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It all started here, June 30th 2008. Halfrod a member of Trifive made this incredible claim that he had a plan to build his 55' Chevy hardtop from frame up in 30 days for a race. We watched in awe and anticipation as the frequent posts came in. We saw how he came up against tough problems and solved them with ingenuity the help of friends, family and a few of the members here on Trifive. Many of us were skeptical but we were all rooting for him. He didn't disappoint us with this amazing story.

Our local club is renting the drag strip on the 27th of July and I plan on having my hardtop there to race! I already had the 55 mocked up and drove it for a while. I put probably around 2000 miles on it before tearing it back down to the frame. I had the body and frame blasted and have everything brand new for it. Most of the new stuff was installed the 1st time.
Now don't get me wrong, I probably won't get it 100% finished but it will be close and I am going to try.

The body is on the rotisserie right now.
I am smoothing this frame first thing.

I spent most of the day cleaning my two car
garage but going to stay up late to get caught up! Here's the body and frame as of July 1st.

I will paint it in my garage. I hang plastic and wet the floor and start sprayin'!!!!

WHEWWWWW, I'm sore and my fingers are sanded RAW! This is the 1st couple of coats. I have to do some feathering and putty work and primer it some more. Never mind the runs!

I shot $600 bucks in paint today! Man, that stuff is expensive. I got 2006 Pontiac GTO Brazen Orange Pearl for the front of the 55' and Starburst Black Pearl for the rear. I am painting it the factory BelAir 2 tone paint style. I painted the trans Platinum Pearl and polished some stainless allen head fasteners and installed them. It's not a B&M trans but it has a B&M stall and Transpac.

My buddy and I got the motor and trans mated and installed. Got my steering linkages cleaned and painted with new bolts, tie rods, zerks, and the bearing kit for the idler arm.

The headers are Patriots. The coating didn't even last 2000 miles. The ride height has me worried a little because for mock up I used cut stock coils and wore out de arched rear springs and 2in blocks. I installed new 2 in drop coils and Posies 3 in drop leafs and 2 in blocks. That should help the ride height.

I drilled and tapped the frame, polished
some stainless button heads to fasten the line clamps to the frame and polished the aluminum fuel line. The braided line on top of the fuel line is for my NOS system.

I started on the body today. I'm about 1/4 done with the underside. I replaced the end of two floor braces and have been redoing and finish welding a horrible trunk floor patch that the previous owner did. Of coarse my mig tip clogged and my wire quit feeding. I'm taking a few minutes to post some progresss pictures and find my tip cleaners!!!!

Yeah, I called in the crew!!! Most of the bodywork I did before. I also had polished all the stainless, so that will be a big help. I won't have any interior for the race and show but I'll have a seat and seat belt!!! Oh well, lighter IS faster!!!

Just now finished up the drivers side under body. It was the worst so I did it 1st.
I also replaced the rocker panel.

I have some friends
and family coming Wednesday
to do bodywork. A lot of hands
is what gets em' done!!!

Here's a HORRIBLE patch job the previous owner did in the inside trunk wall. He overlapped the metal and used BUBBLE GUM welds to tack it. These suck to grind down! I split the overlap and butted it. I got to do some more grinding but at least it will look alot better!!!

Underbody is done! Starting bodywork next!!!!

Garry, I have no hard feelings at all. It is just a misunderstanding but I had 3 private messages from other members that thought it was harsh sounding also. I want this whole thing forgot about. No big deal!!!! OK, back to progress - I had lots of help from good friends and family today. We actually lifted my 2 door post body off to use its frame. I didn't want to make a mess of my painted frame . Heres some pics. Check out the bondo dust in the floor!!!!We started bodywork at 9:30 AM and its 9:00 PM. Everyone else went home! I came in to eat, get tanked up on some caffeine, and go back out in the garage. I'm assuming someone had jumped up and down on the roof at one time in its life. There were MANY high spots that had to be dollied down and filled. The roof and the pass side door is ready for its 1st coat of urethane primer. The other door I will finish tonight.

drklynoon, I did have a driveshaft cut down. It was from a 4 door 71 Chevelle. It was $120 bucks for cutting it down, balance, and both new u-joints. I used a long water pump set up on my 350 and had a 6 cyl rad support. I bought the universal alum rad 22x19 from Jegs $169. Mounted it in front and used a Black Majic elec fan. The rad is narrower but I am making wider panels to put on each side of the radiator support and fabbing a top plate. I also loosened all the body mounts and slid the body back. I think I gained about 1/2 or 1/4 in. I can't remember!! I had tall valve covers and an HEI. I could slide my fingers behind the HEI!

Well, I've got into a horrid quarter repair. The previous owner had put half of a 4 door quarter on. It is not lining up right. I have worked this quarter for 2 days and have seven feet of body filler. It's going to get a brand new full quarter. I didn't do all this work to have a botched quarter. Its going to be a while before I can buy a quarter BUT I am still moving forward! I actually think I might replace BOTH quarters!!!! I am SICK of being without my 55 so I am going to put it back together, finish out the drag race season and ENJOY my car again.

Yeah, I'm putting it in primer again. But I'm going to paint the dash and underhood areas. I'm thinking of selling my 2 door post 55 body to buy the new quarters. It will be at our races!!!!

