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Select® Restoration Projects
- 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Frame-off Restoration with Upgrades
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Frame-off Restoration with Upgrades
With a 1971 state inspection sticker as an indication, it's safe to say this shoebox has never seen Unleaded gasoline or a gallon of Leaded that cost over 40˘ (perhaps even a few cents less). My, how times have changed. Someone has decided that it's time for this '55 Chevy to catch up.
At the time of our build, GM had stop producing box tops or Super Rams and we could only purchase the lower intake from Accel. We were able to buy a Box Top after missing several by days on a Corvette forum. We polished our box top to nicer than new condition and installed it along with our new Accel lower intake.
A Holley lap top programmable digital fuel injection system called the Commander 950 was installed next.
Now that our chassis and drive train are set up our body could be addressed.
A new parts list included a trunk floor, floors, drive train tunnel, quarter panels, doors and hood. No matter how many nice parts we install on this car and how much custom fabrication takes place; the quality of this vehicle will always be heavily weighted on the quality of the paint and bodywork.
To get a body ready for a show quality finish we like to start with a clean slate. The body and body panels are stripped bare of all parts and are baked in an oxygen deprived oven at 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Old paint, body filler, seam sealer, under coating and other contaminants are turned into ash. The oven is oxygen deprived so that these materials smolder away and do not flame up or cause temperatures to spike up to unsafe levels that would cause warping.
The next step is to submerge the body and panels in phosphoric acid to wash out the ash and grime.
The body is then submerged in hot caustic soda to remove rust. This process is superior to blasting in that it works in places liquid will flow that are inaccessible with any kind of blasting.
The body is then submerged into a 5% caustic soda solution located in a positively charged tank. The body is grounded. This process cures or seals the metal.
In the next step the body is submerged into a positively charged zinc bath. A coating of zinc is plated to the body & parts as a rust preventative.
The last step is to once again submerge the body in a cathode bath or E-Coat bath. The E-Coat is plated to metal anywhere liquid will flow. Inner rockers, braces, and tight areas such as between wheelhouses and quarter panels get treated.
With a clean body and rust free panels steel work can begin to replace panels that were thinned out because of rust or removed because of previous damage reveled by removing old body filler.
When steel work and alignment are complete, the repetitious and meticulous process of performing bodywork begins. The majority of the build time on a restoration is contributed to bodywork. Whether its straightening a 50 year old piece of metal that once held the desired shape or straightening a new piece of metal stamped in the Orient that kind of resembles the desired shape, bodywork is the measuring stick of great cars due to its meticulous nature.
A recess firewall from Direct Sheet Metal was one of the body mods performed in the body shop. This new firewall was used to accommodate our engine being moved back away from the stock radiator location. Moving the engine back would allow for our accessories on the front of the engine and electric fans on the back side of the radiator.
Zoops Performance produces an accessory package called the Zoops Posi Trac. With the Posi Trac we acquired all of our needed accessories. A polished A/C compressor, polished high AMP alternator, polished power steering pump, and a polished water pump were included.
With all of its polished aluminum the Posi Trac looks great, but most of all, it fits in the front of the engine, doesn’t protrude too far forward and is run on a serpentine belt. The serpentine belt system is self adjusting with a tensioner and the belts last for years.
The radiator is cross flow aluminum two inch two core, which cools better than conventional four core radiators. The radiator support is custom and bolts in the factory location with the radiator in the six cylinder position, which is in front if the support. The A/C condenser is part of this cooling system package and a pair of spal fans are mounted on the back side of the radiator. We mounted a Billet Specialties reservoir on the drivers side radiator support. The radiator support came with a coolant reservoir on the passenger side.
Initially we used Sanderson Headers on the ZZ4, but, the angle of the spark plugs were too close to the header or manifold and the Sanderson headers were built for older engines with a passenger side dip stick. A set of Hooker Ceramic Coated Block Hugger Headers worked out the problems and looked like they were built to complement the runners on the Accel Super Ram.
Behind the engine the Direct Sheet Metal firewall was a very clean start and we strived to keep it that way. All of the wiring for the engine comes in behind the engine and remains unseen for the most part.
A brake pedal assembly which mounts the master cylinder parallel with the inside of the firewall and a cable operated wiper motor which mounts under the dash as well keep the firewall clean.
Inside the ’55 we used a stainless steel Flaming River tilt steering column. A custom steering wheel, which is identical to an original ’55 Bel Air wheel except for a smaller 14” diameter, was chosen as a subtle modification.
The factory dash trim with bow ties are very cool and so they were used along with a custom radio from Eckelers, which matched the trim with more bow ties.
We built a set of controls for air and heat to work a classic air electric servo evaporator system. Stock ’55 Chevy dash knobs were used on the controls to keep the original dash art clean. A/C vents were molded onto each corner of the dash and appear to be part of the original dash stamping.
The instrument cluster and clock were built by Classic Instruments and have an off white or antique facing.
Lokar produced our accelerator pedal, a through floor cable unit, a brake pedal cover and emergency brake assembly.
The floor shifter is also from Lokar with four drive positions to operate the new overdrive automatic. A neutral start switch is located on the new shifter and a reverse light switch from Dakota Digital is mounted on the 700R4.
In the trunk we built an accessory rack to hold the Optima sealed battery, Pioneer stereo amplifier and Air Ride Technologies hardware; the pump, tank and control valves.
A double ought battery lead is run forward to a reduction drive starter for predictable starts.
Second Skin thermal and acoustical insulation is our brand of choice for insulation. We installed it on the floors, ceiling, doors, and quarter panels.
A smoke tinted glass kit was purchased from Pilkerton Glass.
Loosing road noise will make for a nice ride but the heat that never enters the car due to the insulation and tinted glass will be our A/C systems powerful advantage.
Bob Mayle at Stainless Trim Restoration in New York restored the original trim to as good as new and way better than reproduction condition.
Reassembly of the body was performed with a stainless steel bolt kit from Totally Stainless.
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