Hi all. Newbie to this forum. Ok, I'm 50 and have done some work rebuilding engines, etc. My son Todd, with my wife's help, drags home this rolling pile of stuff (not too much rust) and they say "Merry Christmas Dad, you need a project". Body & bed are primer gray. Engine resting catywampus in compartment is reported to be a 454 (no engine mounts). Automatic tranny (reported to be a Turbo-Hydramatic 400) & drive line, & another hood in bed, which is not attached to the frame. Basically a good truck that needs some tough love, and lots of $$, but it rolls & steers, and only a little rust. Todd still working to get paperwork (title, etc., if there is any), but Todd says it is a '55 Stepside. VIN plate on left front doorpost is painted over. I stripped the paint last night & need help. No VIN in sight. Removed black paint & primer reveal blue paint on aluminum panel riveted to door frame. No other info or plates to be found. Plate has a little blue "56" painted in lower left. Big GVW 5000 LB in middle of plate. Hard to read horsepower numbers say 123 @ 4000 w/ 235 cu in, and 132 @3800 w/ 265 (I think) cu in. Tran has "STD" stamped next to it, and Paint has "76 4" stamped next to it. No other stampage anywhere I can find. Grill is 3 horizontal bars & 4 vertical. Wheel base is about 114 inches. Emblem holes on fenders are above the horizontal line on the fender, so I think it is a '56 3100. Any help identifying this beast, or the engine, or tranny? Anywhere on the frame that would help? Any recommended reading? Looking forward to getting dirty, Thanks for the help, Ricky Bob.
RE: What have I done? New Project Hi, What you stripped wasn't the VIN plate, but more of an ID plate. Stock motor was the 235, your 454 came lots later. On my '57, the VIN plate is up on the driver's side A pillar. Just open the door and take a look. My suggestions: Get a Service Manual & Factory assembly manual. These retail for about 30, but used ones can be had on E-bay with patients for less, especially the service manuals. Here is a link to online service manual. Shows the VIN location. http://chevy.tocmp.com/1955truck2shop/index.htm Join these Yahoo groups and then just have fun and enjoy your truck. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/old-chevy-truck/ http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Old_ChevroletGMCTrucks/ Eric
RE: What have I done? New Project You can also click on "truck years" above and see the various years if visual id would help.
RE: What have I done? New Project Rickey, am new to this form and I hope this helps, I got a free Resto pack from Chevy for my 55 chevy truck, all I did was e-mail them in Michigan and told them I was having a problem Identifying my 55,the resto pack haslike 10 different series in it,its abour 2 inches thick (booklet) and best of all its free, so even if you have id,ed your vehicle, they are good to have.
RE: What have I done? New Project Can you post that email link ? You can also find VIN stamped on frame drivers side top of frame rail, behing steering box area.. maybe not entirely legible but I found mine there!! Thanks
RE: What have I done? New Project Thanks for the help. I found the chassis ID a while back. ID is 57L103175, indicating the frame at least, is a '57, manufactured in LA. VIN for the truck that came with the chassis is probably 3A57L103175, or maybe V3A... if it was a V-8, but I think this is someone's mixed parts project. Grill (and probably cab) is definitely '55 or '56. Hoods (both of them) are '57. Still will be a fun project. Making my way through the DMV (CA) catacombes now to make sure I can register it (eventually). Friend of mine in the CHP helping w/ new VIN, now that I have initial DMV paperwork. Regards, Ricky_Bob.
RE: What have I done? New Project If you Google Old Chevy Truck VIN Numbers, several sites will come up. Type the VIN you found on the door post and it will tell you where it was made, etc. The other codes on the ID plate like the three digit code will tell you the original paint color. CP should add this tool to their site. The Resto Pack is a great idea. I will have to check that out myself.
