My Project 1955!

[apache200]

Shane i recently bought a 79 trans am front clip for my 55 can you take sum more pics of the front end installed? I like how yours was done

[Shanehenrymusic]

I sure will- like I said I bought this frame and did not do the work - very thing seems to be done right.. I guess time will tell when I get the body mounted on the frame.
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[Shanehenrymusic]

Here's some extra pics of the Frame... let me know what you guys think.
-Shane

[Kim57]

Looking good Shane.
Kim

[Shanehenrymusic]

I got the second coat of body filler around the big window.. I'm glad i went through with the big window conversion - looks so much better!

[Coupeguy2001]

that frame is so nice, it makes you wonder if someone stole a nice truck and stripped it and sold the parts.

[Shanehenrymusic]

Nah- the guy I bought it from built his as a show truck and decided to do a heidt's suspension and ford 9".. Once I get this baby powder coated it's gonna look sharp!
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[Shanehenrymusic]

I got a lot of work done over the holidays - Big window conversion is done, got my bed mounted and rear fenders mocked up...its starting to look like a truck....

[Kim57]

Looking real sharp.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

Nice progress. Keep at it and you'll be driving it in no time!

[Trucknut57]

Glad to see you are finally getting those trucks back together . They look good.

I can't say much, cause I still don't have mine back on the road since I got that frame from you awhile back

[_Ogre]

nice work on that big window swap
how hard was that?

[ambryatim]

Question...on post #28 is that your booster/master cylinder mounted on the outside of the frame?? If not what is it??

If so, is there any clearance issues with the step from the cab? And who installed it that way? How far over is the brake pedal???

Thanks

[Shanehenrymusic]

Sorry! I haven't been on here in a while - To answer your question - I scratched the booster/master cylinder and went with a setup from No Limit. I didn't care for the Midland brake booster set up.. guess it would have worked but was too Frankenstein'd for me.

[Shanehenrymusic]

Alright guys! I've been hard at work on my truck for the past 3 months and haven't made time to post and updates so here's some pics of my progress..

I sandblasted my frame that's set up with a 79-81 trans am front clip and disc brake rear end and sprayed it with POR15 so it will never rust again.

I used the POR gas tank sealer kit on my tank which cam out of an 89 chevy blazer and POR 15 on the outside of the tank.

Next I mounted my new Power Braker Booster from No Limit and Transmission cross-member- which is a great set up, however the installation instructions were a bit lacking on Power Brake Kit.. I did manage to figure it out.

Next, I dropped in the LT1 and 4l60E that i managed to get for an awesome deal on ebay. engine has 78k original miles and I heard it run before buying it.

I purchased the No Limit "Trim to Fit" motor mounts but could not figure out how the heck they were designed to be used so I went ahead and bolted it up with the factory Trans am motor mounts. Its sits way to low though, so I will end up using the No Limit mounts as soon as I figure out how they are intended to be used.

I will continue below..

[Shanehenrymusic]

Next: It was time to drop the Cab and Doors over to the fresh frame. I decided to build a custom cab lift for my Engine Hoist out of scrap 2' square tubing i found. I should patent this and call it the "Henry Lift".. It actually worked really well. We had to take off the front wheels and drop it to the ground to get enough clearance. This frame sits a lot higher than the other one (I plan to get some dropped spindles for the front) We moved the cab over and got the bed sitting on the frame...

[Shanehenrymusic]

At this point I was so excited about the progress that I couldn't stop! I moved on with installing my custom tailgate from Mar-K here in OKC. They make awesome stuff and are the best people to work with. Check out my hidden latch Tailgate..
I also decided to get all the sheet-metal hung to see how things were fitting... quite a bit of work left to do.. but as you can see I'm making some progress..

The engine is sitting too low huh???

[Kim57]

Looks like you made a lot of progress. Looking good.
Kim

[Kim57]

The engine looks low but raising it may create more problems.
How much room is there between the trans and cab floor?
If you raise the engine you have to raise the trans also to maintain a good drive-line angle.
Kim

[Shanehenrymusic]

Here's some more pics.. got it up on the wheel dollies from harbor freight.. these things rock!

So I need some help with the wiring harness for the LT1, hooking up my mid 70's chevy van tilt steering column.. please post comments

Also I'm looking at getting a set of Foose Legend rims. I am trying to figure out what size rim to go with. I'm not a huge fan of the super skinny tires - 18's and up. I'm thinking 17's, but might even go with 16's... what do ya'll think would look best.

[Shanehenrymusic]

Thanks Kim - there's probably a good 2 inches of clearance if I wanted to raise it. Do you think its necessary? I think I'm going to have major header issues with it sitting this low. My LT1 came with a set of hooker headers.. engine was in an 95 chevy camaro, but they don't even come close to fitting... thoughts?

[Shanehenrymusic]

did i mention my truck has original rust free cab corners... how rare.

[Kim57]

Originally Posted by Shanehenrymusic

Thanks Kim - there's probably a good 2 inches of clearance if I wanted to raise it. Do you think its necessary? I think I'm going to have major header issues with it sitting this low. My LT1 came with a set of hooker headers.. engine was in an 95 chevy camaro, but they don't even come close to fitting... thoughts?

I think it would look better sitting a little higher. These trucks have huge engine compartments. It may give you more room for your headers also.
As far as rims go I'm not a big fan of large ones. I like to see some tire sidewall.
Kim

[Coupeguy2001]

1. hard to tell by the pic, but the 90-91 camaro/firebird had some clamshell engine mounts with a captive frame mount that seems to push up the engine about an inch and a half.
You might try measuring a set of those and compare the measurements of the ones you have.
With the LT-1 intake manifold, the engine appears lower than it really is.
2. I think the cut to fit motor mounts that you got from no limit might be the ones for the original frame u channel. not that you couldn't make them work for what you are doing, but there might be a way to fab up your own mount so they fit like you want.
For the frame mount, Try using rectangular tubing with a thick wall round tubing on top for the bolt that goes through the engine mount that is bolted to the engine, and weld a gusset on one side, weld the whole thing to a plate, and bolt it on to the original frame holes. It will cover up some of the BOP holes that stay exposed on your frame stub.....
3. I have a brand new set of black block hugger headers that are for the L98 and LT-1 slant plug heads that are just sitting.........If you are not going to drag race it, they would be a nice fit.

[ChuckDriver]

You should be able to raise your engine using the No-Limit mounts similar to how I did mine.