Thread: 57 Chevy Cruizer

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Lookin' Good Dave.

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

You're probably right Charlie!!! Sure is fun to just have my own stuff to work on, I've still got a bunch of them to do! When I sold the big shop and started working out of my garage this is what I was going to do, just got interrupted but a dozen or so customer builds!!!! No more though, the last couple guys I had to put up with while building their cars have convinced me that it's just not worth all the grief!!!!

Dave,that's one of the reasons I decided to stick to the fiberglass,and only do our own cars..Had a gutsful of people wanting a $10k rebuild for half price,,''and can I pick it up next week,and pay for it next month'' scenario..

Pretty much the same thing I was up against on this last episode, Robin... Didn't want to take on the project anyway, another shop had started it and we all know how that crap goes, takes twice as long to re-do something then to do it right. Anyway he talked me into it, further I got into the car the more things I found messed up. Make a long story short I ended up being the bad guy, charged too much and took to long. He tried to threaten me with the old, 'If it's not done by Monday I'm going to come and get it'.----After all the other grief I'd put up with during the course of the build I told him to just come and get it right now!!! and of course wrote off the monies he still owed me. Oh well, one more guy I can add to the list of people who will never again darken my doorway!!!!

I've got 5 of my own projects sitting right here, and a bunch more out at the farm. Going to just build cars the way I want them, if somebody wants to buy them, fine. If not, that's fine too, just more to put in line at the big auction when I finally tip over!!!!!

Dave, somehow I just now saw this build thread of yours and I only have one, er uh make that 2 things to say.
1. ALL TRI-CHEVIES ROCK
2. that was my era and I have been lost in the fifties ever since

keep the updates comin', friend !

Originally Posted by MelloYello

Dave, somehow I just now saw this build thread of yours and I only have one, er uh make that 2 things to say.
1. ALL TRI-CHEVIES ROCK
2. that was my era and I have been lost in the fifties ever since

keep the updates comin', friend !

Yeah, it was kind of back burnered for a spell, then went through a complete change of direction on theme for the build, and now I'm proceeding on with it, well, sort of, when I feel like it!!!!

and if all that makes sense, you must be retired too!!!!

I'm retired and change directions every few minutes some days.

Originally Posted by techinspector1

I'm retired and change directions every few minutes some days.

Hey Richard, I resemble that comment!!!!!!!!

Actually, been doing a bit of work on the sheet metal most every day, and finalizing plans for the frame and suspension. Three of us going in on a tubing order this year, sure does help with the pricing and the freight when you get a large order together, and allows you to do business with the larger, more reputable steel suppliers and avoid that import crap!!

Anyway, it's going to be a fun build and I'm really looking forward to being able to devote more time to it.

Dave----to PLAN AHEAD for a tubing order---I always order a lot of the smaller stuff, especially SS for brake, fuel lines and smaller 4130 for braces,pedals, linkages in sizes/wall thickness that gives an id that is correct size for tapping-------

lots of times adding a couple hundred feet of the smaller less $$/ft stuff gets the footage up to where the whole package costs less-------------

If you have a rep at the steel company that will give you a list of prices at the different footage groupings you can work out a very nice price for the bundle that you need---

I used to do this in reverse--ordering tubing for building Karts (total of 75 ft/per kart) I would add some 1 5/8 .083 so I could PLAY ------------its amazing that when going to the next footage grouping that sometimes the price would be less than half------

Or show up @ Shapiro supply with cash and go straight to Stan's office !

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Dave----to PLAN AHEAD for a tubing order---I always order a lot of the smaller stuff, especially SS for brake, fuel lines and smaller 4130 for braces,pedals, linkages in sizes/wall thickness that gives an id that is correct size for tapping-------

lots of times adding a couple hundred feet of the smaller less $$/ft stuff gets the footage up to where the whole package costs less-------------

If you have a rep at the steel company that will give you a list of prices at the different footage groupings you can work out a very nice price for the bundle that you need---

I used to do this in reverse--ordering tubing for building Karts (total of 75 ft/per kart) I would add some 1 5/8 .083 so I could PLAY ------------its amazing that when going to the next footage grouping that sometimes the price would be less than half------

Dave I stumbled across this article, this morning about Ford choosing to go with an aluminum body on the new F150. Thought I'd share it.


