Stovebolt.com Forums Project Journals Project Journals My '51 3100/3600 Project

Sounds like great progress. My project is several months behind yours.

Can you provide any additional information regarding the wheels and tires that you bought? It is hard to tell from the picture but they appear to be 8 bolt wheels and sound like a size that I may pursue for my build.

Keep up the great work.

Sure. The wheels are 8 lug, 16x6 steel wheels from eTrailer.com:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Tires-and-Wheels/Dexstar/AM20766.html

I've read many recommendations on various forums for using these wheels on 3/4 ton trucks when you are using the original steering gear. The 0.5" offset gives you the clearance needed at the tie rod ends. I originally bought just two wheels to use on the front end as I intended on using a pair of later-model Chevy wheels that I had on hand for the rears. I want to use original style hub caps which require the metal clips like the original wheels. I found that the later wheels didn't lend themselves to that very well so I bought two more of the Dexstar wheels. I will use one of the later wheels for the spare. I will be installing the metal hub cap clips very soon and will post photos of that process.

I chose to use 215/85 R16 tires for my truck. I like the taller side wall look. I don't have a big budget for this truck project so I shopped around for tires that didn't cost an arm and a leg. What I settled on were Americus LT's from WalMart. They are a commercial style tire (vs. a touring, etc.) so they are "all business" looking which fits well with the style of my truck.

Thanks for the wheel and tire information. I am using the original steering gear although with a custom drag link due to steering gear relocation for engine clearance.

I was planning to go with taller tires but as you noted prices can be challenging.

Today I began installing hub cap clips on my Dexstar steel wheels. As I mentioned in an earlier post, these steel wheels have dimples on the back side that show you exactly where to drill the holes for mounting the clips. The trick is to get the clips the correct distance from the wheel so that they actually hold on to the hub caps. I used an old hub cap I bought at an antique show to test fit the clips which I spaced away from the wheels with washers and secured with machine screws and nuts. It was easy to add or subtract washers until I found the right height. In the end it turned out that 1/4" spacers under the clips was optimal. My local hardware store had Delron bushings that were 1/4" high with a 1/4" dia. hole, perfect for use with the 1/4" dia. copper rivets I purchased from McMaster-Carr.

The next step was to build a mandrel to back up the rivets on the rear side of the wheel. I used some scrap pieces of 2" square tubing and a chunk of hex stock with one end turned in a lathe to 1/2" dia. (so it would fit in the ribs of the wheel) to build the mandrel. I then used a small ball shaped die grinder tool in an electric end drill to mill out a "socket" on the top of the hex stock. This allowed the domed head of the copper rivet to sit in the top of the mandrel. I had bought a small air chisel at Hazard Fraught Tools and it came with a basic chisel tool. I cut the end off the tool and used the ball die grinder tool to make a dimple in the end as well.

With the the mandrel sitting under the wheel, a copper rivet in place, a bushing set over the rivet shank, and a clip set on top of the bushing, I then riveted over the end of the copper shank with the air chisel. The air tool got the rivet swelled enough to hold everything in place, but to really get things solid I used a hammer and punch. I think the air tool should have been larger for this job. In the end the hub cap snaps into place very nicely and isn't too difficult to remove. I think when I finally am able to drive the truck on the road I will put old, beat up hub caps on it at first to make sure they stay in place, then replace them with nice, new repop caps.

The weather has turned cold and the shop is unheated, but stuff still manages to get done. After trying to get my original gas tank clean inside, I bagged that job and bought a new one. Brother's Trucks was having a sale, and with free shipping the total cost of a new tank was less than one I could pick up from my closest vendor. The tank showed up last Monday so on Tuesday it got installed, along with a new sending unit, straps, hoses at the filler neck, etc. Sure is nice to have that space in the cab filled up finally!

Since I had to get under the truck to run the wire to the gas tank sending unit, I stayed under there a while and finished running all of the tail light wiring to the rear end. Man that concrete floor is cold and hard! When I rebuilt my SM420 transmission I used a later model cover that included a reverse light switch, so I also ran the wiring for that.

The dash is starting to come together. I reconditioned both of the defroster ducts and installed them, then did the same to my wiper motor and linkage. A few days later I found (and bought) a like-new wiper motor for $8 at an antique mall, so go figure. Maybe the original one will work just fine since I have a spare. I also managed to get the cowl vent and drain hose installed.

I have reconditioned my fresh-air style heater and will install it as soon as the gasket kit I ordered arrives. The original 6v motor runs just fine so I'll be installing a voltage reducer in that circuit.

Next time I hope to report that the windshield and rear glass have been installed.

Man, you truck is sure coming together nicely. Nice job

I also have a concrete floor in my garage, so I feel your pain. I keep a few pieces of cardboard from large boxes just for that purpose. Insulates quite nicely and softens the concrete to boot.

Keep up the good work!

