1959 Chevy Kingswood project

While I'm thinking about it, there are two parts the body shop needs: the drip rail for the rear roof area, and the metal inner tailgate panel. They've sent me on the hunt for them. I've put a query out on Craigslist and have asked a couple of Ebay sellers, but maybe you guys have some ideas, too?

 

No they are not. It is in line for a complete restoration, as is the convertible. The '61 is the last car I did the restoration on. Since then I've had to farm the work out. The '63 conv. is started but is not finished, I'll finish it myself one of these days.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/f...ent.php?attachmentid=17935&stc=1&d=1406264426

 

Beware - the later year Chevy 250s were of the "integral head" design. You don't want to have to deal with that. If you were to go with anything other than a V8 then a truck engine is really the only way to go. 292/6, 302/6 and of course the 305 V6 pictured. Personally I think your husband would have a field day building and tuning the V8. He's technical enough to tune and perfect a fuel injection system and 300+ HP is easy and reliable.
While it's apart now would be a great time to have the shop box the frame wherever possible. You've seen the video and just how weak these old cars really are structurally. You can't redesign it but you can at least strengthen what you've got.
Regarding the Powerglide: you probably won't use it but don't scrap it. Is a good rebuildable core and I'm sure somebody out there could use it. They were short enough to be interchangeable with some manual trans and robust enough to handle nearly 400hp stock. Gm threw them behind the sixes and in trucks but they could handle anything the v8s of the time could put out. They can do it all but only with 2 speeds. That's both a good thing and a bad thing.

 

my 59 needed the drip rail over the tailgate also and the shop i took it to fabricated a new piece.but they were a restoration shop not a body shop if that makes a difference. it actually slides out if i remember correctly and the new piece the y made slid right back in. and the tailgate panel is pretty simple just a flat piece of sheetmetal . you can basically see the outline of the panel if you follow the bolt holes around the tailgate and notch out around the tailgate window

 

Regarding the tailgate panel:
If you're unable to source one an alternative solution would be to use the existing as a template and Craft one out of fiberglass. Add a bit of upholstery and no one will ever know. Tuner/stereo guys do this all the time.
Hope it helps.

 

ditch the slip and slide powerglide as we used to call them. if you do nothing else the most dramatic improvement you will make would be to upgrade to an overdrive transmission
mine had a 283 ,with a powerglide when i first got it and drove it around

 

Oh, that is gorgeous! Do you have any pics of your others?

 

The shop owner does enjoy metal fabrication and he has the equipment to do it, but I guess fabricating a new inner tailgate panel would cost more than sourcing a new one. Am I calling it the wrong thing? It is a flat piece, but there are a lot of cutouts for the tailgate/window innards. So if we can't find the parts, he can probably make them. So to your knowledge, the drip rail isn't being produced and sold through the parts shops?

 

I'm beginning to understand!

 

Huh... there's a thought. I guess there's no way the original could be de-rusted and patched enough to make it useable... but it could at least be a decent template.

 

:is this the flat plate that unbolts to allow access to the tailgate window mechanism or the actual tailgate? either way this piece would need to be supported very well as whenever you climb into the back this panel will bear all your weight . i dont think fiberglass would work, now if you go carbon fiber that is another story

here are 2 fun fyi's for you about your wagon
1- it is not true that at high speeds the rear end will lift off the ground - motor trend did a write up about this exact issue and found it to be impossible. i can attest to it not flying away at triple digit speeds
2- one of the engineers who worked on the 59's said they were so wide that some of the southern states were going to require side marker lights like on trucks down the side of the body until gm went to the states and clarified the laws

 

Aw... disappointing to learn that those batwings don't really fly.

It's this panel. Sorry for the blurry pic:

 

if it is the plate that covers the exposed holes in the tailgate that is a basic simple pice of sheetmetal. i could measure the thickness if you don't need it soon but your only looking at like a 1/16" thick sheet. if it is the section of tailgate shown you might need to replace the gate

all of those hole s pictured from what i see are supposed to be there but get covered by the piece that is missing

 

It is the section shown. The plate that covered that is at the upholster's shop.

I just got back from the body shop and the owner told me he can cut the lower section of the panel away and weld a patch. He wasn't too worried about not finding a replacement panel. Same for the drip rail; he can fabricate it.

 

Bought the hubcaps today. I THINK the dirty one in the middle is the correct one. Does anyone know? If not, I can trade these out.




Hubcap shops are fun, aren't they?