TriChrome
03-07-2018, 12:57 AM
From: BOB FORD [BOB_FORD@compuserve.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 9:05 PM
To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com
Subject: 57-56-55 CHEVY LISTL
THIS IS THE 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST FOR
JAN 25, 2002
THIS LIST IS DESIGNED AS A MEANS FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE 1955, 1956,
AND 1957 CHEVROLETS TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. ALL OPINIONS
ARE WELCOME.
TO POST SOMETHING ON THIS LIST PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR POST TO
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM
THERE IS NO COST TO BECOME A LIST MEMBER AND ONLY LIST MEMBERS ARE
ALLOWED TO POST SOMETHING ON THE LIST.
THIS 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST IS NOT SENT OUT ON ANY SET SCHEDULE SO IF YOU
WANT TO POST SOMETHING THAT CONTAINS A DATE, PLEASE SEND IT IN EARLY
SO I CAN GET IT OUT TO THE LIST MEMBERS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE EVENT.
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND STATE WITH YOUR POSTS. IF YOU ARE
POSTING SOMETHING FOR SALE PLEASE ALSO INCLUDE
1. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
2 THE PRICE
3. WHEN YOU WILL BE AT YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND YOUR TIME ZONE.
TAKE AS MUCH SPACE AS YOU WANT AND FULLY DESCRIBE WHAT YOU HAVE
FOR SALE OR WANT TO BUY.
YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS LIST ARE WELCOME.
IF YOU WANT TO SEND ME E-MAIL THAT YOU DO NOT WANT ON THE LIST
PLEASE PUT "PRIVATE NOT FOR THE LIST' AS THE SUBJECT.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS LIST ARE THE MEMBERS OPINIONS AND NOT
NECESSARILY MINE. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OUT ANY MATERIAL NOT
APPROPRIATE FOR THIS LIST.
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME AS THE LAST THING ON YOUR E-MAIL.
BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF A VIRUS, PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS
WITH YOUR E-MAIL. E-MAIL WITH ATTACHMENTS WILL NOT BE READ.
THANKS
BOB FORD
EDITOR
__________________________________________________ ____________________
To: [unknown], BOB_FORD
From: INTERNET:Werthie@aol.com, INTERNET:Werthie@aol.com
Hi Bob,
Thanks again for all your great work on "the List". As a long-time fuel
injection aficionado, here are my responses to Alfred Johnson's questions:
> I have some questions about fuel injection I hope you can answer for me.
>
> 1. What does it cost to convert a non fuel injection to one with fuel
> injection?
You can find Fuel Injection units at swap meets and on eBay.
Depending on the year and the condition, expect to pay $3k-$5k. Don't
forget that you need an FI distributor as well as the baseplate and
injection. Miscellaneous parts can be found in catalogues and through
Hemmings.
> 2. Does the increase in value of the car cover the cost of converting to
> fuel injection?
Yes, because these units are rare and because they can be sold separately
for the amounts set forth above. And nothing looks better than injection
under the hood!
> 3. I think they stopped making fuel injection in 1959. Can a 1960 with
a
> 283 be converted to fuel injection?
1965 was the last year for Rochester fuel injection. Plagued by
complaints from customers who couldn't find competent mechanics to work on
their injection units, GM gave Corvette owners a 396 CI motor in mid-65
and phased out FI. You can install FI on any 283, 327 or 350 motor. It's
a direct bolt on. I think a 60 FI unit on your 60 Impala would look
great!!
>
> 4. Does converting to fuel injection give you more power or better gas
> mileage or both?
Both. In 1963, for example, the high performance, solid
lifter engine was rated at 340 HP w/out FI, and 360 HP with FI. If the
unit is dialed in correctly, you'll get much better mileage. Also, with
no
float bowls, there's no gas starvation during hard cornering. I don't know
Bob's friend, Chuck, but I think the best FI expert on the planet is Doug
Prince, who also lives in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California.
His full-time business is refurbishing FI units from all over the country.
His # is 818-348-6998. He doesn't sell them; he just fixes/restores them.
Please tell him Alan W. referred you. Good luck!
---------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Gary Howard", INTERNET:garysgearbox@dragonbbs.com
The answer to the question about the Wide Track Ride is a 1959 Bonneville.
Most of the Guys got this right, good job.
This was indeed a most wonderful car
Gary Howard
------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Gary Howard", INTERNET:garysgearbox@dragonbbs.com
If you work on Chevy's long enough, especially standard shift models, you
will be faced with removing a pilot bearing. Now many of us do not have
that pricey little tool that neatly removes this bearing. Many guys have
told me to put grease in the bearing and then put and old main drive gear
into the bearing and through hydraulics strike the hammer and force the
grease to pop the bearing out. Now I have tried this about 4 or 5 times
with varying degrees of success.
Then one night I got to thinking about a short cut (since I work or
transmissions) so I took a new bronze bearing/bushing and measured the
inside. I discovered that a 5/8 national coarse tap would thread into it. I
had the bushing in a vise and took the tap placed it at the mouth of the
bushing and struck it lightly causing the tap to stick in the bushing. The
bronze being soft accepted the tap easily. Then I took a crescent wrench
and turned it until it went all the way through the tap. HUM!!!!!
Now the acid test. I crawled under my car with the transmission removed
and placed the tap up against the bushing and struck it once. The I put the
crescent wrench on it and began turning the wrench and tap in a 360 degree
circle just as quickly as my arm could turn it. After about 4 or 5 turns
the tap hit bottom and the bushing began turning in a reverse direction and
came out immediately.
From the time I struck the tap until the bushing was in my hands took
less than ten seconds. So I now purchase these taps at flea markets and
give them away when I rebuild a transmission for someone. This tip is one
of the few things I have passed on to folks where they will pick up the
phone and call me to say thanks and to acknowledge how quick and easy it
was. The tap is much cheaper that a new tool and there is no grease to work
with
Gary Howard
Gary's Gearbox
Editor's note. Great tip Gary. Thanks for sending it in.
BOB
-------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Sandra Scott", INTERNET:sandyscott@peoplepc.com
Bob, Does anyone know if the tri-five original headlights used the T3
designation or when we started using the T3's? Carl & Sandy
------------------------------------------------------------------
To: [unknown], Bob_Ford
From: INTERNET:NomadMan55@aol.com, INTERNET:NomadMan55@aol.com
Bob,
Check this out! This is a true story;
Super Granny, Defender of Justice
An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car,
found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her
shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at them at the top
of her voice, "I have a gun and I know how to use it! Get out of the car,
you
scumbags!"
The four men didn't wait for a second invitation, but got out and ran like
mad, whereupon the lady, somewhat shaken, proceeded to load her shopping
bags
into the back of the car and get into the driver's seat.
She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition. She
tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why.
A few minutes later she found her own car parked four or five spaces
farther
down. She loaded her bags into her car and drove to the police station.
The sergeant to whom she told the story nearly tore himself in two with
laughter and pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale white
males were reporting a car jacking by a mad elderly woman described as
white,
less than 5' tall, glasses, and curly white hair carrying a large handgun.
No charges were filed.
Ah, senior moments!
----------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "57shoebox", INTERNET:57shoebox@msn.com
Hi Bob,
I'm on your list and love getting all of the info. Thank you for your time
for this service.
I've come in contact with Tom at Tom's cars, in Arizona, thru your list.
He said he has an original turboglide for a 57, and was willing to trade
for a later model-61-62. I have a 61-62 I think. He noted a lot of the
differences that he was aware of. Mine has the converter and his does not.
Now for the main Question: would the converter work on either one or is
there specific differences about the converter between the two? I an
willing to trade mine straight across,but want to keep the converter if
will work on the 57 model.
Editor's note. The 61 Turboglide is a much better transmission than the
57. I THINK the converter from a 57 will work in a 61. They appear to be
the same size and length. To make a 61 transmission work in a 57 you must
keep the 57 tail shaft. A 57 tail shaft is much longer than 58 thru 61
tail shafts. You must also drill and tape the case where the tranny
connects to the motor mounts. This is not to difficult as you can see on
the transmission case where to make these holes.
BOB
----------------------------------------------
To: [unknown], Bob_Ford
From: Mark C Bach, INTERNET:m_bach@juno.com
Bob,
The Barrett Jackson Car Auction brings out a bunch of money and car
enthusiasts to Scottsdale, Arizona each January. Over 800 cars go on the
auction block, some beautiful customs cars, including the Sniper and the
Intruder, as well as some automobilia. It typically is viewed as a
financial benchmark for the rest of the year. Without a doubt I've never
seen so many 57 convertibles at one auction. The prices seemed soft with
most prices settling in at 50,000 for some of these original restored
units.
Lot # Year Description Sale price
1005.1 1955 BELAIR 2-D00R Convertible 32,940
486 1955 BELAIR 2-DR POST 32,400
382 1955 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 68,040
993 1955 BELAIR NOMAD HOT ROD 16,470 4 spd, gosh I
wished I had garage space for this one
76 1955 CAMEO 3100 PICK-UP 12,420
666 1955 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE 129,600 Original V8, the
oldest vette with a V8, at National Corvette Museum for last five years
1002.2 1956 BELAIR 2-000R HARDTOP 17,280 POST!! 4spd,
buckets
333 1956 BELAIR 4-DR HARDTOP 19,710
424 1956 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 60,480
387 1956 BELAIR HARDTOP 30,240 original,
unrestored 12,900 miles
468 1956 BELAIR NOMAD 35,640
915.2 1956 CUSTOM BLOWER PICKUP no sale
603 1956 PANEL TRUCK STREET ROD 25,920
192 1957 210 COUPE last bid 20,000
1003.1 1957 BELAIR 2-DOOR 32,940 Coral, unrestored
46,000 miles
384 1957 BELAIR 2-DR POST HOT ROD 42,120 Gasser,
straight axle
23 1957 BELAIR 4-DR HARDTOP 7,560
351 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 51,300
405 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 57,240
420 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 39,960
456 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 76,680
503 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 38,340 Powerglide, 283
power pack
642 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 57,240
734 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 62,640 Dual carbs, frame
off restoration
770 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 50,760 Matching #s 260
miles since restored
920 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 34,560 Restored
983 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 54,000 98 miles after
frame off restoration
1003.3 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 45,752 26 factory options, CA
car
398 1957 BELAIR FI CONVERTIBLE last bid 80,000
611 1957 BELAIR HARDTOP 37,800
437 1957 CORVETTE ROADSTER 64,800
Sale price includes buyers premium. For complete results check out the
website www.barrett-jackson.com
---------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
CC: [unknown], INTERNET:mears@mailexcel.com
From: "Dave Hecker", INTERNET:dhecker@presenter.com
Paul,
Regarding tire size, if you are using 225/70R14 and want a lower
profile, 225/75R15 is going the wrong way. Your pals tires are taller
than those you are currently running. Ignoring the speedometer
inaccuracy, there are several factors you need to measure, but you might
have to raise the back of the car to keep those taller tires from
rubbing. Either way, you should do some careful measurement to see how
much clearance, both inner and outer, you have with your current tire
and wheel, along with determining you current wheel offset. You should
pay attention to clearance and obstructions if the tire were taller. If
your car is lowered or raised this will of course affect what
obstructions you may find. Take suspension travel into account also.
You also need to check the offset of the new wheels to see if they will
move the bulk of the tires closer to an obstruction. You should do all
of this to confirm you will have clearance before you go any farther.
Since the 225/75R15 are almost 2 inches taller, diameter, than your
current tires, you need to look for obstructions that much farther away
from your current tire location. I believe you will have no problem
fitting the 225/60R/15 in, as I am running 235/60/15's in the rear of my
'57 wagon. Others on this list have previously reported being able to
stuff 245's under a stock '57, but the clearance seems really tight to
me. The front end is another matter, and the taller tires will likely
be restricting the turning. Although, they are free, I would recommend
going with a lower profile tire, but it really depends upon what look
you want. Some of the Show cars at this weekends Grand National
Roadster show have enormous wheels and very low profile tires to fill up
the wheel wells, but they are so large they can barely turn, suitable
for static display only. You may find some tire size measurement
information at http://www.paspeedo.com/calculator.htm, but I would use
this information in comparison with your current tires only, as the page
describes issue with it's calculations.
Thanks,
Dave Hecker
Activities Chairman and Webmaster
San Jose Classic Chevys
http://clubs.hemmings.com/sjcc
dhecker@presenter.com
--------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Dave Hecker", INTERNET:dhecker@presenter.com
Regarding eBay, I am a big proponent of eBay, and have had many good
experiences with the service, including buying a '57 Chevy. However,
there are a minority of individuals out there who will rip people off
whether using eBay, or selling via any other method. There are many
scams. The feedback tool is imperfect, and I dislike the practice of
some sellers avoiding submitting feedback until they have received the
feedback, but feedback is voluntary, and I can't think of a better way
to do it than eBay is already doing. Bob, described the right way to
win auctions, commonly known as snipping. Many bidders including myself
will bid in the closing seconds with their maximum bid. The proxy bid
system will only increment it up as far as needed to beat any previous
bidders highest proxy. If I bid too low, I lose, but if I bid higher,
there is little time, usually, for someone to outbid me. However, since
virtually all the auctions end this way if someone else bids a higher
amount than I bid, I lose, and that happens frequently. I find there
are two ways to win, the most reliable is to snipe at the end of the
auction with everyone else, the other is to enter a large enough proxy
bid that others won't outbid me when I find the auction. There are a
lot of fools who will pay too much using eBay, which is why sellers love
eBay. If a seller has any negative or even neutral feedback, without
having a good explanation, or more than just a couple out of hundreds of
feedback responses I won't bother bidding or doing business with them.