Got the 1st coat of urethane primer on my custom firewall. Here's a pic of a stock firewall on my sedan for visual reference

Well, yesterday I tried to move the body a little to get the body mount bolts lined up and heard a loud snap in my right side chest. Didn't think it was a big deal but I did notice I was having some pain when tightening the bolts and climbing under the car. After relaxing while eating dinner, I found out that something was really wrong! I went to the ER and got ex rayed. Nothing is broke, but they said I have a rib out!!! I never heard of this before. I got a shot in the butt with something(can't remember the name!). This morning I thought I was going to need my engine hoist to get out of bed!!! Getting ready to get tanked up on Tylenol and NOS drinks!!!! I'm kinda worried cause the race is sunday and the 454 will be here at 1:00 for my wifes 71 Chevelle. So I actually have 2 cars to get ready for sunday!!!

Sorry for the lack of updates!!! I've been very busy. We got the 454 in the Chevelle today and got it running. It's 1:00 AM now and I'm going back out to start wiring it. I'm going to try to drive it around the neighborhood tomorrow. My new front coils don't have it set down where I had it, so they are getting a chop tomorrow!

I MADE IT TO THE RACES!!!!!!! I made one 1/4 mile pass. The carb was VERY rich and when I got past the 1/8th mile mark it started fluttering so I got off the nitrous. I thought I blew a head gasket but the plugs were toasted black! I had one plug that was VERY lean and found the intake gasket was leaking on that cylinder. I changed the plugs and pulled it up on my buddys trailer and drove his 11 sec Malibu home(10 miles). I wasn't going to burn down my engine over a $20 intake gasket! I honestly think the 55 is capable of a 11 sec pass when I get it tuned. The day was fun, lots of tri fives, and lots of SUNBURN! Come on and I'll take ya along!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heading out on the highway - 4.11 gears, no ac, and hearing that dome 355. My wife shot this pic from her 71 Chevelle Trying to stuff my Mickeys under a lowered 55!!! Let the air out 1st!

My wife and her Chevelle. Looks proud don't she!!! I'm glad she's a car chick!

A few more things to note - I have a STOCK 55 single trac rear!!!! GRENADE WAITING TO BLOW!!! I cut a 1.9 - 60 foot on Mickey Thompson ET drag slicks. I got out about the 60 foot mark when I hit the button. In the 1/8th I ran 8.04 @ 88.78 MPH. I want to thank all you guys that have watched me and kept me motivated with your positive comments, get this 55 back on the road again! I sure have missed it! I think I'm going to drive it in primer for AWHILE!!! The car is NOTHING like it was when I HAD stock 1.94 valved heads, Edelbrock Performer intake, and a vac sec Holley!! Those Dart heads, Dart intake, and Holley race series double pumper made a WORLD of difference. Some of you guys will be glad to know that I'm going to SIT ON MY BUTT all day tomorrow and watch movies, let these ribs start healing, and rest. I need to mow the yard terribly but it can wait another day!!!!!

Thats Colby Allens 55 from Miami, OKLA. it ran 13s. Its a big block and 2-4's He was being easy on it. There was a primer black 55 post there that was running 10s but I didn't get a chance to meet the guy.

Well I pulled it out of the garage and changed out the slicks back to my street tires. Here's a couple pics of the ride height. Posies 3 in. super slide drop leafs with 2 in. lowering blocks, 2 in. drop spindles with 2 in. drop coils (I also removed one full coil). It rides great.

Well gang, SAD NEWS. I just listed it on ebay. I was tuning on it getting it ready for the midnight drags and I started hearing a knock. I dropped the pan and it has gray material in the bottom of the pan. I'm extreamly irritated over this happening! This happened at a VERY bad time too! I'm sitting here with 4 other projects and no job! It makes me absolutely sick to see it go but I can't put anymore $ in this thing for awhile. It's an excellent project that is almost done but I have to bow out early!!! At least I can pay off my credit card if it sells!

I've got a bunch of PMs from some of you guys that are interested in the car. I type with one finger so give me a call!! I'm getting alot of the same questions too! I DO have the door panel stainless, the heater box assembly with a BRAND new heater core NOT INSTALLED YET. I also have the original headliner bows and chrome trim for the headliner

The suspence was killing me gang!!! I removed and inspected every rod and main cap from underneath the car. ALL the bearings look new still! The gray material in the pan is not gritty and a mechanic friend of mine said it was the moly lube I used on the cam and lifters. He said bearing material would be slivers and tiny chunks in the pan. There is nothing like that. I put it all back together with fresh Royal Purple oil and started it. I climbed back under the car with it idling to listen and the flex plate is wobbling like crazy! I guess I'll try to drop the trans and remove the flexplate, start it, and see if its making the noise. I removed the pass side valve cover to see if something was hitting it but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I am stumped at this point. Looking at the flexplate in the car with a flashlight, I don't see any cracks but If I got the trans out I could see it better. I am really going to be mad if it's a busted flexplate making the knock!

I changed flexplates and left trans out, started the car, and its still knocking. I hurt my rib again trying to muscle out the trans. I don't know at this point, must be a wrist pin or valve hitting piston. Its got 55 lbs of oil pressure.