Just about to start working on this truck. I'm new to restoring old cars/trucks. It has the 235 in it. Where should I begin? I did get it to crank the other day but it was leaking gas from the filter. So my first step is to replace that and stop the leak. Where do I go after that? The original hood was swapped to another truck on the property so I am going to swap it back this weekend hopefully. I also have a replacement bed and rear fenders since the one on it is rusted out. Just joined the page and seeing what you guys think.
Hi Anthony, Welcome to the crazy house of restoration. Crazy expensive house today. Nice looking pickup. Has it run recently? Playing pickup detective I see somebody converted it to an alternator, rigged up what appears to be a dual exhaust of sorts and may have tried their hand at a PCV scheme. Once we know if it has run recently we can give some more guidance. One of the first problems people run into with these is the fuel system...could be a rusted gas tank, stopped up fuel line, bad fuel pump...and your carburetor is a Rochester...looks like a BC with a manual choke. What sort of transmission, etc? Jon
I did crank it up and it ran but I quickly noticed fuel leaking from the filter above the manifold so I killed it. Going to fix the leak this weekend. It’s a 3 on the tree.
1. What is wrong with the hood we see? 2. What do you do next? about what? 3. I guess you want to try and start it next. But the sequence of events for restoring or refurbishing depends on your overall goal. (and abilities). It is nice to see if it at least fires. If is starts, then it's nice to see if it moves, turns and stops. That may give a list of things not seen otherwise. 4. JonG is talking about the grommet he sees on the oil filler/breather. Someone probably had a PCV (valve) or hose connected for crankcase ventilation. Possibly to the air cleaner. Nothing to worry about right now, he is just observing and informing you. Same with the alternator. A good thing but not original. 5. If it has been sitting a long time DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START, unless: A. Clean new gas is used from a clean tank or container. B. Don't run it too long untill oil pressure can be seen. Assume you checked oil and other fluid levels. C. I guess you have already determined it's not stuck or any bad noises. D. Don't circulate old crusty/rusty radiator water thru it. E. We don't know how long it was sitting, or the history, to give you further cautions.
I like the filter to be before the fuel pump. Don't rush into switching all that sheet metal when you have a truck with all (possibly original) matching paint and patination. Known as patina. Easy does it, you must inspect all kinds of things. Mechanical, wiring, interior, drivability. What rust are you talking about? I don't see any.
Nice truck
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
Gearhead, Moderator for The Swap Meet and General Truck Talk
Anthony,
Just a note here to say "Welcome" to the Stovebolt!
Your entire thread has been moved to the General Truck Talk forum as a starting point for further discussion.
On that note, please make sure you post questions in the specific Shop Area forum that covers the topic you want to discuss.
Mixed questions in a single post will get garbled up with answers that probably won't make sense, so the best option is to ask questions one at a time in the specific topic category.
On to more questions and some helpful replies from fellow members.
Dan
Dan
1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 (My Grandpa's hunting truck) 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
Finally time to get to work on my Grandpa's (now mine) truck!
Hi Anthony, A pcv scheme is an acronym for positive crankcase ventilation and that scheme takes the blow-by vapors out of the crankcase and feeds them back into the intake manifold where they're blended with the air/fuel mixture and burned (again). It helps keep our air a bit cleaner and some think it may help your engine smell a little better when running...an early effort to reduce smog in bumper-to-bumper or slower city traffic. As Bartamos mentioned the tip-off was the grommet in the oil filler cap. Good that it ran for you. Now it is a matter of finding out what parts need attention and all of that. There are lots of folks here who can help. Please ask as many questions as you want.
Usually I'll start with the fuel system, follow that with the cooling system, make sure the oil is good and the oil level is right (and with no water in it), check the ignition system and timing and then start figuring out what's inside...solid lifters or hydraulic lifters, good oil pressure or weak oil pressure, that sort of approach. Later it will be good to do a compression check and also see what's happening with engine vacuum. If there is an O'Reilly's or Auto Zone near you, they'll loan the test equipment you'll need (for a healthy deposit which they'll give back when you return the stuff).
As Bart mentioned, IF it has been sitting a very long time, do NOT run it very long with the old gas in the tank. The varnish in that stuff can cause all sorts of problems if it gets into the engine. Been there, done that! If it's been run fairly regularly the whole time, this may not be an issue, but wanted to bring it up.
Keep us posted on your progress. Looks like a nice truck.
Got mine running not long ago and just started driving it. These old 235s run pretty good. Glad yours fired up for ya. Looking forward to seeing you driving it 👍👍
Some people like a new truck . I liked the old ones 😁👍🇺🇸
The hood is from a '61, or at least the lamp housings are. 61 would have series emblem on the hood as well, the ones one the fender are correct for 1960.
BC 1960 Chevy C10 driver 261 T5 3.73 dana 44 1949 GMC 250 project in waiting 1960 C60 pasture art Retired GM dealer tech. 1980 - 2022
