The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1953 Chevy 3100 - "The 1953 that Came Back"

Thought I would post progress on my project and a little of my history with it.

It started like many poor decisions by looking on the Faceplace marketplace instead of working in the shop, which I still catch myself doing. About 2 1/2 years ago, I found a 1953 3100 that was partially apart. It “looked clean” and was a very reasonable price. I was the second of many interested and got first crack at it.

Went to look. Clean shop, believable “Grandpa's truck” story and was about to crawl underneath when he said the first guy was almost there. I made a decision on the spot to buy it and loaded it up and took it home. Wife was not happy! It stayed in the trailer so I could keep it out of sight from the wife.

I found Stovebolt and started to plan what to do with it.

Later that fall/winter I had an opportunity to purchase a 1964 Chevy II for the wife. It was in Northern California and the friend that alerted me to the deal wanted to buy the '53. So I hooked the trailer up and drove 1,100 miles round trip to drop off the truck and pick up the Chevy II.

Some months later, I got a call from same friend and he was not happy with what was hiding under the paint so to speak. I kicked myself for not crawling under the truck those many months prior and finding it before I bought it initially.

Still with me?

Long story longer. Made another round trip (after the snow melted) and bought the truck back and haggled for a cab from my brother-in-law to replace the very poor bodywork done by PO. Also worth mentioning: It has a '54 front end fenders forward on the '53. So probably a bad wreck at some point.

Then the planning started over, couple pics to start.

After getting home and crawling under the truck (still in the trailer to this day), it was obvious it was in need of lots of help. Cab corners (mud and fiberglass), cowl to toe boards (mud and fiberglass and screwed in sheet metal patch), drivers door won’t shut (didn’t put it to specs before above mentioned work), bes torn in a few spots, rear fenders (mud and fiberglass).

All in all, I was glad I got another cab. It has a 235 in it now. It is partially swapped and looks useable but missing quite a bit.

So I decided if I was going to make this a project for me, I wanted a reliable daily driver and wanted to do the s10 swap. So now I needed to really make the wife mad and bring home another truck. (I actually bought the s10 before I got the '53 back). I found it at a junkyard for cheap, put in a new tumbler and key. It runs and drives great. Drove it for a few weeks to shake it down. Then stripped the body off.

After asking for thoughts on a kit to use for the s10 swap (great responses), I went with an EZ swap kit with the transmission tunnel.

After getting it all mocked up and bolted up, I welded the mounts up for the bed and cab, trimmed the front frame and bolted up the core support.

The main issue is the exhaust from the 4.3 is inline with the trans mount so will fab up the exhaust when it comes to that.

I brushed on some rust encapsulator after wire-wheeling the frame and painted it up with chassis black.

I also swapped in a '99 4wd rear that’s 4” wider and comes with discs and a 3:73 gear per kit instructions.

Plumed the brake lines back in, gas lines to tank, cleaned tank, shortened driveshaft, new shocks, turned rotors, new front calipers and pads, 2” drop spindles, 3” blocks in rear and set the motor trans back in (moved 7” back with kit motor mounts).

Looks like you're off to a good start. Nice shop. 👍

John

I finally was able to get to a point to get the '50 cab (or so I was told) out of the trailer and in the shop to start working on it. The PO before my brother-in-law used it on a “rat rod” and cut a hole front to back for the driveline. I needed to get this secured and level, then patch it up. I was going to need to raise the floor under the seat anyways for driveline clearance for the kit. So got that done.

After doing that, I got a toe board patch and used what I needed for the passengers side. There was an inch of brazing on the inner kick panel, so cut out the rot and made a patch to fit (not that fun). Patched the seat frame, front and back, and welded the a piece from the toe board patch panel to replace the trans tunnel mount lip that was cut out. Not pictured in the rear can brace was cut and I caved that back to support the rear of the cab (not my best work).

The trans tunnel I got didn’t have a flange on it for the firewall and upper toe board so I made one. I also made a flange on the firewall and drilled it for 1/4 bolts to make it removable. Took more work but should be helpful in the future. Need to get that cleaned up and nuts welded on the firewall flange to make it easier for removing and installing.

Moving onto the firewall I patched a bit of rust and welded in the firewall plate that came with the kit to mount the column and brake booster to the firewall.

So the hiccups so far. The cab is not a 50, the rear cab mounts are to far back and not behind the seat like the 53 cab (bad day). There is no brackets for the mounts under the cab but new ones from LMC should be here tomorrow (fingers crossed). When I can get that sorted and get the cab mounts in the right spot for the kit I can move forward again.

