The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts loadmaster or thriftmaster

Hello, I have a 1951 Chevrolet 1&1/2 ton truck and I am wanting to know if it has a loadmaster or a thriftmaster engine in it and if there are any decals that go on it? Also I hope the right color of the engine is grey. Thanks, Erick.

Erick I just posted a simalar question over in engine and driveline forum last night before finding this new Big Bolts forum. I read some where there where different colors forThriftmaster loadmaster and jobmaster engines. Ijust recently towed home (Honey it Followed me home, can I keep it?) a 54 model 1 1/2 ton supposed to have orginal engine and it's a sort of gold/brownish color. just can't remember where I read about colors other than gray. Maybe someone can direct us.
John

http://www.danroy.com/truck/master.html

I have seen a 1954 tow truck with a 1954 Jobmaster 261 engine that has the yellow color. Even though the owner has had the truck for almost 30 years, he does not know if it had been rebuilt/repainted. The link above shows yellow 261s for some years after 1954.

I have a 1960 261 that was green.

Tim

You mean yours has paint? Mine is two tone rust.

My 54 is set up as a tow truck but the tow body configuration looks more sixtys era.The fellow Igot it from had inherited it and only knew it was supposed to be an orginal engine and refered to it as a Big Block which I had figured to mean a 235 instead of a 216. Now the posibility of a 261 enters the picture Got the serial number off engine 0106411T547 but haven't located the casting numbers yet. I know they are lurking under the grime somewhere.

You may have come up with the reason for my engines color Thanks Ralphy

I've pulled many big truck engines, including COE's and most were light green color. Think it's same as early Detroit/GMC diesel color. In old days, engines went together and were sprayed at end of line before dresssing out. Think one color just made it easier on the line. The early small trucks were all grey. Maybe it depended on what plant was building the engines? Used what they had most of?

i tend to agree with GLPerry on this one i know alot of the half tons were gray but as far as the big bolters ive seen alot of detroit green but have also seen some grays and yellows so i tend to think it just depends on which plant it came out of and what they had in stock for paint

I know that in the Task Force trucks the 261 came yellow and the 235 was a gray there are specific colors for each engine and have been many post on the subject here.

My '51 1-1/2 ton 6400 fire truck has the "Load Master" engine, the 235, which I think was pretty standard for 1.5 tons. Think mine might of been grey, when it wasn't grime-black.

Speaking of which, in cleaning a valve-cover from another truck, the "Hi Tork Load Master" script rubbed off the cover. Are there stencils or decals available for these?

-Michael

I forget which years were "Task Force" but here is an old article on engine colors.

I have seen a "HIGH TORQUE 230" (or 250) valve cover decal. What size/years loadmaster engine are you referring to?

My 46 2 ton still has the stencil visible on it."Load Master High Torque Engine" I was going to take it off and re-do it, but have not got to it yet. If and when I get to it, I will try to post a picture of it. By the way my engine is gray, and all original my dad bought the truck new. Jim

larr991: That is a good looking truck! Got more pictures?

BTW: I painted my 261 engine gray to try to make it look like the original 235 that came with the fire truck in 1951. What type decal should be on the valve cover for a 1951 235 and do they make a decal or stencil?

I have a few good pictures of my 46, soon as I figure out how to post them I will get some more up. Never seen a remake of a stencil for a 235 loadmaster engine. I can free hand mine when I get the valve cover off because most of it is still visable.Wish I still had all the old chevy trucks my dad had for the company, 45,46, 50, 51, 54, 66, and a cab over. Got pictures of them all. Need to get them up and posted. Jim

I'm looking forward to seeing the picture.

Since my engine wasn't the original, and I DON'T know whether it had the 216 or 235 (1944-ish truck, no VIN plate!), I don't know which valve cover it's from. My impression from the salesman's little brown book is that the 216 was called the "Thrift Master", while the 235 was the "Load Master".

Even though I'm rebuilding the 216 that was in it when I bought it, I'm gonna keep the valve cover that says "Hi Tork Load Master" on one side.

Jim, is that what yours says? Can anyone verify trucks from the 40s having this on their valve covers?

-Michael

Folks,

Looking through the '47 - '54 Assembly Manual, I found that:

The Decalcomania (decal on the valve cover) is P/N:
3709603 (Thriftmaster) for 3100, 3600, 3800, and 4000
3709601 (Loadmaster) for 3700, 3900, 5000, and 6000

This particular manual doesn't give much more detail about the description of the label, but it does give detailed dimensions for installation. For example, it says that the decal should be centered between the valve cover bolt holes at 1.28" from the center of either hole. It should also be set 1.46" down from the centerline of the top of the valve cover and wraps around the top edge of the cover toward the bolt holes.

Looking at the specs book for 1954, it shows that the 1.5 ton would usually be a Thriftmaster 235, but there was a RPO for a Loadmaster 235. I'm not sure if that helps anyone, but I thought I'd pitch in. - J.K.

Thanks J.K
I'm just getting started on my 47 loadmaster dump, and do not know what you meant when you said..RPO

>Looking at the specs book for 1954, it shows that the 1.5 ton >would usually be a Thriftmaster 235, but there was a RPO for a >Loadmaster 235.

Loadmaster47

RPO = Regular Production Option

Mike B

Anyone have a picture of what the 3709601 (Loadmaster) for 3700, 3900, 5000, and 6000 decal or paint job looks like?

My guess is that the part numbers in FAM are for 54/55. The "decals" were different between pre-54 and 54-and-later.

Here is a 54/55 (and maybe later) 261 Jobmaster decal. Here is the 54/55 (and maybe later) 235 Thriftmaster decal. The Loadmaster 235 would look the same (with the different name).

If you have a 47-53 216/235, there might be pictures in earlier documents. I could scan and post them, if you are interested.

My valve cover has a sorta script style decal on it. Technically it's painted on, and it does not say "216" or "235". Says "Hi-Tork Load Master", takes up most of the side of the valve cover, end- to-end. Maybe an older style than the '54s and up?

Shoot, I'll try to take a picture . . .

-Michael

Thanks. For what its worth, I'm trying to make my 261 look like the "original" 235. Most folks around here would never know the difference until I tell them. I didn't either...

Virginiafiretruck,

Will you be using the older 2-bolt valve cover?

Are you looking for a photo of the older Thriftmaster or older Loadmaster "decal"?

Tim

That would be cool but I thought the IPB showed a four bolt? Mine is a four bolt valve cover with no vent holes. I'm for a loadmaster image or whatever would have come on a 2 ton truck in Nov 1951. I painted the motor gray to match that period color codeing.

I'm trying to make my 261 look like the "original" 235.

A 1951 235? It would have two bolts holding on an old style valve cover (this would make it look more like an original 1951 engine).

This bolt kit works with a 54-62 235/261 head and an older valve cover.

1949-50 (and, probably through 1953) 235 Loadmaster engine

1949-50 (and, probably through 1953) 235 Loadmaster COE engine

Tim,

Thanks for posting the pix. That's pretty close to what mine is. The script is the same. I swear mine spells it "Tork", but I may be imagining that. Also, mine does not include "engine", just says "Hi Torque Load Master".

I start to wonder when they put these "decals" on the covers, and how they evolved over the years . . . The other question is, how am I going to recreate this?

-Michael

Here is an earlier post about the engine name. The pre-1954 truck engine name was most likely painted on (using a stencil) and the later name was a decal (1954/55 and probably later).

Thanks. I'll keep working on it!

I am revisiting this post as I had commented many years ago about posting some pictures of Big Bolts that were in my Dads fleet. I sure wish i had some of these today, but the only one in the picture to survive was the 46 in the far right corner. I still need to get to the valve cover to redo the stencil on it, and now being retired I will! I posted that the 235 in my 46 was gray, but misspoke as it is green. A few old Dodges survived, but that's for another forum! Any way here here is the pic, Jim

One of those you?

No, Sister and Brother!

My 1955 6400 first series 261 c.i. is designated JOB MASTER and the paint was a light green. Classic industry's sells decals for the thriftmaster and loadmaster but they don't have the hi-torque on them

Our 1956 6400 has a 261 in it. The engine was a dealer replacement. I gather that as the casting numbers show it was built in January 1958. There are no serial numbers stamped into the flat by the distributor. The block and head have no paint, but the oil pan, valve cover and tappet cover are all yellow. (At least mostly yellow now...). This leads me to believe that the dealer ordered a new short block that did not come painted. The covers were swapped to the new engine. I just picked up some duplicolor engine enamel in yellow. We are detailing the engine now. (Detailing is a stretch, more like de-gunking, but it is much cleaner now than in my attached photo.

Steve

kb3csw some 261's were a nice emerald green and maybe industrial yellow. Anything that follows you home be sure you can sleep in it for a few nights !LOL

The 261 started out Green, then in 1955 it went Yellow thru 1957, then back to green for '58 and up. GM Alpine Green (Detroit Diesel Green) is about as close as it gets for matching the color IMHO.

Your second picture has what I thing is the correct color for your engine (pale yellow), the 4th picture looks to dark.

Mike B