Hello from Western Massachusetts, me and my 51 4400 not ready for the road in anyway. Hopefully by fall I can get her running, stopping, and ready for some driving.
Cruise nights around here theres one at the Ludlow Elks Tuesday nights. Moose club in chicopee I think Wednesday nights Janines frosty in ware I think friday nights not sure on that one
Hello All: my wife and I live in my native town (even my family homestead) on Cape Cod where we enjoy our '65 C20 long-bed truck in stock condition. It is being restored now in the body shop at the local technical high school. Unfortunately, the restoration was not completed by the end of the last school year so we missed the summer cruise season. Hopefully by Christmas break it will be finished. The truck had a camper on it for most of its life so it still has the original wood bed painted in factory black. It's a great truck and lots of fun!
Hello Everyone! New to the forum (my first post), from Lincoln RI. I just picked up a 1949 3100 that I plan on going through.
A little background on me: my history with vehicles has always been slow and low. I've built 5 custom S-10s, 4 of which were on airride. I started building my 6th (and was going to be my lowest, was gonna plant the rockers on the ground) when this truck fell in my lap
. I will not be doing the ever so popular frame swap. I plan on keeping the original frame and lowerung it with the soild front axle. I have a built up 350 and beefed up 700r4 that will be going in the empty engine bay. I've been doing a lot of research and I want to keep it (mostly) a traditional style hotroding. And it will be getting painted. No flat black or primer. This will be one of my biggest and definitely my nicest build. Wish me luck! Haha!
I'm excited to see a NE Bolters forum. I'm originally from upstate NY (Stamford: northern Catskills). 26 years ago I married into a Red Sox family from Newport, RI. Having grown up a Mets fan it wasn't that hard a transition. :-)
I have a 1958 Suburban that is currently tucked away in Kansas City, MO while I finish my 2 year tour in Kuwait. When I leave here next summer I'll have 2 years to go to 30 year retirement from the Army. Eventually I'll end up back in Newport. We bought my in-laws house about 5 years ago so Newport will officially be home at some point. Not sure I'm ready to settle down quite yet though. When I do get back I plan on being a big part of the classic truck scene in the area. I usually end up in town for a couple of weeks in the summers so I'll try to link up with some folks next time I'm in the area.
Hmmm, I missed this. My name is Tom and I live in south east CT, lived in CT all my life and winters are getting a bit old....and so am I.
Recently picked up a 1956 3600 that somewhere during it's abused life gained a flat bed dump and a broken frame to go along with it. I have the rear end our and futzing with the frame. Cool gay-raj and cold tools making work a real event.
I have been in mfg all my life and have a pretty well stocked shop, lathe, mill, welders and other tools of distruction.
Tyler here, in Burlington, Vermont. Thought I'd post a "hello" in the neighborhood thread!
Been on this site since '02. My 59 3200 has been off the road most of that time, with a brief trip about 6 years ago after installing the rebuilt 235 without adding a fuel filter. Carb clogged up with rust from the tank, and is has sat in the garage since then!
I plan on getting it on the road this Spring, stickered and legal-like. I want to drive it for a spell, then decide if I want to sell it or not. Needs the fuel system put back together, some tinkering with lights wiring, probably a couple weekends worth of work.
I play upright bass and would love to have an early 50s wagon or ambulance or something to haul it and its gear to gigs in the nicer months. I love the old Plymouth wagons and Packard Henney coaches! I'd need to sell the truck to free up the capital and garage space, though!
May 2024 added the image from Tyler's Gallery story here. If you go to his page, there are plenty more image in that story. ~ Peggy M
Hey everyone,first post on Stovebolt....here in coastal NJ....restoring 1956 GMC 1/2 ton s/b 270 cu in 4 speed...bought out of a barn in Montana from the original owner....having lots of trouble with single bbl Rochester carb,leaking all over after 2 rebuilds...........any ideas??
There is a " Cruise Night" every Friday at Kimball Farm located in Lancaster,Ma. It is on route 70, a mile off route 2, exit 35. Kimball Farm is known for their incredibly delicious ice cream! Officially it is from 5p-9p, however some folks start showing up at noon! DJ starts at 5 or a bit earlier. Usually there are from 250-300+ cars. All makes welcome, the idea is antiques, classics and uniques. Just show up, get out and enjoy the 'old car cameraderie.' If you leave without trying the ice cream, shame on ya. see ya there, Richard
We're a talkative bunch. Maybe should have said cruise nights as well. There's gotta be more shows and cruises around I'm not just talking in western mass but all over are northeastern area of the bolt.
1947.5 Chevy 4100 red primer 1951 Chevy 4400 grey primer
the Granite State Old Truck Meet (formerly known as the Barrington Old Truck Show/Meet) is coming up next month. i look forward to checking out the new location in Deering NH
the Granite State Old Truck Meet (formerly known as the Barrington Old Truck Show/Meet) is coming up next month. i look forward to checking out the new location in Deering NH
Hi, Dave McKee here in Danbury Ct. I've got a very rusty 38 1/2 ton that I'm attempting to do a resto-mod on. The back half of the frame was so far gone I just cut it off and replaced everything from the cab back with box tubing. I've had it for a long time and now that I'm retired have started working on it again. So far I've been working on the doors putting patch panels on and refurbishing hinges, latches and window regulators. Once the weather warms a bit I'll get the doors rehung then square up and stabilize the cab and start welding floor and patch panels on to it. When I'm satisfied with the cab I'll be more comfortable putting money into the drive train and suspension. This is a great site and am sure I'll be spending a bit of time here. Dave
38 Chevy 1/2 ton being resto-moded 65 AC Cobra replica USAF vet
Hey all, Joe Cinko here in Middletown NJ. I just picked up a 54 Chevy 3800 long bed pickup truck to get running for my father. I've never attempted to work on something this old, so it should be a pretty good learning experience for me. I've already gotten the strange glances from the Napa guys as a 20 year old kid walking in asking for parts for something three times my age is rather unusual around here. I've been poking around here the past few days and I've found a lot of good information. Hopefully I can find someone fairly local in NJ to bounce ideas off of.
