Double Nickel Build - Modern Pro Street 55 Chev 2 Door Post

[Double Nickel]

Where to start with a build update that's a bit overdue?

For those who know the car and the build, it's progressed into an over the top hot rod build that's taken on quite a few one off custom twists as of late. Currently, we're manufacturing custom stainless exhaust using lightweight 321 grade stainless steel, some custom touches like a one off transmission mount, S/S drive shaft loop, carbon fiber drive shaft, custom built headers, coolant lines, and a custom interior. Pictures will be updated below, and video's are soon to follow as updates are numerous.

For those who are seeing this build for the first time, I bought the car as a rust free sedan that was restored once with a frame off back in 1987 by a previous owner. A dozen or so years ago, it was hopped up with a GM 430hp crate motor, TH400 trans, high stall converter and a 9" posi rear end. I bought it in 2010 because of an all original sheet metal body that was primarily rust free, and then decided after a few short months that it needed more power (or should I say way more power). Tear down commenced just over a year ago and since then it's received a complete frame off restoration, a full race drive line, modern brakes and suspension, strengthened chassis, roll cage, a custom paint job using House of Kolor 3 stage, and a ton of really cool little modifications that add a tasteful finish to this track ready hot rod. Here's an overview of the base car, what's been done to it, and whats left to complete before it debuts in a couple of months from now. Pictures are posted below with a link to over 225 shots of the project.

Complete body tear down - Dec 10 to Jan 11
Frame modifications with Williams 4 Link - Jan 11 to Feb 11
Sheet metal prep w/ Williams mini tubs and firewall kits - Feb 11 to Mar 11
Roll cage install with AME 8 point kit- Mar 11
Rotisserie body restoration - Apr 11 to May 11
Chassis restoration with modern suspension - April 11 to May 11
House of Kolor 3 stage paint job - June 11 to Jul 11
Home for build process and Blown BBC driveline install - July 11 to Aug 11
Wilwood 12" disk brake install (4 corners) - Sept 11
Rewire with all new electrical & accessories - Aug 11 to Oct 11
New glass install with power windows/locks - Sept 11 to Oct 11
BelAir stainless restoration and install October 11 - Nov 11
Rad support and blower clearance mods - Oct 11 to Nov 11
Complete 321 custom stainless exhaust system - Dec 11 to Jan 12
Complete custom interior design and install - Dec 11 to Jan 12
Stainless hard fuel and trans lines Dec 11 to Jan 12
Debut of car at upcoming World of Wheels - Feb 12
Numerous appearances throughout US & Canada 2012


Cudo's to Earle at Williams Classic Chassis Works who's been involved with this build since it began. He supplied me with many of the parts to complete this project including the sheet metal mods, suspension, brakes, steering, rear end and all of the mounts to get this big block fitting nicely. He's a patient man with excellent customer service and Earle's been great to work with from the start.

The car is nearing completion and should be 100% over the next 4-6 weeks. It's currently out for installation of a custom stainless exhaust system and I will soon plumb the fuel lines in matching stainless steel before firing this monster up for the first time. The car is finished in Black and Silver HOK paint with a blown 565 cubic inch big block, TH400 trans with 3500 converter, and a Currie 9" rear with Earles 4 Link and a set of his Mini Tubs. The wheels are a custom forged design from Boze, and the car is loaded up with power electric brakes, HID/LED lighting, power windows, locks, trunk, remote hidden filler neck, a one off custom interior and a 1200 watt Alpine audio system.

It should run high 9's to low 10's in the quarter, and will make the rounds in 2012 as a street driven & bracket raced show car. Hope you enjoy the pictures. It's been a lot of work getting this all done inside 12-14 months, but the fun is now about to start all over again as I now get to enjoy this monster build.

http://s1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/DBL_NKL/Double%20Nickel%20Build/

[567chevys]

Welcome to the site , glad to see you on here , Very nice project !!!!

[56-210Sedan]

By reading what you have done your build sounds awesome, wish i was that far :) could not get your photo bucket link to work for me.

[chevynut]

Marty, Graeme is traveling and showing the car now. I think he's at a show in Winnipeg this weekend, then at another show in Omaha next weekend. He told me he may stop by here on his way from Nebraska to Spokane after that. He's taking the car to the Auto Boat and Speed Show in Spokane, so you could see it in person.

Here's another link...

http://www.fiftyfivechev.com/

[NickP]

Very nice build.