In my case, purchasing a car, I asked many specific questions about
condition, and assumed the condition was worse than the description or
the photo's sent. I had previously seen cars grossly misrepresented. I
arranged with the seller to be able to see/pickup/and pay for the car
all in one shot prior to bidding; although, I could not see the car
before the auction ended. I did not give the seller any money until I
had seen and driven the car. If the car had not matched the description
in the auction, or any of my many questions, I could have refused to
pay, but I didn't have to. Many people have made good suggestions, of
having someone view the purchase for you, and using the escrow service.
I would do this if I could not arrange to verify the quality of a big
ticket item before paying. Most pictures will appear better than the
real item, and I have seen many cases of misrepresenting items either
intentionally, or through ignorance. Buyer beware, but don't avoid the
tool unless you are paranoid. Most people aren't crooks, but those that
are taint it for everyone else. Using tools such as PayPal or Billpoint
which require the users to submit bank and credit card information helps
avoid some crooks. Sending, cash, checks, money orders to someone
before you receive something may be common practice, but it seems
obvious how easily a crook could abuse this. Unfortunately for Ken,
haggling with the personal offer is just like negotiating a deal with
someone you know almost nothing about, and if they are a crook, it is
easier for them to rip off the buyer. Although, it's against eBay's
rules to solicit a sale via the email feature, some still do it. Don't
be suckered in. If the sale isn't being done as an auction, through
eBay, the seller could be anyone trying to rip you off. I think legal
action against the buyer is Ken's best if not only recourse. Nick
stated "I have heard from reliable sources that eBay expects bidders to
bid once and only once on any one item. They say that if eBay catches a
bidder entering several bids to clip the current high bidder by a small
margin, they can actually run that bid up even more to discourage that
practice." I believe Nick is misinformed. eBay may assume a bidder
only bids once, and that is a reason for the proxy bid feature. eBay
also does watch for patterns of repeat bidding to bringing the price up.
However, they do not run the bid up to discourage the practice, that is
the other fools bidding for the item. eBay watches the transaction
patterns looking for shill bidders who may be working with the seller to
drive the prices up, and they end auctions and warn, the sellers about
this, and sometime disable accounts. When eBay goes as far as to
disable the sellers account, they are trying to prevent them from
abusing the system and ripping people off. Those sellers sometimes
create new user identities, submitting a different credit card number to
eBay, or continue to do business using a friend or relatives eBay user
identity. This deception can be hard for eBay to spot, but they will
continue to bar the abusers if they can identify them. I have yet to
have a bad experience, with eBay transactions, but I credit my scrutiny
of the seller feedback, both quality, and quantity, along with my
methods of payment for having good experiences.
Thanks,
Dave Hecker
Activities Chairman and Webmaster
San Jose Classic Chevys
http://clubs.hemmings.com/sjcc
dhecker@presenter.com
-------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: Carl Perkins, INTERNET:cp287@sofcom.net
A man in our club has his 55 for sale. It has a very low VIN number. It
must have been one of the first ones made. He claims it is all original.
It has a 265 V8 and the motor has solid tappets. Every 55 V8 I have seen
has hydraulic valve lifters. Could this possibly be the original motor?
Editor's note. I believe it could. As I recall, the early 55 V8 did not
have hydraulic lifters. Hopefully, a list member will know for sure.
-------------------------------
From: Editor
Have we made progress in 100 years.
Now that 2001 is history, how did it compare to 1901?
In 1901:
The average life expectancy in the United States was 47.
Only 14% of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to
New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the US and 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily
populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the twenty-first
most populous State in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the US was twenty-two cents an hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist
$2500 per year, a veterinarian between $1500 and $4000 per year and a
mechanical engineer about $5000 per year.
More than 95% of all births in the United States took place at home.
Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education. Instead,
they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press
and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee
cost fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg
yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the Country
for any reason, either as travelers or immigrants.
The five leading causes of death in the US were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii
and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was thirty. The remote desert
community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their
families.
Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet.
Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been
invented.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
One in ten US adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at
corner drugstores.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
end of 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST
BOB FORD
18091 MARK CIRCLE
VILLA PARK, CALIFORNIA 92861-2648
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BOB_FORD/
VOICE 714-637-8877
FAX 714-637-2955
Editor of the 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST and TURBOGLIDE REGISTRY
I plan to live forever. So far so good.
