Let's Get Rolling!



Front Suspension



I was working on the car the other day when a neighbor walked by and commented on my project car and the amount of work that it was obviously going to take.  He asked me what my goal was for completing it.  I told him that the 60-year anniversary of this car is in three years, and I’d like to have it done by then.  So that is now my new goal.  I have a lot to do in three years.

Outer Wheel Bearing

As I was putting together a strategy for restoring this car, I knew that it was critical to get the wheels to roll again.  I found some cheap used tires that would serve the purpose until the car was much further along and I was ready to buy new rims and white walls.  However, when I installed them, I realized that the tires would do no good unless the wheels turn.  So, I began work on the front wheels and suspension.  I can’t even think about taking the body off the frame until the frame rolls.  I wasn’t sure what was keeping the wheels from rolling, but I knew that was one of the first things that I had to find out.   I began disassembling the wheel by removing the wheel bearings.  Both the inner and the outer bearing will need to be replaced.  Thirty years of sitting is not good on bearings (or lots of other parts for that matter).



Wheel Drum



It didn’t take long to discover what was keeping the car from rolling.  This car has drum brakes.  When I tried to remove the drum, I found that the shoes inside the drum were pressed up against the inside of the drum and stuck so well that I didn’t know how I was going to get them off.  After several attempts at prying the drums off with no success, I stopped into a brake shop and asked them for advice.  They gave me some great tips, and that evening, I had one of the drums off.  The next day, the other drum came off. 

Brake Assembly

Besides the obvious brake shoes that had to be replaced, the wheel cylinders were completely shot.  When I cut the brake line leading to the wheel cylinder, I expected some brake fluid to run out.  It didn’t.  So, I squeezed the flexible brake line and something oozed out that looked like black toothpaste.  The entire braking system will need to be replaced, including the master cylinder.  Both the upper and lower ball joints on both front sides were damaged.  Fortunately, most of the parts on the 1955 Chevy are available through classic collector web sites and eBay.  Replacement parts were a primary concern when I was looking for a project car.  



Interior Rust



Every once in a while, I would take a break from the front end and work on other areas of the car.  The floor pan was in such bad shape, that I knew not much could be saved.  So, I removed the front seat and started taking out the bad floor pan.  At this point, there is not much left.  You can see the braces that connect to the frame and provide support on the underneath side of the floor.  These are so damaged by rust that they will all have to be replaced as well.  The braces are supposed to connect to the rocker panels on the sides to provide support the body, but rust has completely destroyed this connection, leaving nothing to support the pillars to which the doors are connected.  There is still more rusty floor panel to remove, but before I do that, I’m going to weld in some braces between the door frames to make sure that the roof doesn’t buckle when I lift the body off the frame.  Of course, before I do that, I need to remove the doors.  That is another challenge that I haven’t been able to successfully overcome yet.  The Philips-head screws holding the doors onto the body refuse to break loose.  But, like everything else on this project, I will have to get creative and keep working at it until the task is done. 



Trunk



I also cleaned out the last of the trash from the trunk.  The floor pan in this area is also not salvageable.  It will all have to be replaced.  I removed the plug from the gas tank to find that whatever gas was in it when the car was parked had all evaporated out.  Thank goodness.  Soon I will be removing the gas tank, the rear bumper and the tail light assemblies.  The rear window is the only glass that is not broken.

Yes, I have bitten off a big chunk to chew on.  Yes, I rolled the dice when I bought this car, and as it turns out, it is in worse shape that I had hoped for.  But, I am enjoying the process immensely and learning a lot along the way.