I have tried using the search but was not very successful. I cannot help but believe somebody in this forum has been down this path before and shared their experiences.

About a year and half ago the wife of a good friend, Mike, came home from a yard sale telling him she had found him a '57 Chevy hard top--Lucky Man Mike had found his dream car. It had been in storage for years and was partially dismantled but all the parts were there including the original 283 4b Carb engine and powerglide. We fired the engine up then it ran ok. This car has the potential of a good restoration but Mike wants do the things he has always dreamed of with it. That is to make it a fairly stock looking more modern big block cruiser with modern brakes, power steering and a manual trasmission. Like all of us, he has financial limitations. He asked me to help him (a sure sign of desperation ). That is why I am troubling you all.

So far he has cleaned and powder coated the frame, put the front suspension in and converted the front brakes to discs. He is getting the final parts for the Ford 9 inch rear from Mosers. The rear end itself is a 31 spline posi with 3.50 ratio from about an '80 Ford (Broncho?) He hopes to use the Ford rear drum brakes. They will be drilled for the Chevy bolt pattern. We have had a few glitches with the conversion but should be mounting all to the chasis in the next week or two.

The 454 he has is from about a '74 Suburban. He has not torn it down yet but found rust in the intake manifold and fears that it may not be rebuildable. He may have to buy a new crate engine.

Any thoughts on the above would be welcome but after this is where we need your help. I am lost.

Front to back:

1. Apparently to convert the car to power steering he will need to use a "605" steering box and will have to alter or change the steering column or links. Is this the best way to do it? If so where would be the best place to buy them? I have not found any magazine articles explaining this and cannot visualize it.

2. It looks like he will need to go to side motor and rear transmission mounts. Where would be the best place to buy these and are there a better or worse kind? Should he use the ones that move the engine a little forward? A fellow at a car show with a Nomad said he had to tap in the fire wall a little to get his after market valve covers to fit--not a pleasant prospect.

3. If he needs to go to a crate engine, do you all have any recomendations or favorites? He has found a company in Arizona on Ebay which is selling a 495 HP 454 for about $4000. The cam sounds a little steep to me for a street macine, but the rest seems good. Unfortunately, as of yet the manager has not returned any of his calls.

4. He would like a modern manual transmission. Will the 5 speeds and bell housings from the later model SB Camaros fit? Or if his budget would allow would a modern Corvette 6 speed work? What about the flywheel and cutch and throw out arm system and starter? How much if any will interchange from a small block to a BB and if so are there better years or styles to look for? Will he be best off with going to a hydrolic clutch system? What about the speedometer cable? Will it fit in a modern transmission? Where will the shift lever come through the floor? Will it need to be modified or a special type used?


There are probably lots of other things too but he needs to be making some decisons about the drive train fairly soon. Any sharing of your experiences or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick