The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Archived Journals 1951 Chevy 3100/3600 Project

I joined Stovebolt earlier this year and have been cruising the various threads to get a lot of great information on various subjects. I finally decided to take the plunge and post up about my project. I acquired my truck back in September. I quickly discovered that the truck is a 1/2 ton (JP code) body on a 3/4 ton frame (hence the thread title). A previous owner had swapped the original motor and trans for a ca. '64 250-6 and Turbo 350 auto (operated by the original 3-speed column shift!). The rear axle was swapped for a GM 14-bolt (3.23 gears). This is a 'budget build' as funding allows, but since then I've done the following: removed the bed (an all aluminum copy made by a previous owner), cleaned and painted the frame behind the cab, rebuild the rear suspension, replaced the GM 14-bolt rear end with a Dana 60 (3.54 gears) that I got free, removed all of the front sheet metal, cleaned and painted the frame up to the cab, and rebuilt the front suspension.

I'm currently working on the front axle and brakes. I am replacing the original Huck drum brakes with Bendix. This is where I've made my first (of more to come, I'm sure) mistakes. I didn't do quite enough research before finding a '53 GMC pickup at a wrecking yard and purchasing it's front brakes. The truck was a 1/2 ton, so the drums are 11" diameter. I want to stay with the 8-lug hubs that were on my truck. After searching for new drums I quickly realized that I was at a dead end. I thought about going back to the yard and getting the whole front axle assembly, but then a friend pointed out that I'd have to carry two spare tires (one 6-lug and the other 8-lug)! Argh!! So now I'm on the hunt for the proper 12" dia. front brakes from another donor truck (the 1/2 ton brakes, with new shoes, are available for sale or trade).

Once the truck is back on four wheels, I will remove the cab, motor and transmission then complete all the frame work. I plan to rebuild the 250 and mate it to a SM 420 trans that I have. The transmission is a post-1954 model with the angled mounts, so I'll fabricate a new frame cross member. The later-design SM 420 means I should be able to ditch the two-piece drive shaft with a one-piece (which would lessen the horizontal angularity between the trans and rear end). I'd appreciate any input on that idea.

When it's all said and done, the truck will get a two-tone paint job of Union Oil blue and orange with appropriate "76" and "Minute Man" logos in remembrance of my grandfather who was the Northwest Territory manager in the 1950's.

Since my truck is a bit of a Frankestein, it's taken on the name "Pepper." Anyone who's kids watched the "Thumb" movies (Frankenthumb, Thumbtanic, Bat Thumb, etc.) would get the reference.

Best to all,

Brian

You look like you have a great project going and its definitely a learning experience. In my case, ‘52 3100 with a ‘59 235, the more I look, the more screwed up things I find that PO’s (previous owner’s) did or had done. Allot of what I found was done was that “Git-Err-Dun” attitude.

With that all said, I still love working on the truck including the research necessary to find out how its supposed to be. This forum has provided me with much of the answers. Good luck with you restoration and keep posting with plenty of pictures!

Phak1, thank you for your reply. I, too, really enjoy the research part of the project. One thing I'd love to do is find out where the truck was first sold (I know it was made in the Flint plant, but that's all). Have you ever researched your VIN? I've seen plenty of web sites that say they offer a "free" VIN look up service, but I have my doubts about them. Is there a legit method of getting the history of the vehicle?

Brian

I don’t think those “free” (nothing in this world is truly free) VIN lookup services are going to help at all. Our trucks are just too old. GM Heritage Center, although is a really fascinating site, only goes back to 1977 on certain models for dealer invoices. I haven’t been able to trace my trucks history at all. I think if you contacted the seller, he may put you on to at least some of its history.

Good Luck!

Here is a link you’ll get a kick out!
[LINK]

Thanks for the link! I downloaded the brochure. Sure would love to get my hands on a real one some day. I miss going to swap meets!

Brian

Since I purchased my ‘52 3100 in February 2019, it hasn’t run or drove good enough to go to any events. I just finished (hopefully will be) my last major mechanical issue, so next year I’ll be ready to go to shows and swap meets.

