The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts My 1946, 1 1/2 ton

My name is Paul Denicola and I just got signed up as a forum member. My brother-in-law, Elwood Bright, farmed for years in the Mississippi Delta ( D.E. Bright and Sons Farms, Doddsville, Ms.) and he gave me a 1946 Chevy 1 1/2 ton grain hauling truck. He parked it running in 1971 under one of his barns. We pulled it out in the fall of 2011, took the Army 2 1/2 ton truck body off the back of it and I trailered it to my shop in Rabun County Georgia. I am doing a complete rebuild. I am not going to do an "authentic original" rebuild but rather a rebuild that will make the truck safer and easier to drive and maintain. The truck VIN is 3 OS I 07809; 3 is St. Louis, Missouri plant; OS is 1946 (Interim Series), 1.5 ton, 160" wheelbase; I is September production and 07809 is the 6808th unit made in 1946 (07809-1001=6808). The model number is 4403 and it has the "Thrift-master"216.5 cu. in. engine. My first accomplishment was tackling the wheels and tires. I decided to go with modern one-piece welded wheels and radial tires. I purchased 6 Accuride item number 29667PG wheels and mounted Dynatrc ST990, 8R19.5 tires on them. I went to a local machine shop with a mounted wheel/tire and one of the brake drums with the hub on it and had them make spacer rings that will take up the space between the new wheel hub hole and the original truck hub so that the new wheel will still be "hub centered" and not move around on the hub when mounted. The tires are a few inches shorter than the originals but I was willing to make that trade off to get rid of the split rims and bias ply tires. My latest effort has been disassembly of the front cap and removal of the cab which is now complete. The truck is in great shape with the exception of a "locked up" engine. I purchased a 235 cu.in. replacement engine locally to get modern bearings and full pressure oiling. I also bought a spare transmission that was available with the replacement engine. My next project is to get the brake system rebuilt so I can remount the wheels/tires and move the chassis around easier. Wish me luck. I've gone through lots of cut-off disks getting those rusted bolts off and couldn't have gotten this far without the help of my brother Jim Denicola and friends Bill Newman and Jeff Reichmann. As soon as I can figure out how to post pictures I'll do so as I have been documenting this entire "journey." Thanks to all you "bolters" who have given me the information and encouragement to get this far.