1956 Caddy

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Some friends asked me to help out with a project they had, which was to stuff a small block Chevy into a 1956 Cadillac Hearse.  This involved recessing the firewall and building frame mount brackets for the engine.  The firewall and the mounts came out pretty good...
Reply:D:\My Documents\My Pictures\Friday the Hearse\FirewallandTrans.JPG Attached Images
Reply:Sheesh!!!  And the finished firewall...D:\My Documents\My Pictures\Friday the Hearse\FinishedFirewall.jpg Attached Images
Reply:Anyway, the firewall took about two weeks to finish, using 20ga. steel sheet, hand snips, various hammers and dollies, a cheap Harbor Freight "3-in'1" brake/shear/roll, a good Niagara jump shear, and my trusty Lincoln SP100 using 25/75 and .023 Easy Grind MIG wire.
Reply:looks good, looks like to had some difficult forming to doStangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:Thanks!!  Yeah, although the hole that was cut was roughly square, it was still a challenge to figure out how to get the surrounding "recess" to look right.  There were four major pieces that were welded to the center piece of the firewall, and a whole mess of smaller pieces that were put together like a puzzle as I went along.  I finished everything off by using 1/4" round bar stock tacked around the corners, and extending well beyond where the eye can see.  Speaking of that after all was said and done, you can't even see the work that was done with the engine in place.  To the untrained eye, it looks like it belongs there.   We also had to notch the crossmember, for the harmonic balancer and crank pulley...D:\My Documents\My Pictures\Friday the Hearse\CrossMemeberNotch.JPG Attached Images
Reply:once again, your work looks good to me!!StangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:Thanks!!!  It looks way better now that the engine compartment has been painted and the engine's in place.  Support Your Local Gearhead
Reply:I bet it does, cars look so lifeless witout an engine,  I said that and forgot it was in a hearse!!StangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:Ha!!!  Every once in a while, I'd be under the hearse, and Becca would come out of the house and laugh.  I'd ask what she was laughing at, and she said it was because my legs just looked funny sticking out from underneath it.  I always replied the same: Better under it than in it!!!  Support Your Local Gearhead