Mr. Wise what you have accomplished so far is very impressive to me. I have a 1965 C10 that I'm working on. I am way behind you, and not even close in mechanical capability, but I am kind of taking the same approach. That is, I want to address the undercarriage rust so my current plan is to remove the engine, front sheet metal and bed and attack the rust there. Do you plan to remove cab?

Also what did you paint frame with? Looks really good. I hope to have mine looking that way one day.

Thanks

Thank you for the kind words. My motive for attacking the running gear first is so that I can keep it in some kind of rolling condition in case I need to move it out of its current location. Yes, I do plan to remove the cab. In fact as soon as I can put four wheels back on it, I'll roll it outside so I can lift the cab off, and remove the motor and transmission. Then I can finish cleaning and painting the frame.

My process for painting the frame isn't too exotic or expensive (I don't have the luxury of getting it sand blasted and powder coated). I clean the metal with various types of wire wheels, then wipe it down with a clean rag and denatured alcohol (because I have a couple gallons handy, and it dries fast). The metal is then given a coat of rust converter. I use a product called Coroseal, which is also a primer. I put it on with a paint brush, wait till it turns black, then wipe off the excess with a rag. After that has dried, I spray on a coat of automotive primer. Last is two coats of an inexpensive industrial enamel that I get at my local hardware store. The painted part of the frame you see in the photo was done with a brush. Not show quality, but it isn't meant to be. I've got plenty of work to do on the frame, including fabricating a new cross member to suppor the transmission, new dual-circuit master cylinder, brake lines, etc, etc.. When all of the fab work is done, I may prep and respray the whole thing.

Brian

I'm really looking forward to going to some swap meets next year. We have a couple of really good ones at our fairgrounds out here.

I just noticed that you (and other posters) have a Project Journal for your truck. I guess I should start one for my project instead of posting my updates and photos to this thread.

*Edit* And then I just noticed that this thread is in fact in the Project Journals forum, so whaddaya know.

Brian

Yeah I may be doing my frame about the same. One thing I'm going to look at is one of these special wands to turn your pressure washer into a sandblaster. Not sure how effective it will be but I think it's worth a try.

I hope you continue to post on how you remove the cab.

I will be sure to post some photos of removing the cab, etc. I've already done some preliminary work to get the cab off, like disconnect the pedals, wiring, and remove the steering column. Getting the steering wheel off turned out to be quite a fight. My first attempt to use a standard puller didn't go so well. I managed to damage the threads on the end of the column. I had the nut flush at the end of the shaft, but I had to put so much torque on the puller bolt that it walked off-center and forced down on the edge of the nut, ruining the threads (not all of them, thankfully, just at the end). Hitting the underside of the steering wheel with a dead blow hammer didn't do a thing. After some internet cruising, I found a photo (maybe it was on this site) of a puller that a guy made that grabbed the wheel from underneath (in stead of via the two 1/4" bolt holes in the steering wheel face). I made a similar puller and had the wheel off no problem.

Brian

Nice job on the steering wheel puller. I’ll keep that in mind when I pull my wheel to refurbish it.

What did you use to paint the frame? Chasis saver? A brush or spray gun? I'm nearing the paint the frame portion and am trying to get ideas. I have some POR-15 from doing the wife's falcon's front rails and cross members. Was gonna brush it on and lightly rough it. Good work so far little by little whatever it takes. What did you wind up doing to the front suspension?

I thought about brushing on coating on my frame, but the issue is there are quite a few spots that would be very difficult to coat with a brush. I missed my sandblast window so will be waiting till spring to blast and spray coat the frame. I think I'll use epoxy primer and industrial enamel on top of that.

After I clean the frame as best as I can, I give it a liberal coating of Coroseal rust converter/primer. After the Coroseal turns from white to purple (almost black), I wipe off the excess. That is allowed to dry, then I spray (rattle can) automotive primer from the hardware store. Once that has cured, I use a nothing fancy brand of industrial enamel, again from the hardware store. The rear end of the frame I used a brush for the top coat so it would go on heavy. On the front end, I used the same brand of enamel in a spray can.

