The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Project Journals 1953 Chevy 3100 - Restoring the Basketcase

Looks great, you are making really good progress compared to my project.

We’re running close to each other as far a metal work. I just finished all of the metal work on my cab replacing much of what you did. I also just cleaned up and painted my frame behind the cab and it was allot of tedious, dreadful work. I'm sure you went thru much of the same so I can appreciate your effort. Your’s looks great and I really like that dual exhaust setup. Nice work and keep it up!

Hey Everybody,

Good news update! Link to a short video on oil pressure. The action starts about 20 seconds into the video. I'm using a drill to prime the oil system and check for pressure.

I hope to be at that point in time later this spring. Been anxious to prime the oil pump several times but I have been waiting until my timeframe for actually running the engine for real is closer so that it doesn't get primed, run to break-in the cam, and then sit for a long time.

Wicruiser,

I plan to run the engine as soon as I can get it ready! I ran a space heater aimed at the oil pan for a couple of hours today, while I did other things. The oil was warm and flowed easily when I used the drill. I'll do the same thing when I'm ready to start it. I'm hoping for tomorrow, but it might slip a day....

Well...I got the engine started. Things I learned: very hard to start without ether, didn't idle, ran well at about 1500 rpm, died if I let off of the gas, would not restart without more ether, left a spray of coolant behind the exhaust (see pic). So I'm guessing blown head gasket, cracked head or cracked block. I guess I'll pull the head to investigate.... Not what I wanted to see.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm in uncharted territory.

Are you sure it is coolant? Before you pull the head you may want to to a pressure test on the coolant system to help determine if there is a leak, where it is.

Not starting without ether and not idling may be two different issues. Idle circuit on the carburetor may be restricted, some times that can be resolved by seating and ressetting the idle mixture screw or removing the screw and reinstalling it.

WICruiser,
I think there are multiple issues at play. The liquid out the tail pipe is one issue. The inability to start without ether is another. The lack of idle is a third. I know I need to be logical and not emotional. I'll try as you suggest and remove and reseat the idle screw. I think I might also try a different coil. My logic is to try to solve as many of the issues as I can before embarking on major surgery. Thank you for the suggestions!

The liquid coming from the tailpipe may simply be condensation from a cold engine. Don’t panic and start tearing things apart. It running good at 1,500 is a good sign.

I would post this issue in the Engine Forum and you’ll get much better experts guiding you thru the troubleshooting.

Phil,

OK, I'm moving away from the ledge...taking a deep breath! Posting in the engine forum is a good idea. I will do that.

Hey Everybody,

Been busy troubleshooting the engine. In case you missed it, here's the engine story link. Long story short, the engine is now properly timed and tuned. As a result, it runs well. It's still producing smoke, but the consensus is that it needs run time to reseat rings. The run time will have to wait. I'm going to make the cab corner replacement a priority so that I can reinstall the passenger door and interior. Then I'll feel comfortable driving around the neighborhood for that run time. The warm weather is fast approaching, so my welding time may be limited.... Anyway, that's the update.

Hey Everybody,

Quick update: unexpected medical emergency, resulting in a surgery and hospital stay. Unfortunately, the garage is shut down for the foreseeable future. I'll reopen the garage when the docs give me the green light. The GrayGhost will have to wait.

I'm posting this in my journal for the same reasons I post everything: to help the novice (like me) understand that life happens and to not get discouraged. We'll all get there eventually. See you all on the other side.

Sorry to hear this and hope your are ok and on the mend. All good about posting life stuff IMO. Perhaps you can use the down time to do some thinking out loud in here if you have ideas or things you might use some help figuring out.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Hey Everybody,

Off to the doc this morning. Hopefully he'll cut me loose today.

During my "down time" I did bend the rules a bit.... I used the time to patiently put some paint on my new bed strips. Attached is a pic of the new bed wood (already finished and waiting for installation) with one of the finished strips. Currently, I'm planning to leave the bolts unfinished. The wood is plain pine bed wood, finished with Behr stain and outdoor polyurethane. The strips are finished with rattle can Rustoleum self etching primer, flat black and dead flat clear coat. Hopefully it doesn't look out of place with my ratty truck! Either way, it's what's going on it and it's now ready to go!!

Grey Ghost, That combination really looks good together. What color is that stain, almost looks like paint?

Looks good. I think you will love it for years to come.

Here are the stain and top coat. The stain includes poly, but doesn't appear to be for outside use. I added the spar urethane top coat since it'll be outside. I'm curious to see how well it holds up. All product instructions were followed.

OBTW, doc cleared me to work on the truck again. Probably be slow going, given the outdide temps right now....