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 9:05 PM
To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com
Subject: 57-56-55 CHEVY LISTL
THIS IS THE 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST FOR
JAN 25, 2002
THIS LIST IS DESIGNED AS A MEANS FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE 1955, 1956,
AND 1957 CHEVROLETS TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. ALL OPINIONS
ARE WELCOME.
TO POST SOMETHING ON THIS LIST PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR POST TO
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM
THERE IS NO COST TO BECOME A LIST MEMBER AND ONLY LIST MEMBERS ARE
ALLOWED TO POST SOMETHING ON THE LIST.
THIS 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST IS NOT SENT OUT ON ANY SET SCHEDULE SO IF YOU
WANT TO POST SOMETHING THAT CONTAINS A DATE, PLEASE SEND IT IN EARLY
SO I CAN GET IT OUT TO THE LIST MEMBERS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE EVENT.
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND STATE WITH YOUR POSTS. IF YOU ARE
POSTING SOMETHING FOR SALE PLEASE ALSO INCLUDE
1. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
2 THE PRICE
3. WHEN YOU WILL BE AT YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND YOUR TIME ZONE.
TAKE AS MUCH SPACE AS YOU WANT AND FULLY DESCRIBE WHAT YOU HAVE
FOR SALE OR WANT TO BUY.
YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS LIST ARE WELCOME.
IF YOU WANT TO SEND ME E-MAIL THAT YOU DO NOT WANT ON THE LIST
PLEASE PUT "PRIVATE NOT FOR THE LIST' AS THE SUBJECT.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS LIST ARE THE MEMBERS OPINIONS AND NOT
NECESSARILY MINE. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OUT ANY MATERIAL NOT
APPROPRIATE FOR THIS LIST.
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME AS THE LAST THING ON YOUR E-MAIL.
BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF A VIRUS, PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS
WITH YOUR E-MAIL. E-MAIL WITH ATTACHMENTS WILL NOT BE READ.
THANKS
BOB FORD
EDITOR
__________________________________________________ ____________________
To: [unknown], BOB_FORD
From: INTERNET:Werthie@aol.com, INTERNET:Werthie@aol.com
Hi Bob,
Thanks again for all your great work on "the List". As a long-time fuel
injection aficionado, here are my responses to Alfred Johnson's questions:
> I have some questions about fuel injection I hope you can answer for me.
>
> 1. What does it cost to convert a non fuel injection to one with fuel
> injection?
You can find Fuel Injection units at swap meets and on eBay.
Depending on the year and the condition, expect to pay $3k-$5k. Don't
forget that you need an FI distributor as well as the baseplate and
injection. Miscellaneous parts can be found in catalogues and through
Hemmings.
> 2. Does the increase in value of the car cover the cost of converting to
> fuel injection?
Yes, because these units are rare and because they can be sold separately
for the amounts set forth above. And nothing looks better than injection
under the hood!
> 3. I think they stopped making fuel injection in 1959. Can a 1960 with
a
> 283 be converted to fuel injection?
1965 was the last year for Rochester fuel injection. Plagued by
complaints from customers who couldn't find competent mechanics to work on
their injection units, GM gave Corvette owners a 396 CI motor in mid-65
and phased out FI. You can install FI on any 283, 327 or 350 motor. It's
a direct bolt on. I think a 60 FI unit on your 60 Impala would look
great!!
>
> 4. Does converting to fuel injection give you more power or better gas
> mileage or both?
Both. In 1963, for example, the high performance, solid
lifter engine was rated at 340 HP w/out FI, and 360 HP with FI. If the
unit is dialed in correctly, you'll get much better mileage. Also, with
no
float bowls, there's no gas starvation during hard cornering. I don't know
Bob's friend, Chuck, but I think the best FI expert on the planet is Doug
Prince, who also lives in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California.
His full-time business is refurbishing FI units from all over the country.
His # is 818-348-6998. He doesn't sell them; he just fixes/restores them.
Please tell him Alan W. referred you. Good luck!
---------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Gary Howard", INTERNET:garysgearbox@dragonbbs.com
The answer to the question about the Wide Track Ride is a 1959 Bonneville.
Most of the Guys got this right, good job.
This was indeed a most wonderful car
Gary Howard
------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Gary Howard", INTERNET:garysgearbox@dragonbbs.com
If you work on Chevy's long enough, especially standard shift models, you
will be faced with removing a pilot bearing. Now many of us do not have
that pricey little tool that neatly removes this bearing. Many guys have
told me to put grease in the bearing and then put and old main drive gear
into the bearing and through hydraulics strike the hammer and force the
grease to pop the bearing out. Now I have tried this about 4 or 5 times
with varying degrees of success.
