What's new
By:
Filters
Old Chevelles

Welcome to OldChevelles.com, built by Auto Enthusiasts for Auto Enthusiasts. Cars are not our only interests so please feel free to post about any subject the community might enjoy or you just feel you need to air.

We respect free speech and constructive dialogue however we don't allow threatening talk against members, nudity, or pornography. Threads are monitored and trolls are not tolerated.

This site is completely free and there are no costs. Please enjoy and provide feedback.

  • We've enabled the website app for anyone who wants to use it on a mobile or desktop device.

  • We've changed the header logo to display our Member's Cars.

    If you'd like your car to show up there, go to the forum Site Bugs & Feature Requests and post your image in the "Member's Car Pictures for the Header Logo" and we'll add your car into the lineup.

My '55 Chevy Delray

Derek69SS

Derek69SS

Veteran Member
Since you guys all seemed to like the post about my son's '55, I'll share the history here of my '55 also.

In 1975, my Dad wanted to build a '55 2dr sedan like the one in "American Graffiti". One of his buddies was also looking for a tri-5 to build, so a group of 4 guys took a roadtrip in Dad's rusty '60 Impala down to Missouri to find rust-free southern cars. They had no real plan, but just drove around for a couple days looking for something to buy. They found the yellow '55 for sale in someone's yard first, but it didn't run so they kept looking. They found the green one, which ran and Dad's friend bought that one, and they went back to find the yellow one. Dad bought it for $60 and they would flat-tow it home behind the green one.

The '60 Impala was taken to a junkyard, stripped of its engine and trans, and the body was traded in for a door for my uncle's '63 Impala.

They didn't make it far before an axle bearing went bad in the yellow '55, and they had to go back to the junkyard and got a whole different housing and axles. They threw the old housing in the ditch and continued on back to Minnesota.

1647535727092.png

1647535741043.png

1647535756375.png

1647535768685.png

1647535781387.png

1647535793513.png

1647535806931.png

1647535822050.png

1647535830555.png
 
The car is very solid, the only rust it had was the eyebrows above the headlights, so Dad bought new GM fenders. He jambed the fenders and doors black, and had them in primer but soon started a family and never finished the car.

As it sat in the back of our farm shed, my brothers and I played in it often. My older brother taught me how to drive in it, and as fans of American Graffiti, we had many pretend races against imaginary Deuce Coupes.

In 2017, a neighbor made a strong offer to buy the car, and Dad decided to sell, but let us kids have first chance at it. I couldn't bear the thought of someone else building the car, so I decided I needed to buy it.

IMG_20171106_165121087.jpg

IMG_20171106_165049790.jpg

IMG_20170723_203706781.jpgIMG_20171106_165018792.jpg

IMG_20180304_132343709_LL.jpg
 
Last edited:
I made a plan to build this car as an old-school hotrod. Not quite gasser style, but keeping everything 60s-era correct... More of a NHRA Modified Production class look than Gasser.

One thing every tri-5 needs is a hood-scoop, so I cut a hole, and used the metal as a patch to fill the hood-ornament.
The scoop is the Ford truck scoop that was also used on factory SD Pontiacs in 1963.

1647536881478.png

1647536906530.png

1647536965485.png

1647536990475.png
 
Wheels and tires were a $300 swap meet find for a set of 4 wheels with almost new reproduction bias-plies that I just needed to paint to match. I took the gas door off the car and got it scanned, had some cheap Acryllic Enamel mixed up, did some tinting, and added a LOT of flattener to get a good match to the old Yellow paint.

Cale's first time using a paint gun at age 11... I let him spray the back side, I did the front side.

1647537253436.png

1647537336065.png

1647537353549.png
 
This car keeps getting pushed off as lower priority, but when Dad was retiring and closing his body shop, I knew I'd be losing my free access to a paint booth, so I wanted to get this thing into paint quickly. It was a quick scuff & shoot, just to make the car all 1 color. I talked Dad into spraying it, since he's a much better painter than I am, and it's single-stage paint that I didn't want to buff.

1647537639013.png

1647537656281.png

1647537683320.png

The old laquer paint is a bit chalky looking here, but you can see where I lightly buffed the gas door and a little bit of the front edge of the quarter above the trim so it matches VERY close with the new paint on the front end and doors.

1647537702626.png
 
After sitting unfinished for 42 years, a few weekends work and $700 investment made this much difference... probably doubled the car's value also, though that doesn't matter to me as I don't plan to let it get away.

3tp7sr.jpg
 
I'll keep updating the threads as progress is made on each car. Last year I put all new wheel cylinders, brake lines, and master cylinder in it. I'm keeping it drum brakes for now just to get it on the road for cheap... got tired of throwing money at my pro-touring Chevelle, so this thing is going full low-budget anti-touring. Stock suspension, drum brakes, bias ply tires, no A/C, etc... and intending to use it as a daily-driver.

I live in the country and drive 6 miles to work, so if anyone can daily something like this, it's me. :)

I had been sharing this stuff on Facebook, but I keep getting restrictions for stupid stuff, so I'm preparing to leave that site and want to document progress on my stuff somewhere else, hence the barrage of me posting about my projects. :)
 
Great to read your updates Derek, the history and family ties are fantastic to see. The Tri-5s each have a special place in my past. Each year had it's own following, and I'd bet the '55 captures the heart of more than the other two. You can build that year in so many guises, and IMO, simpler the better. Mine, like the TLB camera car, were the 150 utility sedan, no back seat and stationary rear quarter windows.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom