The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Know where I can get an extra hand in Minnesota?

Hi Everyone,

I'm David from St. Paul and I am new here. I joined a few years back and for some reason I didn't follow up with it. Anyways I'm here now with a question for anyone who might be from Minnesota. I am 27 and I'm working to get my 52 2 ton started. I have to mention I have been working very on/off on it since I bought it in 2012, basically picking here and there in the storage facility the truck has sat... all in an effort to get the thing to just start. I have had all ingredients at one time or another, but only once come close to having them all at the same time and anywhere near a sputter.
My difficulty stems from 1. Not enough knowledge but a lot of tinkering and curiosity and 2. I sometimes need an extra brain to bounce ideas off of to boost my confidence. I don't have a buddy, dad or grandpa around that are able to help me with this kind of stuff. This is kinda my first effort.

I really am beyond proud and passionate about the truck and I really do dream about it being road worthy and bringing it to shows. Is anyone here perhaps around Minnesota, perhaps the St. Paul area? I could reimburse gas or just provide beer, anything really to get another stove bolt lover to help me. I'm thinking I might hire a mobile mechanic if I get too desperate.

Thanks for your input,

David

Welcome David, I'm not much of a mechanic either. Many people always say that these old trucks are so simple. Yet they have a way of humbling you by being uncooperative. I do know this, take it one step at a time. One by one, eliminate all the possibilities of why it doesn't start.
You could check out the sidelot on this site and go to your region, the Great Lakes Bolters. It's a large region but does include Minnesota. You could also pose questions in the other forums, such as the engine shop or the electrical bay...We are here to help. Good luck.
Leo

Welcome. This is a very helpful group. You are not the first to ask this question. If you go to the Stovebolt Site Search box in the left column and do a search on "Getting engine started" or some other similar phrase I bet you get tons of threads that walk you through steps you should follow before you even turn the key. If you don't find exactly what you are looking for, go to the Engine forum and ask a question. You will get plenty of help.

welcome to the site! Unfortunately, I'm on the west coast and a bit far to come lend a hand.You might post this question in the engine forum and since more people look there, you may get a faster response.

Welcome to the Bolt David. As mentioned the best place for technical questions is in the garage forums. The guys are great about helping and give it a little time. There are bolters in Minn. but not sure where. As Leo mentioned check out the Great Lake bolters and see who all is there.
This is a journey. I always recommend at least 15 minutes every day and you'll be amazed at what you can get accomplished in a week....month......

I'm about 80-100 miles from you so not sure if this helps, but my local mechanic has worked on a number of old trucks for folks, including several for me. You'd probably need to come up with a way of getting it down here.

If you think something like that might work send me a PM and I'll give you his contact info.

David,

Welcome to the site, a 2 Ton is quite an ambitious undertaking but certainly worth doing. Lot of help on this site so don't be afraid to ask anything about the truck. The "Big Bolts" section can offer a lot of help I'm sure. I live in the northern suburbs of St. Paul probably not that far away. I have 4 Chevy's from the 40's & 50's that I now have running after sitting several years each, all have there original motors and have still use the 6 volt electrical system. They all run well and enjoy driving them when time allows. Take two of them to Back to the 50's show every year in St. Paul.

With your truck being a 2 Ton, there are a lot of mechanical differences from the lighter trucks. However, the way the engine runs is no different than those smaller versions. Hard to say what is keeping your truck from running, could be carburetor issues, timing, bad plugs or wires, points, coil, fuel pump, etc... (hope someone else jumps in here with ideas). I might be able to look at your truck sometime if your interested and offer more help after seeing the vehicle. If you are interested, respond back here at your convenience and we can get more contact information from each other. Stay positive about the situation, that's important when working on these old classics. Have a great day!

Tom

Hi David, I'm in St.Paul also, I doen't know if I can be some help but I'm willing to give it a look, We can't pm so we have to find a way to contact each other, if you could put your e-mail here I could contact you that way, I'm working on two trucks, one is a 1955 5400 lcf complete truck and I have a1957 5100 lcf cab that I'mgoing too put on a 1994 p30 chassie, I had to get the title done with before I put any more money in it, The DMV sent me the title two weeks ago so when I get some time I can see if I can get something done. I will wait to hear from you. Roger

Hi David, I'm in St.Paul also, I doen't know if I can be some help but I'm willing to give it a look, We can't pm so we have to find a way to contact each other, if you could put your e-mail here I could contact you that way, I'm working on two trucks, one is a 1955 5400 lcf complete truck and I have a1957 5100 lcf cab that I'mgoing too put on a 1994 p30 chassie, I had to get the title done with before I put any more money in it, The DMV sent me the title two weeks ago so when I get some time I can see if I can get something done. I will wait to hear from you. Roger

David and Roger, the quickest way to send PM's is to get the required post while under moderation. That number is 4 post while moderating and then you can send pm's to others.

..surely you have a couple more questions you can post in the garage forums that will give you the amount you need. Then all Stovebolt has to offer is wide open to you......I'm not sure post in the Welcome Centre count....or the Greasy Spoon so head to the garage forums.

Thanks so much everyone!

I know it's been a while since you responded but I appreciate it. I'll definitely follow up with those of you who have messaged me and I'll definitely troll the forums. I know I'm no expert but the fun in the project lies in tinkering and experimentation and I think the biggest thing that gets me stuck is not being able to have a sounding board so I hope this forum can fill that void.

Thanks again!

That's so awesome. That's my ultimate goal, to get the truck to Back To The 50's. I can't wait until that day!

Hi Roger,

I'll type my email out so as not to be censored by the system (not sure if it would redact it or not) David Ray 9289 at Gmail dot com. I'd love to see what you have going as well!

David