Then one night I got to thinking about a short cut (since I work or
transmissions) so I took a new bronze bearing/bushing and measured the
inside. I discovered that a 5/8 national coarse tap would thread into it. I
had the bushing in a vise and took the tap placed it at the mouth of the
bushing and struck it lightly causing the tap to stick in the bushing. The
bronze being soft accepted the tap easily. Then I took a crescent wrench
and turned it until it went all the way through the tap. HUM!!!!!
Now the acid test. I crawled under my car with the transmission removed
and placed the tap up against the bushing and struck it once. The I put the
crescent wrench on it and began turning the wrench and tap in a 360 degree
circle just as quickly as my arm could turn it. After about 4 or 5 turns
the tap hit bottom and the bushing began turning in a reverse direction and
came out immediately.
From the time I struck the tap until the bushing was in my hands took
less than ten seconds. So I now purchase these taps at flea markets and
give them away when I rebuild a transmission for someone. This tip is one
of the few things I have passed on to folks where they will pick up the
phone and call me to say thanks and to acknowledge how quick and easy it
was. The tap is much cheaper that a new tool and there is no grease to work
with
Gary Howard
Gary's Gearbox
Editor's note. Great tip Gary. Thanks for sending it in.
BOB
-------------------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Sandra Scott", INTERNET:sandyscott@peoplepc.com
Bob, Does anyone know if the tri-five original headlights used the T3
designation or when we started using the T3's? Carl & Sandy
------------------------------------------------------------------
To: [unknown], Bob_Ford
From: INTERNET:NomadMan55@aol.com, INTERNET:NomadMan55@aol.com
Bob,
Check this out! This is a true story;
Super Granny, Defender of Justice
An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car,
found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her
shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at them at the top
of her voice, "I have a gun and I know how to use it! Get out of the car,
you
scumbags!"
The four men didn't wait for a second invitation, but got out and ran like
mad, whereupon the lady, somewhat shaken, proceeded to load her shopping
bags
into the back of the car and get into the driver's seat.
She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition. She
tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why.
A few minutes later she found her own car parked four or five spaces
farther
down. She loaded her bags into her car and drove to the police station.
The sergeant to whom she told the story nearly tore himself in two with
laughter and pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale white
males were reporting a car jacking by a mad elderly woman described as
white,
less than 5' tall, glasses, and curly white hair carrying a large handgun.
No charges were filed.
Ah, senior moments!
----------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "57shoebox", INTERNET:57shoebox@msn.com
Hi Bob,
I'm on your list and love getting all of the info. Thank you for your time
for this service.
I've come in contact with Tom at Tom's cars, in Arizona, thru your list.
He said he has an original turboglide for a 57, and was willing to trade
for a later model-61-62. I have a 61-62 I think. He noted a lot of the
differences that he was aware of. Mine has the converter and his does not.
Now for the main Question: would the converter work on either one or is
there specific differences about the converter between the two? I an
willing to trade mine straight across,but want to keep the converter if
will work on the 57 model.
Editor's note. The 61 Turboglide is a much better transmission than the
57. I THINK the converter from a 57 will work in a 61. They appear to be
the same size and length. To make a 61 transmission work in a 57 you must
keep the 57 tail shaft. A 57 tail shaft is much longer than 58 thru 61
tail shafts. You must also drill and tape the case where the tranny
connects to the motor mounts. This is not to difficult as you can see on
the transmission case where to make these holes.
BOB
----------------------------------------------
To: [unknown], Bob_Ford
From: Mark C Bach, INTERNET:m_bach@juno.com
Bob,
The Barrett Jackson Car Auction brings out a bunch of money and car
enthusiasts to Scottsdale, Arizona each January. Over 800 cars go on the
auction block, some beautiful customs cars, including the Sniper and the
Intruder, as well as some automobilia. It typically is viewed as a
financial benchmark for the rest of the year. Without a doubt I've never
seen so many 57 convertibles at one auction. The prices seemed soft with
most prices settling in at 50,000 for some of these original restored
units.
