The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1946 Chevy 1/2Ton in Utah - "Here We Go"

John, I realize we're getting ahead of ourselves on the headlight discussion with possible alternatives to the ones you already have. Those will probably work just fine.

The most important thing to remember is that no headlamps will do the job unless they are properly aimed. Lots of people condemn sealed beam headlights and immediately want to switch to those horrible looking LED lights without making sure that the sealed beams are properly aimed. I believe that is the usually the main problem people face with "dim" headlights.

In your case, the entire headlight assembly - buckets and all - have been disassembled. There is no way your headlights are going to be pointing in the right direction when you finally turn them on at night.

Cross that bridge when you get to it but I just wanted to remind you of it.

Thanks Otto and Dan for the feedback. Halogens for $10? Wow - hard to believe. I was thinking more money.

Anyway, the last thing I did before assembly of the light was to make sure the adjustment screws were in fact adjustable. The top screws were easy to turn, but the side ones had a little rust and it took some PB Blaster to help work them loose. Not sure how much night driving I'll be doing, but I want the lights pointing in the correct direction and I don't want to blind other drivers.

Major milestone for me today - I was able to test my wiring. I put a battery in and blew a 30A fuse. Found out there was a wire for the alternator in the engine bay that was grounding to the exhaust manifold. I connected the wire to the alternator, replaced the fuse and all the lights are working - even the turn signals. But, when I turned on the lights, the Ammeter moved to the CHARGE side. I swapped the wires on the terminals and now it is reading correctly. Now waiting for some parts for the left head light.

That's excellent John. You'll be trouble shooting on the side of the road in no time!


I suppose I have to tell people that's a joke, nowadays.

That would funny, but it's probably true. I'm planning to get a small box for tools and spare parts.

You'll be fine.

When I bought my Cadillac 25 years ago and started driving it to Florida for vacation, I carried every tool I owned and every spare part I thought I'd ever possibly need (fuel pump, water pump, belts, hoses, points, cap, rotor, etc)

I had over 100 lbs of crap in the trunk "just in case." I never once had to install any of the spare parts or fix the car on the roadside in thousands of miles of driving.

Your truck will be like new. You won't have any trouble.

Did some clean up on the wires hanging under and through the dash. Used some zip and Velcro wire ties to get them tucked up behind the gauges. Made sure I could access the fuses and flasher unit if needed. I think I can install the driver's side running board next. Feeling good about the progress. Spring is almost here and I want to get this project on the road again.

I have the throttle and choke cables in the dash and through the firewall. I've connected the choke cable and I just found some information on how to connect the throttle cable. I'll get that done next.

Leave an eighth inch of play on the throttle cable between the cable nut and the underside of the throttle rod so that the throttle can close all the way with no tension when the throttle button is pushed in all the way.

Will do. Thanks Otto!

This is so exciting John. We have all watched and helped if we could, and now you’re closing in on completion of what no doubt started off as an intimidating project. I admire the level of detail you have brought to your restoration. You’ll be driving down the road very soon, getting 30-40 grins/mile. Pretty good for that (new) old truck, I’d say.

I'll second Paul's comments!

So very much looking forward to seeing and hearing about the maiden voyage. Keep 'er going John!

Ya, I'm supposed to be in Utah at the end of April driving around with an off road camp trailer. If I get anywhere near SLC, I'd like to see that truck drive.

Thanks for all the encouragement guys! I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.

OK - After installing the passenger side running board last month, the driver's side went in much easier. NOT! Same 3 hour struggle to get the holes to line up and to get the rubber gasket to line up with the holes. Still had to jack up the bed and cab corner, but it's done. Another item off the list.

John,

I am not working on the same series truck as you are, but the rubber gasket you mention...where does it go? Between the fenders and the running board? Was there one there originally?

I hope to be dealing with the running boards soon on my 1940 and think that some sort of gasket between the fenders and the running board would probably be a good thing, even if it was not stock.

Is it welting?

I got the running board gasket set from The Filling Station. It goes between the running board and fender. You can bolt it together without, but metal on metal might squeak later on. The material was more like a spongy foam liner, not leather like fender welting. I don't remember seeing any on the running boards when I disassembled the truck.

Thanks, John.
It seems that they make a set for the 1940 as well!
Your point about squeaking is a good one!

Nick

Today I grabbed the seat out of the back shed, dusted them off and installed them. They're not in bad condition, but I think I want to recover them with some type of fabric. If I remember, these seats can make your butt and back sweat in the summer. Maybe fabric would be much better? I also reinstalled the steering wheel. I need to create a Check List of items to do, so I don't forget. Like: Schedule a friend to stop by and help me bleed the brakes. I've already gravity bled them, but I like to do it the old way too.

Quick story: I ordered some parts from Classic Parts last week. Tuesday I got an email with tracking number and location was in Salt Lake distribution center. Checking Wednesday morning to see if it reached Provo and was out for delivery. Nope - package was scanned at the West Fargo, ND distribution center. WHAT? Sometimes you just have to be patient. I sure hope it gets here this week.

