At a crossroad on my 55? Sell it or C4 build

[55 Rescue Dog]

I have changed my mind hundreds of times on my 55 210 I just bought for $3000. I would love to build this car from the ground up, but it seems the smarter thing to do, would be to just sell it for a couple grand more, and forget about it. I have most every tool I need to build it, but the car needs a ton of money thrown at it by the time I can even think about making it look pretty again. I want to do the C4 suspension front, and rear. Every other plan looks to be more money, or a compromise it a good handling car. If I do anything, I am strongly looking at Lazlo's design, but what is wrong with the others, like street rod garage, or nerds? I want to make this car run, and drive right before I worry about what it looks like, and adding 18 point roll cage to it. Plus, I will need to sell my 97 C5 to free up some money to get a good start. I'm just scared to take the plunge, and I don't want it to take forever to build like my last car, which took 18 years. I would be to old to drive anymore. So, I also want to keep this build for as little money, and time as I can. At least it doesn't cost much to think about a plan, which is what I have already spent too much time on.

[chevynut]

Before you ditch the project and end up regretting it, I think you need to think about how badly you want a '55 Chevy, or if it's something else you want. If you really want a 55, you need to then decide if you can buy a completed one built the way you want, or if you really get more enjoyment out of a build than writing a check. It doesn't have to be an 18 year build unless you make it one.

Once that decision is made and you decide to keep the car and built it, you need to decide what you want the car to be. If you want a high-end build with every upgrade under the sun, a $15K paint job and a $20K interior, be prepared to commit the funds to pay for it. If you want a nice upgraded driver set your sights there and decide how much modification you want. Be aware that doing a lot of bolt-on modifications can end up costing you as much as a C4 conversion or some other chassis upgrade.

Once you have your goal in mind, you should assess how much work is involved, and how much it will cost you to have someone else do it (like bodywork). Figure out how much metalwork you need to do to get the body ready for paint. Add up the cost of the parts and estimate your time. If it's too much, see what it would cost to have someone do it for you. If that's too much, you might be in over your head.

How much time do you want to put into the build? Be realistic about what you think it will take to build the car. From the looks of your Camaro it looks like you have the skills to do what needs to be done.

As far as choices of frames, I have my own opinions on the other two alternatives that you mentioned but I won't get too deep into that. They've both been used successfully on car builds and it's not so much about "what's wrong" with them as it is what you get for the money. There's nothing wrong with a good, solid stock frame and I think the idea of "new metal" is over-rated. I've looked at the other offerings pretty closely and I think I can get you into a C4 conversion for less money and/or time than any of them, especially if you can do some of the work yourself. A basic rear kit and a welded basic clip is around $2500 and gets you the foundation for the C4 conversion with most of the hard work done. The will allow you to bolt the suspensions onto the frame so you can build the rest of the mounts yourself. Or we sell full rear kits and full clips....even full frames.

Some things to consider are whether you like the look of the stock frame or one that's constructed of mitered 2x4 tubing spliced together with fishplates. Are you willing to commit the time and effort to weld hundreds of tiny pieces together, without a jig to make sure it's all correct? SRG has a pretty decent offering but you have to buy custom made "street rod" type suspension parts from them and you need to add up the options to get a full price on it. I don't believe their suspension geometry is comparable to the C4 and there are lots of questions I would be asking before I committed to buying one of their frames. I have never seen one of their frames in person so I don't know the quality of the build. Add up the cost of ALL the parts needed before you compare to a C4 conversion. AME, Roadster Shop, and others build very nice frames, but you probably know what they cost.

The choice of a chassis is a pretty big one and can be very expensive. If you're not looking for a high performance driver or a car that drives more like a modern car, perhaps it would be best to do fewer mods and save the money. Check out the prices of C4 suspensions and you might be surprised to see how cheap they can be had with lots of good parts. I think they offer great value for what you get. I have a FAQ and a Tech section on my website if it would answer some of your questions.

I personally enjoy the building of the car but my target has changed quite a bit since I started on my Nomad. It's turned out to be a much higher end build than I initially envisioned, and an example of how the project can get away from you if you don't stick to a plan. I've owned the car since 1973 so I MUST build it , and make it what I want it to be. So I'm pushing forward and I can finally see the finishline. It's been a long road and I'm not there yet, but I have to say I've enjoyed it so far and I like how it's turning out.

Do you have a pic of the car?

[55 Rescue Dog]

Thanks for your time to respond Lazlo. Hopefully I can contact you soon when I figure it out. As much as I would like to set up a jig and put it all together, I am leaning towards you for a near complete frame just to make it easier to work with shop space I have, and to give me a big head start time wise. What is the general lead time or turnaround, if I was to drop a frame off in Colorado? This is still all I have for pictures. Have cleaned the car up some, and even got the front/rear lights, and dome light to work! Thanks
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Ot...m=201453049270

[chevynut]

Rescue Dog, the leadtime depends on when I get a commitment for the project (contract and deposit) and what else I have in the schedule. Right now I'm booked into February. Where do you live? You should put it in your profile so we can better address your questions.

