I left off at my last post saying the Chief needed a gas tank. And damn, did she need a tank!
After the first spin around the block, you could see tons of gas leaking out of the back center of the old tank. A quick look down there, and you could see some pretty big holes rusted through there.

Heres some pics of the original tank:

You can see where the main damage is, centered at the back. It probably got some water in it at some point (there was no gas cap on the filler neck when I brought her home), and suffered some rust damage at the lowest point in the tank from years of sitting. No big deal, out she came. Pulling the tank was pretty damn easy, since I had no intentions of reusing the stock mounts. I cut both mounting straps (bolts were rusted solid), removed the fuel line from the fitting, and wrestled it out from under the car. The hardest part was getting the filler neck to clear the driver side leaf spring.

Once the tank was out, I set out looking for replacement options. The first thing I found was NOBODY makes a replacement tank for this body style Star Chiefs. Of course if you have its sister 55-57 Chevy, you can have every OEM part you want sent to your door in a day. Bastards! So I moved onto my next option: adapting some other car models tank to the Chief.

Here are some resources I found when trying to plan the tank replacement:

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/mustangtank/newmustangtank.htm

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=results/category_id=69/home_id=59/mode=cat/cat69.htm

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237173

As always, The H.A.M.B. at Jalopy Journal is a huge resource!
Here is my post about the gas tank on the HAMB:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=383343&highlight=star+chief+gas+tank
(Lots of great help from the crew over there)

Anyways, I settled on a 65 Mustang gas tank kit from California Mustang.
My first car was a 66 Mustang GT (Still have it, sitting in my parents garage). I was familiar with California Mustang as a great parts supplier and good prices, so I went there first.
Heres the kit:

http://www.cal-mustang.com/GAS-TANK-KITS-1967-68-Gas-Tank-Kit-with-drain-plug-P16798C0.aspx

The CM kit was $162.95, and ended up being $206.88 with tax and shipping. Not bad for the tank, sending unit, filler neck, gaskets, mounting bolts, hose clamps, blah blah blah.
This ended up being the most cost effective solution, and the Mustang gas tank has a nice 1/2″ lip all around the tank, which makes for a really easy install. Just cut a hole in the trunk floor, and drop her through!

Here is the kit as received:

Then, I set to it. I marked out the location in the trunk, cut the area out of the trunk floor with my trusty Makita 4″ angle grinder, dropped the tank through, and bolted it in.
I left the filler neck in the trunk, and drilled and tapped a vent line into the filler neck, which I ran into the fenderwell.

Heres some more pics of the install:

The main problem with this setup is the Ford sending unit is not compatible with the GM gas gauge in the car.
I’ve got some ideas for making this work, but thats down the road. Stay tuned!

Next up, RADIATOR!

To get started, I’m a horrible writer. At least I think I am.  I can’t guarantee I won’t ramble, but bear with me and hopefully it’ll be interesting!
Anyways, I’m Evan Grist. I’m 26. I’m an Electrical Engineer, graduated from San Diego State University on 2007 with my EE degree.
I currently run the Research & Development department for Electrosport Industries, a leading manufacturer of motorcycle ignition systems and lighting.

I’ve been into old cars as long as I can remember. My first car in high school was a 66 Mustang that I shared with my brother Ian (the other half of Twin Chiefs).
My Dad got Ian and I into cars back then, spending weekends and nights after school wrenching on the Stang and having a great time.
About three years ago, Ian and I bought a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxy 500, which was  friends car in high school. After selling that to buy a boat about 2 years ago, I’d been looking to get another old car to play with.
This started my MoPar phase about a year ago, beginning with a 51 Plymouth Concord, whose 218ci flathead six I blew up and then sold, then bought a 64 Plymouth Barracuda,
which I traded for a 73 Plymouth Duster.

My Mopar days:

The Concord:

The Cuda:

After ending my MoPar streak, I began to look for something different.

My brother Ian picked up a 56 Pontiac Star Chief about a year ago, when I had the 51 Plymouth. Now that I had some cash in hand from selling my Duster, I was on the lookout for something in the 50’s that was a little more my style.
I was checking ebaymotors, and came across a 55 Star Chief that really caught my eye.
The car was about 20 minutes away in Chula Vista.
I gave the guy a call, and headed down to check it out the next Saturday.

Here’s what I saw:

The Ponch was a 55, and super solid. The story goes it was bought in SoCal, and owned by a family in Valley Center (North County San Diego, east of Escondido). It was driven for about 10 years, and last registered in 1964. It sat outside the house there until 2008!
At that point it was given to a charity, and the guys in Chula Vista picked it up.

