Low budget refurb'. My project is designed to keep the kids out of trouble. There will be no fancy bodywork and paint until much later. There will be no fancy dual carb/split header set-ups until much later. There will be no disc brake or rear end ratio conversions until much later. What will and is happening now is a mechanical low budget rebuild using lots of used parts gleaned from this site and others for much less money than the catalogs. Sure there have been some catalog expenses, but I'm doing pretty good at keeping it under control. Only buying the essentials to get the truck back on the road. The future holds all that FLA54chevy3100 has done to his truck. However, I'll let the kids take all that stuff on later as they gain skills. This project will keep them off the streets for a LONG time. I'll throw some money at it in the future, have a bunch of parts show up and tell the kids, "Have at it". Heck, it kept me out of trouble when I was younger. Should work for the kids. Maybe it'll work for you too. Get it running and driving. It won't take much, these trucks are pretty tough. Then as you enjoy it, do a little more a little at a time. Andy
AMEN! After a thorough evaluation of this truck's condition, you and your neighbor should sit down and agree on some things, and answer several questions honestly. First of all, does she have any idea of what the cost will be in the end? Is she willing to spend the money to see it through to completion? Will she come up with the money without you having to justify every dime? If the answer to those questions are all "Yes", great! Now comes your turn. Are you willing to spend hundreds of hours of your time working on her truck so she can "give it to her nephew when it's done"? (That would be the "show-stopper" for me) Is your marriage good and solid? Sounds kinda personal, but truth is, some of these gals get a little jealous of the time you spend with your "diamond in the rough". (Ask me how I know this) Is the aforementioned nephew going to be working on the truck with you? If the answer to all these questions is "Yes", great! Bottom line--any truck can be restored. It's easy to look at a rusty old relic and imagine what it would look like if someone would just spend the time and money to bring it back. I do it several times a week. "Beginner's enthusiasm" will certainly get you started on a project like this, but a true love of what you are doing is what will finish it. That, and what you see with your mind's eye when you look at this derelict. Fortunately, you have an unlimited source of help and advice on this forum. One last piece of advice that I would offer is this---if you really want to restore this truck, try and buy if from her. Then the first time you're cold/hot, tired, and frustrated, and you ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" the answer won't be " So my neighbor's nephew can drive a really cool truck!"
Thanks bob for the insight. The truth is that the owner of the truck is actually our mayor of this small town so I think the obligations will be right. I plan on letting her nephew help me some but you know how hard it is to find good help these days..lol. This is something that I think will be fun and self rewarding for me in the end to see the final project. Thanks for all the advice and support. Now should I start on body, chassis, engine, or interior first?
Brakes ! ...Then do the wheels and shoe them with brandy new top quality LIGHT TRUCK tires . Now you can roll it 'round whilst you go through and make the engine run and service the tranny & rear end , test drive it and make up a detailed list of exactly what all it needs ~ about this time , she'll prolly realize she doesn't want to drop $15,000.00 and three years (I'm assuming you work FAST) into it but it'll be running (and if you read all the older posts , it'll prolly run as it did when new , just smoke and leak a little more) so you can do the bodywork as needed whilst they're driving it and ejoying it , easier for you , better job in the long run and most importantly : No one gets killed / crippled from driving a 3,500 # rig with bad brakes and The interest doesn't go away as it's out and about making dump runs and going for ice cream on Sundays etc..... You may get the idea I've been down this very road before.....
...already have my first run to the dump planned as well as the free wood chips and mulch the town gives away to anyone (no contractors) who wants it. Warm here this weekend and I have the kids. May be a little wet at times, but we will be doing brakes inside. Just as long as my fingers don't freeze, I'm okay. Andy
3 years? You guys got to speed it up......I did mine in 4 months, engine, front susp. swap, rear swap, interior, re assembly. I built the 50 in a little less than a year, mostly waiting on the paint shop, and have been on the 53 since last april, it has been in the paint shop since thanksgiving. All this while painting murals...the real job....all over South CAROLINA. Y'all need to get some caffiene going.........
Where's the freakin VIN number?! ok I can't find the vin number....... There is so much bondo on the thing, I think they covered it up. I'm thinking the vin number is under the hood on the passenger side on the firewall. I also looked on the firewall on the inside passenger side too just to make sure....nothing. Would it be anywhere else? Think the hardest part is gonna be getting it moved to the garage. It's buried in about a foot of dirt.
VIN Location You may not like this..... It's on that nasty , rusty , painted over , bent up tag on the driver's side doorpost , visable when the door is open . It's only a few digits , post 'em here (maybe change the very last number) and someone will decode it for you . It IS NOT stamped anywhere on the frame or body . Most of these old trucks were originally registered by the engine serial number when new so your title may not match the VIN nor the engine serial number . Not to worry though ! .
2 more cents...or nonsence? Well, I read all the posts and have to add mine thoughts here to. I started my project in 9/07. I didn't set any timelines or expectations. I decided to get her down to ground level and bring her back as time and money permit. Son, sons-in-law, grandshildren have already had their hands in it. I wasn't set up for this type of work so I had to invest in some tools, books, and of course the guys on this site. Lots of research on what is, what should be, and what we want it to be. I suppose others wish they were driving theirs instead of watching it sit but for me the fun is in what I see and hear from those that are helping tear her down and put her back together. Heck it will belong to one of them at some point anyway. I did make a big mistake though. About a month into this project, I ran across a deal on a Chevelle I couldn't pass up. Now it is sitting there wanting some tlc. ONE PROJECT AT A TIME! So far, floor board, toe board, inner and outer cowl, cab corners, fender panels, brakes, wiring harness, and two cracked windows need to be replaced...along with and engine overhaul. Rust in places you can't see until it is apart and 60 year old broken bolts that need to be drilled and tapped. Three years?....not hard for me to believe...especially on a bare bones budget. Best of luck with yours. Rick
Update Well I found some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I found the VIN number. The bad news is that it's not a 54 3100. It's an early 55 3100. That's bad because I have been compiling a list of all the part numbers I will need and totaling up the cost. I'm sure the prices will vary somewhat too. Well back to the drawing board.
Bad News??? Good News!!! No problem. Early '55 is essentially the same truck as the '54. No need to worry about switching out any part numbers at all. The only difference really is that sometime in '55, Chevy got rid of the enclosed driveshaft and switched to an open driveline. My '55.1 came with the enclosed driveline. don't fret, you've got a classic on your hands. The one-piece windshield was only available in the '54 and '55 trucks, essentially for just about 15 or 16 months and your truck is the very last of the AD body style. Bad news indeed!!!! Andy
