1957 Chieftain restomod Build

[64 kiwi boni]

close but no cigar justA … they look to be 56 ones my one has chrome trim around it.

Edited January 2 by 64 kiwi boni

[JUSTA6]

How bout now??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/385088859331?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338767525&toolid=20006&customid=4581939849542915_710314500_o.f8b06c9f7a4b1db0630f090be9f462d9&msclkid=f8b06c9f7a4b1db0630f090be9f462d9

OR...

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=reb&hsimp=yhs-ext_onelaunch&p=1957+Pontiac+headlight+rim&type=0_1001_101_6434_101_230517

OR...

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrNZz24lZRlBsgitTAPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?p=1957+pontiac+headlight+rim+replacement&ei=UTF-8&type=0_1001_101_6434_101_230517&hsimp=yhs-ext_onelaunch&hspart=reb&fr=yhs-reb-ext_onelaunch

BEST FIND.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275518411613?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110025%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPOSITELISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20220405142716%26meid%3De37e247f6aca4ae1ad83757e0506e213%26pid%3D101506%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D25%26sd%3D364646704126%26itm%3D275518411613%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D3458402%26algv%3DAlgoIndex5SimRanker%26brand%3DPontiac&_trksid=p3458402.c101506.m1851

Edited January 2 by JUSTA6

[KiwiStarChief]

Finally some action on the '57! I have been hanging out for an update of some sort.

[64 kiwi boni]

3 hours ago, KiwiStarChief said:

Finally some action on the '57! I have been hanging out for an update of some sort.

 i Know Russel ! she been siting there very patiently 

i need to give my engeener mate a hurry up ! as soon as he can take the chassis i can get to on body work, patch panels etc !

[64 kiwi boni]

3 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

How bout now??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/385088859331?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338767525&toolid=20006&customid=4581939849542915_710314500_o.f8b06c9f7a4b1db0630f090be9f462d9&msclkid=f8b06c9f7a4b1db0630f090be9f462d9

OR...

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=reb&hsimp=yhs-ext_onelaunch&p=1957+Pontiac+headlight+rim&type=0_1001_101_6434_101_230517

OR...

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrNZz24lZRlBsgitTAPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?p=1957+pontiac+headlight+rim+replacement&ei=UTF-8&type=0_1001_101_6434_101_230517&hsimp=yhs-ext_onelaunch&hspart=reb&fr=yhs-reb-ext_onelaunch

BEST FIND.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275518411613?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110025%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPOSITELISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20220405142716%26meid%3De37e247f6aca4ae1ad83757e0506e213%26pid%3D101506%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D25%26sd%3D364646704126%26itm%3D275518411613%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D3458402%26algv%3DAlgoIndex5SimRanker%26brand%3DPontiac&_trksid=p3458402.c101506.m1851

top one is justA the chrome ring

second one i couldnt open

third one is a complete unit but the chrome ring is toast

fourth is broken and they are made of pot metal, so no fun trying to fix it 

[Frosty]

The Detroit winter swap meet is this weekend at the Suburban Showcase in Novi, MI - near Indyman Joe's place. I'll be going down with a buddy of mine on Saturday. I will keep an eye out but I'm not going to hold my breath. In the last several years there has been very little actual body sheet metal for sale, mostly performance, drivetrain and chassis pieces and memorabilia.

[64 kiwi boni]

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

The Detroit winter swap meet is this weekend at the Suburban Showcase in Novi, MI - near Indyman Joe's place. I'll be going down with a buddy of mine on Saturday. I will keep an eye out but I'm not going to hold my breath. In the last several years there has been very little actual body sheet metal for sale, mostly performance, drivetrain and chassis pieces and memorabilia.

that would be fantrastic Frosty !!! 

it seams that 57 stuff is quiet hard to get !! 

i did read the smoke signals last night and found one add for a pair, but justA phone number ! would have better if they had a email address.

ah and very nice write up on the wide tracker spring dust off in the october mag mate 

[JUSTA6]

23 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

top one is justA the chrome ring

second one i couldnt open

third one is a complete unit but the chrome ring is toast

fourth is broken and they are made of pot metal, so no fun trying to fix it 

Didn't think that would be made of pot metal.  #4 Broken one could be repaired with my Ol buddy JB WELD. Not like it's load bearing piece.  Oh well. 

