Flxible - thank you. That is the question I was trying to ask. I was not looking at the parts I thought I was.
3B - My apologies. I discovered the forum late last night and was not paying as much attention to my typing as I should have been.
I had another post in this thread with some more info, but it appears to have not been approved by the moderators. A couple newer posts from me got approved, so maybe that one got lost in the shuffle.
The previous owner said it was originally a V8 truck, but the hood ornament is missing and the mounts that Flxible linked to are not present. If it was originally a V8 truck, then those were taken off, but it seems more likely to me that it was not.
Looking at the 1959 Chevrolet Truck Specifications pdf from the GM Heritage, it looks like this truck would have had a 235 originally? If I am reading the document correctly, a 32 series thriftmaster would have had a 235 L6 and a 32 series Trademaster would have had the 283 V8. Given that I don't have the mounts, the 235 seems more likely.
Does that logic work out? Or am I missing something else here?
My short term plan is to just get AN engine in this truck to get it running and driveable. I want to convince my wife that this is a cooler truck than the last one I built and I can't do that without an engine. Long term (3-5 years out) I want to either restore it to basically original or do a full custom resto-mod on it. I want to end up with a 4WD setup when I am done, so whether or not I can find a NAPCO front end will affect that decision. In the meantime, I don't want to make any changes that force me to go one way or the other on it.
I have done several 6 cyl to SB conversions on TF trucks and all of the front cross members were drilled
for the V-8 mounts. Perhaps the holes are filled with crud but they should be there.
Fred
Fred: When you did those conversions, did you mount the SBC to the stock V8 mounts? Or did you do side mounts? I have read anecdotal horror stories about people using the original crossmember mounts for an SBC and twisting the whole thing off because of how long of a moment arm the SBC has on those mounts. Is that a real concern in your mind? I am not sure if 3B's comment about getting a stable mounting between the front crossmember and the bellhousing only applies to the older 348s or if that would also be true for an SBC.
