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Classic Cruising
Ten-Four for Two-Ten
A '55 Chevy classic gets a 21st-century retrofit
Wider and with styling and engineering much more in keeping with other GM models, the totally new car unveiled by Chevrolet in 1955 was an instant hit with buyers.
The new Chevy, with a 115-inch wheelbase chassis with improved rear leaf-spring suspension and new "spherical-joint" front suspension, handled better and delivered a more comfortable ride than previous models.
Style-wise, it was clean and functional while still falling in the low-price category. The front fenders held hooded headlamps that resembled those found on the Cadillac, and small, finned rear fenders featured small clamshell tail lamps.
But the large, Ferrari-inspired egg-crate grille seemed a bit out of place. North American buyers unfamiliar with imported sports cars were left scratching their heads. A more traditional full-width grille would appear on the '56 model.
Available in three series, the base One-Fifty came with entry-level trim. The Two-Ten series was Chevrolet's mid-price line and offered buyers more stainless-steel mouldings. The Bel Air series again represented the top trim level and delivered the most brightwork, while still appearing reserved in comparison to other models of the day.
The car also offered Chevy's first short-stroke, overhead-valve V-8 engine. Later dubbed the small-block Chevy, the engine and car would go on to become one of the most endearing icons of the 1950s. All through the '50s and '60s, the '55 Chevy was the used car most young drivers wanted. Affordable and easy to modify for better performance, it could be fashioned into everything from a sedate street cruiser to an all-out track-eating straight-line racer.
Today, the only change in this classic Chevy is that there are more choices, with a plethora of parts and upgrade packages available to the restorer.
Steve Burdy of St. Francois Xavier likes all things Chevrolet and had long wanted to add a vintage 1955 Chevy to his driveway. Two years ago, he spied a 1955 Chevrolet Two-Ten two-door model for sale online and knew it was the one he wanted.
"I got home at 1:15 a.m. after attending a social and noticed the owner had just posted the ad 15 minutes earlier, so I called him," Burdy recalls. Two days later, he and his wife Sharon headed for Neepawa to have a look at the car and, after a long test drive and checking the car out at a local shop, the little '55 was headed home.
Finished in India Ivory and Gypsy red, the car was V-8-powered with an automatic transmission and ran very well. "We drove it to several local car shows that fall and it caught the attention of many people, both young and old," Burdy says.
Though the 1995 paint job was in excellent condition, Burdy felt the suspension and powertrain left a lot to be desired, so in January 2010 he began a series of upgrades.
The engine was removed and replaced by a freshly rebuilt 350-cubic-inch V-8. The four-bolt main block was bored .060" over and fitted with forged pistons by Competition Engine Machine. Burdy's buddy, Doug Hauser, assembled the top end with a Crane hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft from Boots Auto Parts and Patriot Performance aluminium cylinder heads. With the help of his uncle, Jim Gagnon, they installed a mirror-polished Edelbrock aluminium dual-quad carburetor setup from Summit Racing.
Burdy then delivered the engine to Canadian Super Shop for a proper break-in on their Superflow engine dyno. After the break-in period, mechanic Sam Sanders used his tuning skills to get the engine to its sweet spot. Successive dyno runs put maximum power just a hair below 350 horsepower.
Before sliding the engine into the car, Burdy cleaned and painted the engine compartment after spending numerous hours welding and filling in unnecessary holes in the firewall and front inner fenders.
The engine is backed by a 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission that had been custom-built by Ron Marchel. The power is fed back to a Currie-built nine-inch Ford rear axle with 3.73:1 gear ratio in a positraction unit. Rear springs are original, rebuilt by Neul's Springs. The exhaust features Sanderson ceramic-coated headers leading to a full stainless-steel custom dual-exhaust system from Pypes.
To bring the '55 up to snuff in the handling department, Classic Performance Products of California supplied new four-wheel disc brakes, tubular upper and lower control arms, QA1 coil over shock absorbers and two-inch dropped front spindles, The factory steering was replaced with a power rack-and-pinion unit from Unisteer, and a Hotchkis 1 3/8" front sway bar and one-inch rear bar keep the tires firmly planted on the pavement. New 17-inch Crager Classic 5-spokes turn on General Grabber directional radial tires.
Now standing 31/2 inches lower in front and 41/2 inches lower in the rear, the car sits with a slight rake and handling is greatly improved.
Lighting up front comes from new GE halogen headlamps and high-output yellow directional lamps. In back, new tail lamps from Danchuk feature high-output Night Hawk 1157 bulbs. A third brake light was incorporated into the billet aluminium licence-plate frame.
Inside, the car was totally rewired and Dakota Digital supplied a newly released gauge cluster. The old analog gauges were replaced with fully programmable electronic sweep-dial gauges. Using modern sensors, the unit has a speedometer, tachometer, oil, temperature and fuel gauges as well as two LCD screens to display engine functions, performance and trip logs.
The original AM radio gave way to a 90-watt AM/FM unit with auxilary input for an MP3 player. Looking like a clone of the original radio, it even features vintage-style knobs and push buttons. A new Bluetooth-enabled rear-view mirror does double duty with a built-in backup camera and display screen.
Burdy says he's still not finished bringing the vintage Chevy solidly into the 21st century. This winter will see further changes made to Birdman's '55, including power windows, power door locks, Vintage Air conditioning and perhaps new leather interior upholstery.
Makes you wish spring was just around the corner.