Where do I start? I "inherited" a '63 Fleetside from my dad, now 88. He's had it sitting in a field for years and just now decides to let me have the truck I've been begging for. I learned to drive in this fine machine. 1. How do I convert from Generator to Alternator? 2. How many bolts hold the front of the transmission (manual? Not the clutch housing, just the transmission. 2? at the top? It looks like there either a. twisted off bolts on the bottom, or b. two "pins" that stablize it. 3. How do I convert from points/rotor to Electronic Ignition? Someone said to get on jcwhitney and order the part that goes in the existing ditributor. I've looked at their site and can't find anything like that ?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON Jun-12-02 AT 00:13 AM (CST)] i can answer two of your guestions. the transmission i got has 4 bolts bolting(two on top and two on bottom)it to the bellhousing. and for you 3rd question go to jegs or summit the have conversion kits to go to electronic ignition. one kit is called ignitor II. cowboy
You didn't say if this was a 6 or 8... V8 ? Grab a rebuilt HEI distributer off e-bay and install. Drop in, apply 12 volts, go. Alternator ? Grab GM "one-wire" alternator off e-bay, (chrome 100 amp can be had for less than $100) two methods of installation. a) one wire to positive battery post. OR b) purchase adapter harness from our host ChevyDuty. I tried both and prefer plan b. Trans ? 4 bolts like the coyboy said
Dude, I think i can help out with your first question. I have a '63 short wide. it had an alternator with an external regulator which didn't put out much voltage. anyway, i went and got another alternator with internal regulation that put out the 14.4V and then just ripped the external regulator junk out of there. of course the hot wire from the Batt. went to the alternator and also to the starter. then there was just the ground wire. it's much more simplified and puts out more juice. geez, when i first started, i had to rewire the whole truck. the wiring harness was totally burned up. well good luck and have fun, Lloyd
Thanks!! You've told me exactly what I needed to know. I hope to have alot of fun rebuilding this truck. Lots of memories.
Groan... I was afraid you were going to say that. All I have are 2 bolts at the top. The two bottoms ones apparently got twisted off somehow ( I guess during a clutch change) I'm guessin' there's a way to drill them out. Thanks for the distributor info....at least THAT was good news!
Hey, On my truck the two bottom bolts on the tranny bolt from inside of the bellhousing, not the outside. That's why it might look like they're broken off, since the heads of the bolts are inside the bellhousing.
JEEZE !! How could I forget that ? I just replaced my trans too! They are in fact located inside the bellhousing. Pull the flywheel cover and they are right there...
Here's a excellent place to get info on the hei distributor and alternator conversion. www.oldengine.org/unfaq/10si.htm www.oldengine.org/unfaq/hei.htm
THANKS! This site is unbelievable. It's like having your car lovin' best friends living right next door !
Rustbucket, I just spent the last year and a half rebuilding/restoring my 64 1/2 ton Chevy fleetside. I did ALL the work myself: 327 engine rebuild, replaced all the wooden planks in the bed, completely rebuilt the interior(replaced the bench seat with buckets,got rid of the gas tank behind the bench seat, built a center console for my floor shifter and stereo components,) relocated the gas tank(20 gallon polyurethane fuel cell) under the truck, behind the back axle, between the frame rails, converted to hei ignition, installed an alternator with internal regulator, did all the paint and body work, blah, blah, blah...I could go on forever. My point is, I knew virtually NOTHING about cars. I just bought some tools, bought some "How to" books, and got a HELL of a lot of info from all these great people on this forum. I just recently entered my truck into it's first car show, and wow, was I surprised at the response I got from the crowd!!! Made the whole restoration worth while. I'm not sure I can answer ALL your questions, but feel free to ask away, and I'd be more than happy to help out whenever I can. will54 from Colorado... Happy Truckin!
Hi Will, Talk about words of encouragement. Let me tell ya...I subscribed to a Chevy newsgroup and when I'd post a question, all I got was smart ass answers from people who apparently thought I should know better. Since I've joined this site, all I've met are folks that genuinely want to help and don't make me feel like "non-mechanic" that I am. Everyone has been incredibly helpful and patient. I'd like to see pics of trucks similar to mine, so I have some motivation. Send 'em to: wzerr@satx.rr.com Good work on your truck. You've made my day!
I can help to answer your 3rd question. I just switched to an electronic ignition from a company called Pertronix. The actual kit cost about $85 and a new coil from them was $30. It is so stinking easy to hook up and now I never have to change those !*$&@< points again!! All you need to check is if your existing distributor is in re-usable condition. I ordered my kit from Jegs.
RE: '63 Fleet - Pertronix question I just bought the Pertronix kit for my 62 Fleet, 283. Put it in, hooked it up per the instructions and it fired up. Good to go... or so I thought. Now, let me step back a pace or two. First, the coil wire was in pretty sad shape. Someone apparently cut the wire at some point, it was pretty brittle anyway, but I tried the easy route, trimmed back a bit, check for 12 volts (it looks just a bit under 12 volts) put in a good connector and end, checked voltage again and connected everything. So, it fires, I do a lap around the neighborhood, it seems a bit laggy, so I pull in and loosen the dist nut just a bit and ever so slightly bump the distributor and it stalls, won't start again. Checked all the wires again, checked and cleaned the units mount again, made sure the cap was in good shape, bumped the distributor back to it's original position, grounded the distributor, and still no fire. Going to try the "hook to battery" test, but I tried running from the panel on my unfused connection, and still no go. Anybody have any ideas? Rob Holden 62 Fleetside 283 Born into the Chevy family. There is no substitute.
RE: '63 Fleet - Pertronix question You might try to replace all the plug wires/cap/and rotor and see what happens. then try hookong a wire directy from the battery to the positive side of the coil. What does it do. does it try to fire or does it just turn. Does it back fire when you turn it over? cowboy 1961 chevy 1/2 ton shortstep known as sarah
RE: '63 Fleet - Pertronix question I replaced the coil wire. No go. Ran a feed from the battery to the positive on the coil, no go. Tested the coil by removing all wires, running a hot lead to +, hooked up a spark plug to the coil wire and ground it out on the intake, then tapped a grounded lead on the - side of the coil - Coil works. Everything appears to be hooked up properly, and I grounded out the distributor housing on the intake. Still no fire. I'm going to call Pertronix on Monday to see if there is a procedure for testing the unit. Maybe I got a bad one. It ran for about 10 minutes, but maybe the distributor lost it's ground when I adjusted it and smoke the Pertronix. I don't know. It's all original, so it's hard to tell. There's a lot of oil residue in there. Guess I'll find out Monday. Thanks though... Rob 62 Fleetside 283 4-spd manual Born into the Chevy family. There is no substitute.
RE: '63 Fleet - Pertronix question I installed the ignitor yesterday in my 65 chevy 250 L6. fires but seems a bit sluggish. I am not sure where to start on it. Replaces spark plugs at the same time and kept with the original coil. some expert advice would help
RE: '63 Fleet - Pertronix question [updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-02 AT 06:31 PM (CST)]Did you Gap those plugs before installing ? .035 with stock coil, .040-.045 with HOT coil.
