I know many of you followed my eleanor mustang build over the last 3 years. link here:
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/pics-videos-buffet-149/672987-out-new-old-build-thread.html
Over the last year at work I did a full concourse rotisserie restoration on a real 68 GT500 convertible. So that was my first full restoration ad my eleanor build was already started. The mustang restorations taught me a great deal about building classic cars. However over the past year and a half I have been building another car as well. I wanted to build something that would continue to help me build my skills as a fabricator. Ive always had a soft spot for classic chevys, particularly 54's. They are very uncommon at least compared to 55/56/57s and when customized look very bad ass. So in the summer of 2011 I started my search for one to build. In September 2011 I found a 210 sedan on craigslist for $1200 after some haggling back and forth we settled on $800. The car while fairly complete was pretty rough, it had been sitting since 1996 outside. So let me introduce you to the BlackBomber.
The start September 2011
The final result will be very similar to Jesse James 54'. with some of my own touches.
Before when it was matte black.
After a couple weeks I rebuilt the carb, changed the fuel filter,and fuel pump and got it running. The motor ran pretty well actually.
video
1954 chevy 210 first run since 1996 - YouTube
and a couple weeks later decided to take it for a spin up the street, no brakes at all so.
54 chevy 210 first drive since 1996 - YouTube
November 2011
now that the car was one of my bays at the shop I started digging into it, and boy is it a can of worms.
First thing to do is the rust repair, over all the car isnt too bad, its not great but that is to be expected for a car that is almost 60 years old.
today I pulled off the door to fix it, this ****er weighs a TON, almost ****ed my back trying to get this thing in the stand.
yea that's not good, the inner door had completely rotted out.
So I cut out the old nastyness
New inner door fitted
and welded
then I flipped the door over to replace the outer skin
trimmed off the old.
fitted and tacked the new
flipped the door over again the hem the outer door skin over the edge of the inner.
before I weld up the seam I decided to strip the old paint off, the smell of 60 year old paint burning is horrible.
I welded the rest of the door skin, welded up the trim holes along the top and middle of the door, and finished stripping the old paint with a DA.
did a skim coat and blocked it.
and laid down some DP90 epoxy primer.
December 2011
After digging into the car and evaluating the rust damage, Basically the entire bottom of the car would have to be replaced. However because it is an uncommon year, parts availability was very limited. So I picked up a parts car. its a 54 bel air, which was the top trim line that year. its a 4 door that was rolled in 1970 and has been sitting in a barn ever since.The car is great shape minus a ****ed roof and some rust on the rockers. The car is a 4 door so not all of it will get used. I will be using the front grille, headlights, hood, trunk,fenders ext ext and most importantly the floor braces are all still there. This will also allow me to build the chassis of this car and keep the other car mobile, once its done I will mate the completed body and chassis.
Then I started ripping the parts car apart, I have new floor pans, however the floorbraces/body mounts are completely rotted on the 2 door. So I had to cut them out of the parts car. Air chisel did WORK on this.
the floors are almost perfect, shame its all getting cut up.
last oil change date 10/4/69 LOL a bit over due.
couple hours later
this is what I was after
after all of the old crusty undercoating was scraped off., not perfect, but repairable. Ill sandblast the rust off tomorrow and patch up the holes.
I also started pulling the front clip, pulled the fenders and the grille off.
took some steel wool to the grille and i was amazed at how clean it was, ill have to find a couple used teeth to replaced the cracked/damaged ones.
some comparisons
back to the 2 door, cut most of the floor braces out along with the floor and started the replacement.
Sandblasted the good one out of the parts car and used a torch to get out the broken bolts.
