Hi all, Just bought this 56 Chevy half ton out of Bend, Oregon. Great truck, little bit of rust, guts are all original. Drives like a Sherman! I'm new to auto work, having spent most of my time repairing bicycles (that's what people in Portland mainly ride!), but decided I wanted a real challenge. Never done serious body work or auto repair, so I was hoping you fellas could give me some direction on where to start, as well as a general order to move forward. I've been following a lot of the threads on this site, and there is such a wealth of information! Would be truly greatful for any advice. My thoughts were to remove the bed first and begin stripping/straightening this out. In the process I would repair any tail issues. From there, though, I'm a bit lost. Any ideas? http://www.flickr.com/photos/bletch/5981798302/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bletch/5981237701/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bletch/5981797606/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bletch/5981797394/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bletch/5981797192/
First of all,Welcome aboard. Does it run? Got brakes? check all the mechanical.Your project looks pretty clean so i 'm assuming(hate that word) that it runs. If the mechanical end is good then move forward. What are your intentions , just clean it up abit and drive ? restoration? Removing the bed is a good place to start .You'll find upon removal to clean the chassis while its off .Here comes decision time where to stop!You have a clean bed and half a chassis now what? Been there done that.Just food for thought. Enjoy your project we're all to help you have fun. Good luck Bobby
Hi Bobby, Truck runs well, everything is driveable at this point. Not looking for a daily driver but something I can put some work into for a nice restoration. Don't have a large chunk of money hanging around, so it might be a gradual project, and I'm hoping to do a lot of the work myself (I have a couple of friends who have volunteered to help who know a bit more about cars than I do). Assuming it will take some time to pull the dents on the bed, as well as clean up whatever I've got underneath. At that point though, I'm kind of lost. Would hate to start on another portion of the truck, only to have to dissasemble/repaint/rewire it later. Thanks for all the help!
One Bit Of advice, Don't tear it all apart, Just My two Cents Worth,I Tore My 58 Apart and Due to Lack Of Funds It Seams Like Sometimes It Will Never Get Finished! ie;Wife 4-Kids,2-Golden Retrievers,3-Cats,3-Frogs,1-Gold Fish(I would Not Trade any of it for the World But Life In general , Can And Will Get in the Way of Some Of your Plans) Small Projects like taking the Bed Off and New Bed wood To me Would Be a Good Start! FWIW,Allen
Thanks AZ58Cameo, good advice for sure! Newly married, so your comment rings pretty true! Hoping to take the project slow and really put some detail into it. Hoping to get the bed off in the next couple of weeks and start checking for additional rust. Any ideas on a good set of tools to use not only to get my bed off, but for light dent removal? I have a host of bike tools, which may or may not work, and have a couple of friends who mix and match middle level tools with Harbor Freight stuff (which always seems to be breaking on them!), so any advice would be much appreciated.
I Bought a Set Of Torks Headed Screw Drivers From Napa,I am Happy With Them, But Know You Can Buy From Other Outlets! As far As Body Working Tools, I Cherish the One's I Have,They were My Dads & He Was Great at Auto Body Work.I Do Have a Cheap Set that was given To Me but Not the Greatest,If You Are serious I would Buy a Good Hammer and Dolly From Say A Auto Body Supply or Look On Line maybe?Yard Sales and even Pawn Shops as well? I Did Get a Harbor Freight Stud Welder & Dent Puller and I am Very Happy With It! You Might Have to have a Cutting Torch for Some Of the Bolt on the Bed They Can Be So Rusted You Wont Get Them To Move. Again Good Luck With Your Truck, I have Seen Some Nice Looking Long Beds and Yours Is The Start Of One Of Them! Allen
Short of biting the bullet for Snap on or Mac. You may want to consider a set of Craftsmen. Good quality, you can find them on sale on occasion. What i would start with is a full set of 3/8" drive sockets, short and deep, 1/2" drive up to 1 1/8", 2 sets of wrenches, screw drivers, pliers, cutters. The other guys will add to this list and may subtract from it. Alot of Craftsmens tool sets will have most or all that you need. If your budget dosen't allow you to buy a complete kit, Make a list from whats in a kit and build your kit a little at a time. As far as removing the bed. Squirt all the bolts with a good penetrating oil. tools, 1/2, 9/16. sockets, rachet, 1/2, 9/16 wrenches,safety glasses, a grinder with cut a cut off wheel (just in case you have stubborn bolts). also before you start crawl under your truck and make sure everything is free and clear of the bed. A couple of sawhorses will come in handy to set the bed one.Time for you to digest your info. I'm sure the other guys post there helping thoughts too. Good luck Bobby
I am Not Trying to Take Away from this Site At all, But as Far as Body Work You Could Check Out the CHEVY TALK Forum ( Paint and Bodywork) Section, There Is Allot Of Talent Over There That Can Also Help You With Your ?s As well. You are Going To Find allot Of People Into These Old Trucks and More Forum's Devoted to Old Trucks and a Ton Of Good People To Help You!FWIW
Thanks fellas! Truly appreciate the input. Im going to take your suggestions on tools and see if I can piece a usable set together trough craigslist and some garage sales. Having worked on many ficke 70's Peugeot bicycles, I know that not having the right tool is frustrating, so your advice is much appreciated. Hoping to update as much as possible with photos, and I'm sure the questions will keep rolling as well...
! Welcome newbie ! That looks like a very nice truck there . I implore you to NOT take the bed off / apart just yet , you need to whip this rig into good , reliable , SAFE condition first and trust me , you'll be busy doing just that for the rest of the summer . Approach it properly and you'll be able to drive & enjoy it the entire time , then when it's time to rebuild the bed , you'll know what you want & where to begin . If it really does " drive like a tank " , there's something amiss ~ I'd suggest a major tune up beginning with raising it up onto safety stands & lubricating the entire chassis (there's a LOT of Zerk fittings) , adjusting the brakes then move on to oil change in engine , tranny & rear end , then on to an engine tune up , beginning with a valve adjustment . Your friends who claim they know things , will maybe say this isn't right because this is the nuts & bolts of old truck maintenance , not slapping on Chinese chrome parts.... How you approach this new thing , effect greatly how much you enjoy it . The # 1 error made is taking it all apart when first purchased then realizing too late you don't have the time , knowledge or $ to finish it up . Just an old man's thoughts , I don't own any modern rigs . HAVE FUN is first & foremost ! .
Thanks VWnate1! The more I think about it, the more I would like the truck to be able to run so that I can move it from garage to garage if need be, depending on the project. I'm going to take a quick once through this weekend with a mechanic friend to see if I can bring it up to weekend driver level with some small improvements and cleaning. We'll see where we go from there, but I'm itching to get that nasty old bed out of her. Might be a small project I can work on while making sure the working portions run appropriately. I'll throw some more pictures up this weekend once I see what I've got. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated!
Bletch23,Good Piece Of advise, SAFE Is The Way To Go! Totally Agree With Nate. Check The suspension From head To Toe,Spend Your Money on Those Things First you Will Be Safe & Happy You Did! Allen
