Well I am not spending the fortune and most of the chrome and stainless was there and in pretty good shape. I am restoring the car for a guy in florida and yes it has cost a lot of time and effort to get it this far probably 2000 hours invested I myself like the 56 grille and rear better like...
The corvette is a 59 that he had just got back from the mechanic shop after a year and was test driving it and some 18 year old girl that was texting blew a stop sign and hit him in the front end ......30000 dollar worth of damage.... he is 80 years old and he was pissed but she had good...
the floor was 18 guage with alot of braces ... the rockers are about a 1/16 inch thick .... dont know what guage that makes them. Everything is heavy compared to the corvettes i usually work on lol
Working on the floor now, frame and engine are done... floor is a bear. no right sheet metal parts available for it but the acces panel and rear floorboards. Sad part was some goof put 1/2 inch foam under carpet and that did a pretty good number on inner floor .... underside looked pretty good...
yes the 291 hemi was a one year only desoto motor 1955 and yes the parts are a little more difficult to find for them ... cams have to be reground , waterpumps have to be rebuilt , the oil pumps can be changed to a 340 oil pump via adapter kit from hot hemi heads ... they had a transmission...
I have a 291 hemi for sale out of a 1955 Desoto fireflite, the motor runs with no low end knocks but could probably stand the valvetrain rocker shafts removed and cleaned as the are not oiling well .. holds 60 psi oil pressure asking $1700 or best offer.I will be using the fuel pump and water...