Feel free to call me at the number on my website if you want to discuss details. I'll be out of contact between 11/28 and 12/12 except perhaps via e-mail..... Lnobi53@yahoo.com.

BTW, I have frames that I can use and then buy your core if it makes sense. That saves you one trip here.

[hutchenc]

Hey Rescue Dog,

Here's some perspective. I had damn near every bolt-on upgrade on my car (a '56 2 door hardtop) known to man. It drove OK, but it just never steered, braked, or handled the way I wanted it to. The thing about the bolt-on route is that yeah, you can upgrade things as you go and still drive the car. That's the argument for it. But the stock geometry is the stock geometry and there's only so much one can do. I think I had close to $4500 in the front end all said and done...I sold it all a few weeks ago for about half that which will go to my C4 swap. Check out my thread here: http://www.trifivechevys.com/showthr...aking-body-off

If you're starting from scratch and everything needs to be replaced, which seems to be your case, I honestly see no downside in working with Lazlo. If you want a full C4 swap from him...yeah, it'll be a little more than the bolt-on route, but not by much. I think if you just did the C4 front with Laz, you'd spend less than you would with bolt-ons at the end of the day. Work in the C4 rear it'll be a bit more than rebuilding the rear suspension, but not by a whole lot. If you were to rebuild the stock rear suspension and rebuild the stock rear-end with a posi...you'd probably break even. And the up side with the C4 is much, much higher than if you go with the bolt-on route.

Laz lives about 60 miles from me and I've seen his work first hand...which was nice before I committed to a front C4 swap (I'm keeping my live rear axle for now...looking at different upgrades to the 8.8 that's in there now...which Lazlo also also helped me do). He's great to work with and the build quality is top notch. You'll pay twice as much with SRG or Nerd Rods unless you can do the Nerd Rod build/welding yourself.

So, you'll spend the money up-front with a C4 swap, but I think the better results are worth it.

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Does the SRG frame use stock C5 components? Or are they customized? They claim C5 yet no torque tube. Are they using a custom center section on the rear? Just curious.

[Fladiver64]

I was at Turkey Rod run today and several vendors are selling a C5 trans axle conversion to differential "kit" for about $1400, you still need a C5 trans axle as a donor. Not sure what the advantage is as it looks like you built a very expensive Dana 44.

Rescue Dog, I went through the same issues you are facing with my build. I knew I wanted to build a car, because for me that is some of the best part. I agree that if that is not your passion, you could find a built car for less that the cost of parts to build one.

I bought a complete frame from Laszlo since it was cheaper than shipping mine from from Florida. I am patiently waiting for Yellow Freight to deliver (supposed to be Dec 1 my Birthday). I can say that working with Laszlo has been great and he can advise you on getting what you need. I did the front and rear clips as well as an AME center section to stiffen up the stock frame. He also sold me the C4 suspension parts and the total was way less that the other companies you mentioned, which lets me put money into other areas. As with most of us I have a budget to work within and I could spend 2 or 3 times that much very easily lol. For my build the chassis is a working part and I am not detailing this to the nines as a show car. Good luck with your decision and Ill post some pics of my new frame when I get it here.

[Rick_L]

I have changed my mind hundreds of times on my 55 210

You have gotten some good comments.

You mention changing your mind a lot. My near term advice would be to digest all this, along with assessing your cash and time resources, and don't make a decision until spring or even later. The last thing you want to do is get into this in a way that you waste time or money because you are unsure of yourself. Maybe there will be an event or opportunity that makes things clearer by then.

[55 Rescue Dog]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am still wanting to go with Lazlo's design. I just missed a chance to buy a front/rear C4 with a Dana 44 for $1800 within 250 mi. I know I can find a cheaper set-up though. I am thinking now, going backwards, maybe sell my car now, and get a running chassis built first, then look for a better body, and simply roll the new chassis under it, and sell the old chassis complete. I would like to build a good car from the ground up, and not be stuck spending years, and tons of money trying to make my current car look pretty after a frame swap. I will have a new chassis no matter which way I go, but starting over might be faster, and cheaper in the end. Have not spent any money on the current car yet. The money I sold the car for would cover what I need for a new chassis at least. My wife won't let me sell the Corvette either, so that might leave me with building the car I have into a great driver, despite the way it looks for now. I won't disassemble the car until I have a complete new chassis, to swap at the same time the old one gets rolled out complete, then sold. I would hope it would be possible to buy near complete CED frame, then add complete stock F/R, aluminum LS/auto, the rest of the stuff I don't know about yet, for under $10k ?

[chevynut]

RD, it shouldn't be too hard to add up the prices to see where you stand. My website lists all of our pricing for what we offer. I don't know what an LS engine runs these days and I'm sure they're all over the place. I've had guys buy corvettes for under$1500, keep the suspensions, and sell the rest and get the suspensions free. You could probably do it with the engine and tranny too. Buy a late model GTO or something else with an LS engine and part the rest out to get the engine and tanny for free. It just takes some effort to sell the rest of the parts. I've seen lots of rebuildable cars selling for really cheap. You could even check the insurance auctions and find something totaled from a rear-end collision.