If I had plenty of time to do this project, I would have used a HVLP spray gun for both the primer and the top coat. I would also have used a urethane for the top coat. Unfortunately, the space I have to work on my truck is not an long-term situation. I have to get the frame back onto four wheels as soon as I can in case I need to move the chassis to another location. So, I'm making concessions to keep things moving forward.

Brian

I didn't have too much trouble brushing the paint on the rear of the frame as there really weren't any spots I couldn't get to with a brush. The front end is a different story. In fact with the motor in place I missed a couple spots and left a few areas pretty light. Once the motor and trans come out, I have to install new motor mounts (the existing ones were cobbled together by a PO) and build a new cross member at the bell housing (the original is gone, replaced with another cobbled together mess to support a Turbo 350 auto). After that work, I can finish prepping the remainder of the frame and give everything a good coat of paint, going back over the front end to get the places I missed.

Brian

Mrwad3, I forgot to finish answering your post. I also purchased a quart of POR 15 thinking that I would use it on the frame. If I had to buy too much of that stuff I'd be broke! I dealt with it once before, many years ago, on a painting project. I had to sand the crap out of it to break the surface so I could apply a urethane top coat. Exposed, POR 15 turns flat black. I didn't want to have to deal with sanding that stuff inside the frame of my truck, so I went a different route. I do plan to use the POR 15 on the underside of the cab, under the running boards and inside the fender wells, followed by a coating of bed liner or some other undercoating product.

The front suspension on my truck wasn't too bad. I replaced all of the pins and bushings as a matter of course, although only the rear ones were worn. I took the springs apart as much as I was able. Most of the leaves are banded, but they do separate a bit when you remove the center bolt. I cleaned them as much as possible, gave them a coat of Coroseal rust converter/primer, then painted them black. Before I squeezed them back together and put in the center bolt, I added a small amount of oil between the leaves.

New rubber grease seals for the front shackle bolts were used when I installed the springs. I've got a new pair of Monroe shocks ready to go in as soon as I get the front axle and spindle repairs completed (just about there).

Brian

Nice. I know all about making concessions to keep it going. I'm currently at a stand still because I had to get the kids laptops for online school. The POR is some crazyness and hard to get off I agree but I bought 2 6-packs of the 8 oz cans after reading how hard it is to store after opening. I will likely use an undercoating in the very end as well.

I forgot your project is a 51 which means gas shocks. My 49 has the knee action or lever action shocks which means somewhere between $160-$220 a set to rebuild the originals. I am trying to convert to gas shocks for budget and future maintenance sake.

The front axle presented a challenge when I discovered some time ago that the left end king pin hole was worn oversize. I took the axle down to a friend's machine shop to use his Bridgeport mill. Typically, the set up took much longer than it did to bore out the hole so I could install a bushing. Back at my shop, I made a new bushing out of 4140 steel. The bushing was only .020" thick, so using a press to install it was not an option. I put the bushing in the freezer for a couple days and the axle in a warm room near a heater. When the time came, the bushing installed with a light tap from a rubber hammer. After the temperature equalized, the bushing was held fast in place. I then used an adjustable reamer to increase the inside diameter of the bushing to .922" (the new king pins, from ClassicParts.com, are .921"). Finally, I cleaned up the cross pin hole with a 1/2" tapered reamer.

Next up was new bushings in the spindles. Using the lathe, I made a tool out of some bar stock that would fit just inside the spindle holes to press out the old bushings, and press in the new ones. The unusual shape of the spindle castings made setting them up in the press a real juggling act. I had to cut notches in a couple pieces of 3" channel to fit around the spindle itself and give it something flat to rest on. Once the new bushings were in, I used the same adjustable reamer to get the new bushings to the .923" called for in the shop manual. The reamer that I used is not long enough to ream both bushings at the same time (as the proper GM tool would have done) so I had to take great care to ensure that the two holes were in line. It was a long, slow process so I've only got one spindle done at this time.

