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

ive been hiding lately and slowly workin on my 3/4 long bed but woooow your trucks lookin sexy, good job

 

Thanks man!!

 

your truck is what im workin towards, but bein a broke bartender makes thing a big harder. give me a cut off wheel and a welder and im fine, its the payin for the fancy bits and motor crap thats hard

 

Mike, your truck looks absolutely fanfriggintastic! I get the idea that you and Russ need to put your trucks in a show together. A little pin striping maybe?
All that work you did gave it a real nice stance!

 

I worked a lot of OT and odd jobs to pay for it so far.

I have not done a total tally yet, but I know I am under $5000 for the total build. A lot of scavenging and research.

 

Work truck!!

 

Thank you!!

Yes pin stripping is on my to do list for sure. Not a lot......but just some accents here and there. Wish Russ was closer.

 

Awesome!!! I love to see it hauling stuff. That is what these trucks love. Oh to see the north side of 50MPH let a lone 70...

Fantastic job! thanks for all the pro pics as well. I really enjoyed them!

 

wide whites

your truck is sure looking good the wide whites sure change the look

 

...and for some strange reason, I really like they way those yellow stickers on the tailgate give a bit of interest.

 

Road Trip!

 

I agree and I have NO intention of taking them off!!

 

No much room in the cab for spare parts and tools so I rounded up this old cooler for a tool box!!



Picking up my new engine today!!

 

That's a good set of tools to have~
Now I have their song stuck in my head, thanks!
"In the land of sky blue wa-a-ters..."

 

Did some shopping today.

Picked up a 1954-55 261 complete. I also picked up a 235 with a '848 head.



I picked up a set of tube headers. No identification on them. No idea how they will work but the price was right!



The best part of this deal was a dual Fenton intake with Rochester Carbs. Set up is complete!!



Do not really have much of a plan yet. Take the '848 head off the 235 and scrap the rest. Bottom end is shot.

Strip the 261 down to the bock and rebuild.

 

I love the character of your truck. You are doing an awesome job.

 

Thanks!!

 

awesome finds

great finds keep us posted on the new engines.would like to set the duel carbs on your truck.

 

Engine Works

VERY important ! : do not throw ANYTHING away until your new engine is in and has a few hundred miles on it !!! .

The 261's connecting rods are different , MAKE DANG SURE they don't get ' lost '
of other bullsh*t at the machine shop , yes they need to be rebuilt so they'll hold the bearing shells correctly and give you a good high speed engine .

When you get them back , take the time to balance them all to zero grams and the resulting smoothness of operation will amaze you ~ you can mix 'n match the rods and pistons to get them as close as possible , then hand massage each rod as necessary until all are @ zero grams .

Used triple beam scales are dirt cheap @ pawn Shops and Police Auctions .

In a pinch , go to the local Post Office Central Annex 'round midnight and use theirs , it'll be heavy duty and easy to use , just take some clean towels etc. so you don't make a mess .

If the 261 head turns up cracked , don't panic , just use the old 261 head gasket to mark up the 848 head then carefully drill your own steam holes ~ in truth , unless you thrash this poor thing , the steam holes are not necessary .

70 MPH ? on a 235 ? you're courting disaster there ~ I'd not consider driving it until you've drained and refilled the tranny and rear end with 85W-90 Gear Oil , you can screw things up really badly , really easily as these things drip oil all the time so they're almost always low on oil .

Once you're done you can sell off the left over bits & pieces .

Use whichever crank shaft has std. journals , if they're both turned , use the one with the biggest journals .

FWIW , ANY 216/235/261 will easily push any 1/2 tonner to 70 MPH & beyond but at those RPM's you're stretching the rods and it will break and soon .

If you wheezy old clapped out 216 can't make your truck go 70 MPH @ 2/3 throttle , it's way out of tune - no foolin' .

I see your Fenton Dual intake has a nice PCV Valve port , use it ! .

 

Weekend in the life of Henry!!

Friday of course we picked up our engines, intake and headers. We also swung by the local Scrap metal place to take a peak. Scored an old AD windshield mounted rear view mirror and some old Desoto hub caps to hang on my garage wall. Score!!

Saturday was a busy day. Trip to the dump with used oil jugs, and a bed full of grass clippings.

My wife and my youngest (Colton) were sitting on Henry between errands because he is obsessed with it!! Only 1, but already hooked on old trucks!!




Then it was off to my in laws farm to haul the motors to for storage. My wife drove our other truck out with the engines in the bed and later my older son, Ryder, and I came out in Henry.

Unfortunately after 12 miles of 65mph.......we got hot. Had to sit by the road for awhile until it cooled down. Not a huge deal. Beautiful day!!

Same thing happened on the way home.

Local radiator shop wants $100 to rod the stock radiator......think I am going to buy a 4 core alum and call it good.

Today I spend some time tinkering. Installed the bump stops in the rear notch. Made some speaker boxes for a couple 6 x 9's I had ordered and wired them in.

Made a quick trip to the storage unit with my Wife and Colton. She has not sat that close to me since high school!!




Finished off the night giving him a bath..........on a beautiful evening!!