getting ready to start tearing apart my reasently purchased 52 chev.pick up.my plan is to modernize drivetrain, suspension ,brakes ,etc. but keep body as original as possible.
Welcome. There will be plenty of good advice here either way you want to go. We like to know your name and see plenty of pics of your truck. One thing that I feel that I have to ask though is are you sure you want to tear it down? I think it is a universal feeling here among those of us who tore our trucks down that it took a lot longer than we thought to get it back on the road and there were many a sunny afternoon that we would have rather been driving it than moving the pieces around the garage. Of course you might be an exception and have it back on the road in no time. If that is the case, have at it and don't be afraid to ask a question. There are folks here that have done it all and aren't afraid to share. Gater
This will be a great adventure as you go through your project. The best advice I can give you is this. TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING AND LABEL ALL PARTS AS THEY COME OFF. I TOOK ABOUT 150 PICTURES BUT NOW AS I BEGIN TO PUT PARTS BACK ON I FIND I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN 150,000 PICTURES. The Caps are here to make a point. Also get a factory assembly manual, a shop manual and any other manual you can find. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/47-54-CHEVY-GMC-TRUCK-FACTORY-ASSEMBLY- MANUAL_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem200294982387QQitemZ200294982387QQptZMotorsQ5fManualsQ5fLiterature
Pictures, pictures, pictures!!! Megga dittos to both the above. I took mine down to the frame last year and found much more than I wanted to. Now I have to fix all that---big learning curve for me---and try to get it back together. I'm looking at a three year project at my present rate. Think about your objectives in depth. If you can enjoy driving it now, do it and then decide. The guys here are the best source for everything about the AD. These pic's are then and now---16 months into it---and still a long way to go. I'm slower than most but many people loose interest and give up. I'm treating mine as a retierment hobby---but I would rather be driving it. Rick
There is a term for what you want, it's called "Resto Rod". The original look is retained but the modern driveline used. We recommend this to some customers that are challenged when it comes to maintaining and tuning their own old truck. If they have to take it to a shop for modern cars it throws the whole staff in a tizzy. Most have never even seen a point type distributor let alone know the timing ball/marks are on the flywheel. Also good for people that make longer trips where they may need a problem attended to. If the shop opens the hood and sees something familiar they will work on it. Myself, I think the most pleasure comes from being able to handle what comes up ones self. They are really such simple (some say crude) old machines that present a great opportunity to get ones feet wet as far as DIY is concerned.
I knew I was going to I was SO glad the day I snagged my AD. I got it rolling, but then knew that I wanted to change things. It didn't require me doing a frame off, but I got into this bad habit a l-o-n-g. That is, if you're going to do something, do it right. When I'm all done with it, I will know that RUST will have to start all over again, because I have (or will have) taken care of it all. That way I know it will be around for a long time to come. Plus, it's just so friggin' fun to know I did it all by myself! (Although, with this site, I feel like those Sprint (?) cell phone commercials where the sea of people that help are standing right there with me!)
That is pretty much the approach I landed on. I replaced the frame as well as the drive train. Having driven the truck for the first 50 miles home, as well as having driven my father's '53 1/2 ton, I knew I wanted something that would travel safely and reliably at current highway speeds. I also didn't like the though of splicing in all sorts of mis-matched suspension parts. I obtained a donor '83 Ford 4wd supercab for a variety of reasons, cut the body off and disposed of it. It was mostly in the oxide form anyway. The main task there was to cut 18" out of the frame and rear driveshaft and stick them back together straight. I reinforced the frame splice pretty heavily. The next issue is to fabricate mounting points to match the AD body/box. It is going together now and so far everything lines up. The only thing I am not real happy with is how the wheels now come right out to the edge of the fenders and depending on my ultimate tire/wheel selection, may stick out a bit. The '83 engine was carburetted, but I swapped in a more recent EFI 351. Getting the engine wiring correct had me worried, but is now complete and functional. Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you want to find out particular details.
