project 55 belvedere gasser--"hell's bel"

[Deaf Bob]

What is the stock motor? Red Ram?

[DanStokes]

yeeeeaaaaah, buddy ! brother cliff hooked me up with
a '57 t-bird 9" rear axle, complete drum to drum for $200 !
i think it may be a "posi" of some type, its got a weird cone
shaped (for lack of a better word) carrier. looks sorta
like a trac-loc, but i gotta do some research.

should be either 3.10 or 3.70 gears, i think its the 3.10
as the t-bird was an auto/V8 but either way im sure that
468 will pull it.....

That posi sounds sort of like a MOPAR Sure Grip which is an Auburn. Of course, Auburn sold them to others besides Chrysler so it might well be.

DB - Pretty sure the OEM engine would be a Poly V8 though some still had the flathead six (pretty poor performer). The Poly has a cult following and a few speed parts are available - I s'pose a Google search would turn up something. Pretty sure no Plymouths were shipped with the Red Ram - that was Dodge. DeSoto got the Firedome with more displacement. Chrysler, of course, got the Fire Power (or was that Fire Water?).

Dan

[malc]

Is this "Dare To Be Different" or "Nifty Fifties" ?

[fatguyzinc]

What is the stock motor? Red Ram?

first year "polyspherical hemi" V8. still not sure if its 241 or 260 cid,
but its a 2barrel carb if that makes a diff... and its the ONLY year with the
weird "wand" shifter on the dash for the 2spd 'powerflite' trans.

[fatguyzinc]

Is this "Dare To Be Different" or "Nifty Fifties" ?

neither. it, like everything that comes out of our garage,
is filed under "automotive insanity", hah hah..

as stated earlier, plans are to gasser this old girl with
a straight front axle and a foot of lift (soon...soon !!! )
15x4 ansens that i already mounted, a truly fearsome
468 chevy big block with tunnel ram with twin carbs,
4spd muncie, that 9" ford rear, and widened stock
or chrome reverse steelies in the back with piecrust repops.

body mods will be limited to cutting the hood ONLY if neccessary,
(i hope not) sanding the pimply chrome trim and either clearcoating
it or painting it argent silver like old vette rims, trying to knock out a
few dents in the grill, then washing the dirt off
and wiping down the insides with a damp rag, and driving
the snot out of it.

MAYBE radiusing the rear wheelwells, we shall see. i really
hope i dont have to do anything but shove the motor / trans / rear
into it, wash it off and hit the streets...at least thats the plan.

we are guessing the 468" rat will hit 550+hp easily, with a 4spd that
means fun, fun, FUN !!!

all this came about because my younger brother (who has always
been a "checkbook hotrodder") went out and bought a 56 belair for $30K
that had a 454, M21, and narowed 9" ford. i then immediately had to
put 2 weeks of work into it for him (free of course...little b*st*rd...) to
get it to run without overheating ('lectric fans on wrong side of radiator.)
shut off without dieseling (too much timing), idle without dying ( way too
lean on the idle circuit, 4 corner system and was at 2.75 turns rear
and .50 front...yeah. i know....) and push the ladders back 5 turns
so the rear tires dont rub going out the driveway, etc....

so as usual, im going to show him how its done for pennies on the dollar
and turn this ol girl out for under $8500 if possible , or under $10K for sure.
and i guarantee i will get just as many if not more looks and comments as
he does, PLUS--
have more fun
more smiles per mile
satisfaction of doing it all myself, with wife and kids helping
know exactly whats in car because I put it there
be just as fast if not faster etc...

i already did that with the white 454 vette ( just under $5k ! ) when he
bpought a 2014 shelby GT500 a couple years ago for $70K.....

apparently some people never learn.........

[Loren]

What a bitchin' car, looks like a bunch of fun. A little sibling rivalry is a good thing...go kick his butt to where Momma would smack you for it...

[fatguyzinc]

wow, thank you *edit* "moores auto salvage"--they had a same year 55
except its a 4dr with a complete clutch and brake setup, pedals,
swingarm bracket, linkages, Zbar, etc.. for $325 shipped. pricey, but hey-
at least i KNOW it will fit and work, instead of trying to cobble something
together or making a 55-57 chevy setup work--i woulda had to pay
several hundred for that to 'maybe' fit and work.

so we are WELL on our way here, even though im stuck on maui doing rat patrol
right now, at least the internet lets me keep searching! now if i could just find
a repro headliner and some weatherstripping for less than the national debt....

shes only been with us a few days (she came home saturday) but MAN do i love this car!
dont think ive ever been as excited to collect parts, not even for the white 454 vette.
i guess partially because i have always wanted to do a 50's gasser and didnt think i would
ever get the chance- i been trying to swing one for all my adult life since i was 15 and
got my license. im 46 now, so 31 years of hoping, looking, hunting and failing miserably...

but its finally happening. heres hoping i dont get hit by a bus tomorrow or something
equally lame, hah hah....