Moving forward I plan to prep and paint the underside, firewall and floors with encapsulator and paint them black. Thinking “rhino lining” or similar to the underside of cab. Then paint the dash up a cream color (wife’s request) and get it mounted to the new frame. Then I can hopefully sort out some of the wiring and make a good plan of what’s needed to get the truck running and sort out the gauges etc᠁ been cruising the forums for insight.

I am very thankful for this forum and the support I’ve got from here. I am by no means an expert and I am learning more and more as I go. Even met up with someone I now consider a friend that puts in his own time to help on this site. I’m sure he’ll respond when he finds this post, lol. I wasn’t going to create a post because it’s a little scary/weird putting your work out their for others to see and respond (good or bad) but figured I was encouraged by reading others struggles and victories so why not try it, it might help someone else. Hope you enjoy!

Thank you J Lucas, I am very thankful to have a shop.

Forgot to mention the seats. There are from my dad's old Tahoe 3rd row seats. I was reading in the interior section someone used them and I pulled them down and very happy with the rough fit. Going to need to space them 5" - 6" and that will leave room for a flush mount cup holder/center console!! My father passed some years ago so will be nice to have something of his part of the truck!

Looks like you are making really good progress.

How thick is the firewall plate for the brake booster? Is there a bracket inside to tie it to the bottom side of the dash?

Also, are those 07-12 tahoe seats? I was looking at the 00-06 ones, but they don't have the center seat belt.

Fibonachu's questions answered.

-- > How thick is the firewall plate for the brake booster?
It’s think 3/16 if I remember correctly.

-- > Is there a bracket inside to tie it to the bottom side of the dash?
No bracket, I asked Ed and he said he’s had no issues without.

-- >Also, are those 07-12 Tahoe seats?
I’m pretty sure it was an 09-10 so yes.

You are more than welcome to come and check/measure the seats, I’ll be out there tomorrow. Would like to get another opinion on a few things as well!

I got a few things done today but forgot to get pics of everything. First was the parking brake. It wasn’t too bad but I did snap the two fine thread 9/16 head bolts. It took a bit to get the smaller cotter pin out but those are easily replaceable.

Took off the windshield wipers, glove box door/trim/lock, wiper motor, the windshield and a few odds and ends.

Haven’t researched yet but the windshield weatherstripping has the stainless trim on it and it’s in good shape. Not sure if I reuse it (I would think you do). Looking at the Classic Parts catalog and it shows standard and Deluxe. I’m assuming it’s the Deluxe and I use the trim I have.

I’ll try and post more pics tomorrow.

There's a couple tech tips about windshield weatherstripping HERE that might help you out.

Did some finish work on the trans tunnel fabrication, wanted to make it removable so took quite a bit more time to get the fit right but I’m happy with it. Need to figure out what I want to use as a gasket or sealer for final install down the road. Shaped and welded an outer flange, drilled and secured one at a time then welded the nuts to the flange and stitched flange to the firewall.

Took out the rear and corner windows no issues and cleaned up the flanges. Moved the cab outside and wire wheeled the firewall and interior to prep for rust encapsulator. Very dirty job, lol.

When I removed the brace from the firewall and the upper cowl bracket I found an issue. Looks like it had some sort of lock on it and was pried out of it. I’ll check the other cab so see if it’s in tact and rob Peter to pay Paul so to speak. It’s really stiff but I’m sure it can be fixed if I need to go that route.

Plan on doing a parts order Friday for weatherstripping etc.. and going to check with a glass company I’ve used in the past to see what they would charge for the back and front glass, if within reason I’ll source locally instead of buying online.

Thanks for the windshield install info, I’ll check it out.

Well.. I was wanting to get the dash and the rear of the cab in primer today because it was a very nice day but ran into a few problems. I started by filling an extra hole that was cobbled in by the radio and put the welder up and rolled the cab outside. I set up everything to start sanding and halfway through I laid underneath to get the bottom side of the dash and found the steering column holes had been ripped out. As it didn’t have a steering column on when I got it I never put my eyes on it. So rolled it back in and made some small backing plates out of 16 gauge and got it stitched in. Blew through one spot and was able to get it cleaned up after I turned the welder down a bit.

Was able to finish sanding everything up and plan to get some primer down tomorrow.

I found a local window place that cut my front and rear glass for a good price, I used them before and they mentioned they do older cars and trucks. I also ordered the weatherstripping for the cab windows and doors and the bed mounts/bolt kit. Still need to address the cab corners but need the doors on and think it will be more accessible on the frame. Frustrating day but moving forward.