Yes, I used Minwax semi transparent ebony stain that looks similar with gloss Urethane as a finish coat. Going on 6 yrs old now but sleeps in the garage at night.
Don’t overdo it. It will be there later.

Southern truck, your bed wood looks really nice! I looked through many pics of original beds and wanted something that looked similar to what I saw on the pics. Not sure if this is it, but I do like how both the wood and metal strips turned out. It'll be a while before I'm ready to install them, but the work needed to be done and now it is.
Gonna focus on rebuilding the rear leaf spring shackles and replace the rear shocks. I can do that work in shorts versus welding in long pants and protective gear! Come on cool weather!

Hey Everybody,

End of summer update: I've been trying to work on hot weather punch list stuff. Basically anything that didn't require welding attire made the list. One of the dirtier jobs was removing and replacing the rear leaf spring attaching hardware. Really long story short, I'm not sure those parts had ever been removed or replaced. Everything was quite worn and quite stuck in place. Ultimately, I used both the special tool from our tech tips page and a ball joint press. Both excel at particular jobs, but neither excel at both removing and replacing, in my opinion. So, lots of effort, strong words, sweating and grease later, both leaf springs have been completely serviced with NOS parts. Pics attached. In addition to serving the leaf springs, I had one other rear suspension issue on the list. The driver side shock mount had been damaged at some point in it's life. The cup on top of the mount was missing and the hole that the shock extended through had been wallowed out. To correct those problems, I first welded a large fender type washer over the hole. Welding one spot allowed me to use the body hammer to shape the washer to fit over the shock mount. Welding a spot, hammer, weld working my way around the perimeter of the washer. Once it was tacked all around, I welded the rest of the perimeter. To construct a new cup, I took one of the washers that holds the rubber cushion around the shock and cleaned it up. Once clean, I flipped it over and presto, chango it became a new cup! I welded that to the washer and called it a win. Primer and paint later and I think it'll be a good field repair. If it ever breaks loose or if it looks like the new shock is wallowing out the hole again, I'll address it then. I doubt that'll happen quickly, so I'm not going to worry about it. Pics attached for that repair. Well, that's all for now. It's still hot here, so I'll stick to hot weather punch list stuff for now. OBTW, while welding the shock repair, I absolutely used PPE to protect my eyes and hands. I did not, however, wear long pants or long sleaves...just couldn't do it in the heat!

Hey Everybody,

A quick update for the start of fall. Attached Pic shows driver side cab corner in place, primed and painted. I replaced the bottom of the lock pillar, inner cab corner and outer cab corner. I had some fitment trouble with the outer piece, but ultimately made it work. The inner piece fit perfectly on the first try. Door gaps remain close, but without any contact points on the door. The door opens as it should and closes with authority. I'm looking forward to adding the windlace and the rubber bumper to see how it does. Now, I'm moving on to the passenger side to do the exact same repairs there. Slowly but surely chipping away at the work that needs to be done! FWIW, there are a couple of imperfections in the body filler. I stink at that work! Seems like I add too much, sand it all off and still have an imperfection. Currently, the body filler thickness is 1/16" or less. It's just there to help hide the weld seam.

Looking good. I resemble the remark about body filler, seems like a never ending cycle. Seems like evry panel I think is done I find more work required but eventually it will be complete, if only because I chose to move on.

Your cab corner looks great. Nice work!

Started the deconstruction of the passenger side rear cab corner and found what I believe is the original body plug from the inner cab corner. The plug was installed when I cut the outer cab corner off. Pics attached. I know there has been some discussion on the forum about the hole and what kind of plug should be used. Hopefully this helps someone out. There is a part number on the part.

4562300 shows up twice in the 1939-53 GMC Master Parts Book.

I found replacements for those plugs at Restoration Specialties. They were a very close match. Link Also available individually here.

Bill,
Very interesting that it was in the GMC parts book and not for the rear cab corner. So now I have to think it was not original to the truck (a Chevy truck, not GMC)....

Hey Everybody,

It's been a while, so an update is in order. Been working on the passenger side cab corner including repairing the bottom of the lock pillar. The lock pillar repair is completely fitted and tack welded in place. Some of the final welding has been done, but not completed. The inner cab corner has been fitted and is held in place with sheet metal screws. The inner panel required a bunch of persuasion to fit in its assigned place. The stamped part did not have the same arc as the factory floor pan. So, a bunch of hammer and dolly work, test fit, hammer, etc. Eventually, it fit. The attached Pic is the very first test fit of the outer cab corner. No work has been done to it yet. It's held in place with a clamp at the bottom. The door gap was adjusted when I set the lock pillar in place. I used the "paint stirrer stick" method of setting the gap. It worked well. The striker plate needed adjustment, too, and is now properly set. The door opens and closes as it should. Next steps include finishing the lock pillar welding, welding the inner cab corner in place and prepping the outer cab corner for final fitment and welding. The cab sheet metal work actually has a light at the end of the tunnel!

