The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop 350 conversion-can i keep the cool parts?

So fairly sure i already know the (sad) answer to this question after a few searches but here goes....

Planning a 350 (probably) swap/upgrade from my 235. Is there any way I'm able to do this conversion and keep the stomp start, and choke/throttle?
These are some of my favorite parts of this old truck but i know upgrades = sacrifices and the new motor probably has no place for most of these 'vintage' manual control features.
Maybe ill just keep the knobs in the dash and floor haha
1954 3600

Thanks in advance,

Chooglin

I have heard of people making a mount for the pedal and putting a momentary on starter switch down there. Should be able to get a manual choke if you are going with a carb. I'm using my throttle knob for the gain on my electric power steering.

Ask any married lady- - - - - -"You can fake it!" Put a foot-operated heavy duty switch in the stomp pedal location and wire it to the starter solenoid. Somebody came up with a pretty good way to attach an original pedal to one of those switches a while back, using a piece of pipe nipple and a hose clamp, covered by a rubber accordion boot. With a little creative bracketing you can connect the throttle cable to the pedal linkage. Trying to substitute a cable-operated choke for a properly adjusted automatic would just be foolish, but you could attach the cable to something and pretend you're choking on a cold start.
Jerry

If you can put up with a Holley (I won't for STREET use) then you can find ones with manual choke and throttle. You can also check out the throttle set up on wreckers, especially roll backs. A choke cables just takes a small hole in the choke plate shaft arm and a cable with a square "S" in the end of the wire but have never seen this set up work smoothly and won't work at all with accelerator in idle position. The throttle takes a hole big enough in the throttle arm for the wire to slide freely and set screw stop to engage the throttle arm. Both cable housings must be clamped firmly at/near the carb.

Chooglin,

Here's how to retain your foot starter:

http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=toolt&th=381057

Retaining the choke and throttle knob functions would be simple linkage fabrication projects. When my now-restored '36 Chevy pickup was a "rat rod" in the late 1960s I retained the function of the choke & throttle (Red Neck cruise control) knobs with some very simple linkages.

Edelbrock carbs are available in elec or manual choke.

Just the info I was looking for guys! Looks like i just need to get a little creative and i should be able to make things work.
Yar: that link was especially insightful thanks.

The brain power on this sight never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks

Chooglin

"Just the info I was looking for guys! Looks like i just need to get a little creative and i should be able to make things work.
Yar: that link was especially insightful thanks."

Chooglin,

I'm glad I was able to help. I found your question particularly interesting and researched it.

The results show that taking information from a variety of sources is much more effective than letting a single voice dominate this or any forum.

PS: My wife and I really enjoyed your state earlier this summer. We packed into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area near Cooke City and the wild trout fishing was outstanding at the remote lakes. We set up a base camp at Rock Island Lake for 6 days and had fine fishing there and at other lakes in the area within day hike range.

http://mthikes.com/rock-island-lake-beartooth-mountains/

Just thought of this; if you ever get down this way and like "stomp" starters the collection here has several. 37 Buick---stomp foot feed, 51 Studebaker PU---stomp clutch pedal, 60 Mercedes---pull up on shift lever in neutral, 34 Ford and Model A---stomp dimmer switch looking button between clutch and brake pedal, 57 Chevy PU---you know, and several with a separate starter button like they make a bid deal out of on new car commercials. Car makers used to have imagination.

Back when they called them "Nash" instead of "American Motors" their full size cars in the 1950's had a starter switch that was operated by a small tab attached to the clutch pedal. That made it impossible to run over anything while starting because the clutch pedal had to be pushed all the way to the floor to get the starter turning. Hydramatic equipped Nashes were started by lifting up on the shift lever knob. Buick straight 8's had a start switch built into the carburetor that was engaged by simply pushing the gas pedal a little. A vacuum sensor disabled the switch whenever the engine was running. I think that switch was in series with the neutral safety switch on the Dynaflow equipped models.
Jerry

Chevy was in the game early on. I did some work on a 34 Chevy master sedan a couple of years ago. I had what is called a starterator (look it up). You press down on the accelerator pedal like a Buick but it doesn't have an electrical switch on the carburetor like a Buick.
It engages like a stomp starter and has a vacuum chamber that disengages the starter when it starts up.
It worked great, it also had the famous knee action front end (that was worn out).
Fred