Got the cab taped off and put some primer on the firewall, dash and the around the rear windows. Warmed up the cans first in a bucket of hot water and it makes a big difference IMO. I then waited a bit and foam brushed on the rust converter (same stuff I used on the frame). I should have done that first but takes a couple days to fully cure so I’ll have a little cleanup to do on the dash and firewall. Overall I’m pleased with how it turned out.

I added a picture of the converter I used, I like it so far but can’t attest to the longevity of it yet. I like that it’s water based and very easy to clean up and off your skin (soap and water). I did the frame and what you see of the cab so far and still have over a half gallon left.

Making good progress! I got my new radiator hoses on this week...

Lookin’ good and moving along nicely. Keep up the good work!

Thank you Fibonachu and Phak 1, like all old protects you move forward then find more to fix and move forward again.i really want to get the cab finished it’s the bulk of the fab work on this for now. Don’t want to set it on the frame until it can be left there for good.

Had some time the last couple days to clean up the underside of the cab and address some more of the rot. Both corners needed to be patched so I used some leftovers from the toe board patches and the ridge turned out not so bad. Still need more finish work and still need to address the rear cab mounts and brackets (hopefully tomorrow). Figured I’d paint the windshield channel while I had time also.

Great progress!

Well had to play the measuring and more measuring game today to get the rear cab mounts in place, then made the inner cab plate for the bolts to not pulI through the floor. I started by securing the body mounts to the frame and measuring multiple times. I somehow missed my measurements on the cab and had to drill new ones (Ugg).

The cab braces that came from overseas needed trimming as the cab is a 47-49. 1st series and the bead rolls in the floor were in the way, no big deal. After getting everything to bolt up and rechecking the measurements it was correct! I then spot welded the braces and removed the bar mount from the EZ swap kit to finish the spot welds and spray with primer. When that dried I slathered on the rust encapsulator. Now I need to wait for it to cure for 48 hours. We are leaving town tomorrow for the weekend so that will work just fine.

Still have the cab corners left to do then I can put the welder up finally.

Thank you Gdads51!

Good and bad in the last 3 days and I’m a little frustrated but will move forward tomorrow.

Needed to get the firewall painted and undercoat the underside so I can mount the cab to the body. I painted the firewall with Rustoleum Almond along with the back cab interior on Monday and applied the undercoating yesterday. I sprayed some chassis black over the undercoating as well. Following the directions for the Rustoleum clear I sprayed 48 hours later and it lifted the paint in quite a few spots (this is the bad part). So I’m going to let it cure and wet sand the bad spots and paint again, don’t think I’m going to do the clear again as the paint is a gloss and will look just fine.

I haven’t had this kind of issue in the past and really scratching my head. On the bright side there’s always tomorrow.

I forgot how much I don’t enjoy painting but this is a good reminder, lol! I was able to get the dash painted (good enough)and I peeled all the tape away to see how it looks. I still need to paint the floors but that’s for another day. Had more than one malfunction with the Rustoleum rattle cans but it came out okay in the end. My end goal is a driver with a decent interior so the wife won’t mind riding with me so it meets that criteria so far.

I built a lift arm for my cherry picker from 2x6’s that I found in here and the Tube. Once everything is cured it’s time to try it out and get the cab on the frame finally. It’s starting to come together a little bit at a time.

Great progress. Looking good. 👍

John

Thank you, I appreciate the encouragement!

Little more progress. I was going to wait on the floor but figured it would be easier to do while it was off frame. Still moving forward!!

Today had a friend from the neighborhood come over and help to get my cab on the frame, no major issues or problems. Pretty big smile on my face after all the cab mount bolts went in. Still lots to go but a good feeling of accomplishment today!

I have never repaired a cab corner before and since the cab needs both sides done I decided to do the passenger side first as it had less rot and didn’t need any extra bodywork. I have watched quite a few videos on YT and put together a plan that would work best for my ability and what tools I have available. I was so focused on the task I forgot to take a lot of pictures. I had the cab outer corners but didn’t buy the inners. Hindsight it would have been quicker and easier with them but after measuring, cutting, hammering and many, many test fits in between got a good fit and burned it in.

The outer corner was more challenging for sure as it round and not easy to get a clamp or vice grip on to hold in place. With a little patience(not my best attribute) I tacked it in place. One tip I will suggest is if you are getting frustrated and trying to hurry it will make it so much harder. I had to stop after getting it tacked in and come back fresh the next day as I was burning in some holes way to hot. I reset the welder and then took my time and it worked out ok for my first time doing it.

