Unbelievable. I sent an e-mail to a salvage yard in Great Falls, MT in June asking about a third member from a 69-72 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup. No response. Then two weeks ago they called on Sunday and said they had a 1971 C 20 Chevy pickup with a complete rear end. They quoted $300 if I pull it and $450 if they pull it. I decided to let them pull it. Great Falls in a 3 hr drive so we headed up on Tuesday. When I arrived there they had the C 20 up on a fork lift and had pulled the axles. At that point I told them I only needed the pumpkin. I helped and we had it out in 20 minutes. And, they dropped the price to $300 since I helped in the dismantle and I only took the pumpkin. At the last minute I decided to take the axles so they tossed them in at no charge.
It would have been very easy to install if it didn't weigh in the neighborhood of 100 lbs, just a guess...I can't pick it up. And, I would have had the truck on jack stands. So, I decided to let a custom shop install it. It was in great shape and works great. They decided to use the C 20 axles. On the way to the shop my speedometer cable failed. I didn't know how fast I was driving home, but my wife, following in our Silverado said I was cruising at 70 mph. That was a shock as my previous best comfortable speed was 45-50 mph.
So,next comes the engine. I am having a 1954 235 rebuilt. The 216 in there now gets 65 miles per quart of oil. It leaks oil at just about every possible location, but doesn't smoke so I really don't know how much oil it burns. So far I have all new breaks and steering, new starter, new wheels and tires, and a swapped third member. It should be a solid driver soon.
Thanks to all of you who answered the many questions, and explained how I should go about increasing my cruising speed. I'm still a rookie so I'm sure I'll be hounding you guys again soon.
Thanks,
Bob
