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Arf! Hello, all. I just bought a 1951 Chevy 3600 pickup on ebay. It's 750 miles away in Edmonton, Alberta. We went up there to conclude the deal, and found the auld girl not up to a trip of that length on a tight schedule, so we arranged transport and she'll be home in the next week. She's bone stock, original, and apparently always worked and never neglected until sometime in the last decade. I need to find a computer weenie to show me how to post pix, so, for the moment I hope the text will do.

Please allow me to establish my credentials: I've had stovebolts before. My longest (and best) association was with a '53 3100 which I bought for $400 in Klamath Falls, OR in 1978. Drove that one home (600 miles), went over the undercarriage (spring hangers, brakes, tires, kingpins, bearings, everything) and worked it for six years with one breakdown; replaced the melted 6V generator with a $40 rebuilt 12V alternator from someone's shelf. Discarded the regulator, changed out the bulbs, coil and condenser, but left the starter because it still worked - better than ever. I expected it to be next, but it never failed. In 1984 I thought a small reward for service rendered was in order, so I drove her to a bodyshop and told 'em to make her prettier. They did.

Well, about two years after that, she was rammed while hauling topsoil for my father by a brand-new buick driven by a . . lady . . who ran a stop sign at high speed. She (the truck) was written off by the insurance company.

I should have fixed her anyway. I know that now. I've missed her terribly in the intervening years, and I trust that this new, older replacement will be a worthy successor. "Epic I" had been repowered by a 235, but this new girl - to be dubbed "Epic II" - sports her original 216, along with the factory's idea of appropriate gearing. 4.56-1, is it? Too low for today. Will I have to change out the whole axle, or is there a 3 to 3.5 available for the original carrier?

-Mark

Pictures:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290005269817&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:CA:11

Yeah, it is very similar to my question. I like your story (I laughed. I cried). I drove mine from Colorado Springs to California. The truck wasn't at all what he said it was. He characterized it as a very good working truck in which everything worked and claimed it would make the drive quite easily. "Definately not a beater" he said. The truth can be elastic. I figure about two years off my life and 10% hearing loss. It's now about 80% restored, frame on. I even painted it myself. The low tech steering, loosey goosey from age, low tech tires, short wheel base and high center of gravity make driving it on the freeway an E ticket ride. The engine screams...

looks like an excellent score,see you at the Langley Cruise in.
Lothar-53 1300

Excellent looking truck! Great score. Minor point, but if the American Classics web site decodes the VIN correctly and since the seller describes it that way, it's a 3800 (1 ton) not a 3600 (3/4 ton). Glad to see another tonner join the ranks.

Congratulations and welcome to the bolt. Lots of good folks and information to found here.

Enjoy.

Skip; Pix?

Killer; Yep, reckon so. See the truck, leave me a note. Better yet, email me and we'll have a convoy.

Jim; Don't know yet, but the GVW, bolt pattern and tire sizes say 3/4 ton to me.
Can't put too much weight in what the seller says, though. He definitely doesn't know this truck as well as he thinks.(He told me it'd make the trip here without difficulty. It wouldn't. Yet. Tires[rotten], brakes, engine, lights.)

Welcome! You might get a better response if you ask in the "Big Bolts forum. http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=6
They are talking about just this question.

That GVW says 1-ton, not 3/4-ton; that truck is a 3800, not a 3600. Measure the length of the bed, it is probably 9 feet and the wheelbase is 137 inches. 4 stake pockets and side-mount spares on both sides. Cool truck and not real common!

I have a '50 1-ton that is really little more than a frame and rear axle once you toss the stuff too far gone to fix, and a '51 3800 panel that isn't much better. I love these old 1-tons.

nice buy!! and welcome to the SB.