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, JUSTA6 said:

Didn't think that would be made of pot metal.  #4 Broken one could be repaired with my Ol buddy JB WELD. Not like it's load bearing piece.  Oh well. 

true true, but looking close at the picture the chrome ring is also cracked 

[Frosty]

As I anticipated, the Detroit indoor swap meet was a bust for the Chieftain. I found a guy with ‘57 Chevy headlight bezels but they are not the same thing. Show was mostly engine parts, trannys, wheels and tires, and some memorabilia. Not much in body parts. I’ll post about the show later.

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

As I anticipated, the Detroit indoor swap meet was a bust for the Chieftain. I found a guy with ‘57 Chevy headlight bezels but they are not the same thing. Show was mostly engine parts, trannys, wheels and tires, and some memorabilia. Not much in body parts. I’ll post about the show later.

Arrr thank you so much for looking for me frosty 

[Frosty]

Happy to help mate! 

[64 kiwi boni]

After waiting nearly 2 years my engineer is ready to start work on the 57 !!! 

watch this space for the beginings of the restomod 57 !!

[64 kiwi boni]

This process starts with applying to lvvta 

or low volume vehicle testing  authority for a design approval … here in nz we have this …..

There is a 21 page application form to fill out explaining  what I want to do ..

in my case . Graft c4 corvette front and rear suspension to the stock 57 chassis .. use stock steering and the ls2 with 6 speed auto 6l80e

Edited March 7 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

First thing to do is get the car a vin ! 
this is a nz vehicle identification number

and they rivet a plate on the car … from there we can modify the car … and a certifier will check and lvvta will approve all modifications and I mean every modification!! Right down to welds and bolts , the whole nine yards !     

Edited March 7 by 64 kiwi boni

[Frosty]

Seems like a lot of "Big Brother" bureaucratic crap to me. Just another way to get into your wallet. Don't get me wrong, the law is the law. I'm not suggesting you violate it. It's JUSTA my opinion. 

[JUSTA6]

Hate to do the work N not be able to drive it on the street. 

[64 kiwi boni]

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

Seems like a lot of "Big Brother" bureaucratic crap to me. Just another way to get into your wallet. Don't get me wrong, the law is the law. I'm not suggesting you violate it. It's JUSTA my opinion. 

completly agree mate !

4 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Hate to do the work N not be able to drive it on the street. 

Thats the trick JustA, if you follow the hobby car manual you will pass and it will get on the road legal, and more importantly, safe !

[Frosty]

Just out of sheer ignorance of NZ law I'm going to ask these questions.

 

1. How old does a car have to get before it becomes subject to the manual?

2. Does the manufacturer or manufacturing originating country/location determine what is or is not applicable to the manual?

3. Why does a new NZ VIN need to be assigned (assuming the car's original VIN is still intact)? Granted that it may not 15-17 characters long as compared to today's modern cars, it probably much shorter in many cases.

4. Why must you put a plan together, get it approved first, and then follow it? Why can't you just build it and have it inspected to meet whatever applicable NZ laws it must pass. It either passes or it doesn't. If you have to assign a new VIN, it doesn't get one until it passes inspection, nor can it be plated.

A lot of states will do that for "kit cars". It has to pass the states automotive safety and applicable emissions regulations before it can received a state issued VIN and license plate.

Edited March 7 by Frosty

[Fitzy]

On 1/2/2024 at 2:44 PM, 64 kiwi boni said:

I am seriously thinking about cleaning up the paint work and keeping her original !!! And where the paint has been sanded down to metal . Do a resto patch paint job , including the section I have to do rust repairs on , like that passenger door lower section then match the oringinal paint ..