[DanStokes]

Excellent that you found the clutch bits! Mutt the Race Truck is the first one I ever converted from auto to manual and it really wasn't all that tough - but then I got the conversion bits from a BSer. Same project, different vehicle. I'd say that's $325 well spent. I'm guessing Maui has few salvage yards and especially ones with old parts - but what do I know?! (Never been there.....)

Dan

[fatguyzinc]

so i joined a old mopar forum called 'forward look' (the name for virgil exners
canted grill design at the time) hoping to make a few contacts for parts, etc...

wow, what a bunch of pompus self rightious A-holes..... i got 6 responses and
EVERY ONE of them said i should sell it to someone who appreciated the forward look cars
and that i was satan incarnate for wanting to gasser it, its too rare, it should be
preserved or restored ONLY, etc..... if im going to modify it then it HAS to be with
a hemi or a 440 mopar not a chevy, chevys suck especially the big blocks, etc....

i pointed out 4 things--
1) according to lil john buttera ( wanna argue with THAT guys credentials?)
"anyone can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up"

2) rod sabury turned his concours winning 63 split window fuelie vette into a
crazy 8 second prostreeter. why? because he COULD...

3) i already HAVE the 468 block crank rods pistons heads, tunnelram, muncie
trans and bellhousing, 9" t-bird rear axle off a 57, etc... why spend money on
buying more stuff? its the traditional hotrodder way, stuff whatever you got
into whatever you have to make it better/faster/gnarlier/etc... hey, i got
a kid with leukemia--the fact that i saved this old girl from a 25-life sentence
in a garage or the crusher by dropping $3250 i really couldnt afford says something
about my love for old cars...or my mental state. ill get back to you on that.

4) its MY car. you can go ahead and do what you want with YOUR car and YOUR money.

seriously, i hate guys like that. buncha snooty uppity control freaks.
thank goodness the bangshift forum is filled with frootloops like me...
wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaat ?!?!?!!??!!!

[DanStokes]

Like I said, if I had the scratch I'd send it to you to keep it MOPAR powered. But I don't and it is, as you said, YOUR car! What I will insist is that you have more fun with it than you currently think is possible.

Rock On!

Dan

[Huskinhano]

I saw this at a local show years back. I thought you might like to see

[SuperBuickGuy]

100% haters - I like those odds. Be sure and post there as well while you tear it up.....

[fatguyzinc]

100% haters - I like those odds. Be sure and post there as well while you tear it up.....

right--nothing like rubbing their noses in it !
cant wait to shove a straight axle under it
and start shoehorning that 468" rat motor
in there...........

they are going to be SOOOO pissed.
i like that.

[fatguyzinc]

RIIIIIIIIIIGHTIOUS, a place in upcounty haiku, maui,
called hermans auto salvage (or calasas auto) had a
54 international R110, the dude sold me the complete
front axle end to end with steering linkage and springs
for $150...and hes going to remove it !

definately taking a 24pack of beer for him when i pick it up.
old school way was like this, take a straight front off an old
pickup or econoline/dodge van and stuff into you "whatever"
to convert to a gasser. yes its more work, but the kit from
speedway is $800+tax/shipping....

and im normally so broke i cant even pay ATTENTION.

so ghetto old school it is. i kinda like that anyway.....

[fatguyzinc]

darn it-- appears i may have jumped the gun on that 54 IH beam axle.
(truck was buried in grass 6ft high, couldnt really inspect it--guy said
that "it should be alright"...famous last words, hah hah...)
went to pick it up and its BAD, looks like been sitting in salt water
for 10+years. still, i made the deal so i paid the guy and brought it home...
dont wanna be a d*ck and make him pull it out for nothing.

but by the time i change springs (rusted to the point theyre breaking)
bearings, brakes, AND ship it from maui to oahu, i coulda (woulda/shoulda)
just bought the speedway setup. in fact, im probably going to do that
after all.

dang it!!! oh well, it is what it is i guess..........