Drivetrain and Engine in a '53 Chevy Pickup

[agjeeper]

Allright you all knowing folks. What is all under a 2wd 53 Chevy PU? I may have a free one at my disposal and am thinking about getting it running, just as a cruise around town vehicle. My internet is too slow to search for all this. Any help is appreciated.

In ol' montany,

Aaron

[agjeeper]

I am now the proud new owner of a 1952, not 53, Chevy Pickup. Just talked to the ranch owner and he would be glad if I would get it out of his pasture. Now I just need some info so I can attempt to get the thing going.

[eight]

Here's some info.

[Cajun]

Does it have a title?

[agjeeper]

I haven't figured out if it has a title or not. I will have to ask tomorrow. what do I need to do to register it if it doesn't have one?

Oh and by the way, it is a 3/4 ton. I am assuming the 8 lug wheels would imply that it is.

Where is the Flem on this one, I thought he was a walking encyclopedia of what parts came on what vehicles.

[robertf03]

Originally posted by agjeeper


Where is the Flem on this one, I thought he was a walking encyclopedia of what parts came on what vehicles.

I think its a stovetop or stovebolt I6 :flipoff2:

not sure what the hell stovebolt means, but thats what I've heard them referred to as. If it has a 4 speed you'll probably want something that shifts a little more like a hot rod. I'll be happy to take the 4 speed off your hands :D

[AgDieseler]

It should have a full floater 10 bolt, removable rear cover and third member...pimp. They called the 3/4 tons 3800s, and not too many were bought. People got the "thriftmaster" 3100s (1/2 ton) most of the time. It sounds like you should have a pretty unique pickup.

[Cajun]

If it has no title, you need to get the owner to apply for a lost title. You MUST HAVE one to register it in your name.

[eight]

3800 was a 1 ton. 3600 was a 3/4 ton.

[AgDieseler]

Originally posted by eight
3800 was a 1 ton. 3600 was a 3/4 ton.
my bad

[agjeeper]

Found the owner's manual for the truck today in the shop and found out a lot more info. David was right, the rear end is a full floating 10 bolt with rear cover and third member (4.57:1 gears). Robert was right on the tranny, 4 speed with a 7.05:1 first gear. Still don't know the displacement of the engine, missing that page in the book. The half tons came with a 216 ci, so I am assuming that it is the same. It's rated at an enormous 85.1 hp. And Andy, we are digging through all the old ranch files to find the title.

Anyone got any suggestion as to where to find some replacement rear springs for this truck?

[Doug Krebs]

i got a magazine in the mail for some reason for 46 - 56 trucks, it is called brothers and they have a ton of crap in it, might want to see if you could find them on the web.

[Doug Krebs]

here brothers (http://www.brotherstrucks.com/)

[robertf03]

Check the J.C. Whitney catalog too. I think Landon bought some springs from them. Their old willys parts are good quality, maybe their old chevy stuff is too.

got any plans for this truck? any pics?

[agjeeper]

thanks for the sight Krebs, I will check them out.

Robert, I am just gonna get it running and spend as little money as possible to do it. I am just gonna use it to putt around town on nice days. No plans to make a 4x4 out of it yet, but who knows maybe in the future.

[Cajun]

Originally posted by agjeeper
... 4 speed with a 7.05:1 first gear...

SM 420, dig it!:D

[uglyota]

howabout some pics?
Yeah, get a title before you do anything with it. There's a guy in Waco who only works on '47-'53 chevy trucks. I can't remember the place's name. There's also chevy duty (http://www.chevyduty.com/), which is a real good source, and LMC truck (http://www.lmctruck.com/).
You're right...it's probably got the stovebolt 216 with babbitt bearings, which you might wanna spend lots of time to rebuild and still have no power. Have the babbitt ground out and bearings fitted if you want to put any miles on it. HOWEVER, there's an awful lot of room under that hood...and that rear end can handle a lot more than 85 horses....
Have fun.

[agjeeper]

Thanks for those links. My first project is to get the rear suspension figured out. One of the rear main leafs is busted and all the parts places want around $450 for a new set of rear springs. I don't have access to any junkyards up here, so I am thinking about swapping in some springs off of a 3/4 90 model ford that is sitting in the dump as well. Is this a bad, good idea? Any other suggestions. I think the springs are 1 3/4" width and about 47" eye to eye.

If I can't get the motor to work, what motors would mount up to it that are cheap and don't involve electronics? I am going for simple and cheap here.

No pics available as I am in the middle of nowhere and barely have internet service. No scanner or digital camera here. Maybe if I get some developed I will send them to Scott and he can post them.

[froader03]

one of my best friends from highschool has a '49 chevy at his farm that's somewhere around erath/commanche county. I've seen it once and even driven it, but it's been awhile, so really couldn't help much. but I can pass any questions along to my buddy and his dad and they might be able to be of some assistance.

[froader03]

no scanner, but a digital camera is just as good...

[Doug Krebs]

if it is a sm-420, i wonder it the bell housing would be the same as a 350. I know the 4.3, 5.0, 5.7, ect... are all the same bolt patterns. I have no idea about this old of a truck though

[Doug Krebs]

if it is a sm-420, i wonder it the bell housing would be the same as a 350. I know the 4.3, 5.0, 5.7, ect... are all the same bolt patterns. I have no idea about this old of a truck though.

