Hi all! Here starts the documentation for my new project: this morning I purchased a '47 Chevy 6400. Body has some corner rot but otherwise the sheet metal is in great condition for the age, and will take minimal work to get it ready to refresh the paint. The plans: Repair the cab corners. Paint: black fenders, dark blue cab and hood. Upgrade to 12V. Get the engine running. I was told it was driven into it's current parking spot where they started into the project but never finished.
Welcome to the Stovebolt and the Project Journal forum! Your '47 4400 will be of great interest to our forum participants. I'm really looking forward to watching you refresh the '47. Be sure to ask your questions in the appropriate forum(s). There's a wealth of knowledge here on the SB. I see you've checked into the Welcome Center and introduced yourself, an excellent first step.
I've sent you a PM with some additional Project Journal information. You can just click on the flashing red envelope in the upper righthand corner to open it.
TSP, you bring up a new investigation. I had been going off the assumption that this was a 2-ton 6400, but that engine number points to 4400. Though my 4 rear tires are not factory, the "G: Outer wheel tread" measurement is closer to 76 than the 79 of the 6400. What other things can I look at to solve this mystery? No door tag.
Ordered carb kit for the Carter W-1, and rebuilt the carb. Reinstalled. Fuel lines from mechanical fuel pump appear clear and solid, but the diaphragm in the pump is bad. Just going to replace the pump rather than rebuild. USPS is taking its sweet time to deliver. Slowly flap-disc-ing sections of the the frame and priming. Knocked down some of the few rust bubbles on the cab and am just testing out rattle-can colors to see if there's something I like. I want to keep a little character so won't be knocking out the dents and creases (there aren't many). New 12V battery cranks the motor over well, and replaced the coil with a Pertronics 12v Flamethrower. It looks like I might have the motor running before I figure out what to do for wheels and tires on this old beast. That's the real head-scratcher.
After getting fuel and spark into this thing, I couldn't figure out why I was not getting it to fire. Suspected low comp, so pulled the valve cover. Discovered a broken rocker on #2 and a loose pushrod on #4. Now what?
Head off and apart, all valves out and polished. Turns out it was all intake valves sticking from varnish. Ordered a full gasket kit, should be here Friday.
Ok long time no update. Head all back together with fresh valve seals and polished valves. Bolted everything back down and realized that there aren't just left and right rockers but left and right for both intake and exhaust, so valve train back apart and pulled another rocker from the scrap engine. Compression test again, nope, still have 2 cylinders with zero. Figured out there was absolutely no valve lash set, so once that was dialed in, it fired right up, if only briefly... then I let some smoke out of the harness... and found out the horns work, like really really really well.
So now I'm doing a full rewire from scratch, because it's all rotted. Nothing worth saving. Also trying to sort out a fuel delivery issue with the new replacement mechanical fuel pump... it just doesn't seem to be doing the trick. The motor will cough and fire if I prefill the bowl but it doesn't fill back up.
Last edited by Capt Oblivious; 09/22/202111:18 PM.
More study of the factory Specifications book show that this has to be a 4400 series: ECM engine code and 161 wheelbase nail it down! Now how can I have an admin change the thread title?
*update: thanks admin!
Last edited by Capt Oblivious; 09/26/202112:26 PM.
Addition of a low pressure fuel pump and regulator, as well as a quick re-teardown of the Carter W1 (loose seat? wtf) solved my fuel delivery issues. Starts RIGHT up, no choke. I performed a harness delete and am rebuilding the electrical system from scratch. I have removed the original fuel panel and installed a marine solenoid ahead of a bladed fuse distribution panel. I'm starting in on the lights, and found a blown high beam on the drivers side, and immediate vindication for never throwing anything out - it's the same sealed bulb as my '97 Wrangler, so I already have spare bulbs and pigtails.
I've delivered my six rims (3piece locking ring) with old rotted tires and four less-rotted tires to a commercial shop in hopes they can mount them. If they decline, I've a junkyard nearby with a few big box trucks that might have a donor rear axle I can use that will get me disc brakes and a 8x6.5 bolt pattern. At that point the challenge becomes figuring out the front.
Pulled and cleaned the high/low dipswitch and the dash light switch. Fresh wiring and both headlights are working. Starting in on the turn signals and parking lights. All need fresh sockets. Waiting on setting up the rear lighting until I can get the hitch receiver mounted (taken off my '00 f250). I removed the rear crossmember (bent) so I could straighten it and scoot it back a few inches so I could fit in the massive 25gallon '75 C30 tank.
The first (third) shop I dropped the wheels off at had their old-timer go out on 'rona leave, so I took them to another shop yesterday. They were able to get two Sumitomo 8.25-20 tires in, which were apparently the last two in the state. We'll see.
Thanks Ed. I found a local shop that was able to do the mounting and got two 8.25x20 Sumitomos (apparently the last two in the state) for the front. I've read Grigg's threads back to front at least three times. The spindle swap is based upon also swapping from a 1.5- to a 2-ton axle, which is akin to trying to find a needle in a stack of rare and widely dispersed needles.
Actually got to drive it down the driveway and back last night. I installed a trailer hitch and found the truck was now too long for the garage door to shut, and it was up on blocks. Oops! Fortunately the shop got the tires done quickly so I could move it.
Interior has been stripped out ( found a mouse nest above the old cardboard headliner ) . Looking for someone local to sew a new leather cover for the seat; i don't really want to go back to vinyl.
She rolls! Got all the wheels and tires back from the shop. Wire wheeled the floor and back of cab and put down a coat of bedliner. And the VT plates came in the mail today, so I'm finally legit!
