Just joined? Please introduce yourself.
Page 6 of 8 FirstFirst ... 45678 LastLast
Results 51 to 60 of 75

Thread: Project HEMI 55

  1. #51
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Quote Originally Posted by BamaNomad View Post
    go slow... it might give him time to change his mind again.. back to what's in there now...
    LOL! Yeah that's what I was thinking. I didn't quote any of this so he's paying me by the hour.
    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

  2. #52
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    We finished up the 392 Hemi installation, re-do of the shocks, patching some frame cutouts the other shop made, modifying the tranny mount, and putting it all together with a new tranny, torque converter and adapter kit. I made new lines for the rack, which I rotated for the 440 installation, but which were not needed for the 392 . His header selection limited where I could put the engine so I put it as low and as far forward as I could, but it's still pretty far (~2.5") into the firewall.

    Steve wanted me to build a new firewall and fix the floor that the other shop cut out, but I don't have time for that. But I did agree to hook up his steering. I have the body back on and he's sending me a FR column. Should be done next week.

    20170414_002.JPG

    20170428_001.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

  3. #53
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Forgot to post updates on this thread. I got the car back together earlier this year and Steve came to pick it up. We were talking about the firewall and somehow I talked myself into making one for him. The project has been on the back burner for a few months with vacations, hunting, and finishing up a couple of frames, as well as trying to get my car done.

    I made a cardboard pattern around the engine to get an idea of what I was looking at. This engine is a MONSTER. I ended up with an opening 36" wide to clear the valve covers. Steve wanted me to try to fit the VA A/C too, and I told him that I'd try to make it work but can't guarantee it.

    Here's the start of the fitting of the main firewall faceplate.

    20171118_015.JPG

    Here's the main plate with the top piece tacked to it. The distributor sits 4" back from the firewall face but the valve covers are only about 2" back. So I decided to make the setback plate curved to try to make as much room as possible for the AC.

    20171221_001.JPG

    Here's the setback plate. I made the center set back 4 1/2" and the ends 2 3/4":

    20171221_002.JPG

    And here's the pieces ready to start trimming and welding it all together. I'm going to try fitting it all into the car first to make sure I can remove the valve covers.

    20171221_007.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

  4. #54
    Registered Member JT56's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013

    Member #:1608
    Location
    DFW Texas
    Posts
    1,209
    Nice work CN...When done he will definitely have a WOW factory...LS Swap Nah lol

  5. #55
    Registered Member BamaNomad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016

    Member #:3217
    Location
    Rocket City, USA (Huntsville, AL area)
    Posts
    3,774
    There was a '55 Nomad at the Nomad Convention this year with an early Hemi in it... I thought it was very neat. Also had a custom chassis but I didn't get much info on what it was...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. #56
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Did a little more work on the firewall. I located the two lower hood hinge holes from the inside of the car and drilled them. Then I needed to make sure I could get the passenger side valve cover off with the firewall in place, so I blasted all the edges for welding and tacked the setback plate in place. I also did some rough measurements and cut out the bellhousing relief so it was close to the bellhousing. In order to fit the firewall to the car I had to cut the floor on both sides to fit. The last shop this car was at hacked out the tranny tunnel and part of the toe boards, for some reason. That's partly why Steve made them stop working on it.

    To get the firewall in position for a test fit, I either had to remove the body or remove the engine....I did both, but I only raised the body in front about 6". Then I reinstalled the engine and lowered the body so I could get the bellhousing relief cut out close to the bellhousing with the body down. And I can get the valve cover off!

    20171228_010.JPG

    20171228_013.JPG

    Once I got the body all the way down I laid out the final bellhousing cutout, removed the engine and firewall, and trimmed everything. Then I reinstalled the firewall, engine, and lowered the body back down.

    20171228_016.JPG

    I still have to locate the upper hood hinge holes which I'm doing with clay since you can't get to them from inside the car. Next I have to make the cutout for the steering column and mount it. Once that's done, I'll remove the firewall one more time and weld it up, then put it back in the body and weld it in.
    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

  7. #57
    Registered Member WagonCrazy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Member #:530
    Location
    Santa Clarita, CA
    Posts
    1,793
    Its alot of work to redo a firewall and trans floor panel. As you already know. But your pics look like you're getting there.
    1957 Nomad- LS1/T56 on C4 chassis
    1959 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, shortbed, big window, 327ci.

  8. #58
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Quote Originally Posted by WagonCrazy View Post
    Its alot of work to redo a firewall and trans floor panel.
    Especially when you have to design the firewall before you build it around a 36" wide engine, then fab it (with a curved setback) and check if it fits. I haven't even welded the thing up and there's probably 25-30 feet of welds.

    I'll get there, and I hope Steve can afford it!
    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

  9. #59
    Registered Member Belair-o's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013

    Member #:1723
    Location
    Franktown, CO
    Posts
    597
    Chevynut,
    Wow, not a trivial exercise; lot of moving large parts (body) around to figure out what the new pieces need to look like! That hemi is a monster!
    Regards, Doug

  10. #60
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Quote Originally Posted by Belair-o View Post
    Wow, not a trivial exercise;
    No kidding . I talked to Steve about the cost of all of this, and he doesn't seem all that concerned. He just wants it done. I've already accumulated quite a bit of time on this just getting it into the shop, removing the front sheetmetal, cutting out the old firewall that had 1/4" or more of bondo on it, making a pattern or two, and fabbing and fitting the firewall parts. I gave him an estimate of the remaining time and figure it's about the same as I've already spent so far not counting any floor repairs.

    Notice that the setback edge is right in the middle of where the brake master cylinder is supposed to go, and where the steering column comes through the firewall. I marked the steering column center on the toe board as you can see, before I cut the old firewall. Yesterday I took a spare brake pedal brace I had and cut it off to fit, and now I have to build a bracket to support it at the back of the firewall. I installed an instrument cluster I had along with some extra dash brace rods. This car didn't have any of that in it so I'm glad I had some spare parts . Once I got that stuff installed I located and cut a hole for the steering column and hooked up the steering linkage. Now I have to build some structure around it to attach the Flaming River column mount Steve bought.

    I noticed also that the firewall setback limits the brake pedal travel to 1.5"-2" from the floor. The pedal arm hits the firewall near the bottom so I'm not sure what we're going to do. Steve talked about using a brake pedal through the floor with a master cylinder on the frame, but I may be able to address the travel issue when I build the column structure. Even so, the master cylinder can't be in the stock location. Lots of engineering and fab work left to do but I'm not sure I'm going to be the one to do it.

    The good news is Steve is going to bring his 28? foot enclosed trailer up for me to use to haul my Nomad to the painter.
    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

Page 6 of 8 FirstFirst ... 45678 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •