New guy from SE Washington

[mjn]

Hey y'all, just signed up.
I grew up on a farm, where we had a pair of AD Chev grain trucks.. one was a '49 that had a shorter bed with Badger Omaha racks. I used this truck year round for my driver from age 14 thru 17. The body style brings back great memories.
I've always wanted a 47-53 3100, and now at the ripe old age of 59, I finally own one. I've had it a whole month.

'53 with the OE frame, old school M2 front end, healthy 327, TH350, & an 8.5" 10 bolt. The truck was built in the late 90's, and from what I can tell... done pretty well. She drives great, & runs like a top. Since I didn't buy it from the builder, I'm learning the content of this truck as I go. I wish I could see inside the small block and know what pistons etc.. but oh well.

Anyway, I'm going to have a lot of questions.

Good to be here!

 

[mjn]

One of the first things I've deduced is that my rear bumper is actually a front bumper... which is why the previous owner cut notches in the darned license plate.. looks hideous. Kind of thinking for the time being I'm just gonna take it off..

 

[mjn]

So far I've been focusing on the basics. I swapped out the wimpy 2" exhaust & put on 2.5" with flowmasters... MUCH better sound. I have plug wires + routing setup, cap & rotor (HEI) , ordered a glove box, as the one it came with had most of the holes torn out.
For now, the new exhaust dumps under the bed, as I'm seriously considering a rear mount tank, I don't want to route the tailpipes until that is done.

The jury is still out on whether I'm going to keep the black grille and the spare tire.. they have both grown on me a bit, so we'll see.

The gauges basically don't work.. I plan on replacing them, but want to keep the OE look. I'm just not a fan of the aftermarket gauges that look different. However... I need a tach. I refuse to bore a hole in the dash... so maybe the gauges that look somewhat OE, but have a built in tach.

My wish list grows daily.

 

[coilover]

Nice truck. If it runs good and doesn't ping on regular gas it's got the right pistons and heads combo.

 

[vwnate1]

WELCOME NEWBIE ! .

Nice little truck you have there .

Please keep us posted on how it goes, as you begin driving it you may want to make some small changes .

The only gauge you need worry about is the fuel gauge, any competent speedo shop can convert it to 12 volts .

I don't much like / trust those voltage dropper things .

New, correct rear bumpers are easily available as are take offs at any Hot Rod swap meet...

 

[mjn]

WELCOME NEWBIE ! .

Nice little truck you have there .

Please keep us posted on how it goes, as you begin driving it you may want to make some small changes .

The only gauge you need worry about is the fuel gauge, any competent speedo shop can convert it to 12 volts .

I don't much like / trust those voltage dropper things .

New, correct rear bumpers are easily available as are take offs at any Hot Rod swap meet...

I've been driving it almost daily for the last couple weeks, and I've already begun to make a list haha!

*I'll know for sure the next time it's on a hoist, but I believe the coils on my M2 front end were cut to get the ride height I have. The plan is to go with adjustable coil overs as funds allow.
*When I do this, I'm going to replace all the bushings with poly
*I'm working with Quickor suspension for anti-sway bars.
*Replacement gauges; OE look with built in tach
*Bigger front brakes/calipers
*either modify existing OE seat, or replace with one that allows more room. Proper seat belts at this time also.
*definitely going to change out the wheel/tire combo. May install mini tubs.

After that... who knows. Probably step up the power and swap in a 4sp auto.

 

[Bill Hanlon]

When you update the gauge package make sure you don't get New Vintage Woodward model gauges.

They work fine, but are hard to determine actual values because the arc of the markings and the numbers does not match the length of the needle. Everything is well when the needle is mid-gauge, but as it moves off center it will leave you guessing. Especially true of the water temp and oil pressure gauges. I temporarily added known good temperature and oil pressure gauges to learn how to read the Woodward gauges. In the picture above, the reading on the oil pressure gauge is actually around 20 PSI. When the water temp needle is pointing to the middle of the zero in the 250, the actual temp is around 200.

