The Hot Rod Wagon

A 1956 Chevrolet Wagon Old School Hot Rod

Picture of the Wagon taken 16 July 2014

The story of this car is like most, a rebuild of various areas over time. While working on his wife's stock '56 Chevy Sedan, Kurt decided he wanted a car to hot-rod. He found what looked to be a mostly original '56 6 passenger Chevy wagon on Ebay and decided he had to have the car. Many parts for this car were located on Ebay, causing the family to nickname the car the "Ebay Special", although he preferred "Fast Food" because it is a "Grocery Getter".

The first hot-rod engine that Kurt finally decided on is a small block 327, built by Pete Barrows who knows old-school technology and who knows how to get the most out of the older engines.

Then, with Betsy completely restored, Kurt decided it was time to start the body restoration on the wagon before it was too far gone. Over the past few years, driving, racing, showing, and simply time had taken its toll on the body. So, in the fall of 2009, the wagon came apart and the full restoration began. This site will detail the work already done, as well as everything that we do in the future to finish this restoration. So, there was a new round of work, sweat, blood, and tears.

Then in April 2018, the car was in a minor front end collision. We now had the fun task of rebuilding her - again. But that allowed for some other upgrades.

Original Specs: 265 8 cylinder with 4 barrel carb, Power Glide transmission, power steering, power brake and dealer AC (For a '56 Wagon, this is loaded.)

First Engine by Pete Barrows: 327 Chevy small block, World Products SR Torquers 67cc chamber heads, 350HP Corvette cam for the 327 engine, Edelbrok Performer intake, MSD ignition, Edelbrock 600CFM carburator, 2 1/2" ram horns to dual exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers, a 350 Turbo transmission, backed up by 3:55 gears in an Auborn posi-trak. The engine hasn't been on a dyno yet to get the horsepower rating, but will be soon. As Kurt puts it, the "seat-meter says Oh Yeah!".

Current Tech Specs: 327 Chevy small block, power steering, Edlebrock Air Gap intake, Edlebrock 650 carb, Lunati BareBones Retro fit roller cam, MSD distributor and ignition, Sanderson cast headers to 2 1/2" dual exhaust with Borla mufflers, 13" Wilwood disc brakes, AC, 4 speed Super T10 transmission, 4:11 Eaton posi-trak with Moser axles

icon for Motor section

Step 1 - Original Condition and Early Mods
 
  • Page 1 - original condition at time of purchase
  • Page 2 - Brakes and Chassis
  • Page 3 - Interior
  • Page 4 - Engine, the initial rebuild
  • Page 5 - Engine, the hot rod build
  • Page 6 - Race Day!
  • Page 7 - Before the tear down
icon for Dismantling section

Step 2 - Tear Down
 
  • Page 1 - Rocker panels, Tailgate, and Dog Legs
  • Page 2 - Wheelwells and Fenders
icon for Welding section

Step 3 - Chassis, Suspension, and Undercarriage
 
  • Page 1 - Frame and Floorpan
  • Page 2 - Bottomside and Cowl
  • Page 3 - Undercoating and Window Corner Repair
icon for Body Work section

Step 4 - Body Work
 
  • Page 1 - Old paint removal, weld grinding, and metal prep (July 2010 -Dec 2011)
  • Page 2 - Firewall prep and Epoxy seal coat (Jan - April 2012)
  • Page 3 - Remating the body to the frame and fender fitting (April 2012)
  • Page 4 - Putty work and door repair (June 2012)
  • Page 5 - Putty and door repair continues (July - Oct 2012)
  • Page 6 - "Franken-door" and first coat of surfacer (Sept - Oct 2012)
  • Page 7 - Final prep work (Nov 2012 - Nov 2013)
  • Page 8 - Inner fenders and hood (Nov 2013 - ?)
icon for Painting section

Step 5 - Painting
 
  • Page 1 - Turquoise and taping off
  • Page 2 - First round of white on body and doors
  • Page 3 - Finally in clear
icon for Reassembly section

Step 6 - Reassembly
 
  • Page 1 - Wiring harness and front fenders
  • Page 2 - Buffing, windows, and lift gate
  • Page 3 - Tailgate, wipers, and jewelry
  • Page 4 - Bumpers and everything else
  • Page 5 - New Interior
  • Page 6 - Finishing the Interior
  • Page 7 - Hood and Exterior Stainless
icon for Before and After section

Before and After
 
  • Page 1 - Brakes, Engine, Passenger Rear Quarter and Door
icon for Show section

Drive, Show, and Enjoy
 
  • Page 1 - (Jul 2014 - Aug 2017) first event out, first cruise in
icon for Accident section

Minor Front End Collision
 
  • Page 1 - oops, an accident (April 2018)
  • Page 2 - metal repairs (2019)
  • Page 3 - minor bodywork (Spring 2021)
  • Page 4 - fresh paint (Sep - Dec 2021)
  • Page 5 - upgrades and changes
  • Page 6 - reassembly (Jan 2022)

(Note: the above icons will appear at the botton of the subpages for navigation ease, along with arrows that will cycle through the pages in chronological order.)

 

Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. If the car requires a trailer to get it to a show, where is the fun in that?

Back to index of Breon cars For those who know us, yes, we have multiple cars. Click the crest to the left or here to reach the index of all of our cars.