1955 C1B Build Thread

[59bisquik]

So I am trying to get ready for car show season. Slipping clutch and overdrive are on the top of the list. I went to Franklin Truck Parts and had my pressure plate rebuilt and got a new disc. Now to get it installed and move on the the overdrive.

[59bisquik]

I tore into my R10 to find my 1st/reverse slider gear missing some teeth. I decided to be brave or foolish (you choose) and tear it apart to fix it. I just got the new gear in the mail from eBay and installed it. Now to source the reverse idler gear and put this guy back together. Looks like they didnt make too many changes to this tranny over the years which is great for hard parts.

[59bisquik]

With Viva cancelled, I have slowed down a bit but still working on the R10. 1 gear replaced and 1 to go. Then clean it up and slap it back together.

[Radarsonwheels]

Good stuff man

 

It’s always so satisfying when you decide to do a job yourself that your younger self would have seen as a bad idea or un-climbable mountain. 
 

post some youtube imbedded vids when you get her going again I love love that hemi

[59bisquik]

Little teaser of what's to come... it will take a while to get the rest of the goodies and such.

[Radarsonwheels]

Holy cow is that a mechanical injection or just throttle bodies with the look?

 

I hope you can make it work!

[Jeff Balazs]

Early Hillborns by the look of them. Buddy of mine has them on his T bucket. If you need help setting it up Pm me and I can get you hooked up with some help and guidance. My buddies engine runs sweet but I know he has a high pressure electric pump feeding it and some sort of electronic controller that Don at Hillborn set up for him. He told me it wasn't really street friendly when straight mechanical.

Jeff

[59bisquik]

Yup... it is a brand new Hilborn unit. Sold back in 2002 or so the Hot Heads and never converted to EFI or used.

 

Sent you a message Jeff!

Edited June 7, 2020 by 59bisquik

[59bisquik]

Picked up a bunch of free goodies this weekend!

 

Spare rolling chassis to replace my bent frame.

 

8 3/4 rear end. Still gotta check the ratio.

 

Stock water pump mounted front motor mount. I have bought a couple of these and none of them have fit so I built side mounts. This one I took off a hemi that was in his 56 truck. Should be good to go! 

Edited June 15, 2020 by 59bisquik

[BobDeSoto]

Neutral is in the middle

[59bisquik]

Ugh... the 8 3/4 is a 2.76. That I think is way too high. I was hoping for a 3.55.

[Plymouthy Adams]

9 minutes ago, 59bisquik said:

Ugh... the 8 3/4 is a 2.76. That I think is way too high. I was hoping for a 3.55.

when you lower the rear ratio...……………...up the CUBIC INCHES...…..!!! I have the 2.76 in one vehicle and powered by a 383.....I have another 2.76 in the wings with the 400 mated big block....so while the 2.76 is not the gear of choice...if 8 3/4 it is easily swapped out later once installed.  Odds are someone will swap with a you providing a tad of boot for them a highway gear and you a slight grunt gear.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Plymouthy Adams

[59bisquik]

I was thinking the 3.55 with the R10 would be perfect for the highway and still have a bit down low for street light to street light fun. I have plenty of torque with the 325. Guess I will have to experiment. That's a big jump from the 3.73 I have now.

[Radarsonwheels]

I always ran 4.10 in my ‘72 demon 408 smallblock stroker but that was with an iron case 833OD that had a .71 overdrive for highway cruising. Plus that car revved to 6000 really fast and was all forged and blueprinted to scream.
 

My ‘54 C-series with the 512 motor I used 3.21 gears which turned out to be perfect since the torque is massive everywhere and there’s little benefit in revving past 4500 unless I’m on the dragstrip. 
 

These were both on a 28” tire. 
 

My old dart swinger (27” tire) started with a beat 198 cid slant six and 2.76 gears. It was a dependable grocery getter/cruiser. 
 

Then I put 3.73 gears in it behind a ported head, 2 barrel holley, long tube headers, and a mild cam. It became not a fast car but a fun car around town and ok on the highway. I kept swapping in new to me junkyard shortblocks and transmissions when I would beat the rod bearings out of them driving around lead-footed.

