56 Chevy Upgrade Project
Pg 2

Smoothing the Firewall & Engine Installation

We are going to be filling the holes in the firewall, so needed to pull back the carpet and insulation.  Since the stuff in the car was worn out and ugly anyway, we removed it all and will replace with all new carpet and sound deadening insulation.  This was also a good time to see how much rust and/or patching had been done previously to the car.  In our case, both front toe board floor pans had been replaced with sheet metal and fiberglass.  The rest of the floor was original and in very good shape.

4/01- (Above)  Some of the old undercoat was best removed by heating and scraping with a torch.  All of the holes were filled and welded, ground down smooth, and touched up with spot putty.

This was followed with LOTS of sanding and filling, and more sanding and filling, until everything became smooth and uniform.  At the same time, Tom Denton jumped in with the torch to remove the factory mounting brackets from the frame.  These too, required grinding to smooth the frame.  But at least we are starting to make some real progress!

Here is the 350 and 4L60E transmission out of the 95 Chevy truck.  We are going to remove the TBI and computer and replace with a high rise manifold and Carter carburetor.  A set of full length Hedman headers were ordered and sent to Jet Hot to be coated prior to placing the new engine into the car. We want to keep the car as basic as possible!  We also picked up a pair of Delta Series mufflers by Flowmaster thru Vic Hubbard Performance. As the computer will be removed, we will opt to sell the 4L60E and replace it with a 700R4 automatic with the lockout kit.   At this time we also measured the drive shaft and sent it out to Drivelines in Irvine, CA, (800) 963-7483, to have it converted to fit.  

Fuel is supplied with a Holley electric pump mounted to the frame along with a high capacity Carter fuel filter.

We installed a remote oil filter kit and Transmission cooler from Perma Cool as the headers were right alongside the stock filter location.  With a remote oil cooler and a remote transmission cooler mounted directly behind the grill, we were going to reuse the stock 6 cylinder radiator. 

 

However, we discovered that it was starting to leak.  Since we had repaired it previously, it was decided to contact Be Cool Inc to order one of their aluminum radiators.  They have a full contingent of radiators to fit every configuration for the Tri-5 Chevy.

We discussed their available radiators over the phone and decided on a down-flow type as we are using a basically stock engine.  This type is good for up to about 400hp.  (They recommend one of their cross flow setups for 400-1000hp.)  They have all kinds of combinations available to mount with V8 or V6 core supports, with or without electric fans, etc.  It was a simple swap as Be-Cool supplied all the mounting brackets and the transmission lines fit right up to match the location on the stock radiator.  A little over an hour after UPS dropped off the radiator, we had it installed.   (above)

We have placed everything in the engine compartment, hooked up all the lines and hoses, and are now facing one of the most critical aspects of the rebuild.  While removing a lot of the original equipment, we found the wiring to be brittle in many areas.  Since we had the dash torn apart anyway, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to install new wiring from front to back.  We contacted American Autowire to order one of their kits.  They have one especially designed for the 56 sedan delivery/wagon with multiple connections for accessories including aftermarket A/C, which we hope to add in the future.

The first thing we did was to wire up the ignition circuit....gotta hear those header pipes and Flowmasters!

We had a little trouble with the safety switch for the Holley electric fuel pump, but soon figured it out.  After making the temporary connections, we held our breath, turned the key, and....vroom!  It actually started up!  We adjusted the timing slightly and replaced the points, but other than that it was a go.  We found the usual assorted small leaks that were quickly tightened up.  To keep the spark plug wires aligned and away from the headers, we installed a new Made For You Bowtie Loom Kit.

While we continued with the wiring and other misc. upgrades, we let the car and engine get "accustomed to each other" over the coming weeks by starting it up, letting it idle a while, and cooling down again.  We would rather have any problems occur at the garage rather than on the road.  

Next, we took the car to the alignment shop and got the wheels pointing the same direction!

Next step was to place it back on the trailer and run over to Bowtie Overdrive in Hesperia, CA.  Owner, Steve Holmes specializes in Chevy overdrives and installed a 700r4 to replace the existing transmission.  A week later, we returned to test it out and bring the car home to finish getting it all set up prior to returning to the streets.  In the meantime, we have purchased a CD player, carpet kit, and insulation.  

After driving a few hundred miles it became obvious that the old distributor needed a rebuild.  It just could not keep up when we punched the accelerator.  Started misfiring all over the place!  We removed it and took it to Ted and John at Orange County Speed in Orange, CA to trade in on a newly rebuilt one with a Pertronix kit.  Set in place, adjusted the timing to about 12 degrees advance and fired it up.  Drives 100% better through the entire power range!

Next step will be to start cleaning up and repairing the interior.

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