Also, i don't see a problem with swapping those springs, just make sure the pinion angle is the same.

One more thing, some of those older trucks had a torque tube. Basically an enclosed drive shaft. I'm not sure if that is old enough to have one though....

[agjeeper]

Nice pics hensel. That is what my truck looks like except a lot more character. It has a homemade flat bed with wood rails down the side. It is green with one torquise fender.

I started to tear into the engine tonight and everything looks good so far. Radiator was still full and it still had a lot of oil in it. So I don't think I have any leaks anywhere.

Should I pull the motor out of the truck or just work on it in the engine bay? I've never torn an engine down before, so what do I need to look for to make sure everything is in decent shape?

Damn its good to be back wrenching on my own toy again. I missed having that POS jeep around to fix. But Landon has given it a good home, so I don't feel to bad.

Oh and Doug, it is a two piece driveshaft with the front ujoint being a trunion type? It is lubricated by the tranny.

More to come...

[eight]

Transmission should be a sm420, which has the same bolt pattern as a sm465, which hooks up to the cheapest motor. So with that info, and your jeep working skills, you should be able to get a 350 in there really cheap.

[Doug Krebs]

Originally posted by agjeeper

I started to tear into the engine tonight and everything looks good so far. Radiator was still full and it still had a lot of oil in it. So I don't think I have any leaks anywhere.



I hope the radiator isn't full of oil!!!!!!! Blown head gasket!!!

[robertf03]

I'd get the engine in there running. you wont want a high revving engine with that transmisison. The newer sm420's have a better bearing retainer seal for the more modern engines. I think they changed in the mid 50's.

eight - you dont want to use a sm465 bellhousing with a 420, there are some differences

[Fredo]

I'd tell you what I'd do with that truck, but I think even finding an LT1, or an LS1 and a 6spd would be out of the question in the middle of montana. :flipoff2: Much less doing air bags and a body drop on it. :D

[agjeeper]

No krebs the radiator isn't full of oil, the engine is. Coolant still looked good.

I'm going with the Flem's suggestion of getting the 216 running. The old owner said it just wouldn't run one day, so they scrapped it. I bet it just needs to be looked over and tuned up and it should go. Not looking for speed or horsepower, just want a POS truck that runs.

[Fredo]

well, if it's anything like flem's mom's nova, you might find a couple of plug wires switched and the bastard will fire right up. :D

[BMFScout]

Do they make chilton's for motors that old? I would find a service manual from one of those sites listed earlier, it would prove valuable for the motor, setting points, firing order, plug gap, timing, and whatnot. The library might have a manual for it, or a generic truck manual for that year range.

[crawlingno5]

but I think even finding an LT1, or an LS1

Theres a difference?

[Graystroke]

my dad has a '46 2-ton with the same motor. I would try to get it running like it is. My dad's starts right up and just ticks along. the sixes make pretty good torque (long connecting rods). I'd recommend new wires and plugs. (may not even need wires b/c I think they're solid core wire) be careful though not to crack theinsulation when changing the plugs.... throw some marvel mystery oil or lots of WD40 down in the cylinders let it sit for a while to loosen up any stuck rings. maybe rebuild the carb, clean out the gas tank and line (berrimum B12 chemtool works well for the lines) INSTALL INLINE FUEL FILTER (glass ones work good-you can see how dirty the fuel is)and go from there. fuel pump may be on the way out after sitting for so long. My dad gets all his parts from some place in kansas...lot of those old farm trucks up there still being used... I'll find out the vendor...I think it is a mom and pop operation (read cheap)...maybe run some synthetic oil thru it to clean out any gunk, but then you run the risk of developing more leaks since all the crap gets cleaned off the seal areas and the oil then finds a way out. You should have had that thing running by now...
When I bought my '59 studebaker (259ci V8) it had been sitting for around 15 years. I changed the carb for one that I had off a '57 and I knew that worked, cleaned the points and adjusted, new cap and rotor, plugs and wires, changed the oil, sprayed the cylinders generously w/ WD40 and as soon as the fuel hit the carb, fied right up and idled. The thing runs so smooth that I have not touched it since. Tuned it on a sniffer and got the car to pass '92 smog standards. Put the tranny back in it (tranny was in the trunk) drove it back from Ft. Worth to College Station and it returned 22 mpg! (3 spd OD).
Good luck and have fun. You'll grin from ear to ear when it finally fires up!!!!!

[uglyota]

Originally posted by BMFScout
Do they make chilton's for motors that old? I would find a service manual from one of those sites listed earlier, it would prove valuable for the motor, setting points, firing order, plug gap, timing, and whatnot. The library might have a manual for it, or a generic truck manual for that year range.
Chevy Duty has reproduction original factory service manuals CHEAP--I think our '53 was $25. Lots of interesting tools and techniques...
It seems like JCWhitney carries smallblock engine mount adapters for those, but sure, see if it runs well to start with...but when ours stopped running one day and we pulled it apart 8 years later, one of the cylinders was rusted and scored so bad it took .040" to clean it up.
And use lots of PB Blaster before you try to loosen anything!