1954 Chevy Dead Sled

I love it,nice work

Great fab work. Back to stock.

Everything is just sitting loose on her. Just mock up stage right now.

I need some really skinny 15" rims for the front and 15X8's or 10" for the back if anyone has anything laying around.

Looking great, Steve!  

Later,

Lee

I have the rear end ripped out of it and the car is half in and half out of the garage so no front end work while it's raining. I couldn't sit around today so I messed with the part that was in the garage, the back. One thing I hated about this car was the way they cut the trunk in two and molded the bottom to the car.

While wanting to keep it a custom the back of the car was so screwed up only thing I could think to do with it was to extend the 1/4's and run a continental kit on it. I made a frame and started shaping metal for the back. After going over the car I gave up on a nice custom. She's too far gone. I cut all the crap back off and dug out what was left of the trunk.

Not sure why all the Bondo. He put Bondo all over everything. There is some spots it needed filler but he covered parts that were straight as could be. Layer on top of layer of Bondo. I had to take a cut off wheel and make cuts in it and use a hammer and screwdriver to chip away at it.

After getting all the Bondo from around the trunk I cut through the spot welds to get the bottom of the trunk from the body.

You can see the left rear 1/4 has been slammed and beat back out. The bottom of the body below the trunk is gone as is the taillight sections where they brazed in the Stude taillights. She's a rough ol' gal.

I chipped away at more Bondo and then cleaned up where I was going to weld. I hung the trunk back in the car and lined it up with the body. I wasn't happy to see whoever cut the trunk in half didn't just make one cut. He took an inch or so out of it. If you pull the two pieces together there is a 1" or more gap at the bottom. Oh well, I spot welded to bottom back on the car to make it easier to weld the two and a filler piece was cut to mate the two together once again.

Almost done with the added piece.


Not knowing any history past the last 17 years I wonder how long ago that the trunk did this?


More and more Bondo being chipped away. Little by little.



I still need to add some metal to the inner braces when I get back on it.

I'll be looking for a trunk lid but just in case I can't find one this will do for a while.

I never like that trunk on that beater anyway good job steve make it your way already looks 110 percent better!!!

Bad idea all the way around. The floors in this car is really nice. I'd say the trunk was the same way before they cut the deck lid in two. There was no place for the rain water to run to other than into the car. It rotted the trunk floor out.

Hey if you can make a trunk lid a trunk floor should be no problem   you putting the taillights back also? 

I don't have the taillights so I'm going to make something close to them and mold it all in like they are frenched. The metal is so screwed up around the taillights stock bezels wouldn't bolt in anyway.

Im confident youll come up with something that looks right !

It's a real shame that this wound up being such a hack job, Steve. At least in your capable hands it will be respectable again, sir.  

Later,

Lee

As you can see the taillights have seen better days. The body was cut up for Stude lights and the left side was in a crash and messed up.


Bent up some round stock to form a taillight opening and made a template.

Lookin good bro.

Dang! Wow, that looks terrific!

later,

Lee

Man you do some good work.It's looking better every time I look at this post.