I can’t physically fit my hard in the side access hole and hold a dolly (tried for longer than I care to admit) so I couldn’t planish the weld at all. But with a straight line and keeping the heat as low as I could and still have good penetration on the weld it turned out acceptable for the route I’m going with on the truck. Since I cut on the panel and left the factory seam where the door closes to the cab it stayed in line.

I then started the drivers side by cutting to good metal but have a pretty big crease so I need to have the door on and adjusted before I work on the crease and start any welding (things you learn on YT lol). I started on the door and will focus on that next.

I would have liked to have done more but life can get in the way. The daughter got in a low speed accident with my grandson (they are both physically fine thank goodness) and the car it totaled. So I did dad and papa things to help them out as family will always come before working on my projects.

Haven’t had as much time to work on the truck lately but got some done in the last couple days. The daughter totally her car (low speed accident) last week but she and my grandson are good. With them being down a vehicle she also got sick and is expecting so lots of appointments that I helped get her to.

Now for the truck᠁ I stripped the drivers door and have it on the cab but still needs adjustment. Think I might need to get all new hinge pins and maybe the bushing kit. Need to get a good fit so I can repair and replace the drivers side cab corner. I was able to get the window frames apart but had to drill out 2 of the clutch head screws as they were stripped. The windows regulators do work but will need some cleaning and lube at a minimum. Going to drop off the glass tomorrow to have new door glass cut. The cab I’m using was missing the inner rod and handle for the latch but the old cab had one I was able to mount right up. Have to clean and lube the latch assemble more it seams to be working now so should be fine. Will take pics soon and post.

I moved on to the parking brake assemble and wire wheeled it clean. I had to repair the shield piece (forget the proper name) that goes at the bottom of the peddle and weld it back together. There were some large grooves on the main rod that I welded up and smoothed back out. Then primed and painted (good weather for it today). I had the wife help hold a wrench to get it back together and looks pretty good. I also installed the side vent and not real happy with it, it doesn’t seal closed very well. I’ll look into it another day.

Feels good to see more parts going on the truck but it sure is tedious to start the clean, fit, strip, prime, paint and reinstall process.

I’ve made some progress. With some advice from the forum I was able to get 2 keys made for the lock for $15, very help!

Moved on to the inner and outer drivers side cab corner. I made the inner using the extras material from the passenger cab corner and went pretty quick. I then massaged the crease out with hammer and Dolley and a port-o-power. Wanted to get it out enough to provide a good seal on the door when it’s closed. The outer went well, used a 3/64 cut off wheel and cut through existing metal and patch panel then spot welded after every 4”-6” of cuts.Worked good but need to pay attention where the cuts need to be.

I taped and painted both sides in similar layers of paint that’s on the cab now in hopes to blend it into the existing look of the truck. Going to wait 24 hours to cure and see if I can blend it in.

Waiting on the door glass to get cut I found some rust I will need to repair. Plan on getting that knocked out in the next couple days and prep the inside panels of the doors for paint. Placed another order for parts today and hoping to get far enough to get a big chunk of the doors and interior prepped for the small parts. Seems to be moving along at a good pace so far.

Worked on the inside door panel today, used my vice and some random pieces of flat and round stock to get the right bends for the replacement piece and got it fit pretty good. Tacked it in then finished it up in rounds with time and air to cool to slow down the warping. It wasn’t perfectly straight to start but it’s good enough now. Plan to sand down the whole inside, prime it and maybe a little filler before moving onto some paint.

I also put some white grease on the passenger door latch and worked it in, it works much better now. Done for today hopefully more tomorrow!

Made progress but mostly small stuff so not really worth taking pictures. I have 3 orders out from rock auto, filling station and Classic Industries and all show delivering on Friday so should be busy again soon. I have filled the time with cleaning, sanding and painting as much as I could get done weather permitting.

I talked to Ed from EZ-Swap today to double check a few questions I had on the steering column and he was very helpful. I ended up going to the salvage yard and getting a column shift column out of a 91 S10 with all the transmission linkage. My diner is a 95 which is a different column with cable shift but he is willing to walk me through how to get it to work with the older linkage. I picked up a few other needed pieces for the project like the tab for the rear brake line mount to the frame (already welded up and paint is drying) and the cruise control cable if I can get that to work, fingers crossed.

