Old Chevy trucks?

I am talking really old (47-54). There is this cool old Chevy that used to be the shop truck of the shop we rent sitting in a shed behind it. It is not in pretty the shape the tornado in Cullman knocking the shed over on to it a while ago so the roof is denting and it has been sitting in the shed for who knows how long. It has all the old handpainted signage on it. So could you make one of these trucks a tow rig (I am talking Spitfire and small cars with it)? I was thinking of a resto with to how it would of looked and then a more modern transmission and rear axle and brakes. I know it isn't going anywhere so I am not in a hurry but I can't shake the idea. Also how do you tell if it is a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton?

That's called the Advanced Design (AD) era of Chevy trucks. A good website for gathering information on them is http://www.stovebolt.com/

edit: model numbers are 3100 (1/2-ton), 3600 (3/4-ton), 3800 (1-ton).

My father in law has a 48 with a 10 foot box which I think makes it a 1 ton. It's pretty awesome. It has a straight 6 from the mid 70s and a 4 speed with a push button overdrive unit. Drums on all 4 corners. It will do anything a modern truck will do at 1/2 to 3/4 the speed.

those old trucks are cool. a bucketlist car for me would be a 48 with a turbodiesel

What every old truck needs is independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering before you start thinking about modern transmissions.

I had a '64 Chevy truck twenty years ago and it was an antique then.

Woody wrote: What every old truck needs is independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering before you start thinking about modern transmissions. I had a '64 Chevy truck twenty years ago and it was an antique then.

Which is why my FIL decided to keep his essentially 'stock'. Any increase in power requires better brakes and suspension first. You basically need to redo everything between the gas pedal and the wheels all in one go. They're spectacular just as the are as long as you're willing to drive slow and keep space between you and more modern cars. I love the 48 and sincerely hope it ends up in my driveway someday.

Back in 1990 I found a one owner guy that had a 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck for sale for $750.

He had drained all the fluids in the early 1970's and left it in his dry garage. No serious body rot or rust but it all needed to be rebuilt. The wife didn't care for it and talked me out of it. I think you can take the entire truck apart with 3 different sized wrenches?

Whenever I drive by the area the dude lived I still think about that '53.

Restomoding a vehicle yourself, while certainly fun, isn't a way to make or save money.

Decide if you really need a restomod anyhow. There's nothing undriveable about an old truck. They drive just fine, just as they are. No, it can't keep up with a Ford Lightning, so what?

We had one many years ago. Dead reliable simple machine. It would sit for months on end. Then we'd start it, do something with it, and park it again. It met our needs perfectly doing this.

Look for a VIN tag on the door jamb. My Dodge's was on the front of the jamb, it was a B-3-C - 116. B = the cab style (pilothouse), 3 = tonnage (3/4 t) C = long box and 116 is the wheelbase.

I'm not as familiar with Chevies, but snag it if you can. SBC swap is easy, but the blue flame six is just cool. Swap in a newer rearend to gat some highway speeds going and you're good!

You can swap from 6v to 12v easily by bolting in an alternator. I wanted originality [at first] so I had the generator rewired for 12v.

You know you have to put up pictures, right?

Dan

Steering box and pitman arm is perfectly fine for a truck likely to be used as a truck. Rack and pinion works great for a Miata, less so for a big truck. Big trucks and buses still use Pitman arms, for a reason. IFS isn't even that much of a requirement either, for a tow rig. I tow with a '92 Dodge 3/4 ton with solid front axle (4x4) and pitman arm steering, and it's a fine tow rig.

The little 6 banger that Chevy used for eons was tough as nails, but that's about all that could be said for it. If you want to tow faster than 40 mph I'd opt for a bit more grunt, a diesel even. And do make sure you get some nice stout front discs on the thing with a dual chamber brake master cylinder.

Here's a crappy camera-phone pic of my '55, salvaged from a farmer's field. Full ton model- 3800.

The 216ci six that originally came in those trucks used splash lubrication for the rod bearings instead of pressure lubrication, so they weren't as durable for high speed operation. However, it's pretty common today to find trucks where the engine has already been replaced with a newer 235ci six that has full pressure lubrication and is more suitable for highway speeds.

