I’m looking for any tips or advice on my 1951 Chevy 6500

[S49505152535]

So a quick little history on this truck. Before I got it it sat in the same place for 35 years. I believe it’s a 6500 because of the GVW but I don’t know for certain. It has a two speed rear axle, and a four speed manual transmission. I’ll do my best to keep this updated as the repairs advance, any tips are appreciated.



3/3/25


3/9/25


12/13/25


12/26/2025


2/23/26


In between here I had the re-sand every time I went to put primer on it because it kept raining and re-rusting before I had time to put primer on it. An in between here I got new soft plugs and put them in, and completed a few other nicknacks.

6/4/26
Finally got it sanded and primed and added a photo of what the engine looks good now that it’s done.

 

[52wasp]

Welcome to the forum "S..."
I suggest you add your location, as there may be a fellow ADer nearby! You will find, with a little digging, a WEALTH of AD truck information here.

 

[S49505152535]

Welcome to the forum "S..."
I suggest you add your location, as there may be a fellow ADer nearby! You will find, with a little digging, a WEALTH of AD truck information here.

I would but here in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia if you even see any 1st series trucks they’re typically in junkyards and aren’t in very good condition. I got lucky since the one I got has been in my family since it was bought, and as you can see in the photos it was covered by trees for years.

 

[52wasp]

You can add your location in your profile, so it shows up (like mine does) in your posts. And a name would help!

 

[Robs52trk]

Do the normal stuff flush radiator change the oil check the fuel tank and flush the fuel line make sure the brakes work fresh battery and drive it have fun

 

[Chiro]

Welcome!!! That's a heck of a rodent nest in the glovebox! Here's a very important tip: Do not vacuum or blow out rodent debris under any circumstance. Treat it like asbestos and soak it down with soapy water and WIPE it out. Use PPE, gloves, mask, etc. Hanta virus likes dry rodent feces and it has no cure and no treatment. Dry feces made airborne is inhaled and is a very nasty thing. Had a close friend use a leaf blower in his large-ish outbuilding/shed. He spent over a month in the hospital with Hanta-caused endocarditis.

Have fun with it but be careful.
Andy

 

[S49505152535]

Welcome!!! That's a heck of a rodent nest in the glovebox! Here's a very important tip: Do not vacuum or blow out rodent debris under any circumstance. Treat it like asbestos and soak it down with soapy water and WIPE it out. Use PPE, gloves, mask, etc. Hanta virus likes dry rodent feces and it has no cure and no treatment. Dry feces made airborne is inhaled and is a very nasty thing. Had a close friend use a leaf blower in his large-ish outbuilding/shed. He spent over a month in the hospital with Hanta-caused endocarditis.

Have fun with it but be careful.
Andy

What I did was use leather gloves and pull out all the rodent nests and other debris. An put it into feed sacks and tied the sacks before putting them in the dumpster.

 

[Chiro]

That's a big project. I never like to see "found" vehicles with systems "open". Things like oil fill cap off, carb uncovered or missing, cooling system open are invitations to rodents. I picked up a Ford flathead V8 years ago that looked really good sitting on an engine stand. When I got it home and began tearing it down to inspect I discovered that rodents had been in the water jackets. It took a looooong time with furnace brushes, long tipped air blower tips and compressed air to clean and blow out all the debris. Thankfully, there was no debris in the lifter valley or in the oil pan and the debris in the water jackets was minimal but it still took a long time. That engine is currently in my Model A Hot Rod and still running great.

You're going to have to inspect that engine in the truck very well. I recommend pulling the rocker cover, oil pan and water pump to check for rodent debris. The oil pan is going to be the biggest PIA if you are going to leave the engine in the truck, but that also gives you the advantage of checking the oil pickup screen for gunk. Do all that before trying to start the engine. You can check to see if the engine rotates by hand before doing all that. A cheap boroscope to look in the spark plug holes at the cylinder walls would be a good idea. If the engine is "free", you're half way there. If not free, a 50/50 mix of auto trans fluid and acetone in the cylinders to soak (be careful, acetone is HIGHLY flammable). That may take weeks to work and get the engine unstuck but you can cross that bridge if you come to it. Luckily, the carb was covered so hopefully no water in the cylinders. The oil in that canister filter is blacker than sin. Not a good sign, but not a deal breaker. If the engine is free and there is no rodent debris in all those places you can attempt to start with fresh oil in the engine. Liberally pour some oil over the rocker shaft, get some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders, check and adjust/replace the points/plugs, etc. Crank engine over without power to the points to get the new oil through the system and to get the cylinders lubed up a bit with the Mystery Oil you put in them. Then attempt to fire it up. You can do that with the water pump off and the rocker cover off. If it runs, only run it BRIEFLY (you don't want to overheat an engine with no coolant in it) so you can quickly check to see if oil is coming out the rockers (you want to see that they are getting oil). Make sure you have oil pressure with a good gauge hooked up. The carb may be in need of a rebuild so you may only get it running and keep it running with gasoline in a squirt bottle down the carb throat (the fuel pump is likely no good as well). Do not try to use the existing fuel delivery system as it probably needs a good going through to clean it all out. The fuel lines and tank are likely gunked up, etc. A friend to stand by and help is always a good idea when doing an initial startup on an old engine. Fire suppression equipment close at hand is always a good idea. Big rags to cover the carb if flames appear is also a good idea to snuff out the flames but be careful the rag doesn't ignite.
Good luck and let us know the progress.
Andy

 

[vwnate1]

What Andy said, like most of us older guys he's done thing from the very beginning .

You have a 235C.I.D. engine there order spark plugs & etc. for a 1959 Chevy pickup truck .

I echo all his cautionary comments, generally these engines are *extremely* hard to kill but improper reawakening is one way to kill them dead .

If you can turn the engine even a little bit back and forth, follow his instructions about filling the cylinders but never, EVER try to force the engine past the binding point ! by hand -only- turn it until you feel it begin to bind or drag then back it up a little bit and refill the cylinders, let them soak another few days and repeat .

I have used plain ATF (cheaper) but the mix with Acetone is far better .

Looking through older posts you'll find detailed instructions on how to re awaken it, first thing : VALVE ADJUSTMENT, remember to use a hand held pump oiler to squirt ATF between the valve springs directly on the upper part of the valve stem, this will prevent it from sticking in the guide and possible damage to the guides as well .

Once you can turn it a full 360 degrees by hand, crank it sans spark plus and let the copious amounts of oil and crud come blowing out of the open spark plug holes .

The two speed axle is really nice, try to save it by short oil changes once the truck is mobile .

That cylinder head, if it turns up cracked, isn't (IMO) worth having repaired .

 

[S49505152535]

When I first got it the first thing I did was try cranking the fan and I was able to make it go a full 360.

Then after that I took off the head cover and cleaned out all the mouse nests before buying a new gasket for it and putting the head cover back on. I was lucky enough to not have anything else inside the engine, besides for the old oil that looked like red wine when I drained it.

Then I changed the spark plugs, spark plug wires, points and condensers, distributer cap and a rotor.

Afterwards came a new oil filter and I put it 10w-30.

Then a new radiator, radiator hoses, and heater hose's. In between there I took apart the heater housing and cleaned it all out. And to my luck the heater fan still works.

Now I’m down to the point where I need to put in new soft plugs, new kick boards and cab corners, paint the interior, put the gas tank back in, put the new gas tank to gas pump line in, get the seat reupholstered, redo most the wiring, and put in new seals and a few new windows, check/replace the brakes, and a few other nicknacks.

And how do you reattach the throttle cable to the carb (the throttle cable to the throttle knob on the dash that is)?

 

[vwnate1]

The throttle cable connects by a 'barrel clamp', I'm sure Chevy Duty here has a picture of in in the parts page .

I hope you've done the valve adjust and points service before trying to make it run .

 

[S49505152535]

The throttle cable connects by a 'barrel clamp', I'm sure Chevy Duty here has a picture of in in the parts page .

I hope you've done the valve adjust and points service before trying to make it run .

Yes thankfully I did do that. An yes the engine will run as long as you give it gas, but I need to install a new gas tank to fuel pump line so I don’t have to pour gas down the carb.

And thank you I had no idea where that cable connected.

And would you happen to know a place where I can buy new vacuum shift lines for the 2-speed rear axle?

 

[vwnate1]

? You want the steel pipes or the rubber hoses ? .

The hoses are standard vacuum hose, my inlinetube.com will have the steel pipes .

 

[S49505152535]

? You want the steel pipes or the rubber hoses ? .

The hoses are standard vacuum hose, my inlinetube.com will have the steel pipes .

Thank you for telling me where I can buy the vacuum hoses at, I got some metal ones on the way and I’ll be connecting them once they get here.

 

[vwnate1]

I hope you've found a wiring harness, the originals used steel wire (!) encased in rear rubber with colored woven cloth outer layers that were then lacquered, why they're always intact but crispy and fires waiting to occur .

There are multiple modern reproductions, I suggest avoiding the sloth covered ones but it's your choice .

As long as made with copper wires you'll be okay .

There's a rubber grommet where it passes through the firewall, I highly recommend ONLY the ones from Steele Rubber Co. as most are Chinese vinyl crap that will harden up and fail in a year tops and cause fires .

If you really care about it being good rather than "correct" I suggest researching the 1949 version as it uses a large fuse box and electrical fires can burn your ship of the highway to it's water line before you can say "Oh, SHI " .

Let us know how it goes, the fancy-schmancy Hot Rodder wiring kits are, IMO junk because they are for trucks with power windows and others things your basic stock truck neither has nor needs .

 

[S49505152535]

I hope you've found a wiring harness, the originals used steel wire (!) encased in rear rubber with colored woven cloth outer layers that were then lacquered, why they're always intact but crispy and fires waiting to occur .

There are multiple modern reproductions, I suggest avoiding the sloth covered ones but it's your choice .

As long as made with copper wires you'll be okay .

There's a rubber grommet where it passes through the firewall, I highly recommend ONLY the ones from Steele Rubber Co. as most are Chinese vinyl crap that will harden up and fail in a year tops and cause fires .

If you really care about it being good rather than "correct" I suggest researching the 1949 version as it uses a large fuse box and electrical fires can burn your ship of the highway to it's water line before you can say "Oh, SHI " .

Let us know how it goes, the fancy-schmancy Hot Rodder wiring kits are, IMO junk because they are for trucks with power windows and others things your basic stock truck neither has nor needs .

I was indeed able to find a wiring harness on chevs of the 40s that had the provisions for a generator and turn signals which I definitely need the generator wiring because on the 235ci is the original generator. The wire is plastic covered since I’m not too worried about having cloth covered wire because to me having the wiring is what matters not what’s covering the wires.