Hey all Well its been awhile and I must admit there hasn't been a lot of time for working on the toys lately.The 49 is kind of at a standstill until the new wiring harness arrives.So that leaves the 54 and i'd like to tell you all is going well but kind of not.As some may recall after driving the car as is for a few years I decided to start on replacing some of the questionable body panels.I had bought a set of fender skirts for the car but my rear quarters were just too floppy to install them and trust they would stay in place.As well I knew when I bought the car there was some bondo in the rockers that hopefully I would get to sometime.Well after tearing into the car this late summer I found out a few things,the front fenders had both been patched on the lower rears and not well.Really the just put a patch panel on the rear of theholes and filled it with a layer of bondo.Also on the top of the d.s headlight brow was more bondo patching up holes.Then it was onto the rockers and pretty much what I knew,the drivers side had a couple big holes with equally large amounts of bondo slathered on,i mean an inch thick in places,the rear jutout was all but gone,more holes in the rear door dogleg and rear inner fender at the front.Next I cut out the rear wheel arches only to find the last inch and a half of inner fender just doesn't exsist.Onto the trunk where the rear inner quarters were badly rotted,the outer trunk panels have some holes as well as the rear trunk extension.I must admit the passenger side is a lot better but again inner wheelwell rot and rockers have a few smaller holes.There is also a bunch of rot at the very front by the body pinch area at the firewall and a 3 inch hole in the d.s floor under the seat.To my surprise and dismay there just aren't a lot of body panels made for the 54's.Not sure why cause they are lots for my 49 which doesn't need any.I did find inner and outer rockers,floor pan,rear inner quarter and outer quarters but no one makes inner wheelwells or the side trunk extensions.Really I was a bit surprised as I thought there must be thousands of 54's out there and body parts would be common.So now I was looking at 100's of hours of fabrication until I happened upon this the other week.I found a complete 1954 4 door chevy body shell that is 99% solid as could be.It literally has one small area to fix.Oh did I mention the big roof dent in mine they fixed with bondo to add to the list.So now i'm at a crossroads,do I fix my original body,i could cut up the chevy for panels or do I ditch my body and mount up the 54 chevy.
I don't know much about 54s but can you make the 54 Chevy body a Pontiac with less work? I know the back fenders look different at the top back can you do some fandangling? I personally think the Pontiac is a better looking car but would choose the more time and cost effective way to get the end result
you will have a different dash on that chev body thats about it have a look at your frame behind the rear wheels check that before you make a decision not sure about back fenders i thought the same?
if it were me, I would consider choosing the chevy as a good replacement if it's very good. The things to replace are: dash, top cowl dash and that's it. But you'll need to adjust doors, hood, and trunk. They won't fit 100% right the first time.
If your Pontiac body is poor, the frame is too?, Use of a chevy frame is a good thing too. But things to consider are: front crossmember, side trans. support, and parkbrake location, exhaust support, hole for brake line, hole for gas line.
hope this help
Fitz.
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www.FitzbackGarage.com Look for Easy Steering in your vintage Poncho, Look for the EasyDrive Power Steering System in the web site
Hey all
Thanks for the advice,i think I will probably end up using the 54 chevy body and reuse my doors,trunk,etc.I did get a nice set of front fenders in the deal,not sure if they are the same length as the Pontiac ones.I know the trim holes are slightly different but nothing that welding up a few holes and drilling some new ones won't cure if they measure up the same.I noticed the Pontiac fenders have a small indent up where the grill mount that the chevy fenders don't.Not sure if that matters as it is hidden from view when the grill is mounted.My frame is still really good so no worries there.I know the dash will have to be swapped,not sure if its bolted or spot welded in.The inner and outer rockers have been done already on the chevy body.Just one little fix on the ps rear wheelwell I think so far.I will keep the original body and fix it as time allows and see if I can find a donor at the wrecker to cut the panels I need from.That one at flatila might be of use.They are actually not far from me,maybe 2 hours and I have always meant to make a trip there.First priority will be to get the chevy mounted on my homemade rotessrie,sandblasted and in epoxy primer.Then it can sit until it warms up enough to paint it.
The front fender are not identical, but are the same length. The little dent in the front and hole on side are mostly the only differences between the two. The dash and the top cowl are welded.
Fitz
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www.FitzbackGarage.com Look for Easy Steering in your vintage Poncho, Look for the EasyDrive Power Steering System in the web site
I surprised at the rarity of our cars and especially of mine. As they were very common when I was young. I put Chev fenders on my Deluxe Pathfinder. They were not a perfect fit around by the grill and park lights but I was working as an autobody man and painter at the time so it really wasn't a problem. I live in Spruce Lake Sask. I also have a 53 Chev Belair parts car and a 53 Pontiac Laurentian 4dr Parts car. The Pontiac has been robbed a lot as I have had it since 73.