That cab corner looks like it’s a pretty good fit. The fit of the doors is everything. Congrats on getting it right. Great job!

Thanks, Phil. I think the cab corner will be a good fit. It still needs to be trimmed down to its final size. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't creating a problem with my positioning of the other parts. Looks like it's time to lock it all down for good! In all of my repairs, I've tried to preserve as much of the original metal as possible, which means trimming the patch panels down. It might be extra work, but it's a worthwhile goal to me.

Hey Everyone,

Time for a major update. The GrayGhost hit a major milestone yesterday. The structural repairs to the cab are done! I'll add several before and after pics to show the transformation. It's pretty amazing. Here's the list of the repairs that I've made so far: rocker panels (both sides), hinge pillar bottoms (both sides), lock pillar bottoms (both sides), inner cowls (both sides), outer cowls (both sides), floor pans (both sides), under floor braces (both sides), front cab mounts replaced (both sides), rear cab mounts rebuilt (both sides), cab corners (inner and outer) (both sides), hole in floor by driver side seat riser (made the patch myself), hole in floor under passenger side gas tank bracket (made patch myself), hole in floor under center rear cab brace (made patch myself), hole in driver side outer cowl (made patch myself), installed seat belt brackets and replaced windshield and gasket. I may have missed something, but that is the majority. Total time elapsed to date: 3 1/2 years.

Next steps: Install rear glass, install gas tank and run fuel lines, install seat belts onto brackets, install seat assembly, install door trim and install headliner. Then, its off to the rear of the truck and the bed.

Cab corner pics in next post...too many attachments.

So, the bottom line: is it perfect? No! Did I learn as I went through the process and did my skill level improve? Yes! Would I be comfortable doing this for money? No! Am I comfortable driving around town with my handiwork? Yes, at least until I do it once! This was always intended to be a driver that I could have fun with. I'm now a lot closer to achieving that goal. More to follow!

Cab corner pics.

Great, major milestones are an important element of keeping our long running projects from falling into the abbis of apathy.

Wow, such a major transformation! You should be very proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the fantastic work!

Looks really good. Good luck on the test run!

Hey Everybody,

A quick update: been working on installing the rear window and sound deadener/insulation so that i can install the gas tank. I used the peal and seal brand that was recommended in a forum post. It's a thin, aluminum and rubber strip. It cuts easily with tin snips, has adhesive already applied and goes on with little difficulty. I also used a wallpaper roller and a window gasket installation stick to firmly adhere the strips to the truck. I like it, but admit the sound deadening won't be as much as a thicker rubber mat would be. Having said that, it definitely did reduce the sound levels when tapping on the outside of the truck and shutting the doors.

The rear window is almost completely installed. The gasket and glass are in place with appropriate glass setting compound and sealant. The locking strip is almost completely installed. That, has been a difficult process. I'll post a pic of the rear window when it's done and cleaned up.

I read a post recently somewhere that to install the rear window locking strip the installation tool needs to be held flat against the seal and guided along as the locking strip moves into place. I have not done it but it sounded like it was easier once you got the tool positioned correctly.

My experience with the lock strip tool that was just sheet metal wasn't great, but I got it done. I tried every position I could think of for the tool. I'd recommend getting one with a wood handle so you don't kill your hand moving it along. I wound up using a rocking motion to get the strip in place. I would also round the edges where it goes into the weatherstrip.

Hey Everybody,

A quick but big update. First off, the rear window is fully installed! Not much fun, but it had to be done. Second, the gas tank is installed behind the seat, but not yet plumbed to the engine. Three point seat belts are fully installed, including cutting the seat frame to allow for passing the buckle side through. Lastly, the seat frame, bottom and back are installed in the truck. I've still got a punch list for inside the cab (e.g., door cards, handles, headliner, floor liner, etc.), but it really looks like the inside of a truck now! For the first time ever, I climbed inside, sat on the real seat, not the folding camp stool, and fired up the engine! It was very gratifying. But...no rest for the weary! Off to the truck level punch list.

The first Pic shows the layout for the seatbelt pass through. I used the ideas from Phak1 and Grigg. I marked the frame where my seat belts were, added an inch on either side for margin, measured for buckle height and made my cuts and bends. The second Pic is with the seat installed.

Nice job on the belts!