LT1 and a T56 in a 55 Chevy

Nice work 2Loose !
I know most people don't like electrical wiring, but I do for some reason.
 
I'm pretty much the same way, would much rather twist wrenches and fit close mechanical tolerances then string wires, but it has to be done, and ain't nobody around here gonna do it for me, sooo....

I just didn't realize just how much I was taking on with this particular setup, the American Autowire is nicely setup, but with the '93 EFI setup for the motor, and the new AC/Heat system, and other extras, there are nearly 100 pages of instructions in a loose leaf binder for me to absorb and then try to do it correctly !!!!
....Ooooff !!
 
I'm pretty much the same way, would much rather twist wrenches and fit close mechanical tolerances then string wires, but it has to be done, and ain't nobody around here gonna do it for me, sooo....

I just didn't realize just how much I was taking on with this particular setup, the American Autowire is nicely setup, but with the '93 EFI setup for the motor, and the new AC/Heat system, and other extras, there are nearly 100 pages of instructions in a loose leaf binder for me to absorb and then try to do it correctly !!!!
....Ooooff !!

Pay my way and I will be glad to help you out. I miss my '55 I had in HS!! Must be 2 tickets as I cannot leave Jane behind. I love wiring, especially when there is a book to tell you where to go wrong! Just look at the pictures and lay the wires out and most will fall into place.
 
Back working on the body, pulled the front end out of storage...

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Checking out the rust at the rear lower fender mounts, pretty bad...

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Found bad rust and body putty on the left side sheet metal....

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The right side mount is pretty bad too...

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Dug through the scrap bin and fabbed these replacement pieces,
going with 3/8" standard threads....

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And welded 'em in place....

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More later....
 
f1955_Chevy_Chevrolet_fiberglass_tilt_fro_58770d7e23d66.jpg
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Many complete fiberglass front ends out there. Most tilt.

Yea, shipping costs is a bitch.
 
Set the fenders in place and checked out the fit....

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Looks good to me, both sides. Pulled that front fender assembly back off, and getting it ready for paint. It still will need some shimming and adjustment up and down, and front to back, after everything is painted....
 
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Pulled it apart, took a whole buncha pix to help me with reassembly later on....
And loaded up the hood, trunk, and front fender parts to go find a paint shop...

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Whole bunch of misc. front end pix here....
 
Hauled that trailer load of body parts around to various
shops here on the island....
Looking for some metal cleaning, primer, and finish painting....

Everybody I talked to was too busy making good money off of
minor repairs on rental cars, and other "new" cars, that they were
not interested in doing the kind of work I wanted done....

Maui has become a huge tourist destination, and about
half the vehicles on the road these days are rental cars
driven by tourists, and the body/paint shops love to do
these kind of repairs, quick, easy, and they make good money....

So I found a sand blast guy who does classic car parts,
and am setting up to work with him to get these parts cleaned....

After that, priming and painting, not sure yet how that will go....
 
yeah I find most body shops are reluctant to do anything,
without a insurance adjuster writing a fat check first
and the ability to come back with further adjustment increases
most Ive dealt with make doing your own repair work mandatory if ,
you want quality results
 
Make sure your sandblast guy knows what he is doing.
If he overheats the parts while blasting, they will warp.
 
The sand blast guy got lost, went up the wrong road, even though he had the correct address,
then found the diesel powered air compressor was down almost 3 qts oil, so he couldn't do the job,
I haven't heard from him since....
 
The sand blast guy got lost, went up the wrong road, even though he had the correct address,
then found the diesel powered air compressor was down almost 3 qts oil, so he couldn't do the job,
I haven't heard from him since....
You probably dodged a bullet there.
 
Yeah, but he's the only sand blast guy on the island, so finally connected with him....

So I pulled that front end apart,
tossed in the hood and trunk.....

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Basically just want to get the inside stuff cleaned up....
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So I found a mobile sand blast guy who does classic car parts,
and got set up to work with him to get these parts cleaned....
55HTbody211s_Mar2020.JPG



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Now to get some primer on that bare metal....
 
The shop where I've been working on my 55 hardtop is a community shop where several of us have projects going on, and we've decided to just shut it down until this virus problem is more under control. Luckily I have a variety of small projects in my home shop that are keeping me busy, but still, I miss being able to go over and work on my 55 HT !!!
I hope all of you are staying healthy and managing to keep busy and not going broke !!
Aloha,
Willy
 
I'm in a great place to weather this Covid-19 virus since I'm retired and so is the wife, our
income has not changed.

Hopefully you got primer on all that bare metal ???
 
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The pandemic has certainly slowed things down around here.
I got back to work on this car today and started on the seats, as the rear seats need to be fitted to the "minitubs" I've installed, and the upholstery is rotten and has to be replaced.

The seats did not look too bad at first,
55HTseats013s_Jul2020.jpg


Then I started pulling them apart....
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I need to ospho and then paint the springs, then reupholster them with new padding....

If you look close you can see there the springs hit the "minitubs"
and need to be modified....

55HTseats016s_Jul2020.jpg


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More Pix Here....
 
its always rather amazing how even potentially easy projects tend to snowball
and most gain speed on a down hill run,
out of control financially and well past initial estimated time and original cost estimates
 
I got a bit carried away on this car and went for the '93 style LT1 with all the sensors and a much newer computer system to manage it, then a new gage system, solid state, but with old style needle displays, and a new AC/heat system, and of course a full new wiring systems, there's so many loose wires now under the dash it makes my head dizzy to look at it, so heck, I switched over to the seats !!!!!
But I gotta go "confront" the wiring issues eventually....
Today we're all prepping for a possible hurricane headed our way, supposed to get here Sunday if it doesn't veer off in another direction !
 
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