Lot # Year Description Sale price
1005.1 1955 BELAIR 2-D00R Convertible 32,940
486 1955 BELAIR 2-DR POST 32,400
382 1955 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 68,040
993 1955 BELAIR NOMAD HOT ROD 16,470 4 spd, gosh I
wished I had garage space for this one
76 1955 CAMEO 3100 PICK-UP 12,420
666 1955 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE 129,600 Original V8, the
oldest vette with a V8, at National Corvette Museum for last five years
1002.2 1956 BELAIR 2-000R HARDTOP 17,280 POST!! 4spd,
buckets
333 1956 BELAIR 4-DR HARDTOP 19,710
424 1956 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 60,480
387 1956 BELAIR HARDTOP 30,240 original,
unrestored 12,900 miles
468 1956 BELAIR NOMAD 35,640
915.2 1956 CUSTOM BLOWER PICKUP no sale
603 1956 PANEL TRUCK STREET ROD 25,920
192 1957 210 COUPE last bid 20,000
1003.1 1957 BELAIR 2-DOOR 32,940 Coral, unrestored
46,000 miles
384 1957 BELAIR 2-DR POST HOT ROD 42,120 Gasser,
straight axle
23 1957 BELAIR 4-DR HARDTOP 7,560
351 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 51,300
405 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 57,240
420 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 39,960
456 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 76,680
503 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 38,340 Powerglide, 283
power pack
642 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 57,240
734 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 62,640 Dual carbs, frame
off restoration
770 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 50,760 Matching #s 260
miles since restored
920 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 34,560 Restored
983 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 54,000 98 miles after
frame off restoration
1003.3 1957 BELAIR CONVERTIBLE 45,752 26 factory options, CA
car
398 1957 BELAIR FI CONVERTIBLE last bid 80,000
611 1957 BELAIR HARDTOP 37,800
437 1957 CORVETTE ROADSTER 64,800
Sale price includes buyers premium. For complete results check out the
website www.barrett-jackson.com
---------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
CC: [unknown], INTERNET:mears@mailexcel.com
From: "Dave Hecker", INTERNET:dhecker@presenter.com
Paul,
Regarding tire size, if you are using 225/70R14 and want a lower
profile, 225/75R15 is going the wrong way. Your pals tires are taller
than those you are currently running. Ignoring the speedometer
inaccuracy, there are several factors you need to measure, but you might
have to raise the back of the car to keep those taller tires from
rubbing. Either way, you should do some careful measurement to see how
much clearance, both inner and outer, you have with your current tire
and wheel, along with determining you current wheel offset. You should
pay attention to clearance and obstructions if the tire were taller. If
your car is lowered or raised this will of course affect what
obstructions you may find. Take suspension travel into account also.
You also need to check the offset of the new wheels to see if they will
move the bulk of the tires closer to an obstruction. You should do all
of this to confirm you will have clearance before you go any farther.
Since the 225/75R15 are almost 2 inches taller, diameter, than your
current tires, you need to look for obstructions that much farther away
from your current tire location. I believe you will have no problem
fitting the 225/60R/15 in, as I am running 235/60/15's in the rear of my
'57 wagon. Others on this list have previously reported being able to
stuff 245's under a stock '57, but the clearance seems really tight to
me. The front end is another matter, and the taller tires will likely
be restricting the turning. Although, they are free, I would recommend
going with a lower profile tire, but it really depends upon what look
you want. Some of the Show cars at this weekends Grand National
Roadster show have enormous wheels and very low profile tires to fill up
the wheel wells, but they are so large they can barely turn, suitable
for static display only. You may find some tire size measurement
information at http://www.paspeedo.com/calculator.htm, but I would use
this information in comparison with your current tires only, as the page
describes issue with it's calculations.
Thanks,
Dave Hecker
Activities Chairman and Webmaster
San Jose Classic Chevys
http://clubs.hemmings.com/sjcc
dhecker@presenter.com
--------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: "Dave Hecker", INTERNET:dhecker@presenter.com
Regarding eBay, I am a big proponent of eBay, and have had many good
experiences with the service, including buying a '57 Chevy. However,
there are a minority of individuals out there who will rip people off
whether using eBay, or selling via any other method. There are many
scams. The feedback tool is imperfect, and I dislike the practice of
some sellers avoiding submitting feedback until they have received the
feedback, but feedback is voluntary, and I can't think of a better way
to do it than eBay is already doing. Bob, described the right way to
win auctions, commonly known as snipping. Many bidders including myself
will bid in the closing seconds with their maximum bid. The proxy bid
system will only increment it up as far as needed to beat any previous
bidders highest proxy. If I bid too low, I lose, but if I bid higher,
there is little time, usually, for someone to outbid me. However, since
virtually all the auctions end this way if someone else bids a higher
amount than I bid, I lose, and that happens frequently. I find there
are two ways to win, the most reliable is to snipe at the end of the
auction with everyone else, the other is to enter a large enough proxy
bid that others won't outbid me when I find the auction. There are a
lot of fools who will pay too much using eBay, which is why sellers love
eBay. If a seller has any negative or even neutral feedback, without
having a good explanation, or more than just a couple out of hundreds of
feedback responses I won't bother bidding or doing business with them.
