The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Top speed

In my all stock 1949 3600 216 cid 4 on the floor 4.11 rear end.

What is my cruising top speed?

Thanks Don

55 would probably be pushing it. No worries if it's in good shape.🛠

For my '52 3100 with the same engine and drivetrain, 50mph for an all day run is about all I'm willing to do. Yes, there are some slowpokes who'll need passing regardless of how slow you drive, so I save 55 to dust those guys like they're stittin still.

49 3100 w/same power train. It cruises best at around 1900 rpm = 40 mph. It'll run there all day long and sounds like a singer sewing machine. She gets a little noisier at 45 but still smooth. At 50 if I had a radio I'd have to crank it way up. I've run at a stead 55 for around 20 miles without any problems but the engine is telling me "no-mo". I was glad to slow her down.
I've actually ran it up to 65 to pass and the engine sounds like it wants to launch out of the engine bay, I don't hold it there any longer than necessary.

I run alot of back roads and it's therapy and a joy.

Well guys that's about what I'm experiencing. I've only had it for a few weeks and my trips have been quite short. I've got it running well and don't see any need to push it any harder than 45 -50.

Thanks
Don

Same equipment in my 51, the Chev specs indicate top speed 47 MPH

My '65 has a 250 out of a '69, stock SM420 trans, 3.73 rear end(also out of a '69). I'll push it up to 65-70..it may go faster- don't want to 'splode it. Southern California freeways are difficult sometimes.

I used an old tach/dwell meter with some long leads and a gps. The 235 liked 2500rpm and was straining a bit at 2800rpm. Figure that was it's best range. Noted the true speed at those two points on the gps and put a couple marks on the speedo face. No matter what gears or tires that will be my rpm range.

Some 3600 had 15" wheels. With a good tall tire, say 31"' on a 16" rim, you should be good for 55 mph with no problem. I do that in my 51 1 Ton and it has the 410 gears.

Hi Don

My old ride was a 1953 Chevy 3800 with a 235 cu in motor, 4 speed trans, 4.10 gears from a 1985 Chevy Blazer...(29.7" tall tires) foot flat on the floor..I got it up to 52 mph...that is on a level road...going down hill I would think it might be a little faster...a safe cruising speed would be around 45 ish....

MikeC

My 55.1 3600 w/235 & 4spd is very happy at 45. I've had it at 55/60 or so, a time or two. I was more bothered by the poor handling than the high rpms. But, 45 is the sweet spot - engine, transmission, suspension, steering & old fart driving are in tune and smiling.

My 42 1.5 ton truck top speed (w/governor) is only 40 mph which makes it difficult to drive around in my area most of the times. Most people are in too much a hurry and could care less about the vintage vehicle on the road. I usually take my truck to the hardware store early Saturday mornings before most people get out of bed. Times were much slower back in the1940s.

My 49 is stock except for a 54 era 235. I found a sweet spot around 55 and can cruise until I get too stiff. Running 650-16 Firestones and its a smooth as silk. Big fan of my bias-ply tires.

Original 216 engine, 5-14 rear gearing, 7.50 -17" tyres comfortable round 50 mph I have had it up to 60 but the engine is definitely protesting!

I should not join in but my 54 235 is highly modified. 2.73 Nova rear end, s-10 5 speed and 235-70-15 tires and at 70 mph I am pulling less than 2000 rpm. I think I have had it to 75 mph and I don't know how fast it will go. I have never been one for speed, just getting there safely.

Wheel and tire combo affect the speed, too -- what size are you running? My 3804 with the 216/SM420/4.10 rear gearing could easily cruise at 55-60, dash to 65 on a flat or down hill and now and then could hit 70. But I'm running 7.50 x 17 wheel/tire combo. The 17's are probably like an overdrive. If you're running 15's, you might think about switching to 16's at least. 17's are hard to find.

Doyle -- Have you thought about doing the rear axle 3rd member swap to get the 4.10 gearing? If you aren't really hauling much, its a good upgrade and easy to do.

My son's 1946 2 ton, first year 235 was available
did 53 empty on a level section of the interstate for
a brief test to see what she would do.

For the first year doing his catering business he would
do 42 - 45. Of course he would lose speed going up
grades and when the down grade was steep enough
he would let the truck go past 45 with his foot off the
gas pedal when road and traffic made it safe.

Then he had a 1954 235 rebuilt and put in near the end
of last catering season. 19 more HP and 8 lb more torque.
Accelerates a little better. He can get away without using
1st gear on level pavement but prefers to still use 1st
gear all the time to be easier on the clutch.

From following him he now loses speed a little slower
on the grades and I have seen him hit 46 -48 on level
grades on his way back to "he barn" after he is returning
from doing a catering event. His truck is never empty
anymore.

