While searching one of my other forums, I found this... !! Figured I would share...

http://members.***.net/56iroc/

Amazing amount of work!

Jason

 

so they put a TPI setup in a bel-air. ya that was done in the late 80s. I don't see how this is out of the ordinary at all.

 

Try looking through the build before giving that reply....

Jason

 

Why would you ditch a frame for a unibody?

 

Not something I personally would have done, but you have to admit, it is pretty cool.

Many times while I am driving my 57' on roads filled with curves, I think to myself, I wish I had my Camaro right now.... maybe this guy had the same thought, just went a few steps further than I would...

Jason

 

Well, the firewall is badass.

 

Just goes to show what enough time and money can do.

I did a similar swap back in the early 90's. The key to an easy swap is to use donor vehicles with the same wheelbase.

I had a 51 Chev torpedo back 2 door and 82 Buick LeSabre 4 door. They had the same wheelbase. I cut the body off the Buick leaving just the floor attached to the chassis. I then cut the 51's body off it's floor and dropped it down over the 84's chassis. Everyone was amazed at how well everything lined up. I then had a 51 Chev sitting on a modern 84 chassis.

The same thing could have been done with that 56 instead of using a unibody chassis.

 

If you had looked closely it is more than the engine, it is basically a stretched Camaro under a Bel-air body. Very well done, an updated drive train/suspension for a classic car!!

 

some people have more time than money is all I can say, it`s cool,- but, If I had to choose a donor car to fit up under a car like that, it sure wouldn`t be a 3rd gen

 

i gave it a 5 minute flip through. not like the pics were organized in any fashion at all. just clicked a few different dates.

 

I agree that there isn't a whole lot of rhyme or reason to the website...but what a build! The guy had a cool idea and followed through beautifully. I like it even more than those LS1-powered Miatas!

 

Click the oldest date and then cycle thru until the project completion
Its in perfect order and the owner is good at logging the build

 

Jason thanks for telling people about my 56 IROC Belair!
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Look closer.....it is basically a step by step record of how we built the car!

 

I had both cars.....it was economically a smart move. And since this is the third car done like this we KNEW the third gen made a great donor car!
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David, it's nice to know some people KNOW what they are seeing...or maybe not seeing Thanks for the Kudos!

 

i dont get............i mean i can appreciate the time and effort........but what a waste.

he has a belair with a tpi set up and iroc rims.........what was the purpose of chopping the iroc??

 

YOU STILL WOULD HAVE HAD A BUICK UNDER IT! OLD TECHNOLOGY!!!
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THE RIDE.....HAVE YOU EVER HAD A 56 CHEVY?
THIS ONE HANDLES LIKE THE IROC!

 

THANKS

 

Thats nothing. Somone localy dropped a 57 nomad body on a W body chassis. FWD 3.1L and all!

It's not just the engine and wheels. He has an old car upgraded with new(ish) suspension technology. I'm sure it handles better than any stock belair would.

 

THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT! SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T GET IT.....NO IMAGINATION EITHER. ANYONE CAN BOLT ON AFTERMARKET STUFF....IF THEY CAN READ THAT IS!

 

Ever seen the 65 mustang vert choped and droped on a miata chassis? Dead F'ing sexi !!

 

Disnt know it was a kit now.

Check out M1stang.tripod.com

 

I take great offense to that

Why not throw it right back at you...
You took 80's technology and spent a ton of time to STEAL that suspension and setup because you were either too dumb or too lazy to sit down and calculate a better suspension geometry

3rd gens handle great, but they are not the best
This is why you dont see this happening a million times over

Your work was well done, quality and well documented
Dont let it get to your head that "your crap doesnt stink" because of it
Several members on here have done alot more than "bolt on aftermarket stuff"

 

I think some of you guys are acting ridicules. The man did an amazing job and has a very unique car.

 

That's freakin awesome, the chevy tailgate firewall turned out pretty good. I wish I was that good at metal work...

 

Why not just do the vette conversion??

Then it would handle.

 

probably pratical reasons, he already had the camaro, fiberglass is harder to weld to.. not sure of dimensions but i think the camaro is probably closer..

 

I'm SOOOOOO Sorry I offended you! First of all I was agreeing IS SIX's comments....if you follow the thread....and the reason you don't see this happening a million times over is that very few people are willing to commit to the time it takes nor do they possess the skills that Ron has in fabrication. This was over 500 hours of work....If he hadn't been my friend, I never could have had it done. And as far as 80's technology, it's what I had to use at the time...if I could have found a 4th gen in the same shape for the same price I would have used it.....but being on a school teacher's salary, it WAS ALL I COULD AFFORD!
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THANKS REX!

 

The Vette conversion is bolt on suspension parts. IMO it is rediculous to fit a body on a chassy of another car when the aftermarket has everything available. At a less expensive approach. That would be like taking a '67 truck and cutting the body off the floor so you can weld it on a '95 truck chassy because it has a lift on it. Just buy the correct parts for the application and save tons of time and money.

