Last up-date 12/27/08
Nomad Jack's 55
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This project got under way in October of 1995 with a road trip to Pennsylvania to purchase the Nomad. In November that year it was moved into the garage where it was destined to stay until Summer of 2000 when it went off for paint. While the body was at paint, the engine and transmission were overhauled. Then in August of 2001 the body was back from paint and re-assembly officially began. Work has been slow as I'm only working on it one day a week now instead of my blistering pace of 2 days a week. Check out the albums below for details of all the work going on.
Progress Report:
UP-DATE 12/31/04: Well 04 has seen lots of ups and downs. All of the exterior chrome parts were taken to Nu-Chrome in Fall River, MA. Which ended up being a big mistake. The 6-8 weeks quoted turn time ended up being 8 months and the only parts that came out correct were the bumpers. February was when real noise was made and the shouting; IT'S ALIVE! That's right, at 3:15p.m., February 14th, the 350 horse, Chevy 350 engine roared to life. This was the first time that the engine has run since being completely re-built and having the EFI system added. There was a small problem soon noted that the idle speed would not drop below 2300 rpm. This has been fixed and the engine runs well. The transmission will go into gear and the power steering works. Check out the Engine album for more details. Thanks to some help from my friend Mike at A & L Tire in Ridgecrest CA., there is a set of American Racing 605 Chrome Torq Thrust D wheels just waiting for some rubber in the garage.
UP-DATE 12/31/05: I did something completely new for me this year, took a vacation week in August and worked on the Nomad. The dis-like for Nu-Chrome continues. I had to grind the lumps in chrome off of the lift-gate get the glass to fit, then it had to be ground off the rear rain gutter lip so the gate would fit the roof line. The side spears and eyebrows are a disaster. The crowning blow was when two studs pulled out of the driver side fender spear. The doors, the complete front end and all the glass have been reinstalled, we’re starting to look like a car again.
UP-DATE 12/31/06: Like a pack mule that has seen the corral, we are picking up speed now. Assembly has been moving along with the install of the stereo, seat belts, the remaining wiring and oh ya, a complete new interior. Another big day occurred this year, drove the Nomad for the first time EVER! Just a short trip to the end of the street and back. That's when we ran out of gas and had to be pushed back into the driveway. The wife thought that was real funny. The second trip around the block went a bit smoother, amazing what a little gas will do for you. There is still plenty to do before we are complete like replacing the side spears and eyebrows with a set made by Bill Hunt. Hard to believe I have been at this for 11 years now.
UP-DATE 1/26/07: Installed the new eyebrows and side spears from Bill Hunt. This required taking both the front fenders and the interior door panels off. It was worth it as they look so much better. I'm now close enough to being done that I sat down and compiled a list of details that need to be done to finish the Nomad. Lots of detail stuff!
UP-DATE 2/25/07: I just spent the last week (vacation from work) in the garage working off the items on my list. Major progress has been made and there are only a few things left. Two big items left are fixing the power steering and painting trim panels, steering wheel and wheel wells. There is some boost from the power steering but not enough at idle. I need to align the wheels and check it again.
UP-DATE 6/3/07: ON THE ROAD! May 26 2007 was the day we have been working toward for the past 12 years, road legal and made our first cruise. Still have some details to finish like painting the steering wheel and air cleaner, but for the most part, we are done!
UP-DATE 11/1/07: Well I have been diving the Nomad around for most of the summer and have 550 miles on the odometer. We were a big hit at the Father's Day car show, which was very gratifying and scary at the same time. Tons of people looking the Nomad over, asking questions, telling stories, TOUCHING the paint. Paul Larini (did the finish body work and paint) made the 3 hour drive down to be there, that made the day. Did I think to take photos, no that would have been the smart thing to do.
UP-DATE 11/25/07: She is put away for the winter and there is a list of things to do. The 1st is to fix the gas gauge (which is a bad sending unit) and change the rear-end gearing. Last Saturday the rear-end was removed and the sending unit fixed. The float cracked open, so it couldn't "float". I plan to get the final parts painted, fix the oil leak in the front of the engine and some small detail stuff done.
UP-DATE 4/27/08: All the repairs and improvements have been made. Today was the first test drive and all appears to be working, but time will tell. I was able to determine the gas tank holds 16.5 useable gallons. This will be handy to determine how far we go between fill-ups. Big plans for this summer, road trip to the CNA convention in West Virginia. Stay tuned!!!!
UP-DATE 6/15/08: Went to our second car show, The 14th Father's Day Car Show in Hyannis Mass. Good show as usual other then it rained.
