall. It is such a clean truck!

I will definitely be spending some time filling holes in the firewall!

After the wheel measuring, I plan on pulling all of the panels off and taking the cab and panels in to get media blasted. I hope I still think the truck is clean after I get the panels back! I have noticed some body filler here and there, so I know I am going to have some repairs to make.

[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.

[Advanced Design]

Very solid, especially for a midwest vehicle.

[Kim57]

I've seen a lot worse.
You should be able to get patch panels for all of it.
Kim

[55 Chevy Dave]

The truck is actually from California and was shipped to Milwaukee last year where I bought it. It came with a California title as the Milwaukee owner had never transferred it.

And Kim, I already have the patch panels I need. I'm starting with the cab steps and rockers tomorrow morning!

[RockinKees]

Well, it isn't too bad.
All the usual places

You're gonna managed that, I'm sure!
Good luck and Happy Welding!

[ChuckDriver]

Looks like you have some work ahead of you, looking forward to seeing your progress!

[55 Chevy Dave]

I started by cutting out the passenger side step and rocker. Someone rebuilt the rocker with body filler and a couple of the treads were rotted out.

I had to weld in the rear door jamb as it was loose and moving around. The front jamb is also loose and needs to be welded in. There is also a hole in the front panel of the step that was loaded with rust. The cab support has a couple of holes in it, but I can't figure out where all of the mud came in. I would prefer to figure out how the material is getting in before filling the holes in the cab support and front step panel.

I also cut out the passenger side outside cab corner and found more rot on the inner cab corner. I didn't order these patch panels and I'm not sure if I should as the upper third of the panel is solid. I may just bend some 18 gauge and weld it in. Does anyone have experience with this? What should I do here?

The step is ready to weld in.

[RockinKees]

55 Chevy Dave, I've made my own cabcorners from 16 gauge sheet metal.
It isn't that difficult

Look at my thread how I did it.
From page 17 and further...

Good luck!