Jason Line's Biscayne Blog (8/4/2010)

Editor's note: Jason Line is transforming a 1968 Chevy Biscayne station wagon into an 800+ horsepower, grocery-grabbing beast. Jason will detail the build in a series of blogs, including this installment which covers much of the paint, body, and chassis.

I know it’s been some time since my last blog, but I’ve been somewhat busy lately working on and racing my Summit Racing Pontiac.  The last two months have been pretty hectic with seven races in eight weeks, and even though it seems as if I’ve been living on the road, there’s good news both on and off the track.  The KB Racing crew has been making real progress with our race cars, which has started to show on the track, while Jimmy Smith and his crew at Street Customs & Restorations have been working to put the wagon back together.

At the end of our last update, the motor had been assembled and run on the dyno (to the tune of 800+ horsepower), completing that phase of the project, with the focus returning to getting the body sorted out.  That’s where Jimmy and his bunch came in.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, they do some amazing work and with Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing among their clients, I knew they could help make my vision a reality.

Not surprisingly, my original plan for a simple fix-up and quick spray turned into an all-out restoration.  As such, the first order was a total disassembly of the body and chassis, with every single nut and bolt being removed.  Although this is certainly a daunting project simply from the sheer amount of work involved, proper planning and organization can make things much easier.

For example, use a digital camera to document every step.  This not only makes a great record for you to show everyone after the project is done, but can also be quite helpful when the time comes to put everything back together.  By the time my wagon is complete, between Jimmy and I, we’ll have enough photos to fill a couple binders.  In addition, have plenty of plastic bags on hand for all those small (and usually very hard to replace) parts.  Finally, label everything you take off, because what might seem obvious when you’re taking the car apart can become a huge mystery during reassembly.  Spending a little extra time in the beginning can save you hours on the back end.

Once we had everything apart, the body and chassis were sand blasted down to the bare metal, showing us exactly what we were up against.  For the most part, everything was solid, which was not surprising given its Arizona roots.  However, it did uncover some damage that required replacing the left rear quarter panel.

That took some time, as we had to locate a donor car since no one makes body parts for a 68 Biscayne wagon.  Fortunately, Jimmy was able to find one and weld it in place.  My goal for this car was to keep it looking as close to stock as I could, so other than replacing that quarter panel, it was straight-forward bodywork, fixing any imperfections and getting it primed and ready for paint.  Although we were able to find some NOS pieces for it, we saved quite a few of the trim pieces from both this car and the original wagon that started it all, and sent them out to be re-chromed.

Speaking of paint, from the very start I had an idea of what I wanted the car to look like, including the color I wanted it to be.  Considering how big the car is, we’re talking about a lot of paint, so it was important to get it right.  Over the course of several months, we worked with Summit Racing as well as Jimmy and his crew and looked at tons of colors, both on cars and test panels, until we finally settled on Summit Racing Bomber Blue. 

One area I did not plan to keep in its original format was the chassis, as numerous modifications were required to handle not only the weight of the car (over 4,500 lbs.) but also the massive horsepower produced by our 557.  To get things rolling, I used a Meziere starter and flywheel mated to an ATI transmission with a 10 inch converter.  In addition, the rear end was narrowed three-eighths of an inch by Detroit Speed to accommodate the larger Cragar S/S wheels, rebuilt with Strange axles, gears and heavy-duty posi unit, and mounted back in the car with a Summit Racing rear end girdle.   I was also able to work with the people at Hotchkis Suspensions to come up with something to put all that power to the ground.  Finally, for stopping power I installed Summit Racing disc brakes at all four corners. Fortunately, almost everything I used is available through the Summit Racing catalog.

As far as the interior is concerned, I once again kept the appearance completely stock, replacing the door panels and recovering the front and rear bench seats with NOS material.  I did change the color from the original blue to black, not only because I thought it would look better, but also because it would hide any stains – after all, my kids will be riding with me most of the time.

The gauges, although stock in appearance, have been brought up to current specs by Classic Instruments, so they are as reliable as anything you can get on a new car.  I’m really happy with how it turned out, because it looks just like it would have back in 1968.  Of course, I’ll be installing proper seat belts in it, front and rear, so we can put in the kids’ car seats and safely take them for a ride. 

With that, my grocery getter was done. When I first started thinking about this project, I was looking to do something different, not just another Camaro or Chevelle build-up (no offense intended, as those are great cars).  These cars are still fairly cheap to buy, and besides, I wanted something I could enjoy with my family.  

It may have taken a year and a half (which is a lot quicker than I originally planned), some hard work by a talented group of people, and a lot of hours going through the Summit catalog, but I believe the end product is definitely worth it.  It’s a unique piece that the Line family will be able to enjoy for years to come.  In fact, my son Jack has already claimed it as “his hot rod”, which is he generously allowing me to drive.

Now that it’s just about complete (well, as finished as any hot rod is – after all, it’s something you always keep working on), there is only one thing left, and that’s taking it to the track to see what it can do.  I have to admit that I’ve got some pretty high expectations, so I’m going to reserve my final judgment on this project until after we put it through its paces, which we’ll cover in my final blog in the series.  See you then.