Thread: 55/58 Chevy truck build

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Not much at all. I made my own spring compressors, Stator Shaft and imput drum sills installer. When you look at the spring compressors you will see they are easy to make but if you purchase I seen them as low as 20 bucks. For the Stator Shaft and input drum sills that is an expensive tool, but here is what I did. The tool allows you to slip on the sills and the use another plastic piece to slide over the shaft when the sills are installed. This allows the sills to conform to the shaft. So what I did was cut some small plastic paint mixing bucket, put the sill on it slide it over the shaft and install the sills. After all the sills were install I used my fingers to conform them to the shaft the best I could. I then used that same plastic to wrap around the shaft. I use zip ties to hold it together and pulled them as tight as I could. I also use zip ties on each sill. Waited around 30 min. and the sills were conformed to the shaft.

But if your sills are in good shape you really don't need to replace them.

Got the engine, trans, and torque converter mated up, next is to get it between the frame rails.

Man that looks really sweet, wish mine looked that good.

Thanks man I really appreciate it. Judging by the work I saw on your project page I'm sure you will have your looking great.

I forgot to post these. Its the new 15 inch 55 Belair steering wheel. I think it will look nice with my transplanted 55 car dash.

Before the clearcoat was applied


After the clearcoat

beautiful! Just beautiful!!

Okay, out of interest, what is the standard diameter of those wheels and do you guys have a legal size that is the bare minimum one can use for a steering wheel like here in New Zealand ? That wheel looks absolutely brilliant too.

The original 55 steering wheel is 18 inches, the aftermarket one I bought is 15.

coming along nice bam . wont be long until that first ticket

Everything you show is awsome. There's the old saying jack of all trades but master of none. For you I think I'd better say jack-of-all-trades and have mastered them all.

Love that green Bam..

I don't think there is any standard size for steering wheels in the US, nor any regulation pertaining to.

N.Z. seems to have an abundance of regulations.
Have you ever read the Peter Pyramid? In essence, it states that any bureaucracy will grow and expand to the point which it can no longer perform the function for which it was originally created.

Bureaucrats must be kept carefully in check and their regulations carefully reviewed or they will regulate every aspect of our lives and deprive us of all liberty and freedom.

That color really pops with the chrome accents. Nice work

Bam, that looks awesome! Nice work!

Originally Posted by firebird77clone

I don't think there is any standard size for steering wheels in the US, nor any regulation pertaining to..

Actually there are written standards for everything you can touch on an automobile here in the U.S., but "they" (legislators) don't see any need to enforce it. Here in MA, back in the 80's it was quite common to be pulled over for having a hot rod / muscle car / custom and having ride height and steering wheels measured. As well as headlight operation and aiming! The vehicle had to have fenders, mirrors, wipers, directional and a horn. If you failed the inspection, the car would be impounded and you were handed a hefty ticket and a court summons! Somewhere in the 90's - law "enforcement" no longer saw a need to enforce these laws as well as immigration / intoxication and many other topics.

In the early 70's I had just put the plates on my first Mustang. I barely got out of the driveway when a cop pulled me over to write me a ticket because the car hadn't yet received a safety inspection sticker. My paperwork and my father proved to the cop that I was legit and had 7 days to get a sticker! On one hand I'm glad we don't live like that anymore, but, it seems like anything goes now. I see so many cars at cruise nights that have no business on the road, crappy, scary assemblies are almost commonplace and we seem to have no controls in place at times.