In my case, purchasing a car, I asked many specific questions about
condition, and assumed the condition was worse than the description or
the photo's sent. I had previously seen cars grossly misrepresented. I
arranged with the seller to be able to see/pickup/and pay for the car
all in one shot prior to bidding; although, I could not see the car
before the auction ended. I did not give the seller any money until I
had seen and driven the car. If the car had not matched the description
in the auction, or any of my many questions, I could have refused to
pay, but I didn't have to. Many people have made good suggestions, of
having someone view the purchase for you, and using the escrow service.
I would do this if I could not arrange to verify the quality of a big
ticket item before paying. Most pictures will appear better than the
real item, and I have seen many cases of misrepresenting items either
intentionally, or through ignorance. Buyer beware, but don't avoid the
tool unless you are paranoid. Most people aren't crooks, but those that
are taint it for everyone else. Using tools such as PayPal or Billpoint
which require the users to submit bank and credit card information helps
avoid some crooks. Sending, cash, checks, money orders to someone
before you receive something may be common practice, but it seems
obvious how easily a crook could abuse this. Unfortunately for Ken,
haggling with the personal offer is just like negotiating a deal with
someone you know almost nothing about, and if they are a crook, it is
easier for them to rip off the buyer. Although, it's against eBay's
rules to solicit a sale via the email feature, some still do it. Don't
be suckered in. If the sale isn't being done as an auction, through
eBay, the seller could be anyone trying to rip you off. I think legal
action against the buyer is Ken's best if not only recourse. Nick
stated "I have heard from reliable sources that eBay expects bidders to
bid once and only once on any one item. They say that if eBay catches a
bidder entering several bids to clip the current high bidder by a small
margin, they can actually run that bid up even more to discourage that
practice." I believe Nick is misinformed. eBay may assume a bidder
only bids once, and that is a reason for the proxy bid feature. eBay
also does watch for patterns of repeat bidding to bringing the price up.
However, they do not run the bid up to discourage the practice, that is
the other fools bidding for the item. eBay watches the transaction
patterns looking for shill bidders who may be working with the seller to
drive the prices up, and they end auctions and warn, the sellers about
this, and sometime disable accounts. When eBay goes as far as to
disable the sellers account, they are trying to prevent them from
abusing the system and ripping people off. Those sellers sometimes
create new user identities, submitting a different credit card number to
eBay, or continue to do business using a friend or relatives eBay user
identity. This deception can be hard for eBay to spot, but they will
continue to bar the abusers if they can identify them. I have yet to
have a bad experience, with eBay transactions, but I credit my scrutiny
of the seller feedback, both quality, and quantity, along with my
methods of payment for having good experiences.
Thanks,
Dave Hecker
Activities Chairman and Webmaster
San Jose Classic Chevys
http://clubs.hemmings.com/sjcc
dhecker@presenter.com
-------------------------------------------------------
To: "BOB FORD", BOB_FORD
From: Carl Perkins, INTERNET:cp287@sofcom.net
A man in our club has his 55 for sale. It has a very low VIN number. It
must have been one of the first ones made. He claims it is all original.
It has a 265 V8 and the motor has solid tappets. Every 55 V8 I have seen
has hydraulic valve lifters. Could this possibly be the original motor?
Editor's note. I believe it could. As I recall, the early 55 V8 did not
have hydraulic lifters. Hopefully, a list member will know for sure.
-------------------------------
From: Editor
Have we made progress in 100 years.
Now that 2001 is history, how did it compare to 1901?
In 1901:
The average life expectancy in the United States was 47.
Only 14% of the homes in the United States had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. A three minute call from Denver to
New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the US and 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily
populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the twenty-first
most populous State in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in the US was twenty-two cents an hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist
$2500 per year, a veterinarian between $1500 and $4000 per year and a
mechanical engineer about $5000 per year.
More than 95% of all births in the United States took place at home.
Ninety percent of all US physicians had no college education. Instead,
they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press
and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee
cost fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg
yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the Country
for any reason, either as travelers or immigrants.
The five leading causes of death in the US were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii
and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was thirty. The remote desert
community was inhabited by only a handful of ranchers and their
families.
Plutonium, insulin, and antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet.
Scotch tape, crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn't been
invented.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
One in ten US adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at
corner drugstores.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
end of 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST
BOB FORD
18091 MARK CIRCLE
VILLA PARK, CALIFORNIA 92861-2648
BOB_FORD@COMPUSERVE.COM
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/BOB_FORD/
VOICE 714-637-8877
FAX 714-637-2955
Editor of the 57-56-55 CHEVY LIST and TURBOGLIDE REGISTRY
I plan to live forever. So far so good.