It had black plates on it, with 1964 tags! They said all it took to get running again was some fresh gas, filing down the points, and a new battery. She had about 80k miles on her. The guys put new wheel cylinders and brake lines on her as well.

As I took it for a spin around the block, I noticed the gas tank leaking like hell.

So, first up on the list, is a gas tank.

Let the adventure begin!

Evan & Ians twin Star Chiefs

TwinChiefs.com is hosted by HotRodSD, the San Diego hot rod community. Twin Chiefs is the blog of Evan & Ian Grist, creators and owners of HotRodSD.com, about the restoration and build of their cars. Evan’s building a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief 4 door, and Ian is building a 1956 Pontiac Star Chief 4 door.

So keep an eye on the blog here and stay updated on the projects!

Check out the write up he did HERE.

Here is his article:

MAN! I love it when I hear from readers. Let’s just say it ‘makes my day’ to hear that folks are finding some enjoyment in reading about ‘what’s in my head’. Today, I’ve posted one such letter. Thanks Ian! I hope that by posting this, folks will check out the album of pictures of your AWESOME Pontiac (we all know we will be seeing fewer Pontaics now that GM has announced their fate!), and check out the kool websites you’ve built.

Hey Scruffy,

Just wanted to drop you a line and say how awesome I think your blog is. I’ve been reading it for years, its one of the first things I check when I get online in the morning, and always keeps me interested and entertained throughout my day at work.

I was introduced to your site through my buddy Jesse, who runs Just A Car Guy (http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/ ) [Scruffy says, "This is a great site"!] and told me about your site when I was looking for some pictures of scalloped cars to get ideas for painting my ‘56 star chief. I found a ton of scalloped stuff on your site, which I gave to my buddies over at San Diego Rod N Custom (http://www.sandiegorodandcustom.com/ – I built their website) for ideas when they painted it.

I’ve been meaning to email you and show you some pictures of the finished product, after all – your site gave me the ideas for the paint job! [Scruffy says, "I am truly humbled....your Pontiac looks GREAT!] I know you were thinking of scalloping your 1950 Chevy, so this might give you some ideas now. Feel free to post any pictures on your site if you are interested, I have it documented throughout my process, from the original car when I got it, through all the bodywork that was done to remove a ton of rust, through the paint job, and the finished product. [Scruffy says, "Readers...you've got to check out Ian's album which documents the "build"...you can see it at: http://picasaweb.google.com/icgrist/1956PontiacStarChief# ]

Also, thought maybe you could post up about a new San Diego online community that my brother and I have been working on – Hot Rod SD. Its a local San Diego community for Hot Rodders, kind of like a local HAMB, where people can get together, talk cars, and meet up. I run a web and graphic design company (Redline Designworks – http://www.redlinedesignworks.net/

) with my twin brother here in San Diego, and we are always looking for new ways to get people involved in the things that we love! (He has a ‘64 Plymouth Barracuda too!)

[Scruffy says, "You can view Ian and his brother's online community at: http://www.hotrodsd.com/ ]

Its a work in progress, but its coming along.

Anyway, hope things are going well for ya, keep up the good work!

Ian Grist

Scruffy’s Response:
Ian,

Wow! Thanks for the email and the kind words….and how incredibly kool is it that you credit my blog with the design of the sik scallops on your sweet Pontiac…I am truly honored.

Your letter is a great example of why I started my blog in the first place. To share my interest in traditional hotrods, to share ideas, and to meet some great people along the way.

I had a brief opportunity to check out the website you built for SD Rod and Custom. All I can say is “wicked”! GREAT WORK! I really enjoy messing around with my blog and would love to be able build sites for folks. Everything I know about the computer (as well as cars) is pretty much self-taught. Just jump right in and “get at it.”

Again, it is truly an honor to get some “kudos” from a “West Coast” guy. It’s great to think that the Internet allows global exposure to a lot of Midwestern events and cars that would most likely be overlooked by most publications.

The pictures of your Pontiac have actually got me thinking in a WHOLE new direction concerning scallops on the Nifty Fifty. I’ve got some scratches and paint issues in several locations that I’d like to fix. I’ve also got a set of fender skirts that I’ve been wondering how to color match…(also don’t like the color of my new sunvisor). I REALLY like your flat black/green scheme. Maybe the answer for the Nifty Fifty is a reverse mask. I like the custom blue color of the ‘50, but the blue/creme scheme just doesn’t have that “kool” factor. Maybe creating a mask that leaves some blue scallops and creates “fields” of flat black is the answer. Thanks for making me “think outside the box”.

Have a GREAT week!

Kirby “Scruffy”


p.s…still dreamin’ about takin’ a trip out your way some day via Route 66. Old rod or bobber, either way, the trip would be worth bloggin’ about!