The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Reliability Upgrades

Hey All. Been a while since I’ve had a chance to come in here. I wanna start working on my ‘51 3100. My plan is to make it driveable and reliable. Keeping the factory 216 and 3 speed/ driveline. What do I need to do as far as brakes, suspension, steering etc. to make it a reliable safe “town to town” bounce around truck? Thanks in advance!

Regular maintenance should pretty much do it.

Rebuild brakes and front axle if necessary.

Good to hear. Any suggestions on axel upgrades or just new factory parts?

Original parts maintained in as-new condition is all that you need. Keep in mind that the maintenance schedule for most if not all are measured in thousands of miles and not tens of thousands of miles like newer vehicles.
I strongly urge you, if you haven't done so already, to get a Factory Repair Manual for your truck. A copy of the Operator's Manual is also handy to have since it is smaller and easier to navigate for maintenance information.
Go over every moving part on the truck to inspect condition and make adjustments or replace worn parts.This will take a while, but it is the fun part of having these trucks as far as I am concerned.
Carl

Great advice thank you! I have the manual which is amazing. I’m gonna start going through everything and replacing what’s worn. As far as brakes, I think the dual reservoir master cylinder and disc front may be nice.

Yes the front disc , m/c is a safety improvement, but it is the start of the slippery slope of modification. You will likely need different wheels if you have the factory 15", so do you go 5 lug for more choice, then you need to replace the rears axle to 5 lug, etc etc.. Also, all new brake lines and the correct RP, proportioning valve, and on it goes. I'm not saying don't do it, Just be aware and do your research. I made the switch to dual circuit power m/c front discs and am very glad to have the improved stopping ability.

Get it going as is first. Then consider different gears and brakes later.

I haven’t had a 1/2 ton but from what my friends do with them swapping in a late 50’s rear for open drive line and also faster gears with or without an OD transmission depending seems like a wise choice for driving longer distances. I’d probably want a 4 speed and 3.55 axle. However original will still get you wherever you’d want to drive just at a comfortably slower pace.
If adding disc brakes I’d keep same bolt pattern and find old 16” wheels.

My '51 3100 is stock except for the lap seat belts and Coker 6.00x16 radial tires. It will travel all day at 55 mph (can go much faster if I need to merge) and if I need to stop I can lock up the wheels. I drove it to a reunion in Kansas City 5 or 6 years ago, 1200 miles each way. It also does short trips within AZ with no problem. If I needed to travel the freeways much I guess I would consider driveline and brake modifications but I am very happy with the way it is.

Your intended use will answer the question for you. You might enjoy the process of modifying it, or just enjoy the process of ensuring that the stock systems are maintained and reliable.

Kent

Like Kent said, a lot will depend on what you intend to do with it. I have kept the original drum brakes and transmission on my 56 and am very happy with it. I have no interstates nearby that I have to drive on, and mostly just country roads with speed limits of 55, so I don’t mind going slow (I drive between 45 and 50 at the most) and taking it easy. But I did add turn signals and seat belts, as I felt they were an important safety consideration for where I drive.

Good luck and enjoy your project.

Lee.

I have an AMC pacer front ifs and it has worked well for me but I would opt for MII now. I have had my 1954 3100 since 1983. I would do as Grigg said. I drove mine for 7 or 8 years stock then started doing things like the AMC IFS and then it got crazy after that but I take it on round trip runs of 600 to 1200 miles.

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I just plan on going on short town to town trips and keeping it the way it is (driveline wise). By the sounds it, these trucks have good solid parts.