" Average Street Use " Drivetrain

[vwnate1]

I just had to respond to this I read in another thread that's now screwed up .

FWIW , I drive a clapped out 1949 3100 series Chevy with a Barrio
' rebuilt ' 1957 235 engine and original Muncie SM420 tranny , this is the floor shift one with a compound low 1st. or ' Granny gear ' .

it has the original Torque Tube and rear end with some Patric's 3.55 gears in it , Huck brakes and is nothing special as far as old trucks go ~ an average Rochester ' B ' one barrel carby that seeps around the air horn gasket , just like it did when it was new in 1957 or so .

I live in Los Angels and work this truck on our freeways in dense traffic , hauling scrap , towing old cars , chasing parts and generally enjoying my self as I like to drive an old truck .

It keeps up just fine and I occasionally get into the fast lane when the traffic is really backed up .

I also use this old ' unsuitable ' combination to canyon carve in the mountains and for desert trips and camping too , it has been to Death Valley and back without any problems whatsoever , _fully_ loaded up with camping gear , motorcycles & three adults squeezed in the cab and a weeks' worth of firewood piled on top .

If you want to go racing , either bite the bullet and buy or build a modern chassis and plop your old body on it or , better yet , go buy another truck .

You _DON'T_ need a bunch of high dollar speed equipment .

I do like the 261 and dual carbies etc. it's just for fun , not because you really need all that crap .

Any typ of ignition that gets rid of the breaker points is a wise decision , please to note I'm still running points in my truck since I'm too busy to change it to the Pertronix " Ignitior " point
replacement system I'm using in several of my other oldies .

Plus , I found a box of N.O.S. point sets for $1.00 each at the swap meet and you all know how cheap I am....

 

[ltcmikem]

RE: " Average Street Use " Drivetra

Nate -

I sure enjoyed this post. I don't have the LA freeway traffic and the posted speed limit on the farm-to-market roads the six miles I drive between home and town is 45 MPH. Got to throttle her back to 35 MPH when I hit the town limit. My '49 GMC 150 series seems to enjoy the ride as much as I do... especially when she's hauling a trailer full of black angus to the auction barn or a flatbed of hay to the barn. I've toyed with the idea of some Patrick's gears in the back, but I'd hate to tempt the sheriff. Nice to hear you're confident in those huck brakes at freeway speeds... that makes me feel better about mine. Thanks again for a great post.

Mike M
'27 Chevy
'41 John Deere B
'49 GMC FC-150

 

[vwnate1]

RE: " Average Street Use "

Well ;

I've had a few worried moments when towing or fully loaded in traffic , gotta slow down and plan my stops etc. .

I'd imagine just choosing your tires carefull with respect to outer diameter , the larger you get , the faster your cruising speed will be .

You do have a 228 or 302 in that Jummiy don't you ? it should handle the higher RPM's far better than Chevy's Stove Bolt engines will .


-Nate

 

[ltcmikem]

RE: " Average Street Use "

Nate -

Nope... some time before she found her way to me the PO dropped a stock '54 235 Stove Bolt under the hood. If I stumble across a 302 one of these days it will be tempting, but until then the 235 seems to be running strong.

Mike M
'27 Chevy
'41 John Deere B
'49 GMC FC-150

 

[vwnate1]

RE: '49 GMC FC-150

Sweet .

Drive safe , drive often .


-Nate