Looks great just like that. Patina is in atm and as far as I'm concerned,  it's always in. It's very satisfying scrubbing old paint clean and seeing the result.

[64 kiwi boni]

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Just out of sheer ignorance of NZ law I'm going to ask these questions.

 

1. How old does a car have to get before it becomes subject to the manual?

2. Does the manufacturer or manufacturing originating country/location determine what is or is not applicable to the manual?

3. Why does a new NZ VIN need to be assigned (assuming the car's original VIN is still intact)? Granted that it may not 15-17 characters long as compared to today's modern cars, it probably much shorter in many cases.

4. Why must you put a plan together, get it approved first, and then follow it? Why can't you just build it and have it inspected to meet whatever applicable NZ laws it must pass. It either passes or it doesn't. If you have to assign a new VIN, it doesn't get one until it passes inspection, nor can it be plated.

A lot of states will do that for "kit cars". It has to pass the states automotive safety and applicable emissions regulations before it can received a state issued VIN and license plate.

1 

any car any age . As soon as you modify anything it has to be certified by lvvta 

2

nope … any country and vehicle 

3

i am really not sure why mate . But most likely because of older cars having short vin numbers , note that when they create the new vin , the old short digits are incorporated 

4

lvvta want us hobby boys to have plans first so it saves on wasted time money and hair pulled out when you stuff something up .. there have been lots of storeys about guys building stuff and ignoring what is best trade practice , then finding out when the car is completely finished that they have to pull them apart again ! 
its all in the name of safety frosty 

There is a mountain of USA practices that won’t comply here , or in ozzy for that matter and ozzy is even tougher on cars than we are ! 
You can certainly justA build your car how you want then go to a certifier and get it checked but, why not be on the same page as the certifier and make life easier aye . I built the cortina without a plan 

then presented it for certification . And I only had a few little things to sort . But I didn’t do any thing structural. The 57 is getting chopped up big time to make the c4 gear work 

way out of my pay grade 

hence the plan and a engineer to do all cutting, making and welding . 
It’s called kiss 😘 haha 

 

Edited March 7 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

It's very satisfying scrubbing old paint clean and seeing the result.

You know what … I am not painting the 57 now . I am going to sand all that brown primer off . I will fix. The rust . And have the new sections  paint matched to the rest of the old paint work … why , because a car only has its original paint once ! 

[Frosty]

3 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

1 

any car any age . As soon as you modify anything it has to be certified by lvvta 

2

nope … any country and vehicle 

3

i am really not sure why mate . But most likely because of older cars having short vin numbers , note that when they create the new vin , the old short digits are incorporated 

4

lvvta want us hobby boys to have plans first so it saves on wasted time money and hair pulled out when you stuff something up .. there have been lots of storeys about guys building stuff and ignoring what is best trade practice , then finding out when the car is completely finished that they have to pull them apart again ! 
its all in the name of safety frosty 

There is a mountain of USA practices that won’t comply here , or in ozzy for that matter and ozzy is even tougher on cars than we are ! 
You can certainly justA build your car how you want then go to a certifier and get it checked but, why not be on the same page as the certifier and make life easier aye . I built the cortina without a plan 

then presented it for certification . And I only had a few little things to sort . But I didn’t do any thing structural. The 57 is getting chopped up big time to make the c4 gear work 

way out of my pay grade 

hence the plan and a engineer to do all cutting, making and welding . 
It’s called kiss 😘 haha 

 

Thanks for NZ automotive lesson mate! I understand different countries, different cultures, different laws and to some extent values. Common sense can not be taken for granted anywhere in this world.

[Wrongway]

23 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

After waiting nearly 2 years my engineer is ready to start work on the 57 !!! 

watch this space for the beginings of the restomod 57 !!

YAY!!!  

[KiwiStarChief]

↑↑↑↑↑ What Wrongway said. This is going to be very exciting.