The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Highway Speeds in a 2 ton?

My 1952 2 ton is supposed to have a top speed of about 45 miles per hour. Has anyone tried to change to a different transmission like we do for the pickups to get highway speeds in the Big Bolts? On my 1954 3600 I plan to use a T-5, probably need something heavier duty for a 2 ton.

Good question. Not sure what my bus is geared but I bet it'll do better than 45....might not though, not sure. I will be following this.

My 52 3 ton does about 55. Now that's at roughly 3500 rpm in 4th with high range on rear. Maybe could go more but one tire belt feels off when I get up to that speed. But even at that I don't like pushing too long at that rpm.

Auxiliary ("Brownie") transmissions have been around about 3 days past forever. Most of them have an overdrive gear that can be used to increase top speed, as long as the engine has enough torque to pull it. Gas mileage will suffer horribly once you get out of the torque band and start lugging the engine down, however.

How about brakes and steering? Getting the rig moving is only one third of the equation- - - - -stopping and steering one at speed can be the world's most effective laxative! My 120 MPH ride down Grapevine hill hanging onto 39 tons of runaway Freightliner one night was a real eye-opener!
Jerry

As HRL said in a poetic way, these were designed by engineers for a specific job at a specific speed. Safe at higher speeds without modification of the suspension, steering and brakes, I don't think so!

I guess that sounds right. For around here, it will be fine, I was jst thinking about trying to get it to KC next year.

Not exactly a one on one comparison, but from my personal experience in driving highway/interstate traffic in a 4 speed, ‘37 Chevy 1/2 Ton, driving speeds above about 47 mph is crazy. It’s no fun at all and the concentration and personal energy make the experience a royal PIA. Also, the flaming idiots ogling your ride or worse not seeing you at all and nearly ending up as unplanned cargo in the truck bed make the experience even more to be avoided. To each his/her own, but this old fossil learned his lesson and NEVER again! Back roads, tooling about at a fun and enjoyable 45 or less, and living to drive again another day is for me.

These old iron heaps were never designed or intended to be driven the more modern day speeds, let alone traffic we are accustomed to now.

Plenty of back roads from Ozark County to KC.
Plan on a two day ride each way.
Stop by our Lake Ozark place and help clean out the fridge of leftovers, coming and going.
Right off Hwy 5, Gravois Mills.
Or do like me and drive a 18 year old Ferd Diesel.
I'm going to try and have something on a trailer next year though.

Glad to hear you will make it again!
Just be there!
Don

I have struggled with this same question. I want to use my truck and drive it regularly. now that I have had it on the road a while I realize I may be asking too much of my old truck. I can cruise at 55 but it sounds like Armageddon, the steering is wobbly and in the back of my mind I am wondering if my brakes have the ability to stop me. as I accumulate time driving my truck I realize that it may be best enjoyed as an unmolested original tooling around at 45 mph and enjoying the ride. then a devil pops up on my shoulder and says "you need to get a modern medium duty truck and put the 59 cab on it." all I can tell you is that is that it is "work" driving these trucks around and that may be the way it is supposed to be. if you add overdrive you may lower your rpms at a given speed but the steering is still an issue.

Concur with those above (even Don )

It's relatively simple to get an unrestored, unmodified Big Bolt to cruise comfortably at modern highway speeds. Here's how we did it ...

(Notice I didn't say "cheap" ... )

John,

Nice GMC, you're lucky to have the 6 bolt wheels so 22.5's are readily available.

Ed

I have a 46 2-ton with the original (rebuilt) 235. Still has the babbit splash lubricated rods in it. Nothing special inside. .020 or .030 over, can't remember. 8.25 tires on the rear. Stock carb and exhaust manifold. I think the exhaust pipe is 2" or 2 1/4". I made it out of stainless and can't remember what I used. Still has stock points and I run a Bosch blue coil like you would see on a mid 60's VW beetle.

I can run on the interstate at 50-55 easily. 60 starts to feel a little uncomfortable after a little while. I have had my GPS show over 60 before. Not something I would want to do for hours, but I have done the 50-55 for a hundred+ mile trip before.

I also have disc brakes on the front, so stopping isn't an issue. Steering on the other hand... I had an employee pull in a parking lot with 12,000 on the back and he came back out to a broken steering shaft. Couldn't have happened at any other time and have a good ending. I pulled another steering box apart and had the shaft magna fluxed before putting it back together, just to make sure!

Make sure everything is in order. Ignition, charging system, brakes, etc.

Ed -- It has factory air brakes, too

my 58 2-ton has no issue going 60 or 70 down the road. The steering and brakes seem fine as well at that speed. I have almost new 9r-22.5 tires on it, I am assuming that may help a bit, and it also has a 327 in it. The engine is spinning 4200 RPM at 70 mph though. I am not sure the 235 would be happy doing that!

Someone posted a replacement ring gear and pinion option, for these trucks, a year, or two ago.

I run up and down the road with a newer 235 in my '46 2 ton dump at 55mph no problem. Steering is a little dicey, and it doesn't stop as fast as a new truck, but it does it.

John, looks similar front to my 630, 360 - 503 series engine?

Ed

Ed -- 270 mated to a Clark 5-speed. It seems a lot of truck for that engine (especially with a compressor) but it seems to do alright around here. We have yet to take it out on the 2-lane for a high speed run ...

We'd better take our side discussion elsewhere before we get yelled at for hijacking the thread... (which, BTW, is the official sport of Stovebolt.com ... ) I'll start a new thread. Folks may enjoy meeting "Buddy"

JM

All good notes. I haven't driven it yet, but several people who said they had owned one "in the day" said 45 was all you would get. I guess I won't get overly excited until it is running and I find out what it will do. I will probably leave it just as it is. But since I still have my self respect 2-ton, I can't drive a Ford. HAHA!

