• Home
  • News
    • Company News
    • New Product
    • Event Promotion
    • Racing News
  • Features
    • Classic Cars
    • Custom 4×4
    • Custom Classic
    • Custom Pick-Up
    • Custom VW
    • Drag Cars
    • Hot Rod
    • Muscle Cars
    • Race Cars
    • Rat Rod
  • Podcast
  • RestoMod TV
RestoMod
Advertisement
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Company News
    • New Product
    • Event Promotion
    • Racing News
  • Features
    • Classic Cars
    • Custom 4×4
    • Custom Classic
    • Custom Pick-Up
    • Custom VW
    • Drag Cars
    • Hot Rod
    • Muscle Cars
    • Race Cars
    • Rat Rod
  • Podcast
  • RestoMod TV
No Result
View All Result
RestoMod
No Result
View All Result

1955 CHEVY 210

Joe van Zyl by Joe van Zyl
Jan 4, 2022
in Hot Rod
0 0
0
1955 CHEVY 210

Owner:Dave Page 

Article By Karl Eriksen 

Photos by Antigrafika 

Built By RD Automotive

Dave of RD Automotive found the shell of this Chevy 210 in Johannesburg. He’s always been partial to the ’55, ’56 and ’57 models and chose the one he has now simply because it was available. It was in a relatively good condition, although the door sills, floor boards and back bumper section were rusted. The body panels themselves were still sound, but the car was painted in a black tar-like substance that hid the original colour, and this was quite difficult to remove. The biggest job by far was converting the original 4-door sedan into a 2-door car, which Dave and his business partner did themselves.

He says the reason for him doing this is that the 2-door is far more sought after and there are very few of them in the country. Nobody really wants a 4-door he says. He got all the 2-door version specifications he needed off the internet, and followed them exactly. The front doors had to be lengthened and the posts moved back (this is the only real difference between the two versions). The difficulty was getting the doors right, and these had to be cut in half and a 175mm wide steel section welded in. These then had to be worked and bent every which way so that they fitted the frame and closed properly without any gaps.

The rusted floorboards had been repaired with fibreglass when he got it, and that too had to be removed and replaced with steel. Dave initially thought of painting it a dark blue/pearl white but instead drove around looking for a colour that would be more appropriate for the car, and when he saw the new Kia with its ‘techno orange’, his mind was made up. He says: “It’s a bit jazzy without being too in your face.” I have to concur. It’s like being enveloped by a rich moving sunset, with a silver lining. All the chrome work, if it wasn’t rechromed, was replaced. The interior has been kept to its original look. Dave says he considered putting in bucket seats, like many people do with such rebuilds, but decided to keep it looking as original as possible.

The upholstery could have been neater, as he’s not too happy with some of the lines not matching up but, unless one is quite finicky, it’s not really that noticeable. The seat springs have quite a bit of life in them though, so even if the shock absorbers failed on a road trip, they would probably serve as sufficient compensation.  The engine is a Chevy 327 with a 600 Holley four-barrel carburettor and Edelbrock performance intake. It sounds like an angry lion squeezed into the small end of a funnel. This sound is deadened somewhat in the inside by the soundproofing that Dave has done, such as boxing up the boot and using the same material that is used around air conditioning ducts, in the doors and back panels. He has also mounted the body to the frame with 10mm hard-rubber blocks instead of bolting it directly, which dampens any vibration coming through from the chassis.

The transmission is a Turbo 350 Auto box. All the steering components, front suspension, gauges, windscreen and dash trim were brought in by Ralph at Motown Auto, from classic Chevy parts supplier, Danchuck, in the States. The suspension has two-inch drop spindles in front, and the original front drum brakes were converted to disc. Dave’s gone as wide as he could with the rear tyres, without interfering with the springs, as he says the car tends to roll as it is, and changing the springs to the inside of the chassis would exacerbate it. The wiring was redone by Clarke Auto Electrical. 

