The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre 1954 235 Engine ... (Dallas TX)

Just joined... located 30 miles north of Dallas. Although I don't have a truck currently, I do have a '53 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe, with a '54 235. The current project is a 261 short block that is slated for the Bel Air.

I've worked on International and Chevy in-lines since 1966 near as I can recall. Originally from upstate NY, I spent most of my working years in the north-east, and relocated to the Dallas area 7 years ago. I don't miss the weather, and especially the winter salt-covered roads!. Working on vehicles that spent their years here in TX is a dream compared to what I used to have to deal with. Yes, Kroil and PB Blaster are my friends!


I'm presently semi-retired, and I do occasional consulting gigs that keep my auto hobby "fed."

Welcome to the Stovebolt drdoug. Congrats on the Bel Air and happy hunting on a picking up truck!
Lots of knowledge and great folks here. Watch for other members of the "Texas Connection".

I like that body style of the Chevy cars. Prefer the no-post version or convertibles. A word to the wise, while the 235 is definately a stovebolt your BelAir does not fit the site guidelines. If you do have questions about your 235 post away just don't mention it's in a car. Some of us are just touchy that way. Welcome to the Stovebolt madness and good luck on your search for a truck.

We heartily welcome you and your stovebolt engines, drdoug

Welcome Doc, lot's of good info shared here. Hopefully, you'll some of your insight as well.

BTW: I've seen a few of those Bel Aire's that I would like to have in my stable.

John

welcome to the site! Love that body style!!

Thanks, guys. Apologies for the belated thank you... just sort of learning this forum's ins and outs, and it's pretty different than some other forums I frequent. I understand the sensitivity of non-truck posts, and will keep that in mind. There are just so many same/similar parts that it makes sense for me to participate.

Thanks again.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Doug

Hi Doug -- Let me pile onto the welcoming committee and add my welcome to our forum!

You raise a good point which gives me yet another opportunity to preach -- There *is* a lot of cross-over with the cars -- especially with the drivetrains, etc. And there's a lot of benefit to be had from that cross-pollination. So no one is going to run anyone out just because they have a car, not a truck. We just want to maintain our focus. We are a Truck site. We'll always be glad to share what we know with (and learn from ...) non-truck users of our site without drawing any territorial lines. We're all here to learn and to share what we learn with others (some of us do more learning ... ).

I hope this site is different. Many have worked very hard to make it so. We have few rules and they only serve to maintain the focus -- family friendly knowledge sharing about these old trucks. Disagreements and attitudes are handled as between family -- respectful disagreement is welcomed as it challenges us to do our homework. If we all thought, acted and spoke in unison, it would be as scary a place as if we were constantly bickering and fighting each other over stupid stuff.

Hence, we endeavor to keep our disagreements agreeable, our call outs friendly and respectful -- a well-presented point of view should be respected and considered even if you don't agree with it. Some of our participants here are still working on that ... ... but we are all works in progress and if one can look past the occasionally harsh tone, one can often find a treasure trove of knowledge (and the staff will deal with the overly harsh tone).

So have no fear asking "dumb" questions (ADM Rickover once said that we are all dumb ... except for him, of course ), or that the question might have possibly been asked before (like in 2002 and in an obscure way that would be impossible to find with Search even if you knew what to ask for ,...). So go ahead and ask. It won't kill anyone to answer it again. Might even give a newer user an opportunity to try sharing knowledge.

Oh, speaking of the Search Engine .... some of the people who complain about repeated questions slowing down the search engine are probably the same ones who post windy discussions about trivial matters in the off topic discussion area (The Greasy Spoon ... Just sayin' ... Yes, I see you there ....

We're not perfect. And playing with old trucks is NOT the most important thing we do in life (far from it) But to paraphrase someone waaaaaay wiser than I --- We do not consider ourselves yet to have laid hold of perfecting an old truck discussion forum. But this one thing we do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, we press on toward the goal ... (and there are several, but chief among them is to take care of each other -- people, not trucks, are what is truly important...). I encourage all users (new and old) to embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, great! We will respect that and we keep sharing knowledge as friends and keep these trucks rolling and making ourselves smarter.

Happy Tuesday! Carry on!

John

Welcome to the 'bolt. Thinly disguise your car related questions for the crossover portions.

Please scroll through the various forums to see what they have to offer.

Make sure to check out the rules of the page as well.

Questions pertaining to your problem are welcome and will usually get answered quickly.

There are many "how I done it's" here as well that can be found using the search feature.