Hello everybody. Does anybody know the fluid and capacities for a 53 chevy truck with a 235, 3 speed all original. What I'm needing is oil weight and I believe 5 quarts, transmission fluid type and capacity (1 1/2 pints?), steering box lube and capacity, rear differential oil weight and quantity. Thank you for reading and helping out.
On the transmission and rear end you just fill with 90wt till the lube starts to dribble out the filler hole. Engine is 5 quarts. I use 5 quarts with or without a filter. If it's all original a 53 should have a 216.
Steering Box Lubricant Be VERY careful about using grease in the steering box as it's a precision device that needs a Lubricant that flows ~ I'm not familiar for Cornhead Grease but if it's stiff , it'll wreck your steering box in short order . If it'll flow you're good to go . I use Gear Oil as it was designed to use , yes it dribbles out so what ? fill it up again , that's the nature of 50 + year old Machinery . The out put shaft seals ARE available new from GM Dealers ~ ask for 1970 Chevy C/10 . Aftermarket too but the GM seal seems to seal the best . 'A' Model Brand 'F' tranny oil (600W) works good to and weeps out much slower .
There is a service bulletin sent out by Chevy that you fill the steering box up to the top of the pitman shaft then the rest with gear oil. I don't remember the weights. I will try to find it again and let you know the weights.
Steering Box Lube As long as it FLOWS , pretty much anything is good . STP , Motor Honey etc. all work just fine .
Yes , if the dhaft has any rust or nicks on the sealing surface or if the bushings in the box allow any play , it'll drip no matter what you do . Try Pennrite steering box lubricant *if* you can find it . Me , I'm old so I just accept it'll drip like they did when new , it just drips more now , fill it every three months or so .
FYI, The John Deere "corn head grease" is a 'slump' grease. It flows, but just barely. I filled my steering box with this, and it still leaks a little, so I kinda' assume that it's flowing enough. As I'm doing a good deal of work on 'Clarabelle', I think I'm gonna' go ahead and change the steering shaft seal, (using the part for 1970 C/10, as Nate suggests). The reference 'corn head' applies to what machine it is used in. The Combine can be used for harvesting maize, sorghum, or corn, as needed. You have to change the gathering 'head' to accommodate corn when needed, as I understand it from my Father In Law.