I'll have to ask him if he tested his new top speed yet.

My 46 216/4:10 runs ok at around 45. I've maxed it to 55 once or twice but my biggest concern is not how the truck feels or sounds, its all about if the crank is getting enough oil as rpm increases.

Old timers would tell you that driving over 55 MPH on the roads in the '40s would cause you to bite your tongue off if you were't careful.

Some of the above comments note that noise is noticeable above a certain speed, whether it be 40, 50 or 55 mph. I would not disagree, but would point out that increased noise does not equate to any sort of limitation of the engine or drive train

In 2015 I drove to the Reunion in Kansas City, MO, from Mesa,AZ, which one way is 1200 miles. I cruised at 55-57 in my '51 Chevy half ton, which brief stints up to 65 when merging, for example. The truck is stock, except for Coker radials which are the stock size.

I have driven my '50 COE, with a later 235, on the freeways in Phoenix at speeds up to 57mph. That is with the rear differential in high range which I recall is about 6.10.

I have a trusted mechanic friend who still has his father's '52 Chevy sedan with the stock 216. He says he got it over 100 mph, on a long downhill mountain grade. That engine survived his teenage years and runs great today.

Sure, these trucks sound like a singer sewing machine at 40 mph, and at that speed are very enjoyable to drive. But that does not mean they are not capable of a bit more speed.

Kent

How do you guys hold your truck on the road at anything over 45 mph? I'm assuming not all of you have converted your front ends to newer systems. My truck with original front end would be all over the road at those speeds. Even with new shocks and coker radial tires, handling is improved slightly but not that great. Come spring I guess I'll take it to an alignment shop.

Jim, Have you checked your steering box, king pins and tie rod ends? Worn steering box, worn king pins and egg shaped tie rod ends can contribute to poor handling/hard steering that an alignment won't help much.

Mr Milliman is spot on. I have driven a number of these trucks varying from well worn to completely rebuilt suspensions, and they have varied from really scary to "I'll bet I can do 100".
As far as new shocks affect the ride, I have had the bottom rear shock bolt come off of the lower shock mount and could not perceive any difference in the ride.
Having experienced that, I do not believe that new shocks are the first item I would look at to solve a driveability issue. I wouldn't ignore the shocks, but I would not expect much of an improvement from replacing them unless they are rusted stuck.
Big trucks don't even have shocks, do they?

My truck is a driver, and it drives good on "good" roads. It goes down the freeway or any nice paved road fine, however put it on country road that's crowned, rutted and rough and you have to Drive all the time. It's at a point in life where a freshening up of the front end would definitely help, but I'll likely just keep driving for a few more years and appreciate it for what it is. I suspect that if my long passed Dad could step out of his old tan 49 five window 3100 and get into my 51 he'd feel right at home.

Sometimes I think we lose sight of how old trucks drove 60 years ago. Of course one needs to make sure their rig is safe, after that just enjoying it works for me.

And to stay on the thread topic, my stock comfortable "top speed" with original style bias ply 700/15 tires was about 45mph. With the upgrade to 215/85/16 radials and the T5 transmission, I found all was good at about 55. Now with 4.10 gears (stock was 4.57) and the T5, 60 mph is very OK. 65 is no problem but I usually don't spend much time there due to brakes being stock and I just don't need to run that fast to enjoy the day.

Now all the above said, I did get caught up in big city rush hour freeway traffic a few months ago (not by plan that's for sure) and ran along for a few miles at about 70-75. That's MY top speed.



RonR

My 39 was also not particularly stock (to 1939), but I had it up to 90 on a stretch of the I-8 heading to Yuma. I was running a 283, TH350 and a rear end out of a 76 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup.

My old '63 C10 was comfortable up to around 80 mph, ok up to about 100 mph, but got scary after that. At the time, the truck was only 19 years old and had a 327/TH400/3.73:1.

My current '62 C10 is comfortable up to 65-70 mph, but can do short bursts of 75-80 mph. I have not tried to drive it above that yet. It has a 327/SM420/3.90:1.

Both trucks had stock suspension, brakes, and shocks, but modern radial tires.

There is a procedure in the shop manual that walks you through adjusting the steering box. It is possible it is not completely worn out and can be tightened up. It does not appear to be difficult. I need to do it to my 54 3100 but will probably wait until spring. Mine tracks down the road okay but there is one hill I come down that twist and winds. It is one of those roads that have a steep drop off on one side and the road is always slipping with some nasty breaks in the pavement. If I am not careful coming down this hill at about 45 MPH and I hit one of those breaks in the road the wrong way it gets pretty squirrely real fast. Scared the life out of me the first time it happened.