My son is off work this week so he came home and helped me install the repaired front axle back under the front of the truck.

While working on the front end with my son, I took a moment to snap a few "what the...?" photos. Here are pics of the front motor mounts, and the cross member holding up the Turbo 350 trans. Note that the left front mount has a lovely galvanized lag bolt through it, and the right one has nothing! The truck was driven daily like this back in its past. I have a tubular style front motor mount cross member kit (came with the truck) to fix this problem.

The original cross member under the bell housing was removed and a cludged together member was bolted in to support the automatic transmission (the truck also came with a new tubular cross member kit for the auto). I will be building a new cross member to support the SM 420 that I acquired. The 4-speed is the later style with the angled mounts adopted in 1954, so I intend to set the block and trans in place (after installing the new front mount kit), set it to the correct angle, then fab up the new rear cross member in place.

The last photo shows a nasty surprise that reared its ugly head after my son removed the intake/exhaust manifold from the 250 motor. I can repair the crack, but at this point I don't know what other damage their may be. The motor turns over easily, so I doubt there is cylinder damage. I'll probably just look for a better motor.

Brian

Some really nice work. I get jealous of you guys who have machine skills and access to those tools.

TUTS 59, thank you for the kind words. I am lucky to have access to a shop with a wide array of tools. Unfortunately, it's not my personal shop and my time using it is limited so I'm trying to get as much of the mechanical work done as quickly as I can without cutting corners.

Brian

After the recent discovery of a couple of cracks in the 250 block in my truck, I decided to start looking for a replacement engine. That evening I started cruising Offer Up to see what was in my area. An ad for an "old 265" for $100 that was less than an hour away from my house caught my eye. The poster had the displacement wrong, but from the one photo I couldn't tell if it was a 216 or 235. I got in contact with him and set up a meeting. The next afternoon, my son and I drove out to see the motor, which was in the ground-level basement of an old house that was going to be torn down. The room was literally full of stuff and debris, and in fact had been the location for some dynamite that was recently discovered and detonated by the local bomb squad! Fortunately for us the motor was sitting on a home made cart and right by the door. A quick check of the block number confirmed it was a 1950-52 model 235. A cursory inspection also showed that the motor had been rebuilt in the fairly recent past (it actually has a tag attached to the side of the block showing it was remanufactured by PERKINS MOTORS in Seattle, WA). I paid the seller and after a couple of his buddies showed up, we loaded the motor and cart into my truck.

Yesterday, my son and I unloaded the motor into the shop with a forklift and began a more thorough inspection. After photographing all of the block and head info, the valve cover came off first. There is light rust on the two studs that hold down the cover, but everything inside was clean. The cork gasket looked like new, but had turned brittle from age. We removed the valve train and checked to see if the valves were free (which they all were). Next, the head came off revealing a beautiful set of new pistons (all stamped for .040" over). The underside of the head showed the valves to be new as well. The block was hooked up to an engine jack and lifted into the air off the home built cart so we could see about removing the bell housing. The goal was to get the block onto an engine stand after using the bell housing as a pattern to make an adapter plate. Since the motor is stuck we couldn't get at all of the clutch pack bolts (yes, the motor came with a new clutch pack on it) so the bell housing couldn't be removed. The plan then changed to freeing up the motor.

After removing the pan (spotless except for a small pool of assembly lube in the bottom) we sprayed everything with Marvel Mystery Oil, filled the cylinders with the same and left it to soak for a day or two. Before leaving, though, we decided to pull the side cover and check the valve lifters. Almost all of them were stuck, so one at a time they were carefully removed, cleaned, lubed and reinstalled. It was then time to head home for dinner and learn that the Seahawks had beat the Rams to win the NFC West spot! GO HAWKS!