 

[mjn]

This is the gauge set I'm leaning towards;

1953 CHEVROLET TRUCK Classic Instruments CT47OE62 Classic Instruments 1947-53 Chevy Pickup Package Gauge Sets | Summit Racing

Looks like the manufacturer is Classic Instruments.

The other contender is one from Dakota.. Not quite as close to the OE as these above, but pretty cool also.

 

[Bill Hanlon]

This is the cheat sheet I made up for the oil pressure gauge as compared to a calibrated 4", 270 degree sweep gauge.

 

[vwnate1]

Those original looking gauges are nice to these old eyes .

Be cautious about going too wide with the wheels & rubber if you actually want to drive the damn thing .

 

[roy 1955 chevy]

One of the first things I've deduced is that my rear bumper is actually a front bumper... which is why the previous owner cut notches in the darned license plate.. looks hideous. Kind of thinking for the time being I'm just gonna take it off..[

 

[roy 1955 chevy]

hi it looks good to me ill leave it bolted up it chances thing up a little . it a nice looking truck .

 

[roy 1955 chevy]

This is the gauge set I'm leaning towards;

1953 CHEVROLET TRUCK Classic Instruments CT47OE62 Classic Instruments 1947-53 Chevy Pickup Package Gauge Sets | Summit Racing

Looks like the manufacturer is Classic Instruments.

The other contender is one from Dakota.. Not quite as close to the OE as these above, but pretty cool also.

 

[roy 1955 chevy]

cool it all cost money what evr flotes your boat .

 

[mjn]

You are correct... nothing is cheap these days.
At this point, the only thing I have left to do for my "baseline" is the plug wires. I'm waiting on those due to the fact that I'm going to remove the valve covers at the same time (cause I wanna see what the valve train looks like) and my favorite SBC vc gaskets are taking their own sweet time showing up.

so far I've;

serviced motor.
serviced trans
serviced diff
replaced exhaust (2.5")
replaced battery
Cap and rotor
new plugs
fuel filiter
lubed all zerks
installed glove box.. that was a pain!
given it a complete once over.. checked u-joints etc..

as it turns out, the front coils are not cut, it must have dropped spindles. I'll know for sure this week as all 4 wheels are coming off. Coil overs are in it's future.

My better half bought wheels and tires for Fathers day.
I've been jacking around with the rear wheels/tires for awhile now.. ended up going with 20x9.5 in the rear with 255/45/20's and 18x8 with 235/55/18's for the front. The front should fit without an issue, the rear's need a .25" spacer on the passenger side to fit, so I'm putting longer studs in. should be done this week. I'll try to remember to post pics.

 

[vwnate1]

?? What ignition does it have ?? .

The old breaker points are O.K. but need to be correctly adjusted to the DWELL ANGLE not just gap then you can check and adjust the ignition timing ~ remember : if there's ANY vacuum to the dizzy at idle, the hose is connected to the wrong port .

The spark plugs should never have less than an .032" gap, use a wire gauge and if you have any sort of breakerless ignition, gap them wider, at least .040" .

You'll love the easier starting cold or hot and the smoother idle, better fuel economy, stronger off idle throttle response and best of all : MORE POWER .

After you've warmed it up is the time to open the rocker boxes and consider adjusting the valves ~ presumably they're hydraulic but almost no one ever takes the time to properly adjust them so power and smooth running are lost .

If you can find an old set of rocker boxes it's a simple thing to cut them open to make factory like adjusting tools or maybe your local NAPA store can still order in a set of "rocker stoppers" so you don't have oil flinging all over your clean engine and fenders whilst you carefully adjust the valves with the engine hot idling .

Remember : this is supposed to be fun so take breaks when you mash or burn a finger, work slowly and carefully, you'll be well leased with the results .

 

[mjn]

It has HEI. Simple and strong. I gaped all the plugs at 40.

?? What ignition does it have ?? .

The old breaker points are O.K. but need to be correctly adjusted to the DWELL ANGLE not just gap then you can check and adjust the ignition timing ~ remember : if there's ANY vacuum to the dizzy at idle, the hose is connected to the wrong port .

The spark plugs should never have less than an .032" gap, use a wire gauge and if you have any sort of breakerless ignition, gap them wider, at least .040" .

