What it is

It might be of interest to know what I have to work with. In 1979, shortly after my son Cody was born, I pulled the engine (350 c.i.) out of a 1969 Chevy Caprice and put it in the 55'. Under a large cottonwood tree I used a come-a-long and chain on to the biggest limb I could find to hoist from. Oh the memories! In 1980 while working in Ticaboo, UT I got a 4 speed transmission out of a 1976 Corvette. It is a Borg-Warner Super T-10. In Colorado I traded the Corvette shifter for a new Hurst Competition Plus shifter. I thought I had really cut a fat one. The fellow I traded with went right out and bought me the Hurst shifter($200). Later I found out that used Corvette shifters sell for well over $200. Boy can I wheel and deal! A couple months later I bought a dual quad manifold with carbs (2 four barrel carburators) at a yard sale for $75. The guy I traded shifters with offered me $400 for my $75 purchase so I felt better. That manifold & carbs, engine and tranny are in the car now. I will probably make the manifold & carbs a wall hanger in the shop and put a single 4 barrel on for better gas mileage. Or not, dual quads just look cool.

Gitnerdun

Ordered dropped spindles, disc brakes and power brake booster today. Should have parts in 10 days.


This is the latch and electric actuator for the trunk.


I will have to modify this original bracket for the new latch. The actuator will mount next to it and be wired to a button under the dash. No key hole in the trunk.


This is where the striker for the latch will mounted on the trunk lid.


This rocker panel is in sad shape with 2 nasty dents, one on the bottom and one on side.


The new rocker panel was not cheap. The cheap one states "contours & fit may not be exact". I would rather not have to fight it. To get the old one off won't be easy since it's all welded in.

My crystal ball , Part I

I remember wanting to restore this car years ago so it would maintain it's highest value, but now the market value is more for cars that are updated with the latest technology. I have done my share of research on what has been done with the Tri-Chevies (55, 56 & 57). The possiblities are endless. The only limitations are one's own imagination and funds. Since this car will probably be driven by my Mrs. more than myself, I feel that it should be comfortable, reliable, fun, perform well and have character, as well as be a looker. The 50 year old mechanics need to be improved. I will replace the manual steering with power steering. This will give the car a more responsive feel and improve handling. The original steering column will be replaced with a new tilt column. Also the drum type manual brakes will be replaced with large rotor disc brakes with a power booster. This will make the "feel" of a new car. To get the ride height just right, I will also install 2" dropped spindles. The whole car will sit about 2 1/2" lower than stock height. So much for the front suspension. More to come!

A little history

For those who are not familiar with my ongoing affliction with this car, I bought a 1966 Ducati motorcycle from Danny Waitley in 1970, can't remember what I paid for it. After rebuilding the engine and painting it I traded it to Pat (my brother-in-law) for the '55 in 1971. I drove the '55 one time. The old 265 c.i. engine was sooo tired and the front wheel fell off on the way home. I never drove it again. When I was chasing construction all over the country, I put the car in storage (15 yrs). I probably have more $ in stroage than the car was worth. I towed it to Colorado in the late 80's and worked on it some. Quite a few parts were bought and I traded my old chassis for a restored one from a fellow I worked with. After 34 years the time has come. My schedule is to have it on the road by summer of 2007. I know this seems like a long time, but I want to do a good job and $ is not abundent for the project.

the trunk

Photo Album

I have posted a permanent link to the Photo Album in the right column now. Enjoy.

50th Anniversary

January 1, 2005 seemed like a good day to get started with the resurrection of the '55. It didn't even occur to me that it was the 50th anniversary of this model year until I had made the decision to start. Now it seems, what better time to start? Afterall, neither one of us is getting any younger, although I suspect the '55 will be here long after my time has passed.

You can access the "before" picture by viewing my profile (click on my name to the right). There will be a thumbnail photo site created to keep the pictures up to date during the whole process. The permanent link for this site will be included in the sidebar of this blog.

So, join in and come along for the ride. Feel free to comment and post as we go along.

Chet