The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre 1953 Chevy 3100 (Northern Minnesota)

Greetings!
I’m from Northern Minnesota and am still getting my feet wet in the digital world. I have a 1953 Chevy 3100 that I got at an auction in the 80’s for $100. My twin brother has a 1950 GMC 1 ton he got from a family member in the 80’s as well. I managed to blow up the engine on the ‘50 back in the 90’s and used the engine from the 53 to keep her alive. The GMC has been our work truck for decades now. It hauls wood and plows our driveways.
I am currently working on an engine I got for the 53 in a trade.
It’s a 292 from 1986. I hope to learn more than I lurk here😋

You'll learn a lot here, including that a 292 won't just drop into the '53.

Go to the HiPo Shop in the Shop Area and ask the Hot Rodders about it.

Thanks Otto!
I understand I’ll need to reconfigure the motor mounts and the rear end in order to fit everything up. Also, I’d like to keep the three on the tree.
Right now I’m just digging in to that motor with stuck rings…Patience patience patience…
A lot of friendly people here with more knowledge than I’d ever find in a library👍🏼

I think the passenger side mount is the one you’ll need to re-locate.The driver’s side stays where it is. There is also no front mount for the 292, so you can scale the one from your (235?) across the yard.

Oh, and welcome aboard. Has anyone mentioned how much we like pictures. We especially like pictures of old trucks, so…..

Thanks Paul
The ‘53 is under cover in the yard. I plan to move it into the garage next week when the temps may get above freezing. It’s been years waiting for a spot in the shop!
That will give me a chance to gather all the parts in a controlled environment-away from the spruce and oak trees.
Pictures will follow for sure!

Welcome to the ‘bolt. We do love pictures.
As questions come up, please ask them in the appropriate forum.

I’ll have pictures soon. The 53 is behind a snowbank right now but the 50 GMC has been helping plow the snow we just got.

Whereabouts in Northern MN are you? Some of those areas really got pounded with snow this week!

We’re just south of Grand Rapids. We got 6 inches, 30 miles north of us got 12 inches and the North Shore of Superior got over 3 feet! The GMC does better with six!

Nice pics. 👍 John

Welcome to the Bolt Tinker!

Those are some very nice pics of your GMC. Definitely candidates for posting in Who uses their truck as a truck? thread.

Looking forward to seeing and hearing more on both of your trucks as you can post them.

I like the old work horse pushing a plow blade. Fun picture.

I found a 216 from a 1950 Chevy Styleline. I’m pretty sure it’s a close match, a lot close than a 1986 292!

Looks like a nice truck looks like you are close to the Canadian boarder nice area in the summer to cruise in the truck

I got my 53 in a garage for the first time in 35 years. I may have waited too long. The frame shows serious issues and I should probably find a new frame or think about mounting this body on an updated frame. I would appreciate any advice. I don’t want to give up, but I also don’t want to build an unsafe truck;

The easiest and fastest thing, in my opinion, would be to find a frame from another AD truck. That's a whole lot less work than trying to configure a modern frame to fit your old body and vice versa.

Anyway, there are people on this forum who have mounted an AD body on S10 chassis , etc. There are probably a few AD frames laying around that you could use.

Go look in the parts for sale section and see if any are for sale or free. Also, post in the Parts Wanted section for a '50 - '55.1 frame. (I say '50 because it has hydraulic shocks instead of lever action shocks but a '47-'49 would probably work, too)

Wow, that frame is toast! What I'm wondering is how much is left of the cab floor if the frame is that bad. I agree with Otto that an AD frame would be the easiest route to replace that frame.

Frames come up for sale every once in a while. A donor truck might be the best way to go. John

Wow! Thanks for so much help so fast! The bottom of the cab is in pretty tough shape as well. I figured there would be extensive fabrication there.
I’ll post on the parts wanted and keep my options open!

DO YA THINK??

I didn't notice the first time I looked at your pics, but this one sure shows some significant damage to the back of the cab. Looks like someone has tried bondoing the cab corner. Hope that things are still connected enough that the cab dimensions are still right.

Yep, rust has had its way with your truck. Like I already mentioned, a donor truck is your best option. Trucks without titles often sell for less. John

I don’t want to throw cold water on your hopes and dreams, but you may be chasing your tail on this one. With the frame and back of the cab that far chowdered with rust, the rest of the underpinnings are likely the same.
It might be a good financial move, and be more satisfying to look around for an AD driver that is in decent shape, that you can futz around with and enjoy while you’re doing it. This is just my opinion, and everybody has one. I’ve chased that rabbit myself, and have then gotten so far down the hole it’s hard (impossible) to recover.

Tinker - You may be in luck for a donor truck. Here's a FB ad for a 1951 Chevy 3100 5-window in Blunt, SD. Thats about an 8 hour drive one way from what I can tell. Pictures look like the frame is pretty straight and still intact and the cab looks miles ahead of yours in condition! The original ad price of $3k has been reduced to just $1,500. I think it would be a good opportunity for your truck resurrection if you can handle the road trip.

Thanks for the tip. I did have a serious reality check there. Plans change and a roadtrip is part of the joy of being retired. My five year plan is still in place, it just might be a new plan!

Just curious- the FB post calls that truck a 1951 C-10. I thought there was no such thing. Is that just a 3100?

You're right. People just add things like that so it will come up in more searches.

I've seen ads where people are selling a Cadillac Eldorado but the listing says Cadillac Lincoln Eldorado Imperial. or some such.

I guess they figure somebody looking for a specific vehicle like a C-10, might see the AD truck ad and change his mind about what to buy.

I found a 51 that might work as a donor vehicle. The seller says it is a 1/2 ton but I’m not familiar with this model. This is from a FB post. Any ideas?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1430078908662897/

Looks like a half ton but it is older than 51. No side windows ,firewall no H .

Looks solid. I believe it has 6 lug wheels which would indicate it’s a half ton. Wing windows were standard in ‘51, so it is a ‘50 or earlier. I think the doors are interchangeable with your ‘53 if you would want to retain them. John

I'm thinking that Kansas truck is a 47, 48 or 49, not a '51. It has the fuse box for 5 fuses. 50 and later has only 2 fuses. And it has the side cowl vent and under bed gas tank (47-48?) I also think it might be a 3/4 ton, as I see what looks like a split rim on the right rear, which wouldn't be on a 1/2 ton. But the cab and front clip sheet metal look in good shape. And it has a rear axle, so can roll, as opposed to the one that Dan found, which has a 5 window cab.

I don't think it's a '50 as the firewall is different, so '47-'49. That means it will have knee action shocks.

The one Dan found in South Dakota will have tube shocks which will be a lot less work when swapping things around. No need to weld on new mounts for tubes.

I tried to reach out to the folks in South Dakota. No answer yet…
Thanks for the wealth of information. Might take a while but I plan to keep a diary & post pictures.

Tinker - Not to muddy the waters or anything, but here's another option that just got posted a couple of hours ago in FBM. 1947-1951 Chevy AD truck-3100 - $2500 or best offer.

The pictures in the original ad show what appears to be a '51 3100 chassis, cab, bed and related parts, with bonus stuff that you won't need like the '47 GMC front clip that could be rehomed to put some $ back in your pocket. Being that it's located in Amboy, MN (down by the MN southern border with Iowa), that's a whole lot closer to you too.

The asking price is more than the other ads, but the OBO could leave you some wiggle room and the extra parts can also help put funds back into the project kitty.

That Minnesota truck is a decent deal with all the extra parts. Looks like he's been collecting for a while.