The tires listed in the 49 salesman's data book (the one I have) for the Chevy 1 ton are the same as the larger tires listed for the 3/4 ton (700 & 750x17) unless it had duals which got 700-18. Some 3600 trucks got 15 inchers. That would indicate to me that the tires and rims could probably be interchanged between the 3600 and 3800. The only other thing is that in my data book, if the truck was rated at 8800 lbs, it got dual rear wheels. I'm not sure what changes were made between the 49 and the 51 model years but that's what I found in the book. Maybe someone didn't want to run duals and changed out the axle for a single wheel version, which probably wouldn't be too hard to do. There's no telling what has happened in the intervening 55 years since it came off the assembly line. I don't claim to be an expert, so if someone has further information, please feel free to correct me.

According to the American Classics web site, the rear axle ratio (if it's original) was 5.14:1 for all variants. Not great for freeway travel but good for seeing the country side!

It's still a great looking truck. Have fun with it!

Ain't that the truth!

Wheels and tires are almost as portable as drivers. They may not change every day, but there is nothing stopping it from happening. My 3800 panel says 8800 pounds on the serial number plate, so I don't think that rating requires duals.

However, my understanding is that Chevy never made a dually AD pickup, back then a dually came with a flatbed or nothing. The trucks with a pickup box were always single wheel. If you've seen one that had duals it was a modification done after it left the factory.

Of course I say all of that based on what I've seen with my own eyes or what others have written or told me, I wasn't yet born when the last AD truck left the assembly line and there is no telling what might have happened since...

Too True Steve
That is DEFINITELY A 1 Ton No Mistake about it
25 ft away from me is my 52 1 ton pickup with 4 stake pockets and 8800 lb gvw
Either way Hot Shoe A HEARTY WELCOME to THE BOLT
Regards Steve Sr.

Okay. I'm cowed. Moo.

Hey, I have another question for you know-it-alls. 8-hole 17" widowmakers sporting 7.00x17 tires. Rotten ones. Gonna need to replace 'em right away. Do I hafta go with reproduction tires? or are there tube-type radials in a high profile thet someone makes and which I haven't found yet? Or, if I put the rims out to pasture - they ARE widowmakers - is that bolt pattern standard and available, and can I find drop-centre rims?

From what I've been able to ascertain, all 3800s of the era came with a plate stating 8800 lb gvw. However, to be capable of carrying that weight, they did indeed have to be outfitted with the 7.00X18 8-ply duals and 2-stage, 8 leaf and auxillary springs. This is explained in the reprint of the Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual 1948-51 with '52 suppliment. The note states " These GVW ratings are reduced per above table when tires of a lesser capacity are used."

Mark, I posted the question about the rear end gearing on the Big Bolts forum and received some excellent info. Your truck looks very excellent. It appears that it could be a driver. Where's your sense of adventure dude????

Congratulations on scoring a nice truck at a great price. It is definately a 1-ton bed.

I believe the lowest gross weight dually is 11,500. My GMC gross weight is also 8800 and has the overload springs in back. It had 7-17 in front and 7.5-17 in rear when I got it.

Have fun!

Don't have an answer for your question, but I would just like to say, nice looking truck. It looks like you've got a lot of the original parts there particularly the dash that commoonly get cut up or replaced with "something better". Good luck in you resto efforts. I'll leave the advice to the other more experienced hands on this site. My limited knowledge is with a 58 Chevy 1/2 ton.

The bolt pattern is standard, I think pretty much any 8 hole wheel is going to fit the studs. You'll want to also make sure the center hole is large enough and that the offset is compatible with your brakes.

I once pulled wheels off a Ford pickup and bolted them on a '47 Chevy pickup. Worked great.

One of my 1-tons came to me with a mix-matched set of spoker wheels that seemed to fit just fine. I've never run those down the road though, so I haven't really tested them...