The stock rear end gear ratio is pretty low, but you can get an aftermarket ring and pinion gear now that has a (I think) 3.55 ratio. newer rear axles can be swapped in but I believe those trucks used a torque tube driveline so it's not a bolt in deal.

stuart in mn wrote: The 216ci six that originally came in those trucks used splash lubrication for the rod bearings instead of pressure lubrication, so they weren't as durable for high speed operation. However, it's pretty common today to find trucks where the engine has already been replaced with a newer 235ci six that has full pressure lubrication and is more suitable for highway speeds.

What about the 261? Does it use full pressure lubrication?

Would be possible to find a rolled and totaled modern pickup and transplant the entire chassis and drivetrain under the old body?

Like everybody else apparently I totally want an older pick up..............40ish to 50ish. I like 'em all even the Plymouths, Studebakers etc although they may actually be older. We all better get one soon or thanks to the likes of Barrett-Jackson every farmer in the land will want 20K for a rusted old frame with a VIN on it.

Just throwing this out there.......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Project-1951-Chevy-3600-Pick-up-Parts-Truck-TA20017-?cmd=ViewItem&item=350558877499#ht_5760wt_1238

jstein77 wrote: Would be possible to find a rolled and totaled modern pickup and transplant the entire chassis and drivetrain under the old body?

Maybe but to be honest I would really like to keep it fairly original. Add a 235 (or 261) blue flame six, modern transmission, better brakes and a different ring and pinion.

If I had to get a chevy... I would like to have a Cameo

jstein77 wrote: Would be possible to find a rolled and totaled modern pickup and transplant the entire chassis and drivetrain under the old body?

A lot of people put them on an S-10 chassis, but honestly I can't figure out why...the only frame that will bolt up to an AD body is an AD frame, anything else will require fabrication. Plus, these days there are all sorts of bolt on upgrades for suspension and drivetrain that don't require a torch and a saw.

93EXCivic wrote: What about the 261? Does it use full pressure lubrication?

Yes, it does.

This is my FIL's truck. My dad actually bought it from a guy and then let it sit for almost a decade because he has the mechanical ability of a surgeon. Which he is. My FIL had it running two days after he brought it home and had it repainted by the local high school auto body class. All panels are original and have never rusted though. It's nice enough to take to car shows but rough enough that every little kid who wants to climb in and ring the floor mounted ice cream bell gets to. We bought him a new bumper this Christmas, a new steering wheel last, rebuilt gauges the one before that. My BIL in law will probably end up with it and let it fall apart. There's only so much you can do being second in line. It's a cool truck.

NIce trucks! My dad had a 49 5 window with the 235 and 4 speed, and now has a 56 1/2 ton big window flatbed with the 235 4 speed. When I was younger he had a couple '55's, and a '36 dumpmaster with the 216. That was the coolest ever. Bummer is that he likes them for style, yet hates maintaining them. I half hope the '56 just falls to pieces before I have the chance to get it... catching up with all the maintenance that he isn't doing, and repairing bodywork that he isn't taking care of will be painful.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: Here's a crappy camera-phone pic of my '55, salvaged from a farmer's field. Full ton model- 3800.

She doesn't look like a full ton, VCH, nor a '55. More like a 115 from '84. Tell her I'll be visiting her Etsy store later this month.

I'm totally with you, buy what you like to look at and what you're comfortable working on. A solid axle isn't going to bother you. No power steering or power brakes isn't going to end your day either. Just drive them like trucks, not sports cars.

Something to realize, though, is that those trucks were nowhere near as tough as newer ones. Cue the hate, I know. VCH's Cummins Dodge is tough as nails wish they were, but it's a 90 something. My 72 GMC was the last year of the tiny leaf springs (2" wide or something insane) and when loaded with a half ton, you get to be good friends with the bumpstops and the sky is all you can see. Don't think you can just dump three scoops of garden dirt in the back like I did with that Dodge and just drive it home like nothing's there. As a tow vehicle, I would look for brake upgrades and get something better than half ton (by a lot, like the one ton in this pic).

Yeah I know it won't drive as well or haul stuff as well as newer trucks but this one is just so cool and I hate seeing it rot away. I just want something which can tow my Spitfire. I was wondering if it would be up to that task maybe the addition of better brakes.

I've towed Spitfires with other Spitfires, a riding lawnmower, and even a little 175 cc motorcycle. That truck is perfectly capable of towing an itty-bitty little Spitfire without any modifications. Heck, it can probably carry the Spitfire without problems.