You'll love the easier starting cold or hot and the smoother idle, better fuel economy, stronger off idle throttle response and best of all : MORE POWER .

After you've warmed it up is the time to open the rocker boxes and consider adjusting the valves ~ presumably they're hydraulic but almost no one ever takes the time to properly adjust them so power and smooth running are lost .

If you can find an old set of rocker boxes it's a simple thing to cut them open to make factory like adjusting tools or maybe your local NAPA store can still order in a set of "rocker stoppers" so you don't have oil flinging all over your clean engine and fenders whilst you carefully adjust the valves with the engine hot idling .

Remember : this is supposed to be fun so take breaks when you mash or burn a finger, work slowly and carefully, you'll be well leased with the results .

 

[vwnate1]

So then ;

The engine runs fine and very strong ? .

I ask because HEI was originally designed to run a .065" gap ~ this made the m run clean as well as very strongly .

The wider plug gap of course meant the plugs, wires, cap and rotor wore out faster than it would with breaker points ignitions...

As a Fleet Mechanic I changed a _lot_ of caps & rotors on otherwise perfectly fine trucks because they'd idle and the spark needs to be stronger to prevent fouling .

My 1969 Chevy C/10 has a worn out 250CID i6 engine that ran great but fouled the spark plugs in 250 miles or so .

My 'Farm Fix' was to get a 1976 Chevy Nova HEI dizzy from the junkyard, install it, time it correctly and then experiment with the plug gaps ~ at .070" (!) they stopped fouling and so visible smoke .

If you're up to it, simply dropping in a new cam shaft from a 1967 C/20 3/4 ton with automatic will wake it right up and still get decent fuel economy and smooth idle .

 

[mjn]

"Expect the unexpected"

Decided to replace the diff cover with one that strengthens the housing.

good thing too. while last time we just drained & replaced the oil, this time we needed to remove the pin so we could pull the clips and remove the axles..

Spiders are TOAST. The pin was galled beyond belief. Had one heck of a time getting it out. Carrier is junk. Upon further inspection, the axle bearings did some damage to the axles also. So.... carrier, axles and bearings. Just ordered a Yukon dura grip carrier and Yukon axles. Went to 30 spline instead of the 28. So... another week or two before I can put the back tires & wheels on.

So then ;

The engine runs fine and very strong ? .

I ask because HEI was originally designed to run a .065" gap ~ this made the m run clean as well as very strongly .

The wider plug gap of course meant the plugs, wires, cap and rotor wore out faster than it would with breaker points ignitions...

As a Fleet Mechanic I changed a _lot_ of caps & rotors on otherwise perfectly fine trucks because they'd idle and the spark needs to be stronger to prevent fouling .

My 1969 Chevy C/10 has a worn out 250CID i6 engine that ran great but fouled the spark plugs in 250 miles or so .

My 'Farm Fix' was to get a 1976 Chevy Nova HEI dizzy from the junkyard, install it, time it correctly and then experiment with the plug gaps ~ at .070" (!) they stopped fouling and so visible smoke .

If you're up to it, simply dropping in a new cam shaft from a 1967 C/20 3/4 ton with automatic will wake it right up and still get decent fuel economy and smooth idle .

It runs like a top. It's a very "happy" little 327. I'm not a fan of wide plug gaps. I've always had good luck with 40 or so using an HEI.
I changed all the ignition parts simply to create a baseline. I'm still waiting for the VC gasket set I ordered (thick, steel /rubber Felpro). As soon as those show, I'll pull the VC's and see what I've got for valvetrain, & install the new plug wires and routing parts.
For now, I'm focused on getting the rear end done right, & mounting the rear tires & wheels.

As far as the camshaft goes, at some point, I'll probably swap in a Comp 268H stick. I've used that cam before, and it's a really good low-mid cam. We'll see... there are other things on the list that are more important for now.

 

[Chip]

I saw info from the 'Stovebolt' site a year ago and am trying the Bosche gauge setup in the stock housing. Has a 350 with EFI going in so more accurate gauges needed . Still working on the faces that look aged, but going for a 'rusto-mod' on the project.
Very nice truck....BTW.