Cale's 55 Chevy

[Nashville Cat]

If I was planning a satin finish, I wouldn't have done so much block sanding!

I LOVE the two-tone glossy paint on his car. Perfect !

 

[Derek69SS]

This car being a 210 will be all one solid color. Basically a stock restoration, except wheels, engine/trans, disc brakes, a hood scoop, smoothie front bumper, some gauges, steering wheel, and a hurst shifter.

The plan is to make it look like someone hotrdded Grandma's super clean original '55 in about 1965-1967.

 

[Derek69SS]

We made another big step forward on Cale's 55.
Driver's side is in its first coat of high build primer.

I hope to get it blocked again this week while Cale works on finishing the inside of the trunk... autocross season is starting soon, so progress may slow down a bit over the summer.

 

[Shovelrick]

When I was a little kid one of my uncles drag raced a 55 Chevy with a 427 & 4 spd at Edgewater drag strip, I remember him rebuilding the 427 in a bedroom and while my other uncles were helping him get it out of the house and back into the 55 I got to open & close doors and hand them tools, Loved every minute of it

 

[Derek69SS]

3 generations block sanding primer last night... most of the body is getting very close to being ready for paint. Still have the front clip to do, though.

 

[kmakar]

That's awesome. Remind Cale to remember these days.... it doesn't really get any better.

 

[Nashville Cat]

What a cool picture !

 

[Pete 67]

Awesome car bonding moments.

However all of you should be wearing masks!

 

[cheveslakr]

That's a glamour shot, no sweat, no dust, and a beer in the ready box.

 

[Derek69SS]

However all of you should be wearing masks!

We were all doing detail work in the tight spaces and corners like window frames, wheel arches, gas door, etc. so we weren't making a lot of dust. We always wear masks when long-blocking the big areas.

 

[Derek69SS]

Cale's tires were delivered today, so we mounted them up on his Chrome Reverse steelies.

Fronts we should have gone one size wider. The 6.40-15s look really good on the 15x5 on my 68, but they look a bit too stretched on these 15x6s.

Rears are 275/60 on 15x8s and fit perfect..

These chrome reverse wheels took several years to find.

 

[cheveslakr]

That's a good look. You did well finding those rims.

 

[Derek69SS]

They're not an exact match, but they're close. The nubs between the lug holes are flatter on the rear wheels.

We really wanted 15x5 for the fronts, but this pair came up in nice shape stamped Cragar with a 1972 date on them.

Cale found the rears in Wisconsin, and I found the fronts in Missouri.

 

[Shovelrick]

I may have already mentioned this but in 1976 I traded a friend of mines dad my 64 Tbird for his 65 Impala, when I washed the Impala I was thinking the wheels were painted black till I started scrubing them and found all 4 were chrome reverse, IIRC they were 14" I found new baby moon hub caps and put IIRC some decent used L60's on the rear I got from anonter friends dad, the fronts were pretty skinny but I don't remember the size, they were all the way around when I got the car, it was a nice look, oh 1976 lol

 

[Derek69SS]

Last night was another good night with color in the gun. Door jambs are finished, and one door is jambed. I didn't have space for both to lay on sawhorses, so I'll probably spray the other door and gas door Saturday night.

 

[77cruiser]

Nice color!

 

[cheveslakr]

Certainly is!

 

[Derek69SS]

Grandpa came over to make sure we didn't screw up spraying the roof last night. Cale shot some of the first coat of color, but I did the rest. Dad helped critique and correct some flaws in my technique, and the result turned out very good for an amateur in a home garage who hasn't painted in years and without a professional booth.

It will need a cut and buff once it dries.

 

[kmakar]

Got some cutting and buffing to do.... lots of orange peel....

 

[Derek69SS]

Got some cutting and buffing to do.... lots of orange peel....

Camera and lighting makes it look worse than it really is. It will be cut and buffed regardless, though.