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Thread: My Wife's '56

  1. #11
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    Looking great, Tabasco!

  2. #12
    Registered Member Tabasco's Avatar
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    New floor pans were not available in the 70s when the car was done the first time. The floors were sealed with roofing tar, flat galvanized steel formed to contour, a million pop rivets and fiber glass over that. When I removed all that I saw that he braces were in great shape. It just needed the four floor pans. That was a big mistake. I should have ordered floor halves. I had to clean all the tar and fiberglass. I also had to weld up the million pop rivet holes and weld the shifter hole patch. By the time I figured that out, I already had the floor pans ordered.

    I braced the body and separated it from the frame. I then put it on my roll-over. The engine had a leaking oil pan for years. The bottom of the car was covered in an inch thick layer of oil, dirt and rocks. It looked like an asphalt road under there. After cleaning and blasting, it got sprayed with SPI epoxy primer. This is not show car quality just good clean driver quality.

    CP8.jpg

    CP9.jpgCP10.jpg

  3. #13
    Registered Member BamaNomad's Avatar
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    I'm glad to see someone else using the old NNC design rollover frame....

  4. #14
    Registered Member Tabasco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BamaNomad View Post
    I'm glad to see someone else using the old NNC design rollover frame....
    It is not as versatile as a rotisserie but a whole easier to store. I just take it apart and lean it against the wall. I have had that since the 1980s. I didn't know who designed it, but I knew several guys who had one.

  5. #15
    Registered Member BamaNomad's Avatar
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    Well, it allows you to easily get to the top and bottom in one orientation, and the sides in the alternate orientation. Actually, I don't know of anything I could do more with a rotisserie. I built to the plans provided by Wayne Oakley(I think) in the NNC magazine. It puts a Nomad at the perfectly balanced point to where a 100 lb lady can rotate it by herself (My wife did it). I added casters to the bottom straights of mine to allow it to be rolled when in the upright orientation. I built mine in one weekend with a couple of pieces of angle iron I had to purchase, and some scrap thick wall tubing I had lying around at the time. I had my '57 Nomad on mine for over 20 yrs, rolling it around etc.. and even put it on a rollback once for transport while on the racks... Yes, mine are leaning against the wall under my leanto waiting for the next Nomad~

    PS. How well was it balanced with the convertible on it? Or did you adjust the mounting points to adjust the C.G.?

  6. #16
    Registered Member Tabasco's Avatar
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    It wasn't as well balanced as the Nomads I have done. I guess it is just a different center of gravity that made it more difficult to roll over the convertible. Took a little more muscle to use it but it worked just fine.

  7. #17
    Registered Member BamaNomad's Avatar
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    Yes, the c.g. is a lot lower for a convertible than for a Nomad!

    note: When I first began a Nomad restoration (late '80's), I borrowed a homemade rotisserie which had been built for a '55 convertible! I got it mounted up and a friend and I began to 'rotate' the body. When we got it about 40 deg, the weight became almost unbearable for us to hold... I was scared $hitless that we were gonna let the Nomad fall on it's roof! My friend said 'I can't hold it'! I replied... 'You'd better hold it!'!! Somehow we managed to get it back upright without it falling and I immediately removed those rotisserie mounts! The Nomad has several hundred pounds of additional weight much higher than a convertible does! That's when I made my 'Nomad club' rollover rack!

  8. #18
    Registered Member Tabasco's Avatar
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    I have done Nomads and hardtops on my roll over frame before without bracing. But this is the first convertible I have done. I wasn't sure how to brace it. I saw a post by NickP showing how he braced one. So I did it in a similar fashion to his. Thanks Nick, I just wanted to give you credit for a good idea.

  9. #19
    Registered Member Tabasco's Avatar
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    One thing that always bothered me was a situation with the frame. Sometime in the past someone had put in a 4 speed. They used a torch to cut out a large section of the x-member to make room for a shifter. That is why I pulled the body off the frame. While I was going that far I decided to go all the way and fix it.

    CP11.jpg

    First I squared up the ragged cuts. I cleaned the frame and sand blasted it.

    CP12.jpg

    I bought a 10 foot piece of 3/8th thick steel. I made a poster board template form the other side of the frame.

    I then bent the steel to match the template, cut it to final size and welded it in place.

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    CP15.jpg

    Then I used my template to cut 1/8th steel and welded it into place.

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    After cleaning, grinding and priming it looks as good as new.

    CP19.jpg

    I know there more exciting frames to look at on this site. But I feel like someone did this poor old car wrong 50 years ago and it was my duty to return it to original condition.

  10. #20
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Nice work Tabasco! Can't even tell it was cut.
    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

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