50 fleetline

shine

Member
well i have finally cornered the market on chevy fleetlines. 2 complete cars and a good parts car . going to be a long road to finished. i've wanted to build this car for a long time. actually wanted an Oldsmobile but too hard to find. i have one more to go look at to see if it has anything i need. car will be a luxury protouring car with c5 suspension and ls3/6speed auto . lot of subtle mods and wood trim inside. the sheetmetal will set bare for a long time so it will get blasted and soaked in acid. with the vette suspension i will have to build on a jig and reshape the rear tubs and trunk floor. hope to get it at least a roller before the move .
this is an example of where it is headed.
 

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Still deciding on drivetrain. I have a good contact on ls1/2 and auto. About 6k difference in cost. Got plenty of time as I may wait until after the move to start it . Going to be a ton of work either way .
 
the ls has replaced the 350 . it is what is expected now days . only thing different would be a hemi i guess. no way in hell i'm putting a coyote in it . i want to sell it not live in it .
 
These C5/C6 suspension adapters from Dobbertin Performance allow you to use the entire C5 drivetrain. I used them along with a stretched torque tube from Gamel Street Rods to put the complete C5 drivetrain under my 56 Cameo pickup.

http://rick486.wixsite.com/dobbertinperformance

thanks for the link . i am in the planning stages right now. just deciding if i want to do the trans axle thing or not. eats up a lot of room in the back seat area. going to have to do a lot of research .
 
Just go with a Roadstershop chassis. We can help you spend your moneyo_O
Lots of top side eye candy you can put on an LS engine, intake manifolds, valve covers, cold air intakes, you can make it look anyway you want and still have fuel injection and computer managed.
Looks like a lot of block sanding in your future...
 
Still deciding on drivetrain. I have a good contact on ls1/2 and auto. About 6k difference in cost. Got plenty of time as I may wait until after the move to start it . Going to be a ton of work either way .

Only choice for the big bucks on this car is LS3 or bigger LS or a new LT.
know one 52 that is done first class and not for sale but just walked away from $180 some thou.
Want to say he has a LS9 with auto matching trans.
 
thanks for the link . i am in the planning stages right now. just deciding if i want to do the trans axle thing or not. eats up a lot of room in the back seat area. going to have to do a lot of research .

Rear IRS transaxle helps get to 50/50 front to rear weight ratio which is optimal for handling etc. I think I will be close on my 56 Cameo and have named it Project Fiddy Fiddy - Fiddy Six. . Unsprung weight is lower too which improves ride quality.

Don
 
the big decision is where i want to be when done. there are only 2 real markets for a car like this 65k or 100k+ . two completely different worlds especially on the investment side. you can get sideways real quick on a build . i see many at auction that fail to break even and many loose money . plenty of time to decide .
 
If you are re-selling it then I guess you gotta go with what sells. If you are keeping it, if it was mine I'd go with a fuel injected Joe Mondello influenced stroked Olds 455. I thought the world of Joe. He was a really good guy. Smart as hell too. That whole generation is just about gone now. Sad.
 
Having an LS1/ t56 transplant since 2002 before they got commonly used, it's easy to understand their popularity now. Cookies are good.
I agree transaxle wouldn't be worth it for resale. Some block sanding & not so overly common dress up would be worth it to look the higher end less than average part.
 
the big decision is where i want to be when done. there are only 2 real markets for a car like this 65k or 100k+ . two completely different worlds especially on the investment side. you can get sideways real quick on a build . i see many at auction that fail to break even and many loose money . plenty of time to decide .

From what I see the people that spend the money for these type car want all the play toys and computer controlled drive train of a new car but the old style look.
Like one guy said to me and wife at an auction as we were looking at cars in the tents, I want something the wife and i can drive across country in in comfort,
Good example is the last auction a early 70 pickup went well into the mid $100,000 and a lot were going for 30-$70,000. Don't really remember all the
facts but that one had everything inside with leather that a new Car would have and either a new LS or LT as caught my eye but had no interest so just a glance.

Also not to start no crap as i love GM's as well as any old car but remember years back at auction I was looking to buy a 40 ford for my dad as he sold his in 1951 to buy ring for mom.
But I wanted something modernized, 50 feet away we saw a beautiful 40 ford us and about 10 others went to it, as soon as we saw the 327 in there all left except one person. Just not into wrong make motor in another make and I knew my dad would have a fit and not like it and he retired from GM.

Over the years when you see these transplants I think it eliminates maybe 50% of the potential bidders.
 
my goal is to build a luxury pro touring car . the main goal is for it to look like it all belongs . i dont want a bunch of shiny ill fitting billet junk . the train on that stuff has left the station . i have a line on a ls3/auto out of a camaro i will go look at .
 
my goal is to build a luxury pro touring car . the main goal is for it to look like it all belongs . i dont want a bunch of shiny ill fitting billet junk . the train on that stuff has left the station . i have a line on a ls3/auto out of a camaro i will go look at .
That will be an L99 not an LS3 if it was mated to a 6 speed auto. VVT and AFM which is ok so long as you know what you are getting and don’t pay LS3 money for it. Variable valve timing and active fuel management through injector deactivation.

Don
 
Sometimes takeout motors can be good if you get everything with it . Accessories , matching trans , harness, fans, etc. This stuff can nickel & dime you to death with a crate engine.
 
https://www.copart.com/locations/

Shine this place is a goldmine. only thing is if you win the bid the insurance company that owns the salvage can refuse but they want to sell and on one car wanted $2000 more than bid, guess they knew what the supercharger vette was worth.
another 1 year old vette bought for 15,000 had top shaved off but complete drive train , wiring and interior was used in old truck.
The wiring on the 2015 filled a whole pallet and about 3 feet high.

Lots of good deals here but you must inspect first as one Mercedes was shipped to buyer without the engine and trans. (bought site unseen)
 
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