Orchidskip;
I gotcher sense of adventure, right here. I rode my motorcycle those 750 miles to drive the truck back with the bike on the deck, because the guy who sold it to me said it could easily manage the trip. He told me that the deck was original and in good shape. In fact, it was gone completely, and replaced with a couple of sheets of 1/2" plywood. He had changed all the lubricants in his shop before I arrived (for a mere additional $250), and the kingpins - which he said were shot - for another $250.
My first clue that things were not as he said they were was when I first saw it on its wheels. The tires, which his post said were in good condition and hold air indefinitely, were in fact badly rotted and all between 10 and 18 psi. With temps hovering around 90F I wanted to check the pressures before I drove it. He said they were fine, but if I insisted, I could take it around back to his bay door and check them. He seemed impatient to leave, but I did insist. Then I tried to start the truck without result until he showed me the toggle switch for the electric fuel pump (wired directly from the battery). The truck started then, reluctantly, with a great outspewing of filthy black exhaust smoke. He fidgeted while I brought all the tire pressures to 40 psi - except for the worst of the spares, which had a split in the sidewall and only got about 28 before it began to bulge alarmingly. So then I started up again, same thing, and drove away, the truck running roughly. It managed 48 mph more or less steadily for about 13 miles, but when I pushed it up to 50 it went for about a mile, then quit and would not restart in spite of the combined efforts of myself and a few helpful passersby. Oil pressure read about 15 psi under way. It was the only gauge that worked. I didn't ask what oil he put in it, but knowing him as I now do, it was probably multigrade. Anyway, that was as far as I got with that truck to date. And I didn't really enjoy that part of the adventure. It may sound to you all as if I'm whining about the truck. I assure you I am not. I like the truck. My problem is with that man's word, which is without value.

-Mark

Mark, Hilarious! You've got a pair of bolts no question!!! I flew to Colorado Springs to pick up my truck and when I got to his house he was putting a new wiper blade on the existing arm. He couldn't get it to stay secure so his wife gave him a rubber band. He told me to relax because his brother was on the way to help him bleed the brakes. Nice because there was a Rockie Mountain snow storm going on outside. It's a long story but the truck was not how he described it and most people would say I was wrong to drive it 1200 miles to California with bad brakes, 7 cylinders, no heater. I was jokin' with ya. You did the right thing. Sorry for the bad experience with the seller. But the story is great!!! Thanks for making me laugh!!!! Once you get it on the road, you'll be laughing too. It's fun!!! Enjoy!!! Skip, Huntington Beach, Ca.

Skip has one mighty fine lookin' truck. I got the pleasure of seeing it up close this past weekend!!!

Thanks Jim!! I sent a pic and the crazy story of getting the truck home for gallery submission yesterday. I'm working on a site to post pictures. Either my own web site or a third party photo site. Any tips?????

I'm gonna move this to Big Bolts ...



Peg

As of yesterday, 7 - 10 days to delivery, says the trucking outfit. I like this place. It's keeping me from going nuts waiting. Getting some good answers, but I want to have more questions. I think it was a distributor issue that caused the drive to be foreshortened, but until it's here in my driveway I just won't know . . I'll be getting a 1955 Motor's Truck Repair Manual for the auld girl. Suggestions / comments?

ok just a ref to all that might be on the search for those 17in tires......
In '03 on our way from spokane to Des Moine Iowa.. (to brother-in-laws wedding) I peeled a tite in the middle of nowhere'sville... on a hot..DRY section of I-90 between Gillette Wy.. and Rapid city SD........ Now this was Not a simple matter..... as We were running our motorhome.. A 1972 superior class "A" coach... with 7.50 X 17 tires..

well we limped the rig into Spearfish SD and parked it for the night...
Next morning? did some calling around and found a tire dealer just north of I-90 in Belle Fourche SD (only dealer that had big tires) and he had a large inventory of 17 inch rubber...... seems the former owner of the rig had put tractions on the rig... and the dlr only had hiways.... so we ended up putting 4 hiways on the rear......
Beautiful thing?????
Our total cost (including mounting tax and stuff) was $525.00...... not bad for 4 new 7.50 X 17's

After talking to the owners daughter??? she told me her dad liked to keep a good inventory of the older and odd size tires on hand.... as most of their customers were farmers with alot of older rigs.... YEs...at the time? they also had 8.25 X 20's in stock

Michael