 

I know you have a v8 early hemi- for sure they can be built any way you want- you have a mild hotrod right? Decent idle and off idle performance and good power to 4500? And a little more power up to maybe 5500 but if you’re like me you rarely abuse the vintage mill and you don’t have to rev it to the moon for it to be rumbly and fun anyway?

 

I would say 3.2X if you run the interstate a lot driving to shows or 3.55 if you want a little more pep. Of course if you are mostly boppin around town 3.73 is sporty. 
 

The ultimate is a 2.76 one legger for trips and 4.10 sure grip for around town, takes about an hour or less to swap out in an 8.75 banjo rear. If you are in practice and have air or rechargable impact it can be a 20 min job.

 

Still waiting for a ride along video- if you lived closer I’d have seen your truck in person by now!

Edited June 18, 2020 by Radarsonwheels

[Los_Control]

8 minutes ago, Radarsonwheels said:

If you are in practice and have air or rechargable impact it can be a 20 min job.

You hit a sore spot with me. ... I had a 1961 sweptline 1/2 ton slant 6, 4 speed ... Brother inlaw pulled out the 4:10 gears and installed what I think was a 3:73 gear.

6 months down the road, BIL said he still had the original 4:10 posi rear end for it if you want it .... sure I said, be glad to put it back the way it came ... It drove a little funky with the 3:73 but not terrible. And since it was just a truck sitting in the back and filled with garbage and drove a few times a month ... not a big deal.

 

Fast forward a few months later, A buddy I worked with had a 1969 roadrunner 4spd car that was really sharp, he wanted to buy the 4:10 posi rear end from me, He was running some junk yard 3:00 something rear end. From factory his car came with the 4:10 posi.

I had no interest in selling it, I installed it in my $50 truck.

If I could only go back in time, I would give him that rear end just to make his car right.

It is a simple 30 minute swap.

[59bisquik]

I have alot to do such as fool with my lifters again and find a weird noise I have had from the beginning. Of course there is also the R10 to put back together and install. I have plenty of time to decide what to do with the 8 3/4.

 

With the torque the hemi has, I rarely need to get it over 5k to have fun. I think 3.73's or 3.55's will be a good street light to street light and highway combo. 

 

I will decide once I get her back together and get a feel for the R10. Then I can decide if I need a higher freeway gear or not.

 

My original rear with the 54 Plymouth 3.73s works well and is rebuilt. I like the idea of the 8 3/4 because it looks more factory than a 8.8 or D35.  Secondly, a disc brake upgrade is cheap and easy to find versus making one for the tapered axle setup. 

[59bisquik]

Scored a chrome front bumper this weekend! It's old chrome and will need rechromed to match the rest of the truck. However, the hard work of smoothing out a factory bumper to be chrome worthy is already done. I also scored what the seller says is a stock rear bumper. I posted another thread on that one.

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by 59bisquik

[40Club]

Bisquik whats future for the 4V manifold look like? I just bought a 315 Hemi and am looking for 1.

 

[59bisquik]

25 minutes ago, 40Club said:

Bisquik whats future for the 4V manifold look like? I just bought a 315 Hemi and am looking for 1.

 

Not sure yet... I gotta get all the Hilborn stuff figured out first. That could be a while the way things are going.

[59bisquik]

Just a quick update. Been busy with sand season so not alot being done on the truck. I did happen to get farther on my Hilborn unit. A buddy of mine made me some spacers that stand the stacks up and give me a place to mount the injectors without tapping the original manifold. Just waiting on the second adapter to be finished and the fuel rails to be tapped. I did speak wit FAST and it looks like they will be the EFI computer for me! Hopefully I can get more work done on this shortly.

[59bisquik]

[59bisquik]

Getting closer... fuel rails built. Almost time to start running vacuum tubing and sensors. Will need to reclock the distributor to get the vacuum advance out of the way too.

Edited March 28, 2021 by 59bisquik