'56 Chevy convertible kitbash project

[randfink]

A while back I did a '56 Chevy hardtop conversion, so I figured I'd do a convertible too. This uses the front half of a '56 Nomad, the back half of a '56 sedan, and the beltline, cowl and windshield from a '55 convertible. With careful measuring and cutting, the only other mods necessary to do this conversion are to make pie-cuts in the tops of the '56 rear quarters to align them with the '55 piece. You can see this in the photo of the rear window area. Thanks for looking!

Randy

[Steve H.]

Hey Randy, Don't see you around here very much! Always nice to see what your active imagination has come up with. Nice work on this conversion!

[Tom Kren]

SWEEEEEE T!

[Guest zebm1]

Not nitpicking Randy, but IIRC tha trunklids of tha convertibles and sedans of tha mid-50s chubbys weren't interchangeable. As I remember it, tha flat part on tha sedan is shorted than tha flat part of tha conv. Just like tha windhsields aren't interchangeable. Tired to find sum pics to illustrate this....

of course this one is kinda cute

clean kit bash tho....

[MrObsessive]

Zeb, Randy has it correct................He's using part of the "tulip" panel from the Revell '55 convertible and the deck lid off of the '56.

'55 and '56 2 door sedans and hardtops would have the same decklids. It was the tulip panel (the flat part you're talking about) that was longer on the hardtop because the roof on the hardtop was "shorter".

This was so the rear windows could roll completely down as opposed to the 2 door sedans' windows that still had part of the rear window showing when down.

In the '50's into the early '60's, GM hardtops were nothing more than convertibles with a metal roof tacked on. :shock:

Keep up the good work Randy! That's one of those "forgotten" model kits for some reason :?

Edit: '55-6 Chevy hardtops, Nomads, and convertible windshields were interchangeable between those models. The 2 and 4 door sedans and standard wagons rooflines and windshields were a bit taller.

[randfink]

Thanks, Bill! I had already done some research on the Tri-Five chevies, as I own a 1:1 '56 2-door hardtop. Thus, the '56 is near and dear to my heart.

[Peter Lombardo]

Randy, beautiful work. I also like the tri-five Chevy's, with the 56 being my favorite of the three. Early in the Overhaulin' series, they took a 56 four door sedan and converted it to a 2 door roadster. They modified the windsheld dramatically and made no effort to build a top for it. Yours being a fully functional design works better for me. Very nice, I may just have to build something like that as I have a 56 hardtop and 55 convertible in the boxes just collecting dust. I'm Looking forward to the completed build.

[Guest zebm1]

Bill, now I know what is bothering my eye about Randy's 56 convertible. IIRC for 56 and 57 Chevrolet changed the heater air inlet to tha eyebrows or the right side headlight, therefore doing away with tha slots between tha windhshield posts. tried tgo get sum illustrative pics.

The reason tha sedan rear window waz exposed, waz because tha front corner reached bottom long before tha rear corner. But all of those rear windows didn't roll straight down, like tha front windows. They all had to pivot to clear tha rear wheelwell.

[Matt T.]

Wow, Randy, Awesome work there. You should cast this for the rest of us slackers. :wink:

[MrObsessive]

Sigh..............:? Here are three '56's..........................

Looks like cowl vents on those '56's to me...........................................:?

Will ya let him build it the way he sees fit???......................and no more hijacking his thread? This is my last response to you..............

The reason tha sedan rear window waz exposed, waz because tha front corner reached bottom long before tha rear corner. But all of those rear windows didn't roll straight down, like tha front windows. They all had to pivot to clear tha rear wheelwell.

Yeeeeeessssssssss! As I said............That's why the hardtop roof needed to be shorter................for the entire rear window to clear the wheelwells......................................................:?

Pics courtesy of Dave Lindsay and eBay

[Guest zebm1]

I stand corrected, maybe it's tha 57 I'm thinking about.

[Mj-Styro]

Heres the one i did, and no its not correct! but i like it just the same LOL!

I like how you did yours tho! now thats thinkin out side the box!

I to used the 55 for the w/frame........and using a junker 56 kit that needed a roof! i said what the heck! The wife has been after me (say 16 years now) to build her a dream car! so i did and started fresh! i still have the one i started tho back when!

You know what! i'll start another thread not to hijack this one!