I took advantage of a short spell of dry weather (and my son's free help) during a couple days of vacation and got a little further with the project. I needed to get four wheels back onto the truck so I could roll it outside for further disassembly.

First up was getting the rebuilt spindles installed. Everything went together pretty well. The Classic Parts king pin kit comes with five .005" steel shims for the top side of the axle (figuring you'll need one or two for each side to take up wear). Because I lightly faced off the top ends of the axle to get them flat, there weren't enough shims to go around. I made a couple of .010" shims from brass shim stock and sandwiched them between a pair of steel shims for each side. That got the free play below .005" per the shop manual. While I did that, my son cleaned up the front hubs and re-greased the bearings before installing them onto the spindles. I don't have any brake parts for the front end yet, so this work is temporary. We also temporarily installed the tie rod (upgraded with new sealed-type tie rod ends) to keep the front wheels parallel. Four roller wheels went on the truck and then it was pushed outside.

I am fortunate to have access to equipment that most folks don't have lying around their yard or garage. After unbolting the rear cab shackles from the frame (I inserted wood shims under the rear cab wall to keep it from dropping) and the one bolt in the right front corner (the left didn't have a nut), I removed the cab with a strap passed through the cab with the doors open. I had previously disconnected everything between the cab and the frame/engine, or so I thought. I will be purchasing a new parking brake rod. The cab was put into storage, then we removed the 250 and Turbo 350 from the frame. Now I can finish cleaning, repairing and painting the frame.

Another item we accomplished that day was getting the recently acquired 235 onto an engine stand. After my son removed the pistons (they were all stuck in their bores and had been soaking in Marvel Mystery Oil) he was able to get the crank to slowly turn, allowing him to finally remove the flywheel, and then the bell housing. I used the bell housing face to make a paper template, then fabricated a 1/2" thick adapter plate for the engine stand per Deves Tech.

Your moving right along. Nice score on your engine. It will look like its original to your truck even though it a 235 and recently rebuilt to boot!

Looking good!

I keep telling my wife I need a mini hoe. I sure hopes she understands what I mean! 😳

Hopefully it's not one of these. A friend got this for his birthday a few months ago. (the pic is a capture from a video he sent me) It's remote controlled and he uses it to terrorize his dog.

I think I'm going to be much happier with the 235 than the 250. The 250's horsepower would have been nice, but having a motor that actually fits like it's supposed to will make life easy in the end. Now I need to find all the pieces that make up the front motor mount. A trip to a local wrecking yard is in order (they have a '53 1 ton).

My step dad, who worked in construction, used to call them Barbie Hoes. You'd probably have to be careful with that one, too!

I’m curious, what’s your plan for the transmission?

I'm not going to use the T350. I have a pair of SM 420's and plan to rebuild the better of the two. One of them has the 1967-mandated reverse light switch in the top cover and I may incorporate that into my truck some way. The automatic is up for grabs.

Might be a good time to consider a T5 tranny if you plan any highway trips.

When I first got the truck I gave a lot of consideration to going with a T5. Based on how I plan to use the truck (no long freeway trips above 60 mph), the rear end gearing I wanted to have and most importantly, my budget, I decided that a T5 was not the path for me at this time (but certainly something I could do later down the road). I'm also pretty partial to getting the truck closer to original than it was. My profession involves historical preservation and restoration work so that's where my mind goes when I choose parts for this truck. I also learned to drive in my uncle's 1969 C10 (not unlike 1000's of other kids no doubt) with a granny low. Years later, my cousin and I drove the wheels off that truck. I'd like to get back some of that feeling with my truck, and use it to teach my daughter how to drive a manual.

On a side note, my SM420 needs a clutch fork and boot. I've Googled till my eyeballs fell out and can't figure out which fork is correct. Any chance you can point me in the right direction?

Place a want add in the Truck Parts Wanted forum and I’m sure with a little bit of patience you’ll get what you need. The forum has always come thru for me!

