I have a 53 Chevy 1/2 ton Deluxe cab. It has been sitting a while now, but I am getting the urge to start working on it again. My goal is to try to stay original as possible. Currently there is a '62 235 installed and I am OK with that engine. Also it has a 3 sp trans, driveshaft, and rear out of a '74 Nova. It has a bolt on floor shifter for the trans, but can I go back to the 3 on the tree setup? Will the 53 stock linkage hook up? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hello and welcome!!! Sorry I can't personally answer your question, but there are others on this board who will probably be able to answer your question. I'd pay especially good attention to ANYTHING that Nate has to say if I were you. I know I did when I found this site and have been eternally grateful ever since. How about showing us some pics of your truck? We're big on pics on this site. Andy
3 Speed Column Shift Linkages (" Three On The Tree ") Pretty much so , yes . What you must do is : Install the engine and tranny . Tinker the column shifter untill it's as tight as you can get it and smooth in operation then : Put tranny into neutral . Wedge the shift lever at a 90° angle to the steering column . (VERY important!) Fiddle/adjust/shim the shift rods where they attach to the shifter box under the hood so they pivot but _don't_ flop nor sag . Now scoot under the truck and hold the pins that stick out of the blocks on the ends of the shift rods , up to the trannies shifter arms ~ adjust the movable blocks untill the pins slip _exactly_ dead center into the holes on the shift arms . if the holes are too big , use PVC pipe etc. to shim them up . then attach usng flat washers etc. to shim the arms from dropping . ~ all this may sound like gobbledy-gook now but print it out as a cheat sheet and when you're working on it in the correct order , all will be clear . VIOLA ! it will work . You'll prolly have to learn " Square Shifting " as the shift box will be worn out and want to jamb between 1st. & 2nd. gear but once you find the older posts about ' Square Shifting ' or ' Posative Shifting ' , you'll soon get the hang of it . You're going to like the 235 and that '74 tranny , the ratios are well matched and maybe you'll get lucky and find an overdrive tranny in time , it's a bolt up deal . All this has been covered before , I'm sorry for the short response but I'm swamped with work and have been finally able to ride my kooky kommie Russian Moto again , just in time for my B-day to-morrow . The guys here will lead you through this , show you the older posts etc. , DON'T hesitate to ask the mus mundane question as they know everything , having been down the same road you're about to embark upon .
Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Thanks Nate for the wonderful news. I am looking forward to getting the truck back to semi-original. I have fond memories of three on the column. Yes, I have had them stick before, but that is how the truck was originally. I will post pictures soon, I hope. This truck was bought in 1954 used by my grandfather and has been in the family since. I have had it since I was sixteen, 26 years ago. I ran it for a while, then life happened. I have the other half support right now, so I say go for it. That may change when I start paying for parts.
There's GOOD NEWS ! The way these old rigs are designed & built , pretty much anything on it can be carefully taken off & apart , cleaned , re-lubed and re-adjusted , then it'll go back into service and work quite well in spite of being totally worn out , floppy & rattly . Especially your 235 engine ! it can have as little as 50 PSI compression per cylnder and still be made to run quite well . Used parts about too , ask the Hot Rod guys as they often have just what you need , lying behind the garage and cheap , too . don't be shy when you need parts or help , ASK HERE FIRST as the guys know not only who to buy from but more importantly , who NOT to buy from.... Once you get it running , fix the brakes and then slap some good radial TRUCK TIRES on it so you can wheeze it down to the store for a cold one etc. and this will keep the interest up you've made it this far , time to make Grandpa proud .
