'57 Chevy truck lesson, please.

OP, no offense to you but I'm assuming you aren't that confident in your mechanical ability just because you're asking. No problem, you can still own and enjoy a classic vehicle. Here's what I tell my first time non-car-people clients.

1) Ask around and find a local/recommended shop BEFORE you have too. Go chat with several of them and understand this is the relationship will dictate the amount of fun you have with that vehicle. Trust your instincts, is there a bunch of dusty half-done cars? Are they nice? Is it clean and organized? You should know the right one without even knowing anything about mechanics, and the right shop should offer to inspect it for you.

2) No, you do not need a Roadster shop performance chassis to enjoy a classic truck, unless the Optima Street Challenge is your thing.
3) No, you don't need to swap in an LS (unless you're making it a daily). 98% of them I see are are 200k miles old, yanked from the cheapest scrapyard and dressed up from e-bay.
4) Yes, you can add A/C/heat/fuel injection/overdrive, whatever, to that classic 350 and it's pretty inexpensive too. Good power and mileage are very easy.

5) If you are a lowballing A-hole, know that classic cars ain't for you, so don't bring that mentality to this hobby. This ain't a shitbox commuter car. Remember its a splurge and you're looking because you deserve it. Besides, classics usually come with 'more stuff' the closer to asking price you are.

$20-$35K is a good range (currently 2024) for a 55-57 truck without being over the top, or crap. You should have a IFS swap in that price range, look at the lower control arms from the front, they should be close to level if it was installed at the right height (big problem if it wasn't). LS will add a premium (heed my warning above), but an early SBC is perfectly fine. Carbs are fine too, but if it's going to sit for weeks at a time, adding a sub-$1k TBI system (FITech/Aces) works well IME. Cruising to coffee won't need an OD transmission so the old TH350 or 400 will be fine. A/C and heat are nice but make sure they work well, that truck in particular is hard to fit because of the small cab, so make sure the A/C is cold on a hot day and all the vents/defrost work correctly.

Even if you aren't sure what you're looking at, you'll get a good idea of what any potential purchase is about by listening to the owner, and noticing the surroundings. Is the house and garage nice, clean, and organized? Odds are the thing is too.

This was a long sitting, greasy pile of parts a month ago. I put in a 0-mile RamJet F.I. 350HP 350, and 4l65E overdrive trans, all new suspension and air bags, new glass, weatherstrip, dash, carpet, seats... I'll never paint it, and I wouldn't hesitate to do the whole Route 66 tomorrow, haul the bikes to a track day, or let it sit outside for months at a time. Just saying, theres NO reason you can't use your toy. It's always better than hiding in a garage

 

I wish I could look at old scratched paint jobs and like them. Usually I like a nicer perfect looking paint job. Even that chick car Boxster, which is mostly real clean, has me wanting to repaint the bumpers, because the chips and scratches kinda bug me.

On my old 916, I got a light s rat h in the lower and bought a brand new one, because I wanted factory paint. Heck the old original one is still up in my attic.

 

I could live with the 350 SBC before I could live with a Turbo 350 trans. If you're going to do any interstate travel it needs an overdrive trans unless you're willing to gear it to go 200mph and live with it being a dog off the line.

I've seen very few nicely done Camaro subframe swaps.

 

Well, I reckon if your punk ass was old enough to remember firing up your ragged old 69 GTO on cold winter mornings and waiting for the heat to build to clean the windows off all while rattling all the neighbors windows you’d feel differently…

I just sold the Longhorn a couple of months back, there is an Aluminum head 358 under the work bench that makes 650 or so…. There’s also a 390” SB2.2 that made 800 that needs to be put back together. I’m sure they will land in something, both are 14/1 so need good race fuel.

The 69 GTO has a healthy 468” Pontiac with a 850 Demon on it that won’t be getting gapped by any LS motors unless they have hair dryers mounted.

 

SB2.2 is no joke....check out StayTuned on Youtube. They put a stroked one in a 55 chevy...that thing is a beast.

 

Meh, still old tech that was dictated by a rule book. Cool? Definitely Yes! But if you just want the HP's... easy and cheap now-a-days. I can build a 800hp daily driver motor for a quarter of what it used to cost.

 

Again, if it is just to have a cool, good sounding driver. The TH350 will be fine. 1 put 3.23 gears in my 69 Camaro when I swapped out the TH350 to put in the 4spd manual. With a 3.08 rear and the 3spd auto, RPMs won't be horrible.

 

Especially if you install some Freedom Twirly's

 

Is it a real 57 Cheby?

 

Of course it is! Imported straight from Cuba!

 

Yeah, upon further reflection as long as the subframe swap is done correctly and the paint and bodywork is good, just buy it. You couldnt do the paintwork and interior for $20,000 where I live.

I would budget for heat and AC immediately though.

The things you truly want to change mechanically will come to you as you drive it.

 

The truck is listed in my hometown I own an '86 Cheby short bed. Unrestored, but has working heat/ac.

 

Cal Poly!

 

Not without power adders you won’t.
LS stuff is good, it ain’t that good though…
Start using over 550hp and it has to be done right or it won’t live. Done right costs the same whether it’s a gen1 small block or a LS based engine. The only real difference cost wise in a 600HP version of either one is the Cylinder heads, even then a set of 823’s done right isn’t cheap.

 

If you get it for $20K-ish, you’ve done good, IMO. That’s throwaway money for any pickup, these days.

The big thing I’d look at is the subframe swap. Great tips have already been mentioned. Based on the supposed extent of the truck’s previous work, it’s probably decent.

Plenty of HVAC kits on the market to easily rectify that shortcoming.

Tony Angelo just did an engine shootout. For what you’re going to do with it, grab a Holley EFI kit; no need for an LS swap, as that’ll be a rabbit hole. Keep it simple and enjoy it.

 

Who ever said NA? Lots of people daily a turbo car.

 

Right, but the driving experience of a 700hp NA big block is going to be much different than the driving experience of a 700hp 4.8l turbo LS.

I'm not advocating for old technology, just pointing out there are reasons people still mess with that old stuff.

 

While mostly true, I do think the 700HP with a supercharger would feel the same as normally aspirated.

 

Yes

 

Well the Beeb has delivered again.
Great info from all directions, I love it.
Late getting back on this thread because somewhere between Sacramento and Boise I ran across a virus that kicked my ass. Made it to my house just in time to run in the front door and start puking and shitting. Fever, chills, crazy dreams. Miserable, miserable couple days. On the mend now and feeling human.
Onward and upward.
@Cooter!
I'm pretty confident in my mechanical abilities, but just not up to speed on classics and what mods to look for or stay away from. Your help is greatly appreciated and no offense was taken.
Here are some more pics I had the guy take after I had left and saw your advice. Looks reasonably flat to me. What are your thoughts?