The word from the Wall Street Journal is that Ford's planning to build the next generation F-150 with a largely aluminum body. Their goal is to cut down the weight of the truck by a whopping 700lbs. Ideally, this would increase gas mileage significantly, and allow for the use of smaller engines. In addition, it'll be getting a more muscular look to match it's brand new body.

Building in aluminum has it's issues, however. For one it's expensive. Steel has the benefit of being cheap to manufacture and fix, while aluminum is more difficult to work with. In general, it costs between $1.5 to $2 to cut one pound of weight from a car by using aluminum over steel. Richard Schultz, managing director of metals at consultancy Ducky Worldwide, estimates a $1,500 bump in material costs to the F-150 should Ford go through with it. That's not even including the retooling costs required for large scale aluminum adoption.

This sounds like a risky gamble for Ford on one of their most popular models, but the payoffs could be huge. While aluminum isn't quite as resilient as steel, it's very strong. Ford's Raptor actually uses aluminum control arms and hasn't had a problem yet. Aluminum is also the least expensive way to add lightness to stress bearing components while maintaining strength. Although it might make for a more expensive F-150 in the short term, there's indicators that an aluminum body would actually make for a better truck overall.

We're getting our specs together on what the 3 of us will need over the winter, the 1 5/8" .083 will be a large part of the order. As you mentioned, Jerry, the number of sticks on the order significantly lowers the price!!!!! Usually comes out to about 1/3 to 1/4 less on price then any one of us could have got had we placed individual orders!!!! Usually the footage discounts more then pays the freight!!!!

Hey Howard, do you know Stan very well??? Used to buy some from Shapiro's back in the sprint car days, would be a good excuse to go to St. Louis, anyway!!!!!

Steve, saw a short blurb on the aluminum body possibility on one of the Ford Sites I frequent.... I'd be surprised if the bean counters don't kill it though.... I drove one of the new F-150's with the 300 hp V-6, decent power for the truck, don't think I'd want to tow with it!!!! Now, if that same V-6 were in a Ranger, think it'd be a blast!

Dave,I don't know him real well,me & my best buddy Jeff had a connection thru Jerry Russell (Eagle Chassis) back in the 80's to mid 90's. We being tight wad racers by neccesity would clone the latest chassis for our own use plus sell one here and there for tire money. We would go up there on a sturday morning and get Stan bench racing, then tell him what we needed, He'd say yeah I got it in stock,Thats gonna be cash right ? We'd say of course and leave with a truck full of chromemolly tubing, short some cash and no sales ticket.
I would bet he's not around there much any more as he would have to be in his 70's.

Originally Posted by HWORRELL

Dave,I don't know him real well,me & my best buddy Jeff had a connection thru Jerry Russell (Eagle Chassis) back in the 80's to mid 90's. We being tight wad racers by neccesity would clone the latest chassis for our own use plus sell one here and there for tire money. We would go up there on a sturday morning and get Stan bench racing, then tell him what we needed, He'd say yeah I got it in stock,Thats gonna be cash right ? We'd say of course and leave with a truck full of chromemolly tubing, short some cash and no sales ticket.
I would bet he's not around there much any more as he would have to be in his 70's.

Yeah, I keep forgetting about that age thing whereas we're all getting so dang ancient, Stan has got to be retired by now.... Heck, don't think I've got anything from him since mid-80's!!!!!! He had what we needed and got it to us right away, I do remember that much!!!!

Originally Posted by techinspector1

I'm retired and change directions every few minutes some days.

I'm NOT retired,and I still change directions every few minutes some days.. In fact...I did it today,on a regular basis...

300hp from a v-6, not too shabby, but sounds like low torque issues for towing? Used to struggle with that one! Every hunting season, we'd hop in the old jeep cj-7 and start the slow climb up some steep 4x4 logging roads, the old straight six has the guts to make it to the top of each grade, though it will never win a drag race!