This past Saturday, I helped a buddy pull an old 1955 series-1 pickup out of a shed where it had been sitting for 12 years. Our plan is to get it to a 'daily driver' status, then decide how far to take the resto-mod trail. A previous owner had made a 'hot rod' out of it back in the 80's, so it has already seen some modifications from 'original'.
The Good:The body is complete, with very little rust and only a couple of small dents. Inside, the dash is complete...it even still has the ashtray! The frame is in good shape, with no apparent rust. The axles and suspension also appear to be in good shape.
The Bad:In its 'hot rod' days, a previous owner has done some naughty things to it. The wiring is a disaster...they used a long terminal strip mounted to the firewall to make connections (as can be seen in the second photo); an aftermarket wiring harness is in the cards! The original motor mounts have been changed to accommodate a small block Chevy engine; the exhaust manifolds and pipes are still hanging under the truck. Steering wheel and column has been replaced by parts from a Nova (unknown year). It has a flex shaft that appears to connect to the original steering box. All of the original standing pedals are gone, replaced by hanging pedals for gas and brake. The geometry of those pedals is horrible, so the pedals have to go. The brake has a vacuum-boosted master cylinder mounted to the firewall, which I suspect is from said Nova. All glass needs replaced. Raccoons have torn up the seat (not a big deal to re-cover), but they were kind enough to leave us a considerable supply of turds in the cab and bed. (just typing the word "turds" makes me laugh!)
The Questions:- My buddy has an affinity for three-on-the-tree shifting from the days of his youth. I'll be looking for a V8 (since it's already set up for it) with a three-speed manual trans behind it. That means I need to source a wheel, column, and linkages...not to mention the engine and tranny itself. Searching the usual sources on the internet didn't find any used or aftermarket column-shift setups. Any ideas for a source?
- What transmission should I be looking for? I seem to recall that the bellhousing bolt pattern changed in the mid-60's to the modern SBC.
- I haven't found a 100% solution on the internet for my pedal problem. I've been looking for a standing brake/clutch assembly (I'm guessing that I'll have to construct a hydraulic clutch setup). One that can go under-floor would be ideal, but failing that, at least one that doesn't make the firewall look like what the raccoons left us. Any suggestions?
We were originally thinking of doing an S-10 frame swap. Once we got the truck out in the daylight and could see its condition, we would prefer to overcome these obstacles and keep it a 'genuine' vintage truck. Any advice or opinions from the brain trust are welcome.
Thanks!
-Kevin