January 2012
started fitting the new floor pans in, I still had to remove the rest of the old floor under it and do a lot of trimming but its a start.
rear floor all welded
next is this uglyness
also stripped the hood im going to use.
and the underside
finished stripping the hood and removed the center trim piece revealing the hood which is made in 2 halves
started welding it and the emblem holes, I built up the weld in front to leave a peak in the front of the hood
all welded
close up of the peak.
finished up the hood and laid down some epoxy primer.(still wet in the picture)
http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/pics-videos-buffet-149/672987-out-new-old-build-thread.html
Over the last year at work I did a full concourse rotisserie restoration on a real 68 GT500 convertible. So that was my first full restoration ad my eleanor build was already started. The mustang restorations taught me a great deal about building classic cars. However over the past year and a half I have been building another car as well. I wanted to build something that would continue to help me build my skills as a fabricator. Ive always had a soft spot for classic chevys, particularly 54's. They are very uncommon at least compared to 55/56/57s and when customized look very bad ass. So in the summer of 2011 I started my search for one to build. In September 2011 I found a 210 sedan on craigslist for $1200 after some haggling back and forth we settled on $800. The car while fairly complete was pretty rough, it had been sitting since 1996 outside. So let me introduce you to the BlackBomber.
The start September 2011
The final result will be very similar to Jesse James 54'. with some of my own touches.
Before when it was matte black.
After a couple weeks I rebuilt the carb, changed the fuel filter,and fuel pump and got it running. The motor ran pretty well actually.
video
1954 chevy 210 first run since 1996 - YouTube
and a couple weeks later decided to take it for a spin up the street, no brakes at all so.
54 chevy 210 first drive since 1996 - YouTube
November 2011
now that the car was one of my bays at the shop I started digging into it, and boy is it a can of worms.
First thing to do is the rust repair, over all the car isnt too bad, its not great but that is to be expected for a car that is almost 60 years old.
today I pulled off the door to fix it, this ****er weighs a TON, almost ****ed my back trying to get this thing in the stand.
yea that's not good, the inner door had completely rotted out.
So I cut out the old nastyness
New inner door fitted
and welded
then I flipped the door over to replace the outer skin
trimmed off the old.
fitted and tacked the new
flipped the door over again the hem the outer door skin over the edge of the inner.
before I weld up the seam I decided to strip the old paint off, the smell of 60 year old paint burning is horrible.
I welded the rest of the door skin, welded up the trim holes along the top and middle of the door, and finished stripping the old paint with a DA.
did a skim coat and blocked it.
and laid down some DP90 epoxy primer.
December 2011
After digging into the car and evaluating the rust damage, Basically the entire bottom of the car would have to be replaced. However because it is an uncommon year, parts availability was very limited. So I picked up a parts car. its a 54 bel air, which was the top trim line that year. its a 4 door that was rolled in 1970 and has been sitting in a barn ever since.The car is great shape minus a ****ed roof and some rust on the rockers. The car is a 4 door so not all of it will get used. I will be using the front grille, headlights, hood, trunk,fenders ext ext and most importantly the floor braces are all still there. This will also allow me to build the chassis of this car and keep the other car mobile, once its done I will mate the completed body and chassis.
Then I started ripping the parts car apart, I have new floor pans, however the floorbraces/body mounts are completely rotted on the 2 door. So I had to cut them out of the parts car. Air chisel did WORK on this.
the floors are almost perfect, shame its all getting cut up.
last oil change date 10/4/69 LOL a bit over due.
couple hours later
this is what I was after
after all of the old crusty undercoating was scraped off., not perfect, but repairable. Ill sandblast the rust off tomorrow and patch up the holes.
I also started pulling the front clip, pulled the fenders and the grille off.
took some steel wool to the grille and i was amazed at how clean it was, ill have to find a couple used teeth to replaced the cracked/damaged ones.
some comparisons
back to the 2 door, cut most of the floor braces out along with the floor and started the replacement.
Sandblasted the good one out of the parts car and used a torch to get out the broken bolts.
January 2012
started fitting the new floor pans in, I still had to remove the rest of the old floor under it and do a lot of trimming but its a start.
rear floor all welded
next is this uglyness
also stripped the hood im going to use.
and the underside
finished stripping the hood and removed the center trim piece revealing the hood which is made in 2 halves
started welding it and the emblem holes, I built up the weld in front to leave a peak in the front of the hood
all welded
close up of the peak.
finished up the hood and laid down some epoxy primer.(still wet in the picture)