Joe
1954 Chevy 3800 Long Bed: ex-fire truck turned farmer's town run about turned 353T powered retirement project 1953 Chevy 6400: the work truck
If you have not already done so, go to the Tech Tips on Stovebolt.com (here) and start from the top. Scroll from top-to-bottom to see what is in there.
THEN, go back a read a few/many of the articles in the first three sections of Restoration & Modification.
Been there, done that. Yesterday was a slow day at work so I spent most of the day reading through articles. It will probably make more sense when I'm staring at the truck to better visualize what I'm looking at. I definitely feel more confidemt working on the truck after reading the tech articles and looking at some of the diagrams online. The next major hurtle is going to be getting the linkages unstuck and sourcing an ignition switch, as someone robbed the one out of the truck. And figuring out the wiring.
First question, did all of these trucks come with turn signals? There's no holes in the fenders for the big orange ones, but I thought I saw some really long wires dangling by the steering column that looked like they would go to a switch.
Second question, I was flipping through the online service manual to find all the grease points and it said to use transmission lube to grease the u-joints. Do they actually mean gear oil, or can I use regular grease? I haven't checked to see if my driveshaft has zerk fittings on the u joints or not. I should probably check to see if those are wiped out yet as well.
Thanks for all the help so far.
Joe
1954 Chevy 3800 Long Bed: ex-fire truck turned farmer's town run about turned 353T powered retirement project 1953 Chevy 6400: the work truck
What trucks are "these trucks"? (always state year/make/model, if pertinent to your question/post)
I think that turn signals became standard equipment on trucks in the late 50s? Factory-installed Optional turnsignals on trucks first became available in 1954. GM accessory turn signals were available for trucks for many years before 1954, and the wires ran inside the steering column, exiting the column low under the dash.
We need to know your year/modell/size truck to answer the u-joint lube question. Until 1954/55 u-joints were inside an enclosed drive-shaft "torque-tube", and were lubricated by transmission fluid (from the transmission). In 1954, the 3800 u-joints were not in a torque-tube. They had grease fittings. What document did you read regarding u-joint lubrication?
My mistake, the truck is a 1954 Chevy 3800. It does have an SM420 with an actual driveshaft with u joints, not a torque tube. I read one of the service manuals posted on here.
I was told the truck was uses by the fire department when it was new, I'm assuming by a fire chief or something, so it may have had turn signals or maybe some sort of switch mounted on the column or somewhere. I know there aren't any holes in the column drilled for wires to poke through.
Joe
1954 Chevy 3800 Long Bed: ex-fire truck turned farmer's town run about turned 353T powered retirement project 1953 Chevy 6400: the work truck
Hello I am Wendell , I live in Epping,NH. I am interested in 47-53 3100 series Chevy pickups, I look forward to talking with other "bolters" and maybe learn more about these nifty trucks. and their owners. Just so I am clear I do not own a classic,antique vehicle, however I hope to in the future. In the mean time I am looking for connections and good conversation. and maybe make a friend or two.. Personally I prefer the 5 slat horizontal grill design. my dream truck would be fire engine red with gloss black fenders,gray interior. A 235 in-line 6 cyl. engine, have a good heating system, Also I would prefer a 4 or 5 speed floor shift manual transmission. I am also thinking I would like a short wheel base..as I do not need a lot of vehicle. please feel free to send me a note or say hello .
Hey Wendell, welcome aboard. Good to see another NH guy here. This is a good place to get up to speed when you are just truck shopping. Be sure to check the want ads too.
Hi All. Thomas from Connecticut here. Just bought a 56 3100. Want to get closer to original rims and tires. Currently running 255.60.r15 but I'm thinking of changing out to 205.65.R15 along with rallye style rims to accommodate the narrower tire. Any opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome Thomas. You'll find lots of info by searching the forums on this. Better yet, post your question in the appropriate forum area, in your case most tire questions are addressed in the Driveline area. You'll soon get lots of opinions, links and photos etc. Do your research and find examples of trucks with the look you want. Good luck with your new old truck!
Anyone in the CT Fairfield County area with some good knowledge of a 3100 with 216 motor? I could use some help setting the timing, adjusting the carb and figuring out this thing with some old school tips and tricks. Thanks!
Not that ritzy corner of CT! I found that using a vacuum gauge to set the timing gave the best running motor. Warm the engine, disconnect the vacuum advance and plug any other suckers ( like wipers ), connect a gauge to the intake manifold port and adjust the timing by rotating the distributor to get max vacuum. Make sure your valves are properly set first but that's another story. Still playing with the carb, but mostly go by the shop manual procedure, just rebuild the carb first or you are going to waste a lot of time tweaking a bad carb if it's the stock Rochester.
