'58 2 door Biscayne

[ARTEMIS1759]

Lets try this again. I am deployed overseas with the National Guard and I was on a local classifieds site from my home town and found this car. I owned a four door in high school and have been actively searching for the last 13 years to find either a 4 door or better yet a 2 door in my price range.
Well, this car popped up for $2500.00. I called the guy the minute I found it and talked to him. Then proceeded to call my wife to go look at it since she also knows a lot about cars (She built a 78 Chevy 4x4 in high school with a 454 and 6" lift). It has a 350/350 combo and runs but has some piston slap from what the guy said since he believes the other guy that owned it rebuilt it but did not have it bored. The floors need replaced but no major rust other then surface and some holes in the eye brows. It has wheels like were on the "General Lee".
I joined this site to get some feed back. I am also an automotive artist and have done some quick 10 min. sketches over the past couple days and checked every site that sells hot rod and restoration parts. I have a general idea where I want to go with the car but am stumped in a few places. I sketched up a side view and love American TT 5 spoke unpolished mags but when I drew them on the car they did not seem to look right. I am looking for a late 50s to early 60s theme but it does not bother me to deviate a little outside of this. I really like the Impala from American Graffiti but do not want to build a clone but am using some styling cues. I thought about the chrome reversed steeles but like I said I am not sure I want to much of the styling from that car where it looks cloned even if the paint is different. I plan to shave the handles and front emblems except I want to get the V8 "V"s and a front shield and for the front move them both into the grille area possibly. I am not sure if I want the dual areals on the rear fenders yet. The interior will get a full Cashmir blue, Ivory and Silver tuck n' roll treatment. The engine will stay 4 barrel for a little while but I would like a 3x2 or 6x2 set up with the new 9super7's. Later I would like a 671 supercharged 409. (I love blowers). I plan to get a radio delete cover and then make it motorized so I can but a cd player behind it. The existing speaker hole will have a 3 guage set up possibly or I want to incorporate two digital guages into the cluster where the dummy lights are and use the dummy lights as true warning lights.
I will keep the TH350 for a while so I want to get a Hurst extended Pro-matic Ratchet Shifter. Problem with this is I do not like the console it has and am wondering if the shifter could be used with a shift boot without looking retarded. It will get a piston shift knob and fuzzy dice of course. Later I want to change out the trans for a 4 or 5 speed manual. I am also thinking of building a center console that blends in to hold a tach but I am not sure I want it that low yet and am trying to find a 5" that will match the guages (May need to have the face changed out). I also plan to notch the front of the seat for the shifter. Adding accessory seatbelts.(anybody have pics of what style of seatbelts were accessories back then?) I also want to add AC with factory vents. (No offense to anyone but I hate stuff that looks like it is just hung from the dash or on the car) I am going to use 4" peep mirrors outside. I was also thinking since the 50s had the rocket themes of using B52 Tail gunner tailpipes with flame throwers. Gotta have flame throwers.... As seen at this link http://www.tailgunnerexhaust.com/jet...etail.php?id=8. Well, thats is a short list of all the mods that have been running through my head.

[rumrumm]

It all starts with a dream. That looks like a good project car--and it's a 2-dr, too. Nice find! Sounds like you have a plan. It would make a good resto-rod. Chevy's W engines are making a comeback, and a 409 would make a nice choice for power. Were you able to buy it?

[ARTEMIS1759]

Wife is working on it. The guy is holding onto it right now until she gets up there.

[kennyd]

here is one of my 58 sedans to look at

[ARTEMIS1759]

here is one of my 58 sedans to look at

Nice, nice...

[Mike P]

And my old 58 Bisquick: 60s style mild custom, nosed, decked, pretty much dechromed except some modified (combination of Biscane and BelAir Side trim..to include the BelAir sail pannel piece). Dual rear electric antennas, steel wheels with baby moons and trim rings. 383 Stroker w tri-power and TH350.

[ARTEMIS1759]

Sweet Cars. Here is the finished car. Think I might go with chrome reversed Steelies

Maybe these rims but then they are detracting from the look I am striving for.

[ARTEMIS1759]

You know in all the time I have seen American Graffiti I never noticed the grille on the impala is blacked out.

