My name is Dave, I live in Central Florida and I'd like to share some things I've discovered in the building of my 54 truck. Right off the bat, I'd admit that this is my first Chevy build! I'm far from an expert on GM vehicles. I've been building the other brand for more years than I'd like to admit, so it's not like I came out of the turnip patch yesterday!! With the price of gas for my BBF's at an all-time high it just made sense to put together a more "ol'Skool" cruiser that was a hoot to drive and show and wouldn't break the bank at the pump. The 54 fills the bill! I've documented the process and if you're interested in a more traditional build I invite you to check out my album: http://community.webshots.com/user/Fla54Chevy3100 And BTW.....she's on the road everyday!! Dave
Very, very, very cool work on the CC! Mine has CC on it too, but a little different setup. It is operated with a knob on the dash marked with a big "T"
Welcome Dave ! Dust off that running board , have a seat and enjoy a cuppa I know you're going to be in big demand here as we all need tehnical help from time to time .
Thanks for the compliments! The 54 project, like most, is never going to be completely finished. A tweak here and there, keeps me on my toes and out of more devious mischief. We're lucky down here to have great weather and it's not uncommon to attend two car/truck "events each week. After putting the truck back together totally stock, I soon discovered that venturing onto the 21st century highway put me at a definite disadvantage. The modern refined vehicles, and driver's styles made me feel like the unsuspecting deer that wandered onto the expressway. My phase 2 took care of that little problem. My most pleasant surprise on the GM project was the amount of information available and the owner loyalty that I found amongst GM owners. My truck is by no means "show quality".....I'm not much into putting mirrors under the frame or pasting "do not touch" signs all over the old girl. In fact, I get a bigger bang out of letting folks who "learned to drive in a truck just like that" hop in, crank'r up and drift back into "the good ole days". Keeping the 235 was a no-brainer. However, if you're thinking about getting it up to running on the open road, you're going to have to jump through some hoops that make a small block "seem" to be a more viable option. I can testify that the "wow" factor leans towards the ol'Skool power. Smooth as goose grease, mellow to the ear and more fun to drive than the law should allow!!! Once again, thanks for the warm welcome and I hope to be able to contribute to the site. Dave http://community.webshots.com/user/Fla54Chevy3100
Have You Yet : Tried running it without any muffler ? if you run an open pipe all the way to the rear bumper , it'll have a wonderful mellow sound and attract NO tickets ! .
Nate...I just canned the Cherry Bomb Turbos last evening and went back to the CB GlassPaks that I had on originally. They were just "too" quiet!!! I've run open pipes before and the GlassPaks are just a tad more friendly. After 2300 rpms that 6 cylinder "chain gun" snarl just draws too much negative attention!!! The GlassPaks will give me a little more "flair" than the Turbos, and keep me out of trouble!!!! Dave
A glasspack muffler will in every case , be MUCH louder and sharper in tone , than an open pipe on a 235...... You have to try it to believe it .
Interesting.....never really gave it that much thought! I've tried some FlowMasters on the 235....really a hollow sound so I just rehung the CB Paks! At this stage of my life I'm suffering from CHS, which fits right in with my CRS........so that, in addition to having plenty of cab insulation let's me just click on the cruise control and enjoy the scenery! It's the little ole ladies who shoot birds at me and the boys in Blue with the Tazers that prompt me to try to keep things down to no more than 3 DB's above the threshold of pain. Dave
Nice truck. The holley webers are pretty cool. My 235 in thunder is also a 56 engine with an 848 head, but that is likely where we start moving apart. Thunder is truly an old school cruiser, but i love my 54. Yours is cool, welcome to our addicted truck-o-holic forum. (Well, Jess said it is a nut house). My wife claims what we do is "truck porn" with the photos and all. Nice trucks, nice shop, great site. Jim
Dave... What are you doing, Dave... Sorry~ 2001 flashback! Awesome truck and FANTASTIC photos! That was a very well documented rebuild there! Thanks for the input on the muffler issue. You've been through a bunch to find that "just-right" sound! (Kinda' like what you went through with your rear end.) I know, I know~ I don't even know you and I'm talking about your rear end! If you've read any of my dribble, you'd know rear ends are on my mind. Did you try different tire heights before changing ends? I'd love to find a 62" that would mate with my stock 4 speed and roll down the highway at 70 AND have disks... Anyway~ welcome to the best damn truck site around! You bet we can lean on your knowledge as well! Lord knows you lean on mine and you're going down!
Thanks folks! I think the key to any build is to have a good solid plan and an alternative to back it up when things don't work out quite like you'd wanted. Fortunately, I have reached that stage in my life where I don't need a whole lot of speed to get my adrenlin pumping. Don't get me wrong, I love my hot rod truck, but for all practical purposes, the 54 lets me make the "event" circuit, meeting folks with similar interests and eyeballing a wide variety of awesome machines. The improvements I've made in the 235 were primarily aimed at creating a fun cruising machine. The folks at GM designed a workhorse 4 main engine and all I did was captialize on their intentions. Recognizing that I didn't need another 6 mpg/dollar a mile "lightening" the little 235 has proven to fill that nitch to the max. She might not be a show winner but I've gott'um hands-down as a "People's Choice" truck. Seems about 60% of the folks that check'r out...."learned to drive in a truck just like that". Dave
Your Slide Show I went and looked at it last night for a bit , loads too slow on my crappy DailUp but it all looks very good to me ~ I like your truck quite a bit . I hope you passed the Muncie SM420 tranny and Torque Tube rear end along to other who can use them....
Saved the TT setup! I found a guy over on the West coast of Florida that was doing a restoration on an AD "burb"....loaded his trailer up with my little tractor boom....the TT setup had new rear wheel cylinders,lines, shoes and drums w/emergency brake cables, 4 wheels with tires, the Sm420, a 6v generator, heater assembly, muffler and tailpipe. I'd run the setup during phase 1....everything was quiet, no leaks and other than being restricted to 60 mph with the 3.90 and scary brakes, it was in primo shape. Not bad for a freebie!!! He was one happy camper and I was relieved to see them go to someone that could use them! Was afraid I'd wind up hauling them to the j-yard. I keep a spare 235 (56) with a complete setup....Fentons and a single Holley/Weber just in case I need to pop out the modified 60 engine. The yards down here don't even have any decent cores for rebuilding. I'd like to have found a 261 but the closest one was in Atlanta and it was an "iffy" deal. The 60 235 does the job and is a great cruiser! Dave
