he dropped in a 267 out of a 1979 elcatruck. with a 350 turbo behind it. I am very proud of my son. other than me helping him with the fabbing and welding of the engine and tranny mounts he did it all by him self. He even did a lot of the sewing on the seat. The engine that was in it was not original to the truck. it was out of a 53 bel air.Had a cracked head.. Could not locate a good one.. So I suggested junking the six banger for a more reliable v8 and auto tranny.
well this truck has been in my family since 1968, I was born in 1965, so as long as I can remember it was grandpas truck. After his passing in 1983, it sat in their garage. In about 1985 I bought a 1970 chevy impale convertible. needed indoor storage for it.. so my father and I towed the 51 down to the polebarn and pushed it into the back corner. Where it sat covered in dust until my son decided he wanted it.. my father gave it to him.. It was all green when we parked it... but upon retrieving it from the barn, my son washed the dust off of it with just soap and a garden hose.... that is when the red became visible... There is even some bare metal now on the roof.. he wants to leave it looking as is... So I think he is going to have a satin clear coat applied.
Man, I love the story that goes along with it even better!! Too cool, you can't write this stuff. Keep us posted! Damon
Looks real good! What'd you do to the front end for it to accept those wheels? Different tie rod ends? Spacers? Terry
one inch spacers with new studs to be able to use the new style chevy caps and lugnut covers. he used the same one inch spacers on the back for the same reason.. To get the new studs basically.
Very Nice ! Don't forget to get that clear coat on it ASAP as " rust never sleeps " . I don't think ANY V-ate is as reliable as the L6 . Lots and lots of 60 + year old Babbit Pounders are still going strong , you'll be hard pressed to find an original 1959 V-8 anything still running unless it has absurdly low mileage .
what brand of clear coat would you recommend nate? id like to go with a flat clear coat but all we've found have come with warnings from the manufacturers that they might eat into the original paint.
How To Preserve I don't know ~ I'm a Mechanic , not a Body Man . I do know it's possible as I see lots and lots of sealed original paint jobs . I'd think a clear coat with flattening agent if you don't like it glossy .
Darn work getting in the way of browsing the web here Nice truck. Its close to the real mans truck there, now load it up and I will be a believer! The guys here are just the best! So nice and so darn knowledgeable! I mean to diagnose issues over written word is just amazing. I learn something everyday from here. So thanks fellas, from the younger generation to yours. You are a wealth of info, if I can get just 10% of what you know I feel I will have done well Good to see another young guy on here. I get some crazy looks as well. Not so young anymore,30, but relatively I would say so. My wife and son and I went out last night for bout 30 min for a nice little cruse. Had a blast. So much fun to drive! Now my shamless truck photos... Nice to see another beauty driving around!!! Love the look of yours, its perfect
Atta boy brian ! Never forget that no matter how much you love it , it's still just an old truck, meant to be used , carefully & diligently of course .
Not sure about satin, or low gloss, but... How about some tractor paint. It is available at your local farm supply store. Van Sickle makes a gloss clear that is not real expensive (around $30 per gallon) and seems to be pretty tuff stuff. It can be thinned with Xylene or Xylol for spraying. Can also be sprayed straight from the can if you use a primer gun. I understand that a hardner is also available. Oh, yeah, You can prolly get away with roller application as well if you so want.