[ARTEMIS1759]

So, here is a few more ideas I am thinking about...I saw the Graffiti car had a blacked out grille and I have always wondered how that would look since there is a lot of chrome on the front and I think I will do that and with the shield and "V" centered in the grille. Now I hate dummy lights and thought about putting Guages in a center console but instead came up with something a bit different. In this pic I was thinking if there is enough room between the dummy light and the hi beam indicator (If someone could tell me the Height and width of this area I would appreciate it ) of putting two digital gauges (where the arrows point.) in for the Voltage and Oil pressure from Dakota Digital with Aqua color.


Here is a front view I did in a little over 20 mins

I am now debating now if I want a blower as I am not sure if I like how it messes with the body lines. If not maybe a built 409 with dual 4s or 3x2?
I am also thinking I will paint the engine compartment white, including the radiator core support. Is it also possible to disassemble a cooling fan to paint?


This is the front seat with shifter cut-out. I always liked that kustom touch of a shifter cut-out.


This is the side panels. The Gold emblem is just a Biscayne emblem attached to the panel. The white part of the interior is Ivory color and the blue is what I like to call the 50s "Peggy Sue" Blue. Not sure why but that is what that color reminds me of?

This is a side view with the Blower.


And this is with out the blower.


And the name is "Penny Jo" after a dear friend me and my wife lost from high school.
Remember these drawings are crude and I am doing them as loose sketches. I am waiting on tracing paper so variations are easier to do.
I am not sure how the last photo was so crystal clear and the rest are fuzzy. Wish I had a scanner.

[Mike P]

Personally I was never real fond of the stock instrument clusters to begin with and frankly most I've had in the past at a minimum needed the speedometer rebuilt. A full custom dash is pretty easy to build for these cars, and there is plenty of room for all the gauges you're talking about. Just my 2cents.

Another trick I incorporated I’ll throw out there that works out pretty slick when you go to a floor shifter is to shave and fill the nub the shift handle goes in. Then if you really want to get fancy remove the plastic from the shift indicator directly beneath the gauge cluster, make a new one out of two thin pieces of Plexiglas and put in the appropriate letters/numbers for the TH 350 (if you decide to keep it ) P R N D 2 L. You can make the indicator functional by using the stock linkage from the trans to the column and adding an extra arm to the shift lever on the trans.

JMO but I think these dashes also lend themselves real well to a two tone treatment.

[ARTEMIS1759]

Yeah I was already thinking of the two tone. Problem with the dash thing Is I like the long sweep speedo and would like to retain it. My old 58 never had a problem. But I will keep this in mind. Thanks for the info.

[randyr]

I love '58 Chevies! My dad had a 4 door Biscayne when I was a little kid. You have some nice ideas working but I'll throw my 2 cents in for what it's worth....
I'm not crazy about the blower poking thru the hood. I'm also not crazy about the chrome steelies for the wheels. I think some 17 & 18" Torque Thrust II's would look good on it. Just make sure the sidewall height of the rear tire is taller than the sidewall height of the front tire (on the pic you showed above of the turquoise Biscayne, I thought the back tires looked like ribbons compared to the front tires). There are other wheel choices that would look good besides torque thrust, too but I would stay kinda simple & classic in design while going with a more modern size.

As for the grille, instead of blacking it out, you might consider thin billet bars with a polished front edge and black powder coat on the rest of the grille. Attach the "chevy V" in the center and use the stock parking lights. It's a really big hole to have all black.

I like the two tone pattern you've chosen. I would keep all the chrome trim on it because I think the car needs it.

Those are my thoughts for now for what it's worth....

Also, Thanks so much for your service in the National Guard!! It's very cool that your wife has the car-knowledge to check this thing out for you!!

Good luck with the project. It's going to be really cool.

[ARTEMIS1759]

Thank, you I am waiting on that tracing paper so I can test other wheel and tire combos. I agree with the bigs and littles. That is what I wanted. Wish there was a place like tire rack that had that software for showing wheels on classics.

[randyr]

Thank, you I am waiting on that tracing paper so I can test other wheel and tire combos. I agree with the bigs and littles. That is what I wanted. Wish there was a place like tire rack that had that software for showing wheels on classics.

Actually, there is a site that will let you do that. I'm not sure if they have 58 Chevies on it but I know I played with some combos for my 37 Ford and my 66 F100. I'll try to remember where the site is and let you know.....

[ARTEMIS1759]

Sweet thanks. I though I had seen one too, but can't find it?