Hello all thought I would share my project with everyone. Bout year and half ago while working out of town drove past a lot of cool old wheat trucks for sale . Having a small farmstead with a lot of projects thought i needed one to help out Thats when I happened upon this 1958 LCF chevy so ugly its kind a cute so utsname became Homer the homely truck . Really solid with a Sbc not sure of cid have suspicions that its a 327 sm journal instead of 283 with 2 bbl . Since getting it home little tune up and such have used it a lot love the old truck. So started looking for upgrades for it Found a 1995 C3500HD for the money going to use the axles ,brakes ,ect to make it a bit more roadworthy seeing how some things i want to use it for are always a drive .
nice find! Welcome to the site! My 1958 2-ton spun 3600 going 60 mph down the freeway (4200 @ 70) . I ended up putting a Ranger overdrive in it (goes between the bellhousing and trans) and it now spins about 2800@60mph. I didn't want to change all the axles and stuff but, sounds like you got a good deal on the donor truck!
I hope your Upgrades work out for you. The 3500HD components are considerably smaller GVW than what you now Have. I guess though you don't intend to work it hard, just a better driver for light loads.
The 3500 HD has a 15,000 gvw compaired to the 19,000 from what i could find . I'll gladly trade better brakes ,tires, power steering ,little more speed for little bit of GVW front axle looks beefier than the one in it now Dana 80 were under rated also . Had little over 6 ton of rock on he deffently put more on than wanted him to , then it was a deffent pull on the 35 mile trip home. Bout 5 to under 6 ton went a whole lot better on the old truck
The 3500HD components are considerably smaller GVW than what you now
The C3500HD actually has a higher GVW than the 1958 5000 Series LCF's...15,000 vs 14,000, so that shouldn't be an issue. The only issue some of us have is the C3500HD has 19.5" tires and they will look small in the LCF fender opening.
Start looking for early '50's, 22.5's wheels; you probably have 5/10 on 7.25" bolt pattern on your donor truck. Those Wheels came with first tubeless tires, found a lot on farm trucks.
Ed
Last edited by EdPruss; 11/16/20193:35 AM.
'37 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires. '47 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle. '54 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed. '55 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK.
Wooo hooo made a deal swaping the 454 out of my donor 95 truck for a 400 sbc . Been looking trying to find little bigger motor to complement the axle gearing upgrade. Also needing drilled heads for P/S pump mounting .
Happy New Years everyone. Getting some work done on the mock up cab . Got it all stripped out, washed . Slipped the seat out of the 92 in it . Sits pretty nice gained some room , at 6'4" some room is very important to me . Received a vibrating tumbler for Christmas be pitting it to use too.
If you are swapping heads on the 400 SBC be sure to include the steam holes that the 400 requires. Other heads fit but they don't have the steam holes. The holes can be drilled using a gasket as a guide. Maybe you know that already.
Mac :{)
1962 K10 short step side, much modified for rally 1969 T50 fire truck, almost nos, needs a few things
Its the cab im using for mock up for the Black one im building . Top off whole lot easyer getting in and out more light. The cab was so rusty on the top along the windshield the clearance lights had to been leaking for decades plus the mice . Water had been just gushing down the A piller posts rusted oit behind the vents .