Moved on to a couple things on the motor that needed finished. The high pressure line went in with no issues but the low pressure side was 6” short as the motor is moved back 6” so got that at local FLAP and it’s now done. I also deleted the oil cooler and put in a OEM oil filter fitting and spun an a new filter. Read up on the pros and cons of this delete but should be fine as it’s not a 4x4. If it turns into an issue I’m keeping the lines and block and to reinstall and add an aftermarket cooler under the hood.

I’m close to needing to make a final decision on the wiring and gauges as things are progressing. This is the part that I have the least amount of experience in and will ask for some help in other forums. Not sure if it’s in the electrical section as it’s not original or the High performance section but I’m sure someone will point me in the right direction if I guess wrong!

Haven’t posted in awhile, with spring here had to get the yard work in order to keep the wife happy along with many other distractions. We went to Portland for the annual PIR and Expo swap meet last month and was able get some key items that were needed for the build. Both rear fenders, period correct tail lights and a few odds and ends.

I did get the doors mounted and not 100% happy with it after cleaning everything up, replacing everything that was worn out installing the latches the doors close solid and lock so it will be good for now. I’m installing all new weatherstripping and waiting on a few more parts to get the doors completed.

I was able to get the column mocked in and had to trim up the exhaust heat shield and use a 3/4” double D universal to get the correct clearance for the steering. Plan to get that mounted up solid tomorrow now that the paint is cured.

I also ordered some Dakota Digital gauges and the correct radiator which should show up next week. I finished up by clearing up the factory harness so I can go through it and remove what’s not needed and get it ready to install. The progress has been slow but really want to get this thing in the road soon.

Well I haven’t posted in a while but have made a lot of progress in the last 2 months. Figured I’d hold myself accountable and post my progress.

First things first an SB member was a HUGE help with the wiring (you know who you are) and helped to line me out with questions I had, couldn’t have done it without him!

Here are a few pics of the wiring install which includes a Howell Performance harness for the 1995 4.3 TBI, 22 circuit speedway harness and Dakota Digital. Only a few wires needed to be transposed on changed to get it to fire up(Spoiler Alert). For my first time doing this from nothing I’m happy with how it turned out.

After some advice I decided to use headlights that have the driving lights and turn signals. Forget the exact price but was under $170 from the jungle website. Yes they are for a newer HEEP but after some cutting, fab work and paint they fit great and look good. Will give me great visibility with the added turn signals and driving lights included. I know this look isn’t for everyone but it works for me

Had to trim down the inner fenders and radiator support and do some rust repair to fit everything up. The PO drilled and taped the supports on the fender in the wrong spot so had to reverse it. Lots and lots of small things to get it to fit up better than it was.

Well she runs!! She moves!! And she stops under her own power!!! What a relief!! It was an all afternoon affair to work out some wiring issues but it all payed off! I had the fuel tank plug transposed on the power and sender wire and had to find a power wire that didn’t drop out while cranking for the coil. After that she fired right up!

Had an issue with it not charging and after many hours of searching the internet found that the S10 had a battery light that provided resistance to not blow the alternator. I need a 100 ohm 5 watt resister in line and after wiring it in it charges great.

Took it for a couple laps around the neighborhood and she needs for transmission fluid. Other than that she stopped good and had great acceleration.

Disclaimer….i never intended to do a full paint job on my truck for a couple reasons; this will be a daily driver for me and I didn’t want to spend thousands on a professional paint job and body work. It’s already over budget and over my deadline as it is. Sorry if you don’t like the “patina look” but that’s what I’m going to do.

I sanded of 95% on the body filler and left beauty marks. I then painted a flat red then flat black over the remaining “painted area” and used a mix to acetate the rust process to match the truck. I’m still going to fine tune it more but looks good enough for now.

So what’s next??

I cleaned, painted and mounted the hood hinges and springs. I replaced the hood latch spring and put the underside up the hood in primer this evening.

I received an order today that will give me lots to do

-parts to rebuild the tail lights
-bed wood and side slats
-electric wiper motor
-parking lights and housings
-battery tray cover
-rear bumper apron
-misc nuts and bolts

My wife gave me the “get it done no mater the cost” statement so I’m making hay while the suns shining!

I plan to get the front end put back together than move to the bed. The bed floor needs to be raised 2” so have lots of fab work ahead to get that completed. Then more “patina” paint work to make it match the truck. Can’t wait to see it as a whole truck which hopefully will be in the next couple weeks. I added a picture I took of a truck that will be similar to the look and ride height I’m going for, it’s helped keep me motivated.

That’s should catch up the tread and make it easier to post the progress. Thank you all that have watched the build, helped with it and the kind words. Can’t wait to get it done and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!