While we were talking about the car, some people came over to gawk at it. I said to Dave that he must get this a lot. He says that what is nice is that the car always gets a very positive response, because of its age. Unlike a Ferrari or Porsche, where people think you’re showing off, people are genuinely interested in the Chevy. I noticed that there were no wipers, and although Dave has the wiper motor and blades, he’s decided to not install them, as he reckons the car looks better without them.

He says that you don’t take a car like this out in the rain anyway, so he wouldn’t really be using them in any event. Once he has built a car, he quickly gets bored, so it won’t be long before he starts on his next project, which will most likely be a fibreglass kit ’32 Ford. He hasn’t done any road trips yet, as the car has only recently been completed. I could see that his son is itching to do one though, as long as it’s him behind the wheel (I recognise that glint in the eye). As the Chevy drives off, it’s like two sunsets converging against the horizon. 

 

Previous Post

1934 Ford Pick-up

Next Post

RINGBROTHERS UNIVERSITY – CHAPTER 2, PART II: GLAZE, GUIDE COAT AND PRIMER

Joe van Zyl

Joe van Zyl

Owner of RestoMod, RestoMod Tv and Joe's Rod Shop Podcast

Next Post
RINGBROTHERS UNIVERSITY Chapter 1 :Metal Prep

RINGBROTHERS UNIVERSITY - CHAPTER 2, PART II: GLAZE, GUIDE COAT AND PRIMER

Tags

454 Big Block Chevy 911Porsche 1940 Willys 1942Ford 1967 Pontiac Firebird 1967 VW Split Window Bus 1968 Ford Mustang Aircooled Mafia AMC Javelin BoostSA Dodge Challenger Dodge Demon Dutchmann Porsche Mallory Mofoco Freeway Flyer gearbox Motul MRP Motorsport MSD system Mustang Prestone Pro Stock Pro Street Ringbrothers Scribante Racing SpeedKore SRT Demon TEST DRIVE Weekend Racer Widebody Wilwood Zuffenhaus Fuchs

You My Have Missed

Safari Rat – the story behind this 1943 International
Car Features

Safari Rat – the story behind this 1943 International

May 25, 2022
1969 350 SS Convertible Camaro
Muscle Cars

1969 350 SS Convertible Camaro

Jan 4, 2022
THE FRANKEN-ROD THAT IS NO MORE
Rat Rod

THE FRANKEN-ROD THAT IS NO MORE

Jan 4, 2022
Rage Phoenix
Hot Rod

Rage Phoenix

Jan 4, 2022
Porsche 944 –  Outcast or outlaw
Car Features

Porsche 944 – Outcast or outlaw

May 26, 2022
Candy Crush
Muscle Cars

Candy Crush

Jan 4, 2022
ALONG CAME A SPIDER
Race Cars

ALONG CAME A SPIDER

Jun 21, 2022
1946 Ford Custom Pick-Up
Car Features

1946 Ford Custom Pick-Up

Apr 21, 2022

Recent News

1962 Chevy Biscayne

1962 Chevy Biscayne

Jun 27, 2022
The GALP Classic Car Rally is back! Be the first one to book your place!

The GALP Classic Car Rally is back! Be the first one to book your place!

Jun 27, 2022
Transmission flush – the 5 telltale signs of problems.

Transmission flush – the 5 telltale signs of problems.

Jun 27, 2022

Recent Posts

  • 1962 Chevy Biscayne
  • The GALP Classic Car Rally is back! Be the first one to book your place!
  • Transmission flush – the 5 telltale signs of problems.
  • This 1956 Chevy 210 is weather-worn ratty
  • LS Swapped A Sprint Car by All Out Performance

Menu

  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Feature my Ride
  • I want to be on the PODCAST
  • I want to be on the TV SHOW
  • Submit Press Release
  • Sign Up
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 RestoMod. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Company News
    • New Product
    • Event Promotion
    • Racing News
  • Features
    • Classic Cars
    • Custom 4×4
    • Custom Classic
    • Custom Pick-Up
    • Custom VW
    • Drag Cars
    • Hot Rod
    • Muscle Cars
    • Race Cars
    • Rat Rod
  • Podcast
  • RestoMod TV

© 2022 RestoMod. All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist