The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop dealer upgrade?

I bought my '58 apache 10 years ago. It has a 283 in it. But originally came with a 235, which isn't unusual. It didn't have the v on the hood emblem, and the v8 motormounts were bolted in rather than riveted. The odd thing is the hole where the foot start pedal once came through, has the factory cover, and the starter push button under the dash looks factory too. So I think whoever did this either had access to the correct parts, or this was done by the dealer? Having never dealt with new car dealers, and being born six years after this truck was sold, I'm wondering if this was a regular occurance, or did somebody just do a meticulous conversion?

Oh yeah, and the 283 was painted grey. I thought the v-8 chevy engines were always orange in those days. My 54-64 motors manual lists a heavy duty 283 with an extra quart capacity oil pan, and I think, maybe higher compression. Could it be the heavy duty 283s were painted grey? these are just nagging questions that I have wondered about for years. Are there any gurus out there to clear these insignificant, yet bothersome questions up for me?
By the way, Ol' rusty still runs great. Been to Denver and back, Atlanta and back, and New Orleans and back. Usually hauling a trailer.
I put in an overdrive unit just before the Georgia trip. Best thing I ever did. The looks I get while quietly blowing the doors off of modern cars is priceless. By the looks of her, you wouldn't think she could cross the street. People all over the country think I'm nuts, but they don't know that nearly everything is either new or rebuilt. And all for less than a down payment on a new truck. Give or take a little sweat, bloody knuckles, and mosquito bites.
Rusty still wears about 25% of the sand beige colored paint she got at the factory 45 years ago. Most people want to know when I'm going to paint her. And a few tell me that a paint job after all this time would be sacrelige. I'm thinking of fixing the few holes, treating the surface rust with ospho and applying a clearcoat to stabilize it.

Kevin

I thought I remembered, but I had to look in my parts book, and now I'm not sure because it only goes to 1957.

From 55(2) til 57, the starters on the V8 were key actuated, while the on the 6 cylinder, they were foot operated. I kind of remember that the 58 may have been the point where the 6 went to a key and solenoid starter, but I could be wrong. That might explain why you have the factory plug in the hole.

What will tell you what the truck originally had in it is the VIN. If it starts with a V, it originally had a V8, if it doesn't, it originally had a 6.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the research and the quick response.
Sorry, I should have posed my question a little more directly, without all of the unecessary description.
What I was trying to find out is: was it unheard of in the late 50's for Chevrolet dealer's service departments to upgrade from the six cly. to the v-8 if they didn't have such an equipped model in stock, and the factory couldn't deliver an equipped model within a reasonable amount of time?

And also why is the 283 in my apache painted grey, when everyone I have talked to said the v-8s were all orange? My 1958 chevrolet truck manual says they offered two 283s that year, the trademaster and the taskmaster. The taskmaster had a 6 quart oil pan, and 8.0:1 compression, while the trademaster had a 5 quart oil pan, and 8.5:1 compression. Could it be that the taskmaster was the only engine painted grey?

My theory is that an impatient farmer or rancher wanted a truck with the taskmaster option, but all the dealer may have had on hand were models with the thriftmaster 6.(which there is no doubt in my mind that's what my truck was built as) So maybe they put a taskmaster in for him and sent him on his way. Which would explain why a 6cylinder truck would have a grey v-8 283. Either that, or the engine was pulled out of a wrecked truck as well as the parts on the truck particular to the V-8s. Well it's an interesting theory, but I don't know if there's anyone still around these days who would remember how things operated back then.

Most of the conversions I've seen around south Texas are real butcher jobs and not set up just like from the factory. That is what has had me curious about it all this time

According to the 1958 Chevrolet truck shop manual: The 6 used a foot switch and the 8 used a key switch. It shows a wiring diagram for each one with different ignition switches. It does not show a starter button under the dash. The 1959 suppliment manual shows no changes to the wiring diagrams, thus making this effective for '59 also.
I have a '59 with a 6. I ordered a new ignition switch from Chevy Duty and they sent the one for the V-8. I called them to explain and they claimed there was only one switch and if mine wasn't like theirs someone had put the wrong one in mine. I told them to look at the wiring diagram in the shop manual they also sell and they insisted they were right and no need to look it up. So I asked for a return authorization which I got no problem. My switch was good but I didn't have a key. I ended up drilling out the old key cylinder and installing a new one. It works like it should.

What overdrive did you install, factory or an aftermarket unit?

I really doubt that a dealer would switch the engines. I was working in my dad's Chevrolet dealership in those days and we didn't have much trouble getting the engines that we wanted and, even if we didn't have what we wanted, we could and did trade with other nearby dealers that did.

Because of the different VIN, it would have been questionable to register the vehicle with something other that what the factory installed and it would have been impossible to submit a warranty claim for a V8 engine if the VIN showed it should have had a 6. It's not impossible, but I think it is not very probable that a dealer was involved.

As to the color, I think that all the engines were grey, but I can't give a reference to support me beyond an old man's memory.

I guess that I would suggest that the engine switch was done later in the life of the truck.

Steve

I'm w/ Steve - dealer wouldn't have done a switch, but it may have been done B4 the parts you're wondering about went obsolete - that floor hole cover is actually an item I've seen around NOS, and the "under dash push button" is someones add on because the 6cyl ignition sw didn't have a start position, only on/off [dealer woulda changed the key sw] - the gray paint is correct for the truck V8, orange was used on the car V8

my 58 was born w/ a 235 and 4 speed, and now has the 283 [gray] properly done as yours is - bolt in mount brackets and properly plugged floor hole

Bill

I got a 50's era factory unit from a local transmission shop. for roughly 350 dollars. Money well spent.

Thanks for the info guys, and for setting me straight. Great insights. I guess I got a well done conversion.

Any idea if there's a way to tell the difference between the trademaster and taskmaster 283's they offered that year.