UP-DATE 719/08: The journey we have been work toward for the past 13 years is now here, 800 miles to West Virginia for the CNA Convention.
UP-DATE 727/08: WOW, We received 3rd in class for 1955 Modified out of 17 beautiful Nomads in our class.
The Nomad has been a winter project for the past
11 years. I
don’t like the cold and snow, so in the winter I heat the garage, and work on it
on the weekends. It has been a complete, frame off restoration of which I have
done all the work except the paint, upholstery and the engine machine work.
In the Beginning The rest of the story..... This section up-dated 11/19/06
November
12 1995 it all begin when the Nomad was moved into the garage. The body
was stripped of everything, then it was removed from the frame. Storage of
parts was the first of many problems that were over come.
Getting Started The rest of the story..... This section up-dated 12/1/04
After
getting the body stripped of anything and everything, it was time to get busy.
Out came the cutting tools, the grinders and the welder, it was not a time for
the weak of heart. Replacing floor pans, inner and outer rockers, quarter
panels, etc. is under way.
Body Work page 1 Body Work page 2 The rest of the story..... Up-dated 2/1/04
For
a change of pace, during winter three, the body work was set aside and the frame
received all of the attention. A new rack-n-pinion front suspension from
Jim Myer Racing was added.
The original 3.55 rear end was rebuilt and reinstalled on
Posies lowering
leaf springs.
Frame Work This section up-dated 1/25/04
After
6 long winters, the Nomad saw the light of day and was rolled out of the garage.
All of the major bodywork (replacing floor pans, inner and outer rockers,
quarter panels, etc.) has been completed and Paul Larini of
Mechanical
Restorations in Hardwick, MA gets the fun job of straightening out the highs and
lows then sprayed the paint.
Ready for Paint The rest of the story..... This section up-dated 2/1/04
August
of 2001 the Nomad came home from "summer camp" sometimes known as the paint
shop. The body is stock other then the color, Tornado Red. It is
finally time for reassembly, when things get installed to stay!
Reassembly begins The rest of the story This section up-dated 04/04/04
Assembly slowly continues, with all the major projects complete except the upholstering. The Nomad took a trip to Specialized Automotive Services today for a new set of skins. This section has details as to some of the things that have been going on.
Reassembly continues The rest of the story This section up-dated 2/26/07
Brought the Nomad home today (12/30/06) after the new interior was installed. Don and Chris at Specialized Automotive Services did an excellent job breathing new life into the old seats.
New Interior The rest of the story This section up-dated 12/31/06
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Saturday, May 26 2007, we went on our first cruise. Twelve years of hard work and an ear to ear grin is what we have to show for it. Doesn't get much better.
1st Drive The rest of the story This section up-dated 6/3/07
This winter was spent fixing a few problems and making some improvements. New 3.08 rear gear ratio, fixed an engine oil leak, got the gas gauge working, got the temp gauge to read more accurately and got the last of the paint work done. Oh, then there is the new Bling on the rear.
New Bling The rest of the story This section added 4/27/08
14th annual Father's Day car show in Hyannis Mass.
Father's Day Car Show The rest of the story This section added 6/19/08
CNA 2008, West Virginia.
I have set up two pages, "CNA Trip" is a group of snap shots taken along the way and of set up on Sunday.
On Monday I walked around and took pictures of as many of the Nomads as I could. These are on "The Cars" page.
I have heard 92 Nomads signed up for judging.
CNA Trip The Cars This section added 7/27/08
A 1976, 3/4 ton, Chevy van was purchased for $200.00 and brought home. The engine, transmission and steering column were removed and used in the Nomad.
The Donor This section up-dated 1/25/04
The engine (350
4 bolt main) and transmission (350 TH) are out of a 1976 Chevy van. The injection system is an
Edelbrock EFI
system,
which included the intake manifold, injectors, fuel rails, throttle body, all
the sensors and the engine control computer.
Engine The rest of the story This section up-dated 2/29/04
Headers are by
S & S Headers in Arizona with
Flowmaster mufflers. I made up the exhaust system by modifying a Flow
master 2 ½” pipe 55 Chevy kit with H pipe.
Exhaust System The rest of the story This section up-dated 2/16/04
The show maybe over, but the memory lives on....
Tim's Nomad This section up-dated 1/11/04
More to come later, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the photo albums above as well as the links below, I think you will enjoy them.
Thanks for visiting,
Nomad Jack.
Visit my other website, 57 Chevy Pick-up.
Links: