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EARLY BOLTS
1916 - 1936
1928 Chevrolet AB Canopy Express "Justin"
Discussing issues specific to the pre-1937 trucks.
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 126
OP
'Bolter
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Looking for advice on a few things:
The first thing is my truck is a retired pump and the bed was removed and a flat bed grain box was added at some point. I would like to add a hoist to make it a dump. The transmission has a pto on it as well as the controls. Should I try to locate an old hoist or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new setup? I'm trying to have a reliable truck that can be used in the summer to haul anything without breaking the bank.
Second debacle is the old wiring on the truck. All of the lights and sirens are still all hooked up through a control box. The truck has a 7 volt alternator and has a huge voltage regulator box with all the wires leading to it. I was hoping to eliminate the miles of wire and put a regular truck harness in it and get rid of the dual 6 volt battery setup and control box. Part of me wants to start fresh with new wiring and then the other part of me says keep it and deal with the erratic starting. Will a 1/2ton wiring harness work? Thanks for reading my rambles.
Matthew
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,021
'Bolter
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Since your making this a work horse, I'd replace the entire wiring harness and convert it to 12 volt. My past three projects have all been converted using an American Auto Wire fuse box/harness kit with a GM one wire alternator. A 1/2 ton kit will work, but you may need to extend the tail light wires...easy to do. Mike B 
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,856
'Bolter
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New would be good, but quite expensive. I would contact someone like Henderson and get some figures. http://hendersonproducts.com/dump-hoists.htmlIf you can find a used one including the subframe, pump, reservoir. ram etc. it would probably be much cheaper. I removed farm beds from several old trucks and made truck tractors out of them. I think I sold the dump equipment for scrap iron. It is one of those things that when you have it, it is scrap iron. When you are looking for one it is hard to find. Several years ago old farm trucks sold in the Midwest for about $1,000 and they had everything already installed. You might watch farm auctions like this one. https://www.auctiontime.com/listing...mc?sortorder=63&SCF=False&page=4Scroll down to the 1952 GMC
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 951
'Bolter
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Depending on how much you want to delete or add to the electrical system, I would gut the wiring from the fire truck stuff and see what you have. Mine is so simple that it's easy to make your own wiring/harness.
1957 Chevrolet 5700 LCF 283 SM420 single speed rear, 1955 IH 300U T/A, 1978 Corvette 350 auto, 1978 Yamaha DT175, 1999 Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4,921
'Bolter
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Some fire trucks I have gotten have the lights and accessories, always hot, so probably best to replace everything.
Ed
'37 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires. '47 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle. '54 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed. '55 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK.
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 126
OP
'Bolter
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Thanks for all the advice. I found some reasonable priced wiring harness' on the Jim Carter website. Not going to go with the cloth type since this won't be a show truck but a work truck. I can't justify the extra $400 dollars. I figure we will strip out all the fire accessories out first then replace existing harness with the new one. I will go with a alternator and 12volt conversion at this time for "reliability".
I started to look for a donor truck with a hydraulic lift. The prices are crazy high right now and hoping to find one reasonable. Or hope to find an old bed and hoist that was pulled off. Plenty of old grain trucks in southeast Michigan. If not There are some reasonable price electric lift kits. They are $2-$3k for a complete setup. Pricey but I won't have to deal with leaking cylinders or lines. So, the search begin.
Thanks MFW
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 26,345
Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer)
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An electric lift system might work on a pickup sized bed, or even up to a 1 ton or so, but using one on a big rig bed would be sending a boy to do a man's job. Hydraulic is probably the only way to go on a truck the size you're working with. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 126
OP
'Bolter
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As I look at the electric options its looks like most stop at 2 tons. So, Hotrod you are on to something. Looks like I'm back to looking for an old lift system off a truck to swap.
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 4,921
'Bolter
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It might be cheaper to buy a whole truck if the lift is OK!
Ed
'37 GMC T-18 w/ DD 4-53T, RTO-610, 6231 aux., '95 GMC running gear, full disc brakes, power steering, 22.5 wheels and tires. '47 GMC 1 ton w/ 302, NP-540, 4wd, full width Blazer front axle. '54 GMC 630 w/ 503 gasser, 5 speed, ex fire truck, shortened WB 4', install 8' bed. '55 GMC 370 w/270, 420 4 speed, grain, dump bed truck from ND. Works OK.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,856
'Bolter
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If you can find a farm truck that has spent most of its life in a shed you might well be able to sell the cab for what you paid for the whole truck and have a lot of parts left over. 100 series GMC through 500 series used the same cab. A solid cab to begin with is the best way to restore. There have been lots of guys that put patch panels ever where on a rust bucket and never completed the project. They either ran out of money or lost interest.
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