1949 Chevy 3600......making it a daily driver!!

Welcome aboard, great looking truck. The other photos are great also. Thanks for sharing

 

Cute kids and pup.

Well you have my attention on the M2. I will have to give it some thought.

This kind of reminds me of a couple house projects I have done in the past. Once you get started where do you stop?

If I am going to do a IFS I will have to pull the motor. If I am going to pull the motor I might as well replace the 216 with a full pressure motor. Since I am going to replace the motor, I might as well throw in a T5, etc, etc, etc.

 

Exactly why I just got it running and now drive it all the time. Great times with the kids. My son, 1.5 yrs old, got his car seat in the 52 and my wife and I and him all went to sonic last night. probably 150+ people there after a game of some sort. Had to circle twice to get a spot. Then we all sat in the bed and had a coke. Great night. Had several people come up and say hi. Just a ton of fun.

Awesome guys here as you can see ol chebby, knows his stuff! We as does basically everyone here. Great place to either fix up what you have and drive it to, full on custom work. And everything in between.

 

I do have a tendency to jump into thiings wide open at times....and I am sure this is a good case.

My reasoning was I did not plan on keeping the stock 3/4 ton stuff very long, so why not just update to 1/2 ton stuff right off the bat.

Maybe just getting the truck 100% functional stock is a better plan even if it does cost me a bit more money.

Hmmm.

 

OK, carb kit is on the way, so next thing on the agenda is wiring.

12V conversion. I have read quite a bit about this, but please correct me if I am wrong.

What I need:

12v battery
12v coil
10SI Alternator
resister for gas tank sending unit
resister for heater fan
resisters for guages
bulbs

Replace generator with alternator. Connect 8 or 10 guage wire from new alternator to battery.

Remove existing generator wiring. Can the Voltage regulator be removed as well?

Any other info or a link would be great!!

 

You can easily swap the rear for better gears. Swap in a good 1/2 ton front, but don't do the drop axle. Later you can do the m2 and engine after some time to collect parts.

I drove mine stock 3/4 ton for 7 months,

until 3rd gear went out. I had collected parts to hot rod it, pulled it in the garage Sept 22, 05,

pulled it out Feb 1 06.


Been tweaking ever since.

 

Make sure to buy a coil that has an internal resistor in it or you'll need to install a ballast resistor. If you go with an alternator, you no longer need the voltage regulator.

Are you planning on using the existing wiring harness? 60 year old insulation can be a pain.

Ken

 

If I buy a 12V coil I will be ok right?

For right now I am going to run existing wiring. At some point the whole truck will get rewired, but I am not sure on what approach I will use yet. I am electrian, so the wiring doe not scare me too bad.

 

You'll definitely want to buy a 12 volt coil. Just make sure it has an internal resistor. Russ, (ol' chebby), has a part number that will work for you!

 

Now I understand. I need a coil with a resister or a seperate resister to drop the voltage for the points.

 

Resistor for gas tank sending unit won't work. Power to the gas gauge (and any othe electric gauges except ammeter) needs to be reduced to 6v before it reaches the gauge. Get a Runtz voltage drop for EACH electric gauge from http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com/parts/parts_counter_2.html As long as you are at it buy their "Official 12 volt conversion guide ($10) here http://www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com/parts/index.html

You CAN use a resistor for the fan motor.

 

Thanks Bill.

 

Napa IC64 coil has internal resistor so you can get rid of the ceramic resistor block that likes to fail at the wrong time. Replace all bulbs. A resistor is available for the fan motor, or you can convert to a 12 v one. I am running my gas guage on 12v, no problem. I can't say if it will work for you. Ammeter doesn't care what voltage it runs. Starter will run on 12v, turns faster. Horn my be a little higher pitched on 12v. If your wires are not damaged or cracked, they are way heavier than 12v requirements.
Alternator can be adapted to work on the generator mount with a few spacers. Use a 1 wire or run an exciter wire from the switched power.

 

I am in a similar position. I want to swap all the suspension and drive train but it takes a lot of time and money. I didn't want my truck to sit 5 or 6 years while I get all that done so it made sense to spend a little extra to make the stock stuff go. I replaced the master cylinder, lines, wheel cylinders, and pads in the brakes. I flushed the fuel system, rebuilt the carb, and changed all the hoses. I would say the extra few hundred is totally worth it. I can now enjoy my truck while I save to do all the upgrades. Also since time also plays a factor I got a 2nd frame to build up while I enjoy what I have. Now my truck should only be down for 1 winter for a body swap (probably 5 years from now).

For some people it's possible to just dive into the upgrades but spending a little extra to get a lot of enjoyment is worth it for people like me who can't aford $2000 on a MII front end right now.

Enjoy the project with your kid! Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info!!

 

No real changes. I ordered a carb kit for my Carter W1 carb. Should be here early this week.

The kids and I sat in it tonight and made some motor noises until we get cold.

 

That is awesome!! Thanks for the pics. Keep them coming.

Fantastic memories that they will keep forever. I know I have my truck now, because 28 years ago my dad let me "drive" to the junk yard when I was 3 on his lap, in his 47 chevy. Now I have mine

great looking family by the way

 

Those Goofy Grins

In time you'll realize that the happy , contented smiles are endemic to all old GM Truck owners ~ sort of " wow , I get all this value work and happiness to boot from a cheap GM Truck ? " .

Too bad Brand 'F' never quite figured this out .

There's a reason General Motors Corporation Chevrolet and Manly GMC Trucks are consistenty the MOST POPULAR TRUCKS IN THE WORLD .

 

Alright!! I always get excited when I see another 3600 pop up on the board!! Great looking project and an even better looking family!! Welcome!!

 

I have never been a "Brand" guy to be honest with ya........my current truck is a F150, and my wife drives a 4 door Jeep Rubi. I cannot imagine this project would be any less fun if it was a F100.......I would draw the line at restoring an old Dodge, I do have some standards.