 

Vette parts still cost a lot more and I already had the IROC....cost with engine and tranny and alot of other new parts....$3500. The 56 cost me more than that! And it was a piece of crap! You are welcome to your opinion though. In the days when I started hotrodding you put things together with the best used parts you had.....kind like, "run what you brung".

 

Beautiful work. Some just don't appreciate a different approach.

 

Thanks, some people would have to see/drive it to appreciate it. It's OK........you shoulda heard the Ford guys when we did the same thing with a 1966 Ranchero ......I call it the "Camchero" We used all the Camaro eqipment under the hood including the firewall(a lot of fabrication here too!), ac power steering, radiator, etc and the Camaro interior inside including gauges, console, seats, armrests, to use the rearend we modified it to be mounted on the leaf springs so the pickup bed would look right (Camaro gas tank sat too high in the chassis)

 

I think this guy did a great job on the car,I know alot of us on here wouldn't cut up a camaro,but lets face it the car looks nice and it should handle great.It takes alot of work and imagination to do a car like this.Awesome job.

 

THANKS! Ron and I value EVERYONE'S OPINIONS even the negative ones....Ron just smiles when he reads them......I had bought a TA Firebird hoping to use it as a donor car, but the rockers were just too beat up! This Camaro had already had about everything replaced.....so it was my next choice....Thanks again! Geoff

 

That is a very well done 56. The Ranchero looks great too.
I wish I had those skills.

 

I hate to see a good IROC get hacked up like that, but I can appreciate the "use what you got" approach. Plus, my mother is a teacher, so I can relate to the teacher's salary statement. However, one of my dad's favorite cars was the '56 Belair. Just mention 56 and he'll go on about driving his buddy's '56 vert back in 1958. But then again all I talk about to my wife and kids is IROC this and Trans Am that. Long story short, it's a great build. It looks like a lot of time, care, imagination, and patience went in to it. Geoff and Ron thanks for taking mine and my father's favorite cars and making something that we can both appreciate.

 

THE PLEASURE WAS ALL OURS!! REALLY!! AND STILL IS ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS!

 

Amazing job!! thats all I can say.

 

The corvette parts are not bolt on. They require plenty of cutting and welding to install. Unless you spring for an entirely new aftermarket chassis.

A 4th gen proabably wouldnt do any thing that the 3rd gen chassis cant do in this application. It's basicaly identical except for the front clip in other words not exactly "high tech".

And the weight ride height and if he did it right the structural rigidity are proabably far ahead of where the stock body on frame car would be after the corvette suspension swap.

 

very nice car looks like it was put together VERY WELL

 

All who complained about this car should wish that they had half the skills of the builder.

 

Really nice car. Its always cool to see something different, and I bet its a blast to drive. Great Job.

Setrh

 

Very nice job Hozona..... I like everything you did.

Just a note though, I would ditch the IROC rims, the car is too nice for them, Iw ould go with more like a set of A.R. salt flats?

 

The reason I used the IROC rims is ECONOMICS.....they had new tires, the off-set was right, and they fit the car. Plus I had the machined surfaces polished so they would look good on the car....No 18's or 20's for me.....I LIKE MY IROC RIMS.....it goes with the theme of the car....56 IROC

 

IROC rims are some of the coolest rims ever to come out of an American car company, understated, but oh so much attitude just oozing out from their subtle accents...


Awesome looking project.... I'd be worrieda bout hacking up a unibody frame, but if you guys got it properly reinforced then I suppose that's a non issue.

 

Go check out the website and you will notice 4 1/2" tubing running along both rockers after lengthening the floorpan 14 1/2". Ron has had his on the road for over 12 years with his 53 Ford Courier http://www.ronboatmanfabrications.com with no structural problems being encountered. Thanks for your comments. http://members.***.net/56iroc
Geoff

 

for those that have never worked on a tri-5, 2years ago I put a spec inspected 12pt cage in a 1955 bel-air and let me tell you those frames are flimzier then a third gen...trust me. they need reinforse all over the place. take a look


LOOK at that size of those crossmembers....oh..oh wait there isn't any exept under the engine.... really heavy frame that twists more then a t-top 1988 mustang. So that should show why "frame to unibody".

I think the car is pimp. I don't think I would do it. but hellll not too many idiots would put a HX55 turbo and Nitrous on a stock short block 1987 Formula 350 like I have.

But from experience anything you do to help those horrible frames is a plus++++

 

Thanks for the positive feedback....I see you went to my webpage....I KNOW THAT RASTY OLD FRAME VERY WELL!
I attached a fun pic of my car and a model "hot one at that" This car is kind of a "Chick Magnet" ;-)

 

Love that 56! Nice build! I think that building a street rod is like a piece of art. To each thier own. Build it like YOU want it. Who cares if it is the latest technology or not, it works.

 

Just thought I'd add this posterized pic I did to the mix!
Geoff

 

CRAZY!!!, but i like it, hate to see a nice third hacked but i do like the idea of the custom work, doing what you can with what you got, its cool to see like a 90's chevy truck with a 60's bed on it (and done right)..... and people are right the 50's chevys drove like bean wagons through the turns