The wrenches are starting to turn on our friend Joe's '51 Fleetline project and we're pretty excited. After the previous owners had the near-stock Chevy hauled to Los Angeles from the eastern U.S. a bunch of years ago, there hadn't been much progress on the car. Joe owns it now and is eager to build it up into a mild custom and get it back on the road where it belongs. The plans are to keep it low-key. That means keeping the inline-six engine and the stock three-on-the-tree transmission and a generally stock look, but making a few upgrades to let the Fleetline compete with 2008 traffic on Southern California freeways and streets.
The first finished upgrade was a Fatman Fabrications Stage II hub-to-hub front suspension setup. We were at CMC Designs to follow along as Craig Chaffers and Jake Encinas pulled out the stock suspension and assembled the new Mustang II kit. They had already removed the inner fenderwells when we got there, so the car was on jackstands and the stock suspension was ready to come out. The installation on the new pieces was straightforward and quick, but, as with many hot rod projects, there was a lot of preparation work required before that could happen. Take a look at what's involved in the job.
