1957 Bel Air Restoration, at Fletchers Customs and Speed

[fletcherscustoms]

Here's another new project going on at Fletcher's Customs. Its a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air for a local customer named Stan McCellan, car has been in his family for 50 plus years, and has been through countless repaints and repairs, some that of course someone needs to be shot over. Car came to us still being driven by Stan, with the plans of full frame off top to bottom restoration with some mild "resto mod" type upgrades. Car is equipped with a mildly built 327, 700R4 trans,Vintage air and ford 9" rear. Plan is to leave exterior as Chevy did it in 57, they nailed the design anyway, and why change something so "iconic" anyway. Car will get equipped with some upgrade 4 wheels disc setup, nice set of wheels, and some cool interior upgrades, like 1955 chevy stainless headliner Bows ,1964 impala bucket seats , 1958 steering wheel ,1958 rear seat and trim,1964 Galaxie console , 16" roadster stainless wire wheels , and Continental Kit

Stan drive the car over to us, and we jumped in and started the tear down. Lots of things were found, some surprises, some we already knew about, but car was a little worse than originally thought to be. Nothing like finding pounds and pounds of 'mud" that should actually be metal. I guess back in the day, sheetmetal cost more than bondo, and these guys were damn good sculptures!!! Car was completly tore down and sent out for media blasting. Once it came back it really showed what we were in for. The sheet metal list is long and pricey, but once shes back together she will basically all new.

Damaged metal to be replaced
-Driver Full quarter
-Pass lower quarter section
-Full trunk
-Both front floors and toe boards
-both inner and outer rocker structures
-Rear trunk sections between bumper
-rear panel between glass and trunk
-plus more

here are some pics,when it was delivered to me


http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_side.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_front.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_side2.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_interior.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_dash.jpg

[fletcherscustoms]

here are the pics after we got it back from media blasting. Once we got it back we then Sanded the entire car with 180 to make it slick and started cutting off the quarter so we could get in there and get the inner structure cleaned out. Big order was placed with Danchuk this morning for sheetmetal , and we will be back on the again once it arrives

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_front%7E0.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_firewall.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_floor_rust.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_driver_floor_rust.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_trunk_rust.JPG

[fletcherscustoms]

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pass_quarter.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pass_quarter_rust.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_pass_floor_rust.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_roof.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_driver_quarter.JPG

[jy211]

I feel that metal replacement cost deep! :lol:

[fletcherscustoms]

yeah I'm used to Camaro sheetmetal. For the price of one AMerican made Danchuk Quarter panel for this 57, I could by both camaro quarters, and mini tubs!!!

[70rs]

Flintstone floors! Nice!
I like that steering wheel.

[fletcherscustoms]

My body guy Josh (joshatfletchers) has been on "rust" attack mode the last couple of days. almost 5G's of sheetmetal showed up from Danchuk and he has been on the attack. Last night he finished up the install of the rear trunk section, which included a rear trunk floor patch panel, a under floor brace piece, and a the lower section of the deck lid opening. All of these panels were extremly rusted out. If I wouldn't have seen the reinforcement piece shown in the Danchuk catalog I would have no idea it actually was installed in the car, there wasn't a piece of it left. Just in this area alone, 17.6 pounds of 1970's bondo was removed in chunks as thick at 3". Body guys were sculptors back then


http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_trank2-small.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_trunk-small.jpg

[waynieZ]

It should be nice when your done.

[fletcherscustoms]

yeah it should be. I don't normally do restorations per sae. But this one I like for some reason. I think its going to be a very simple and subtle car that really turns heads, due to it being how Chevy made it with some custom touches

[fletcherscustoms]

Some more pics of the progress.

First couple show the new panel installed to take place of the spare tire well.

Next pics are of the quarters. Danchuk makes some of the nicest stuff I have ever laid my hands on. The inside of the quarters were stripped, and epoxy primed, weld area were primed with Weld thru primer. Once that dried they were taped off and then sprayed with Bed liner material. Came out nice, to bad nobody will ever see them

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_trunk5.JPG

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_trunk4.jpg

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_qtr1.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_qtr2.jpg
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_qtr3.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_qtr4.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_qtr5.JPG

[waynieZ]

No one will ever see it but the owner will have piece of mind. Priceless!

[ssick chevelle]

awesome work, what type of steering wheel is that?

[fletcherscustoms]

awesome work, what type of steering wheel is that?

thanks,

No clue I will ask my customer

[fletcherscustoms]

Well we wrapped up the sheetmetal install this weekend. And are ready to move to the fun and boring stuff!! bodywork!! Before welding on the quarters the entire inner structure was blasted, epoxy primed, then lined with bedliner material. All for good piece of mind, and no fear of rust in the future. We replaced the floor areas that were rusted out, welded in a patch in the tunnel where it had been cut countless times over the years for different tranny installs. Got the quarters on the car, all the work in trunk done, replaced the inner and outer rockers on both side, as well as a couple of the inner qaurter wheel well pieces. I tell you Danchuk makes some damn good panels, everything fit like it was acutally made for a 57 bel air, lol. Only thing I don't like is its all bare metal, and down here in the south it all you have to do is touch or lean on it and it forms surface rust. Car will start the bodywork process tonight, with a full DA job to remove rust, full coating of epoxy primer, and then the fun begins. Anyways here are some pics

http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_innerqtr3.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_innerqtr2.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_innerqtr.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_floor2.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_floor.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_passqtr2.JPG
http://www.fletcherscustoms.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_passqtr.JPG