Bigger diameter tires is the easiest way to add road speed. (I'm using 8.25-20's-wanted 9.00 Radials but ran outta $$$$ ) Upgrade your brakes at this point. Make sure your suspension and ESPECIALLY your steering are in VERY good shape and properly adjusted.Then add some more power.You'll need it. Next is an overdrive transmission. My '54 GMC 2 Ton has been upped to a 302 and Clark 5 speed with a .85 Overdrive 5th. I also have a 5531 Brownie,with a .74 Overdrive. It's happiest (smoothest and quietest) in 4th and Overdrive,in High range on the 2 speed axle. I don't have enough power to run both Overdrives,and loaded it's 4th and Direct...the steering is in great shape,and I upgraded to a dual reservoir master cylinder for a mid 70's one ton van-no booster,though there's plenty of room for one if I decide I need one. With all the gearing, top speed in 5th/Overdrive/High range at 3400rpm would be something like 118 mph,and my crawl speed in Low/Low/Low at idle is something like 0.336 mph. Fun,huh?
RULE #1-Speed costs money-how fast do you wanna go?
Speed

I guess for the expense itprobably isn't worth it. I am on a seriously short budget and I don't need much speed for around here. I was just thinking about making it to the rally next year it would be nice to be able to "highway speeds". Actually, at this point I don't even know what she will do. I've a few people tell me thay have driven a 6400 in the past and it topped out about 40. This week a friend said they traded theirs off a few years ago and had no problem at 55. So I guess I should just wait and see.

The reunion has a slowest speed contest. Leave it as it is, you might be able to win it.

I have a '46 Chevy 6400. When I got it , the original 235 had no governor and it would occasionally get the speedometer up to 60. A year later, I was replacing the engine (chewed-up crank) with a '53 factory replacement that had the governor in place. It will get the speedometer up to 50, my wife was following me once in her car and said I was doing 54. That's as fast as I would want to go in the old beast and I'm not sure if I would want to hold it there for a long period of time.

Guess I should just see what I get and go from there.

I am surprised I missed this thread.

My son has a 1946 2 ton. With the original 235 and the throttle plates
removed from the governor, I rebuilt the carburetor, new plugs, wires,
cap, rotor points condenser, timed to factory spec, he hit 53 on a level
section of the interstate for a brief moment with an empty bed.

He normally drove the truck at 42 - 43 and would stay from 40 to 45
range. He used the truck the first fall for his catering business. Then a
few times a week the following spring from last week of April till the
first or second week in June and the number 6 cylinder dropped a valve.

When I took the head off I found a cylinder toward the front of the engine
had a burnt valve. Not bad hitting 53 mph with a tired old motor.

Anyway my son went with a 1954 235 for 19 more HP and 8 lb torque.
He hit 47 briefly returning from a catering event this past summer.

Though he has not and will not try to see what the 54 engine can do
with the truck unloaded for he does not want to risk damage.
Jeffrey

32vid,

Thanks for the report. Congratulations to your son and to you.

I JUST FINISHED MY STOCK 52' 4400. NEW TIRES, BRAKES. THE STEERING IS TIGHT AND THE TRUCK HAS 23000 ORIGINAL MILES. I TOOK IT TO 52 MPH ON A FLAT PAVED ROAD. IN A NUT SHELL, WEAR DEPENDS. HIT A BUMP AND ITS A ROLL OF THE DICE FOR CONTROL. UNDER 40 MPH VERY MANAGEABLE. MY BRAKES ARE CONVERTED TO VACUUM ASSIST AND ARE VERY RELIABLE. EVEN THO THE SWAY AND ROLL IS SCARY. I RECOMMEND PUT A STOVEBOLT CAB ON A S10 OR MOTORHOME FRAME AND SUSPENSION.

I want to use it to carry big loads, so I guess I'll just keep the speed down. At 40 mph I am not driving it to the rally, so I guess I better work on my other truck.

I just got my 1948 6400up and running with the 2 speed rear end functional. 13' grain bed dump. I took the sides off and am currently driving as a flat bed.
i put 9.0x20s on the back with the rear end in low until last weekend.
So if i am not mistaken low is 8.10 and high is 6.13. I have a freshly rebuilt 261 and sm420.
I ran the numbers on a speed calculator considering the 39 inch diameter rear wheels.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/rearendgearcalc.html
My speedo jumps around quite a bit and doesn't work in low so I have used the WAZE gps speedometer on my phone. To my surprise my calculated speeds match up with the GPS. here are my mph calcs in 4th gear 1.1 that i have found to be accurate.
rpm low hi
2000 28 38
2500 36 47
3000 43 57
3250 46 61

I can tell you that 45mph feels good. It steers nice with the 9.0x20 highway tires on the fronts. the rears are agricultural traction tires that make some noise but feel great also. 55mph on the two lane highway is ok. The hydrovac brake booster works and provides plenty of stopping power.
Remember that these 6400 do not have shocks just leaf springs so there is some bouncing goin on when empty over expansion joints, dips and such.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun, I really enjoy mine.

sorry. i forgot to add that the two speed rear end is functional since last weekend so i have finally been able to run around in 4th high and achieve the mph numbers i shared above.

Thanks Brian, looks good. I guess I'll have to get on with fixing the brakes so I can drive it and find out what it will do.

Attempting modern highway travels in an unrestored Big Bolt (with old bias ply tires and probably worn brakes and steering) is *not* recommended or encouraged.

Stovebolt.com accepts no responsibility for any injuries/damage you cause to yourself or others by doing so. Anyone who encourages you to try it does *not* represent this web site or any of us who run it.

Thanks,
John