I've made pretty good progress on two fronts lately. As I began tearing down the 235 motor that I acquired, I gave a lot of thought to how I was going to mount it in the frame since the original rear motor mount crossmember was gone. I gave thought to constructing a new member but ultimately was able to get my local wrecking yard to let me remove what I needed from a poor old 3/4 ton. My son provided plenty of moral support as I contorted underneath the old truck to saw off all of the rivet heads (fortunately the transmission was gone providing pretty good access). After a couple rainy hours on my butt in the gravel I had my prize. It didn't take me long to get it cleaned up, primered and installed (bolted in with Nylock nuts). I had previously rehabbed the pedal assembly (cleaned, painted, new bushings, etc.) so the mounting bracket went back on next. A new dual-master cylinder adapter bracket, springs and other goodies are on their way. I also decided it was a good time to install the new front shock absorbers I bought a couple months ago.

So with the frame back in original configuration again, I went back to my motor project. Although it was rebuilt (about 30 years ago), it was stuck so a complete tear down was in order. The block has since been cleaned inside and out, all the oil and water passageways blown out, and the outside of the block painted with engine enamel primer and two coats of engine enamel. I went through all of the discussions about which shade of gray is correct and finally decided that I would use whatever my local NAPA store had on the shelf. As of this evening I've got all of the pieces that go on the front of the block cleaned and ready for paint, too. I received a new Fel-Pro gasket kit so I'm ready to start putting the motor back together.

Very nice! I love it when you go junking and the hard work is done for you. Good show.

The frame is looking great, it's amazing what happens when can just focus on a task.

After getting my 235 block painted and receiving a new Fel-Pro gasket kit, I gave installing the rope rear main seal a try. My first attempt didn't work out so well as I couldn't turn the crankshaft at all. I ordered a neoprene-style seal to give that a try but the seal I received wasn't even close to being the correct one. I then ordered a replacement Fel-Pro rope seal when I returned the neoprene one. After watching a dozen or more YouTube videos of people making it look really easy, I gave the rope seal another try. I did a better job as with the caps installed (at about 40 ft. lbs.) I could turn the crankshaft, but with difficulty. I think I can improve on that with more massaging of the seal into the grooves. The nice thing about a project this size, though, is that it's easy to step away from one thing for awhile and work on something else. I also recently received a new master cylinder and adapter, so those were installed on the frame. The MC will come back off for bench bleeding after I've got the new brake lines installed.

My son took it upon himself to purchase a starter motor from eBay, purchase a kit and rebuild the starter motor. He did a wonderful job. He's also using the bead blaster at his work place to clean up a number of pieces from the motor (valve cover, push rod cover, bell housing bottom cover, etc.). On our last foray to the wrecking yard to get the frame crossmember I needed, we also picked up a few othere pieces including a remote oil filter cannister. This thing was mounted to the passenger side of the motor in a pre-'54 1-1/2 ton Chevy. I think the motor was a 261. The cannister was bolted flush with the forward push rod cover, right at the front of the block. I'm going to see if I can adapt it to my 235 in some way, or perhaps mount it to the inner fender across from the intake. The filter inside was an AC brand element, so I'm guessing the cannister was an AC product. If so, it'll get painted blue and I'll have to add the appropriate lettering.

I've spent some time cleaning and painting quite a few parts for the motor. Except for what my son is working on, I've got a lot of pieces ready to go back onto the motor. I still need to clean and paint the head.

While I am taking my time to figure out how to get the rope seal situation right, I decided to go down the SM420 rabbit hole. Some months ago, I bought a pair of 4-speeds from an Offer Up ad. Both are post-'64 versions with one of them being a '67 with the reverse light switch in the top cover. Both had been stored outside for some time so they had "issues" inside. The older of the two was in the best shape so I chose that one to disassemble, clean and inspect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the nastiness I was seeing was mostly superficial and all of the gears and shafts were in good shape. I've since ordered a rebuild kit from Novak. I've also cleaned up the top cover from the '67 trans as I plan to install a reverse light on the truck.

You and your son are progressing nicely. Your making memories that you both will cherish for a lifetime.