The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Maiden Voyage for Ole Red (49 3600)

Started working on this ole girl in March and took 'r for her first full trip into town today, to the Rifle Range - my two favorote hobbies so it was fitting. Much obliged to the great information here to help me get it to this point.

Thankfully the road into town is only 50 mph (80 km/h for Canucks). I should have verified my rear axle ratio, I knew it was low but at 80 she's spinning 2,500 RPM I don't really care if I'm pulling 45 mph, it's a rural road. At least the folks behind me have a great view

It's running strong, this thing has torque and the brakes are better than my daily driver.

What it is:

'49 Chev 3600, that's the longer box, open driveline with an SM420 4 speed, 16" 8 bolt wheels (split rim when I got it); 1957 full pressure 235 with hydraulilc lifters that appears to have been rebuilt. I had to replace pushrods and pull the head apart due to varnish on the valves from sitting for 20 years - head had clearly been rebuilt including new guides and apparently valves, so that was a bonus. Had the 49 intake on a 57 head and whomever originally did it had that magic touch to keep it from leaking, I ended up turning bushings to match the small rings to the large - but that solved my vacuum problem. I just realized the water pump is in the stock location for the 57 which puts it low... when they did the swap there was no internet and Lord knows I remember those days well, so can't fault 'em for it. This intermanet thing has been a game changer. I remember doing tons of engine swaps back in the day and most of the time it was like throwing darts at the wall, even with advice from the old guys . Interestingly enough the truck was reportedly in the Yukon most of its life, used in a Gold Mine. So the story goes and I like it.

What I did:

CLEAN OUT THE SPIDERS. This was like a spider condo.... she's spent the last 20 years parked beside the local lake and let me tell you there were spiders EVERYWHERE. I mean even when I took the hood latch off.
Rebuilt the floor and mounts.
Window channels & new drivers side regulator.
Door hinge bushings all 'round.
New windshield glass & seal; new seal for the rear glass
Seat was recovered locally, beautiful job. These folks just retired I hear, so this was one of their last jobs. They did a custom seat for me in my daily driver that was a lot more involved, just a beautiful job.
12V conversion (Painless kit) including a new AC Delco alternator. Front park lights are modified to use an 1157 bulb inside the stock housing. Rear brake lights are just trailer kit but I made new connectors right inside the sockets (also for the front parklights) to avoid splices. Rear brakes have a sealed trailer light junction box that uses the trailer wiring colour scheme. Easy to add trailer wiring.
Turn signal switch is an aftermarket 7 wire.
Harley Davidson driving lights for some reason.
Got the vacuum wipers running by shooting some air tool oil up in there and working it, now they work great (aided by a vacuum cannister)
Clock is aftermarket
Tach body is an original GM with a cheap Equus inside that housing.
Universal windshield washer pump (and I just realized I gotta finish plumbing that - sigh.
Heater box is from a 40/41 Chevrolet deluxe... defroster vents are apparently from an old Ford 1-3/4”. Original Ranco valve is cooked so I am using a heater control valve from a 1992 Ford Ranger with a generic electric vacuum switch wired to the “defrost” switch.
7” power brake kit using factory pedal. Added a vacuum canister to assist and they work GREAT.
Front brakes are STOCK; Rear brakes are 1972 Ford F250 12” brakes with apparently Chev drums. Lot of Ford parts in this truck and I apologize...
Lokar parking brake cables, they work better than my daily driver.
Seatbelts because I'm a First Responder and I've seen the alternative; also have kids who will be in here.
Oil pressure gauge is electric from a 1992 F150 5.0L installed on a sheetmetal face with the original style decal; Voltmeter is from same truck. Printed a custom gauge face.
Original split rim Wheels are 16”x8x6.5” from an early 90s Chev 3500. Nobody in town here would touch the split rims. 1/8” spacers on fronts to make sure they clear the tie rods, but the offset actually cleared as-is.
Retrosound AM/FM with an in-dash stereo single 6x9 style speaker
Antenna
Side mirrors!
Bed I made myself (well other than the strip kit) using 1x4/6/8 lumber from the local building supply (I have thread on that in the Stovebolt Bed forum).
New glovebox.
R&R head, inclduing disassembly and clean, replace pushrods.
New gas tank and lines.
Oh ya, exhaust...

I'm forgetting plenty I know. Still have weatherstripping and the dreaded headliner to do. They are sitting on the shop floor.

This Stovebolt bumped my 52 Pontiac Sedan Delivery project so I'm glad to get this at least to the driving stage (a driving project) so I can get back on that. But that's OT so.

Here she is at the range:

50 mph. at 2500 , I'm guessing a 4.57 rear end . If the motors in good shape at 2500 its just coming alive . 3000 should give you 60 mph and a new appreciation for excitement .

John

Hy NorthCoast3800, thanks very much for the writeup. Great work on the truck so far, too bad about the F@#d stuff. Keep enjoying it. Does your sedan delivery have the flathead six in it?

Panel Fan - good to know, she pulls strong, even in 4th. Maybe I don't need to baby 'r.

3B - thanks; suppose I should add more pictures. LOL I know, the rear brakes were a surprise (someone else had done that in the long past). Same with the Ford defroster vents, of all things - I suspect those vents and the defroster box were done on the minesite from parts trucks they had, but who knows.

My SD would have had a flathead, but there was no engine in her when I rescued it from the forest. I've got a SBC for that one.

Nice work. I really dislike spiders, so when something new appears in my driveway that has been stored for a while; I will toss a cover over it and bug bomb it inside and out.

Smart - finding their nests new or old is never pleasant. In my mind I spent almost as much time making sure the critters were removed as I spent on the floor and lower cowl!!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, as I was driving home tonight it threw a rod. Ah well, I've got into every other bolt on her so far why not these. Good excuse to peek in the SM420 while I'm in it, I have a feeling it needs synchros.

However, I have to get my other OT project back on its frame to free up the shop and I'll have to get that ready over the winter. Probably won't actually get that back on the frame until the spring and then I can look at getting this 235 long block replaced. Such is life.

Sad to hear you had big trouble with your 49.

Thank you sir! Not all bad, a good excuse to go over things. I should clarify that I just spun a bearing, I didn't actually throw a rod (well, not yet)

Although I'm guaranteeing that crank and at least one rod will probably be rendered unsalvageable, I've been driving it occasionally carefully around... of course what I don't want to do is actually toss 'r through the side of the block.

Well at least you did get it back on the road. You know it works just needs some more TLC. I remember my maiden voyage in mine. Was a really good feeling. I built mine as a daily and wanted to avoid the same problem you had so thats why i did the swap in mine and im 1000% happy i did. Hopefully you get it back together or re-powered with something else. Either way its a beautiful truck and good job bringing it back from the dead. 👍

Thanks Barnfind; Yup I'm glad too It's still fun to drive.

I have a 4.3 V6 here (well, and a variety of v8's but the 4.3 just seems appealing for this) and budget may well dictate that's the route I go. Not too many 235's around up here, not without going to a lot of trouble to discover they might not be any better. Freight would be a killer for any decent or reman one. There is also only one machine shop left in town now and at least a years' wait, so really - that's not an option.

Having swapped plenty of 4.3 and SBC's into different vehicles (pre-internet, man this internet sure changes things! ) I know that's actually a SBC swap (engine mounts are in the same place, same bellhousing works, you can use the same starters, flywheels etc etc), so if I want to go 350 later - so the legwork's done. I want to appreciate the OEM 4 speed and 4:57 too, and the 4.3 should be a good balance there. The SM420 is kind of legendary I don't see any reason to change.