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Thread: Ryan's 57 4 door Belair Hardtop Project

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    Ryan, did you know you can take off the whole front clip in one unit? That's the way they put them on at the factory. You don't have to disassemble the clip to take it off.
    Yes and No. I found out after I unbolted the majority of the fender/core support/lightbar/grille. If I actually read the factory service manual that came with the car before this, I would have known that.... I guess the second issue is space. My garage is terribly small, if its in pieces I could haul the bits by pieces to storage. Otherwise it would have been an awesome time saver.....particularly for reassembly. Current plan is to leave the cab in my garage until I have the frame ready to roll back under it. When I have the frame separated from the cab, haul the frame on a trailer to Tacoma and finish disassembly there (suspension, etc). This weekend I hope to work on removing the drivetrain and put it in storage as well.
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by WagonCrazy View Post
    Thats a great looking 4 door no-post to start from. With a C4 frame swap, you'll find this project to be a bit more work than you might have thought, but well
    Worth it in the end as far as handling improvements.

    Im in the middle of one of Laszlo's frame builds on my Nomad and struggling with the long build time its taking due to lifes inevitable time committments.

    My advice to you is not to be discouraged when you get this all torn apart and then hit a snag or delay that leaves the car torn apart in your garage for periods of time. Keep the attitude that "I got to finish this thing by..." And give yourself a date to have it done by. Life has a way of getting in the way of our projects sometimes, but keep the faith.

    That will be one great driving 4 door when its finished.
    Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. And I am sure it is more work than I envisioned and it may not be perfect, but hey, at least I can say I put it together.
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

  3. #13
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Ryan, it's not as bad as Paul makes it out to be...LOL! He has done a lot of custom work like making his own LS engine accessory brackets, etc. Most all the parts to make it go together are available. Mine is custom from top to bottom, so it's been a lot of work.

    One thing you might want to think about if you plan to upgrade to an LS engine is the fuel system because you will need an in-tank pump and dual fuel lines for EFI. We can talk about that if you'd like...I have a solution for that. Also plan your exhaust out for the swap, as well as a plan for engine cooling (LS hoses both come out on passenger side).

    As in any project like this, you will have to deal with the steering column and shaft, brake lines/booster/master cylinder, fuel lines, exhaust, driveshaft, e-brake, and a few other things. We already talked about most of those.

    Paul, any other words of advice or areas to consider?

    It should be an awesome car when finished.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  4. #14
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    BTW, here's Paul's frame that we built for him.....

    cropped.jpg
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    Ryan, it's not as bad as Paul makes it out to be...LOL! He has done a lot of custom work like making his own LS engine accessory brackets, etc. Most all the parts to make it go together are available. Mine is custom from top to bottom, so it's been a lot of work.

    One thing you might want to think about if you plan to upgrade to an LS engine is the fuel system because you will need an in-tank pump and dual fuel lines for EFI. We can talk about that if you'd like...I have a solution for that. Also plan your exhaust out for the swap, as well as a plan for engine cooling (LS hoses both come out on passenger side).

    As in any project like this, you will have to deal with the steering column and shaft, brake lines/booster/master cylinder, fuel lines, exhaust, driveshaft, e-brake, and a few other things. We already talked about most of those.

    Paul, any other words of advice or areas to consider?

    It should be an awesome car when finished.
    I am not worried much. The fuel system issue when I do step up to an LS in the future is something I had not considered. I was planning replacing and relocating the tank to the frame anyway. I guess it would be just as easy to plumb a return line as well. What was your solution?

    Tank wise I was really interested in the CPP Aluminum 25 gal tank. Its said to be capable of EFI with the in tank pump as well. Any thoughts? Is that a good choice?
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    BTW, here's Paul's frame that we built for him.....

    cropped.jpg
    Nice looking frame there...!
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

  7. #17
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Ryan, we can talk about your fuel tank options. I built my own out of stainless from scratch, as well as the pump unit and all plumbing...everything is stainless. The rear swaybar presents some issues with tank location, but there are tanks that work.

    I would recommend re-thinking a 25-gallon tank. When I was building mine, I was in the mode of getting every last gallon I could into it...now I think that's dumb. Nobody really needs to carry that much gas in a hotrod. I think around 18 gallons or so is sufficient...16-20 is probably the range I would shoot for. The smaller tanks fit better, and look better imo. How far do you really think you need to drive before you want to stop and pee anyhow?