Update: Package shows in Salt Lake yesterday and at the Provo hub today. Fingers crossed they deliver tomorrow.

Great continued progress John. Yes to those covers making for some damp backsides in the sun. A fabric covering will definitely breath better and reduce trapping the sun's heat, but you'll need something more than just basic fabric.

Most of our usual vendors offer replacement vinyl cover kits, but that's not much help for your need. I did find this Raybucks link that shows a wide variety of both full vinyl and tweed/vinyl pre-made cover kits. Click on the STYLE/MATERIAL box to see the different offerings and colors. Many different style and color choices. They are kinda pricey, but unless you have someone handy with making seat covers and access to durable materials, it may be worth the cost so you can DIY the seat recoverings yourself.

Packages taking a roundabout route isn't new. I sent something to my son-in-law in Juneau from Eagle River (near Anchorage). It went to Seattle (which wasn't unexpected, then wound up in Massachusetts on the day it still said it would be delivered. I was wondering if they were going to hand it to an F15 pilot and tell him to get smoking that last 3000 or so miles to deliver it. LOL!

Yes, vinyl seats are hot and give you that clammy backside when it's hot (don't have that issue up here.) A custom upholstery out of fabric would be nice where you are John, but as Dan said it can be expensive.

Your seat looks great. Get one of those beaded seat covers for it if you don't want to stick to the vinyl.

I don't think so unless I plan to start driving a taxi cab! 😀

John - If your looking for a less expensive solution, something like this small bench seat cover (screenshot below) might be worth checking out. I've been running something similar on my tired old '51's seat for years. Looks like it would fit with your trucks appearance and protect your back and nether regions.

At $70 the price is pretty reasonable. Thanks Dan!

Be aware that it will probably require a little bit of modification in order to stay put. The elastic bands that snug it up around the bottom and sides isn't what it used to be.

I had my mom add some heavier duty "tie downs" to the seat back and bottom on mine. The strings that come attached to mine were pretty lame.

I thought all my "greasy" jobs were done. I'm doing some Nuttin' and Boltin' trying to touch most of the nuts and bolts since the start of this project. Found a few that I was able to snug up a little. While under the oil pan I noticed the bottom cover under the flywheel was missing. I found it and yes, it was covered in dried grease. So, I got that cleaned up yesterday and I'll get it installed today. I verified the hose clamps were snug and closed the petcock at the bottom of the radiator. After adding a little water, I turned the petcock the other direction to actually close it. Then, I added a gallon of coolant and will check to see if anything is leaking before adding more.

Have you already started your engine? I don't remember.

I'm installing a newly rebuilt inline six in Little Red next weekend but I'm going to fill it with water. If there are any leaks or other problems, I won't have wasted $12/gal coolant.

Once it's all proved to be hunky dory, I'll drain it and refill it with proper coolant.

Yes - I got it started last April and ran it for a few seconds. LINK

Decided to add a rear view mirror in the cab and ordered one from The Filling Station. Drilled some holes in the header rail and trim piece. I didn't want to use the sheet metal screws that came with the mirror, so I replaced them with 10-32 machine screws and tapped the holes. I tried to mount the mirror post leaning towards the windshield, but I wasn't able to adjust the mirror high enough to see out the back window. Reversing it solved the problem. Now I'm thinking about a sun visor - at least for the driver's side.

Looks great John. Still out of forehead bumping range - hahaha!

I agree! Love that you tapped the holes!

Thanks guys!

Thought I was done with the wiring, but Kevin (klhansen) in Alaska sent me some park/turn signal sockets for my front head light buckets. They hold an 1157 bulb, but they were too tall and the glass lens wouldn't sit down. I was able to find some 1157 small globe bulbs online and they fit under the lens. So, I'll be wiring these lights for a park light and turn signals. The sockets were a tight fit, but I added a drop of Super Glue to help hold them in place. I'll see if the works. Thanks Kevin!

Those parking lights are awfully small. Hope the bulbs are bright enough to do the job.

That was my question and plan A was to add some turn signal lights down near the bumper. These front park lights go off when you turn on the headlights, so not on when using the turn signals. One filament is about 5 watts and the other for turn signals is 21 watts. I'll see how they perform after getting the truck back on the road. If needed, I can revert to plan A.

Looks like a great solution, John. I see that you did need to relieve the hole for those tabs in the insulator to get by.I think I would have trimmed the tabs, but your solution looks like it'll work fine.

Rich, small doesn't necessarily mean "not bright". It depends on the wattage of the filaments which is the same as a standard 1157 bulb. And the pics that John posted sure show they'll be plenty bright.

I think that is going to work well John. They sure look bright to me

And you can still stick your arm out the window in addition to the light and signal the old fashioned way. It's worked fine for me in regular driving in rush hour Atlanta for the last 5 years