[Blown_Shoebox]

Hello Laszlo,

I'm having some issues logging in here with my old ID so I started another one for the time being. I did go to Winnipeg and the car did very well earning 6 awards including Outstanding Display, Paint, Detail, Engine, Best in Class and Outstanding Street Machine. We then went onto Omaha where it earned 4 more awards but headed North to I-90 when we left to avoid 70mph winds through Wyoming or I would have stopped into see you bud. I ended up skipping Spokane because of some business dealings that needed my attention so the car is now done with the indoor show circuit until later in the year where I may freshen it and pick up a few more shows with it. For now, the focus will be cruising in it and hitting some local and regional shows throughout the summer.

Car was dyno'd while in Winnipeg and made close to 700hp at the rear wheels. Now if this snow would stop falling around here, I'd be able to get out and play with it.

Graeme

[chevynut]

Glad to hear you're back to reality, Graeme. Sure would have liked to meet you but I understand the schedule. That was a lot of driving.

My daughter who lives in Calgary is moving to Burlington, Vermont this summer. She got a job teaching at the university there. So I'm not sure when I'll ever make it back up to Calgary, but if I do I'll let you know. I love the Banff area and the BC side of the Rockies, and might come up again just to hike and sightsee. We had a great time over in BC last summer.

[Blown_Shoebox]

Meet you in the middle this summer perhaps? Looking at doing Cool August nights in Deadwood, or the Goodguy's show in Spokane which draws hundreds and hundreds of Trifives. Just planning my summer out now for cruises and show and shines but I'm sure we'll hook up somewhere.

G.

[chevynut]

It depends on the timing. Once I hit the middle of August, my hunting seasons start. I usually apply in 7 states for around 35 big game licenses. I'm pretty certain that I'm going to Montana in mid September for a 2-week elk/deer bowhunt with my brother...same as last year. I should draw my tag, since they raised the price last year and had leftovers....and they raised the price again this year.

Then I usually draw an antelope tag in Wyoming, and I bowhunt my friends 17,000 acre ranch up there starting mid-August. I usually go up a couple weeks before and set up blinds.

Plus I have a good chance of drawing New Mexico elk again, if I'm lucky. lol! That will take up the rest of September. If I draw anything else, it will be a big tag and my plans will have to change. I apply in UT, MT, NV, CO, WY, NM, KS, and AZ for sheep, goat, moose, bison, elk, deer, and antelope, where applicable. Some of the licenses have less than 1/2% chance of drawing and some are once-in-a-lifetime.

When is the Cool August Nights? That sounds.....cool. ;) And I'd love to go up there since it's not too far.

Goodguys Colorado is June 8, 9, 10 and I plan to go to that. When is Spokane? My brother is only a couple hours from there, so maybe I'd fly up to see him and go over there. It would be nice to see different cars.

[Blown_Shoebox]

Kool Deadwood Nights (http://enjoydeadwood.com/events/kool-deadwood-nites/) is August 23rd to 26th along I-90 near Sturgis and throughout Deadwood

Goodguys 11th Great Northwest Nationals (http://www.good-guys.com/event-schedule-a-details/item/great-northwest-nationals-2) is the prior weekend August 17th to 19th in Spokane and is a really good show with tons of Pacific Northwest TriFives

Might even do both, but gotta check some local show scheduling before committing to these.

[Blown_Shoebox]

Just putting the final details in to get the car ready for the street as Spring Thaw is just around the corner. Last night I bled the brakes one last time, set the ride height and front/rear suspension, and put the Centerline Convo Pro wheels on it along with the Mickey Thompson tires. A few more details to tweak and this puppy is ready for the summer cruising.

[Double Nickel]

Looks like I got my old profile back in order. Had some issues logging in a few weeks ago but that has all been resolved now, and I will continue on with this username.

[Double Nickel]

OK...I'm back after being locked out for a week since I'm from a foreign country on the other side of the lower 48. Laszlo sent me a funny email telling me to hang tight while my IP was being sorted out...and just had to share this as it was the funniest thing I've ever seen him type.


Wow, that's bizarre. Hang in there because we don't want to lose you...on the other hand where else can you go? LOL!!! ;)


I'm sure your problem is related to some IP address exception.

Q: Where else can I go?

A: lmfao nowhere cause they all banned me (pissed myself on that one)

[WagonCrazy]

That's an impressive build there Double Nickel. Make sure and put some video up of one of your high speed passes! Would love to see what that shoebox can do.

[567chevys]

Hi Double Nickle
(OK...I'm back after being locked out for a week since I'm from a foreign country on the other side of the lower 48) That was done as part of the spam protection in the new program . I think Doug has fixed that !
Now I feel the same way as you !!!

