The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Another new guy in Arizona

Well, not exactly "new"

I dug my '54 3-window 3100 out from under a palo verde tree out in the desert about a year and a half ago, where it had sat since the mid 1980's; and I've been mining the Stovebolt forums for tech info ever since I first brought it home, so one of my 2020 resolutions was to finally set up a user profile, and post some pics...

After sitting for 30 years, and being packed with rats nests, cactus needles, and various other undesirable debris, The best part of my efforts so far have been to clear away everything that isn't a 54 chevy truck, and expose everything that is... My daughter and I spent a solid 2 days just clearing out the cab- every rodent in southern Arizona had converted the under-seat storage into rat heaven (and one of them, sadly, even made it his final tomb) but once it was down to steel, everything looked good- The floor has one minor rust-through near the battery compartment, and some pitting, but is otherwise still strong enough to bear weight, so I will treat it with Eastwoods rust converter product, and see if I can preserve it.

in fact, "preservation" will be my entire theme in the visual department... The body is outstanding, and the truck has earned it's patina, so it will get to keep it. I'll scratch off the surface rust with a scotch brite pad, and will seal the patina with Everbrite. The bed will get new wood, but I'm not going to get fancy- I'll do it the way it came, with black stained pine. The seat will get a pair of mexican blankets (with brown, green and tan stripes, to match the truck)

Mechanically,The truck seems to be fairly original (minus some very dubious wiring work which will be handled in due time) and even though the engine has been painted red, the numbers suggest that it is the truck's "born with" engine (H 4 4 casting date, and F54X on the distributor pad stamp) . So I am conflicted about what to do mechanically... My wife and daughter are both in love with the truck and will want to drive it, but I'm not about to turn either of them loose into modern traffic with an old 3 on the tree, a 120HP engine that won't be able to get out of it's own way, and a set of drum brakes that are best suited for "slowing the truck down, until it finally stops"

But still- a car is only original once, and the engine turns over (I still have to verify that it makes compression and oil pressure, however)

I don't want to do any hacking on this truck's chassis or running gear, so I'm probably going to get it running, driving and stopping as-is, finish cleaning everything up, and then I will surgically remove the original powertrain and wrap it in plastic; and will put in a donor powertrain with an automatic and open driveline... someday.

Welcome to the 'bolt. That looks like a very nice start to a solid family project.

You probably don't need to be told, but please use good face masks when cleaning up the rodent droppings AND when grinding off the residue! My father got pretty sick from that. I also just went through the process of removing several rodent nests from my 67 suburban.. yuck.

What a nice truck to start with. You’ve got a good plan and help is just a post away. The knowledge and expertise on this forum is unparalleled anywhere on the web. Welcome to the “Bolt”!

Welcome to Stovebolt. After reading your story I didn't know what to expect but once I looked at the pictures I can tell the Arizona climate had been very good to your truck.
We have guys and gals here that have done all sorts of things to trucks so don't be afraid to ask questions. We're here to help.
As you are probably aware, there are several upgrades you can do to your truck to make it safer and "user friendly" and still maintain its integrity. Good luck. keep us posted...........see you around the garage.

Welcome to the Stovebolt madness. There is no cure!

Welcome! Looks like you found a nice solid old truck there. Congratulations!!

Oh yeah, the day we cleaned out the cab, I made my daughter wear my paint respirator, and I wore a heavy duty dust mask... So neither of us suffered any ill effects.

We both stayed a lot healthier than THIS guy, anyway, who spent his final days twisted up in the seat springs...

Welcome to a very "Nice & Friendly site" that really knows these Trucks . And, a pretty clean looking rig right from th'
start . Plus, I'm another "new member" - - from Arizona (North side of Chino Valley), so , I'm Looking in for sure.
Good 'building' , and , stay with - it .

jim

Looks like a great truck to work with. Still trying to find a nice '49 5 windiw like my great grandpa had to restore. If I do, my current project will be sidelined again.

Everyone has a different opinion on how to restore your truck. What matters most is that you are happy with the results, whether it is a restoration, modification or just cleaned up and driven as is. I like all the choices. Good luck.

Grumpy Old Farmer

[quote=Everyone has a different opinion on how to restore your truck. What matters most is that you are happy with the results, whether it is a restoration, modification or just cleaned up and driven as is. I like all the choices. Good luck.

Grumpy Old Farmer[/quote]


..........right on brother grumpy farmer. At least we keep them on the road.

A warm welcome from a Southern Bolter from Alabama.

I am a little partial to the '54 3100 3-window trucks (since that is what I have) and that is a very nice truck. If you have been mining these forums for a while, then you know how much help this site has to offer. You will now have the ability to search the forums and find a virtual goldmine of information. In addition, if you cannot find your answer by searching, given the correct information to work with, I am not sure if there is anything the old sages on this site cannot collectively figure out or answer.

I am partial to the original restorations, but I understand your situation, so good luck with whatever direction you decide to take. The nice folks on this site can help you out either way.