Wow ! You're a fast worker ! . I hope you'll salvage the old chassis and it's parts as folks do need old stock(ish) parts on a regular basis but they're not worth a whole lotta $ I'm sorry to say . How about putting up some pix of the new chassis being fabricated ? . I know you can always have the wheels cut & re-welded to get the correct offset .
Who said fast? It has been in progress for about 8 years so far. The '52 is (was) a one ton, which doesn't mean squat for the cab. The box is 9' long, but otherwise normal. The chassis is a lot heavier than most people would want. Other than the engine, I doubt the other parts are in much demand, but if anyone needs a 1 ton transmission or other running gear, let me know. The best part is that it spent its entire life on the farm in southeastern Alberta; about as dry a location as you could ask for. Almost no rust anywhere. What I understand about wheel offset, is that it is meant to put the wheel centreline in the right place relative to the king pin axis. If you deviate too far the steering does odd things. My current thinking is to select a wheel/tire combination that is largish diameter - to compensate for the 3.55 diff ratio and narrow profile to minimize the stick-out. I have a bunch of pictures, but mostly film based. When I get around to scanning and posting them, I will put a link here.
Spare Parts I see ; For what it's worth , the tranny is the same as used in 1/2 tonners with floor shift , the radiator is too , as is the heater if so equipped ... I know I've seen guys looking for the brake parts .
Nix on the heater and radiator. The heater is in place, but with a 12V motor. The Ford blower motor was pretty close to a drop-in. The core was toast, but the rad shop I patronize came up with a sound one out of their boneyard. The current owner's father came in and recognized mine sitting there and told his son "oh yeah, there are a couple of those out under the stairs". I love it. The radiator is in place as well, but with a much larger core and new tanks fitted to the brackets. There was no room for a belt driven fan, so I stuffed an electric pusher plus an ATF cooler and power steering fluid cooler between the grill and rad. I haven't planned on A/C yet, partly because I have no idea where I would put the condenser. Or like a friend of mine says: "Air conditioning? You bet, one in each door."
Feel free to view my buildup pic.s on my 3 trucks to get an idea of what goes into it. Ask any questions you like. Russ http://picasaweb.google.com/rpettycustommurals/DaveS50 http://picasaweb.google.com/rpettycustommurals/JimS53
Stock Radiator For what it's worth , the stock AD radiator is sufficient to cool any V-8 angine on Earth with AC blowing , even in Death Valley heat... A bigger core was unecessary . Good to see you're doing it right tho' .
The original core was not in great shape anyway and when I compared the total core volume with that of a heavy duty rad for the 351, I thought it prudent to try and get the same volume in place. There are some long steep hills in my travel area where a regular duty rad is insufficient for a loaded truck. Plus, with new tanks, I could put the connections in a better spot to connect to the water pump and thermostat housing and size to match the engine. Using original tanks would have meant crossing from side to side on the bottom. Also, I put in an ATF cooler. I still have four hubcaps and they are in perfect condition, painted though. I am thinking about trying to fit them onto steel wheels if I can find suitable ones. The original wheels are split rim. I wouldn't put them on even if the bolt pattern was right. The S-10 concept is interesting, but the wheelbase would be too short for a 1 ton. I see they can put in a 5.3 litre engine. Does anyone know whether it clears the inner fenders? I had to modify my inner fenders quite a bit not only to match the frame rails, but to clear various engine components.
THANK YOU ! (Radiator Capacity) For making my point exactly Evan ! . 190° F is NOT overheating ! it's the *perfect* operating temperature for long engine life , maximum power and fuel economy . Modern cars run the coolant temperature right up to and sometimes beyond the boiling point of water . Remember that each pound of pressure raises the boiling point of plain water by 3° F and adding in the coolant mix's anti-boiling qualities , 190° F is just right . I run a 187° F thermostat on my 235 and it heats up to 200° F when get stuck in dense traffic , no worries . The electric pusher fan is a good thing too , I have one . Tranny cooler is good too , if a seperate cooler for ATF or an AC condensor is added , be sure to leave a 1/2" gap between each core to maximize the cooling potential .