    Here's mine...there's more room under a wagon cargo floor so it fits well. It's about 23 gallons and hangs below the frame about 1 1/2", same as my exhaust pipes. You can barely see it from the rear without the bumper on.



    20090307_1324.jpg
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  8. #18
    Registered Member WagonCrazy's Avatar
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    Santa Clarita, CA
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    I was planning replacing and relocating the tank to the frame anyway. I guess it would be just as easy to plumb a return line as well. What was your solution?
    My 2002 LS1 engine needs no return line coming from the engine compartment. All it needs is one 3/8 inch diameter fuel line from the tank to the engine.

    However, outside the tank, and somwhere near where you mount the tank, you'll need to plumb in a fuel regulator. So you have 2 lines coming from the tank to the regulator (supply and return), and then the one supply line going forward from the regulator to the engine bay.

    My setup involves using an aftermarket made tank with an "in tank pump". It's 16 gallons I think. I wish I could have found a larger one, but didnt' want to spend the money for a custom made tank.

    You can also go with a tank that uses an external pump, but guys have found those to burn up quickly, AND when there's no baffles inside the tank, you end up with fuel starvation issues when cornering with less than 1/4 tank of fuel.

    So look for a tank that has internal baffles, in-tank pump, and fits between your framerails and you're good to go with a later LS engine.

    Here's how I did mine...
    2013-03-10 10.25.40.jpg

    And I fabricated a bolt-in tank mount to center the tank between the frame rails, and position it up high (since a wagon has alot of space below the floor).
    DSCN2465.jpg
    1957 Nomad- LS1/T56 on C4 chassis
    1959 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, shortbed, big window, 327ci.

  9. #19
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    1 step forward, 3 steps back

    Well, things were slow, after the last update I never did remove the driver fender. Work was in the way; I had to work really late not allowing for any trifive love. So yesterday, I decided I was going about disassembling the car all wrong. So I decided to reassemble the vehicle and moved it down south where I would eventually keep the motor & powerglide and some of the body parts. I left the bumper off & a piece of chrome, refilled with antifreeze and off we went.

    This is where we stand now...


    With luck tonight, I will start into removal of the front clip. As with Chevynut's initial suggestion, I'll attempt to remove the clip in 1 part rather than multiple assemblies. I believe I have it down as far as which bolts need to be removed. We'll see!

    Next up would be the drivetrain. I hope to get that far by Sunday.
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by chevynut View Post
    Ryan, we can talk about your fuel tank options. I built my own out of stainless from scratch, as well as the pump unit and all plumbing...everything is stainless. The rear swaybar presents some issues with tank location, but there are tanks that work.

    I would recommend re-thinking a 25-gallon tank. When I was building mine, I was in the mode of getting every last gallon I could into it...now I think that's dumb. Nobody really needs to carry that much gas in a hotrod. I think around 18 gallons or so is sufficient...16-20 is probably the range I would shoot for. The smaller tanks fit better, and look better imo. How far do you really think you need to drive before you want to stop and pee anyhow?

    Here's mine...there's more room under a wagon cargo floor so it fits well. It's about 23 gallons and hangs below the frame about 1 1/2", same as my exhaust pipes. You can barely see it from the rear without the bumper on.



    20090307_1324.jpg
    Thanks for the info. More than anything, I was lured in by the CPP tank's 1) cost, 2) frame mount and location (spare tire well intact). I knew the stock tank would need to be replaced but there is not much info on which tanks do work. All I have found in my searching is a Rick's tank that would work, which I may end up doing. They have a 16 gal and a 22gal for a trifive and I am not exactly sure which is the one that fits (Assuming the 16gal, but maybe both) The only reason why I know at least one of the Rick's tank works is because of NCW's photo as attached (I hope he & client doesn't mind). The rear sway isn't installed, but the attachments are on there so I assume it would work. I emailed Rick's and trying to find out. Still a pretty penny in anycase. I also noticed that the tank brackets are bolted in...convenient so I can remove the tank from below instead of removing the cab.

    - 1957 Chevrolet 4 dr hardtop Bel Air Sierra Gold/Adobe Beige - Purchased July 5th, 2013
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan 210 Larkspur Blue/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased Aug 6th, 2012 (not running)
    - 1957 Chevrolet 4dr sedan Bel Air Canyon Coral/India Ivory Sedan - Purchased June 30th, 2013 (not running)
    - 2017 Chevrolet SS Sedan - LS3 - TR6060 - Nightfall Grey Metallic - Purchased April 2017

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