Well, after taking some time off from Blogging and mourning over the sale of our beloved Florida home on the water "Mystic Lady" I thought I would bring you up to date on our newest challenge. It may take a while but I will sift thru the 3000+ pictures of the "Build Process" of Christine's 47 Chevy Street Rod.
Purchased by Aaron Oliver from the original owner in Jamestown, Tennessee in 2009 with the DREAM of turning this old Chevrolet into a beautiful, fast Street Rod. But after 9 years, hundreds of hours labor, and no telling how much money he said he had enough. Sooooo..here we go. Can we get it done.👫
of every bolt, nut, and part. All old hardware is replaced,
Frame is stripped to get ready for media blasting
And the body work continues.....for several years
Frame is moved outside and media blasted to remove dirt and rust .
A lot of parts to be removed
The project was started in an old dairy barn in Jamestown, TN.
No heat or Air Conditioning in this barn, just a fan and space heater
It will be seal coated, primed, and painted
2010-2012
Chassis Engineering Inc. components are also mocked up
Frame is checked for alignment and straightness......all good!!!!
Only one area of floor needed replacing...
2010-2012
most cars this old would need new floor
Body and engine mocked up into frame and body assembly...
Media blasted and sealed...
2011-2012
9 inch Ford posi-traction gear set up and ready to assemble
Far too many unnecessary holes from the old days
Ready for metal repairs and first coat of primer
Easiest way to media blast the underside
Body prepped and ready for media blasting..
2010
First coat of sealer applied before more body work
All mocked up and ready to disassemble again...
All body components media blasted and sealed.
Primer and Paint comes later
Disc brakes installed front and rear
Body work is looking good...almost time to prime
Engine mounts installed and engine block mocked up
Notice the new barn door....snow was blowing into shop in winter
2013-2017 AAron took off two years to travel
Balanced Crankshaft and Thumper Cam too
Almost ready
Everything removed from frame again and final paint...
All body parts coming together nicely
Suspension components and diff installed on freshly painted frame
Mocking up dash...still more work to do here.
Radio hole will be deleted later
Mocking up rear differential components
Engine mocked up, cowl finished, body mounted.
Now take it all apart again to paint the frame black
Returning to the dairy barn after fresh paint job at his
72 year old gas tank cleaned and tested.....
2018
Brother-In-Laws body shop
Aaron's farewell picture after 9 years with this project
JANUARY 2019
Some pictures are out of sync with the time frame
A truck and trailer loaded with boxes of parts
and an old car that needs a lot of finishing up
2018
Fenders will be a darker grey
2018
MOVED INTO OUR SHOP ...JANUARY 2, 2019
Parked the car and left for Florida two days later.
Had to get "Mystic Lady" pulled out on Jan. 7th.
Ready for assembly and all that finishing up
JUNE 2019
First things first.....I said I would build Christine a Hot Rod
But I didn't say I would do it laying on the ground..
Gotta get this lift installed in the shop before we start this project
LATE 2020
This grill was a huge challenge due to the number of pieces
JANUARY 2020
We can thank Don Smith's Glass and Upholstery for handling
the jobs we weren't qualified to do. They do outstanding work
there in Tennessee. Dropped off today to have the glass installed.
It takes a village to do that job
Lokar floor shifter and wiring a steering column
Radiator had to be relocated, different fan installed, radiator
support reinforced, and brackets fabricated to hold the
Air Conditioner condenser
match the rest of the car
2021
I hand painted this old tire just so Christine could see if she
still wanted the "FAT WHITE WALLS". They will look better
on the new chrome wheels.
RED NECK ARTWORK...looks awesome,
if I do say so myself. Stainless Steel with electronic cut-outs
A lot of serious engineering went into making the oversized exhaust
and cut-outs fit round and under the frame
Installing the rubber seals around the doors
and insulating doors for sound deadening
Mama helping to install the fenders ...she did good.
Boxes and boxes of parts to be painted or chromed, and installed
Speakers will be covered in matching upholstery
Window frames have to be painted before going to upholstery shop
MAY 2021
Quite a challenge to wire a 73 year old car from scratch....
Mounting and balancing the new wheels and tires.
Engine bay under red LED's....really cool at night
Christine selected the colors and patterns for the Interior.
Tailpipes added later....Christine said side pipes were too loud
Also fabricated an aluminum heat shield under gas tank.
Almost finished, just needs wheels and tires and a few minor touches.
Including a complete interior...back to Clarksville soon.
Christine is liking the interior she chose...
Mocking up cooling system and air conditioning components.
Found problems with fan clearance and radiator support..
Including a complete interior...back to Clarksville soon.
had to modify most all of it
SOME PICTURES ARE NOT SYNCED WITH CORRECT TIME FRAME
But the red LED's is purely ME.
Red LED's in the trunk too...just to much light to see them
ARRIVED EARLY....REDNECK RUMBLE CAR SHOW...MAY 2021
Becky and Christine showing off the finished product in Tennessee.
Pretty good turn out considering all the Covid 19 bullshit.