I recently finished refurbishing my heater and got it installed in the cab. I kept the original 6v motor as it runs well, so I'll be using a voltage reducer in the circuit. I chose a non-stock paint color as it fits with the truck's scheme. I've since installed all of the hoses, too.

Yesterday was a big day for the project. I had a good friend of mine come by (he's rebuilding a Diamond T into a beer delivery truck) and give me a hand installing the windshield. I've never done one of these before but did watch several good You Tube videos. I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express but still felt confident I could pull it off. The job went surprisingly well, and quick. The only hiccup with the hole thing is that the four holes in the center rubber strip do not line up well enough to allow the chrome trim to be installed. It's off by about a half a hole to the right, just enough to force the screws to skew out of line. I'll ream them out a bit with a tire plug reamer then use a liberal amount of sealant in each hole.

We then started to tackle the rear window. I had bought new rear glass from a private party a couple months ago (leftovers from a guy's project that went a different direction). This was glass that had been custom cut, not ordered from a catalog. I did not notice at the time that it was not the correct size for my truck. Fortunately it's too big, so I'll have a local glass shop cut it to the right size.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

It's been terribly cold in the shop up so not much work has gotten done until Saturday when the temperature in our area suddenly went up to almost 60 degrees. My son came over and we decided to put in a little time on the project. As we were hoping to get the wiring harness installation finished (under the dash) he gave me an early Christmas present: an NOS heater switch. When we initially stripped out the cab two years ago, I inadvertently destroyed the original switch trying to remove it from the bottom of the dash. I had been looking for a replacement ever since. He found one on an eBay store. Unfortunately, we didn't get to work on the wiring as we had hoped.

I had previously installed the gauges in the dash and just needed to install a new line to the oil pressure gauge. I received a new kit last week, so with that in hand I dove in under the dash. I knew I was in trouble when that funky tapered compression fitting didn't ever get tight. Then suddenly the fitting popped right off the back of the gauge. I had bought this gauge some months ago at a huge wrecking yard that only deals in American made vehicles, and specializes in having a lot of pre-1960 stuff. They always have a lot of new restoration parts at the counter. My original oil gauge had an issue with going to "O" so I bought a replacement. Anyway, after some mild theatrics and various choice words, I removed the gauge cluster to take home. There, I compared the fitting on the back of the old gauge with the new one and noticed that the hole machined in the new gauge's block was much larger than the original one. That allowed the compression fitting to work its way right on through and basically pry the block off the back of the gauge. I was a victim of poor quality control. So at this point I am just going to put my original oil pressure gauge back into the cluster and get the thing installed. For my test runs I had a small gauge mounted right at the engine tee fitting. I'm going to keep that in place for peace of mind.

To keep the day from being a total loss we did install the passenger side fender, headlight and turn signal housing. Photos to come when I get the other side done.

It's been a while since I last posted an update on my project. In fact, it's been quite a while since I was able to do any work on the truck do to changes in my full-time job keeping me busy.

I've set a goal to have my truck (incomplete as it is) on display in my town's annual car show on June 24th. To that end, I'm working on getting the doors repaired and complete enough that they can be installed (minus windows at this point). The passenger side door has been in primer for some time, and needs very minor work on the bottom. The driver's side door needed to have the bottom of the inside panel replaced. This section is formed in a slight "S" shape. I don't have a set of rolls to use, so I clamped a suitable piece of sheet steel to a length of 4" dia. pipe and gently hammered it to shape, then flipped it over and repeated the procedure. The end result was pretty respectable. It's been fitted into the hole and awaits welding (I discovered I was out of shield gas).

While I couldn't do any work on the truck per se, I was able to acquire stuff for it (which is just as fun). All new gaskets, etc., for the windows, new springs, gaskets and chrome handles for the door latch mechanisms, and a complete kit for a proper bed.

I expect to be moving the truck from its temporary quarters (a 40 ft. shipping container at my work) to my home soon, thanks to finally (after 14 years) getting my son's '64 VW Bug chassis out of my garage and into his!

Last month I had an opportunity to trailer my truck home from where I've been working on it these last couple of years. Since my truck is going to be Union Oil Co. themed it was only natural that I stop at the local Union 76 station to check the tie down straps and snap a photo. I got it home and into the garage which turned out to be a whole lot tighter situation that I had imagined.

I wanted to be able to take the truck to our annual in-town car show so I had a list of things that needed to get done, not the least of which was repair and install the doors. Long hours at work kept me from doing much of anything at home, so it pretty much all came down to the Friday night before the show. My son came over to help and by midnight we had some items done, but still much to do. I went to bed but he stayed up till 2:30 am and finished everything by himself! How he managed to install the driver's side door when there's like 8 inches of clearance on that side of the truck I'll never know! Thanks to his dedication to the task we made it to the show that morning. This was my first time having something to enter at a show (my son entered his '72 Super Beetle previously). It was a wonderful time and we are all (my wife had a blast, too) looking forward to more to come.