To the original question. 100% stock 54 with a 235 3 speed. I have taken it on a 50 mile one way run and maintained between 50 and 55 the entire trip with no trouble. 60 plus for short runs. Same concern that others have expressed. The engine sounds like it is ready to blast off at 60 plus.

Excellent advice.

And, there is no sense/joy in checking/rating your steering/tracking, unless/until you have checked, lubricated, and adjusted all steering components (and, have "played with" the air pressure in your tires).

steering gear adjustments
Buy a cheap lightweight-fish scale from Walmart.
00 grade steering box grease is readily available from NAPA, and Tractor Supply Store or most farm equipment stores.

Play with the air pressure in your tires.
- too low and the steering is hard
- too high and you will wander

Check and adjust (or, replace) all steering components.
- king pins
- tie-rod ends / connecting arm
- steering arm

Check the stabilizer bar, if you have one.

Clean/check/grease/adjust front wheel bearings.

Properly adjust brakes.

Check/adjust the front-end alignment.
The primary steering adjustment is toe-in. You can play a little with this adjustment.
Check to make sure someone has not removed the caster shims.

Do all of the above on a "new" truck.
Do all of the above at appropriate intervals on a running truck that you have already brought into adjustments/specs.

Excellent advice.

Tim's comment regarding "properly adjust brakes" is something many forget and while we're all trying to increase the top speeds of our rigs, we need to remember how more important it becomes to be able to stop without plowing into someone or veering off the side due to improper brake adjustment.

Also the demand to increase our top speed becomes more and more for those who live in high populated areas with crazy drivers all around us. Know and appreciate your rig's top speed and braking capability.

With that said, I put Patricks 3:55 gears in back a few years ago which really brought down the high rpm. Much better gas mileage.

I can easily cruise at 60-65 mph (around 2300-2500 RPM) on a modern highway: high pressure 235/261, with wider diameter radial tires on original wheels, and 3.55 rear end.

I will not tell you my top speed (for short durations - not a cruising speed) in my 1954 enclosed driveshaft Suburban with a 270 cubic inch 261, and one two-barrel GMC 302 carburetor with adjustable jets. It is 20-30 mph over the speed limit.

Don, a stock 49 3600 would not have a 4.10, originally. It would have come with a 4.57, and 5.14 was optional.
In 2010 I made a 300+ mile trip in my 50 3600. With no working speedo I had my wife following me. I told her to hold her speed steady at 55, as much as she could. I did my best to keep a consistent space between us. So I think I averaged 55 for most of it. The old truck did just fine. Loud, but fine. The oil consumption was another matter.

How many folks remember the severe brake fading of drum brakes when trying to stop right now at decent speed? You can push the brake pedal as hard as you can with no effect! Scary.

I'm happy with 45 MPH and I stay off of I-90 (speed limit 80 MPH).

I was referring to travelling on Interstate 90 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (65/70 MPH in NY/MA).

Fade happens from "riding" (frequently using) the brakes. Never had that problem on an Interstate. I have had that problem on country roads, and go more slowly on them, for all sorts of reasons.

Trivia questions:
- what is the longest Interstate in USA?
- what are its endpoints?

It is also one of the few Interstate Highways that has a stoplight.

Not anymore - the traffic light was "buried" in 1991.
I won't give away the answer to the question, but it's obviously one of the East-West routes.

Ooops, I was way off - gone in 1990/91?

Thanks for the correction, Kevin

I think that Interstate might have some of the longest floating roads/bridges?

It took a longtime to complete I-90 through Wallace, ID. The interstate tapered down to the city (town?) streets and there was a stop light but not on the true freeway itself. I heard of someone new in Wallace telling relatives in New York come and see them by going west on I-90 and taking the left at the first light.

Driving at night in Wyoming in our '65 Impala (4-door hardtop with 3-speed stick shift and overdrive no less!), I had to slam the brakes for a big buck mule deer standing sideways and staring me down. The brakes reached a point where they had no effect. Was able to miss the buck but I never wanted to drive beyond drum brakes. Coming down steep passes could also be a problem if not geared down as needed. Drum brakes can go away.

52Carl, I didn't expect to get any drivability improvement from the shocks. I just needed to add some more to my NAPA order to get an additional discount.

I've got a 3800 dually, swapped the 700-18's for 8r19.5's Did the rear swap to 4:10's

The 8r19.5 radials are at 33.5 inches in diameter. I'm hoping I could hold 55 on some long trips, maybe a burst to 60.

1962 full pressure 261 with a mostly fresh SM420, relined shoes all around, new tie-rod ends, new front spring shackles, and actually a new top leaf on the passenger side spring. I found the hole egged out pretty good when I was going after the shackles.

Steering box is tight and full of cornhead grease.

next thing - SEAT BELTS ! Oh yeah and a horn.