Vote for it as Canada's Best in the Meguiar's contest that it was nominated for and help send it to SEMA in 2012 as part of Meguiar's booth. Voting opens May 1st through June 23rd and you can vote for it visiting this link
The link will only work for those in Canada . Can you find out how we (USA) can vote ?
Thanks Sid

[Double Nickel]

That's an impressive build there Double Nickel. Make sure and put some video up of one of your high speed passes! Would love to see what that shoebox can do.

Haven't done any high speed passes yet, but have gotten out for a couple cruises with one caught on video. Click here to see the video (http://vimeo.com/41262389).

Car is finished now with just a few little things left to dial in Just getting around to booking a few shows now and will take it to Goodguys Colorado Nationals and Northwest Nationals this summer. May also do hot August Nights so watch for it at these events if your in the region.

[Double Nickel]

OK...so after tossing some ideas around for the past 6-8 weeks, I finally settled on a conversion over to a pro tour build on my car. Brakes, suspension and wheels are already upgraded to suit this style of car so the natural thing was to ditch the blower, put a manual transmission in behind the big block, and install a new cam with a single plane intake atop the 565ci big block. John Partridge at Bullet Cams has since ground a new bump-stick for me and last week I picked up a Tremec T-56 Magnum 6-Speed transmission, Quick Time Bell Housing and a McLeod Hydraulic Twin Disk Clutch for the car. Earle Williams is setting up a new set of pedals for me in a new carrier, and Clay at Clayton Machine is setting me up with some cool new pedal pads to dress it all up.

Today I pulled the front clip off the car and removed the blower from the engine. Next will be to pull the engine and trans so I can fit the new 6-speed into the tunnel, then I'll mount the hydraulic clutch, change some wiring around inside the car and get the console converted for a stick shift. The new cam will then go in to help this 8.8:1 big block build some cylinder pressure while it's topped with a new Dart intake and Chuck Nuytten 1250 Dominator carb. Should still make an easy 650hp and be pump friendly at the same time. One things for sure, it'll be a lot of fun with the torque of a big block and a 6-speed behind it. Here's a couple pics as I tear the front end back down and test fit the new intake and carb. More pics as the conversion rolls along.

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/DBL_NKL/1955%20Chevrolet%20Build/Blower%20Removal%20and%20Tremec%20T56%20Installati on/IMG_41821.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/DBL_NKL/1955%20Chevrolet%20Build/Blower%20Removal%20and%20Tremec%20T56%20Installati on/RoundII027.jpg

http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd418/DBL_NKL/1955%20Chevrolet%20Build/Blower%20Removal%20and%20Tremec%20T56%20Installati on/IMG_4218.jpg

Blower and TH400 trans will be sold off and I'm hoping to have it back on the road before summer is over. :)

[chevynut]

Why not go with EFI and truly modernize it? ;)

[NickP]

Ditto, why not?

[Double Nickel]

Bah...

I still like carbs on a big inch motor! Besides, why do you think GM went away from EFI on their 572 engines? This Dominator is 1250cfm and was ported, polished and worked over with a stage III build by Chuck Nuytten who's legendary in the carburetor world. It was built for a 572 that mirrors my engine build and the price was killer as a friend sold it to me at half his cost to build it. The Holley EFI was pretty tempting but at 3K to 4K for my requirements, that was too much just for the fact of having EFI! Maybe if I was running a 4L80E or something along those lines it would be better having the ECU, but not for a door car running big cubic inch with a stick. IMHO

This combo will be killer in this setup, and I'm still thinking of plumbing some Nitrous under the intake in case it's ever needed.

[chevynut]

Besides, why do you think GM went away from EFI on their 572 engines?

To keep the cost down. ;) There's no other justification, imo. EFI can do anything a carb can do, plus more.


This Dominator is 1250cfm and was ported, polished and worked over with a stage III build by Chuck Nuytten who's legendary in the carburetor world. It was built for a 572 that mirrors my engine build and the price was killer as a friend sold it to me at half his cost to build it. The Holley EFI was pretty tempting but at 3K to 4K for my requirements, that was too much just for the fact of having EFI! Maybe if I was running a 4L80E or something along those lines it would be better having the ECU, but not for a door car running big cubic inch with a stick. IMHO

IMO carburetors are antiquated relics, and are always a compromise no matter how they're set up. Sure, they do the job and do it pretty well, but they aren't nearly as tunable as EFI with a computerized ignition setup. Why do you think OEMs haven't built a carbed engine in over 25 years?