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

John I agree with Paul. Hang in there. We know you got this. Some days don’t go as well as we want. I have a similar horn story coming up. Not that we look for problems but better to get it all fixed now and then you will be cruising soon. Don’t forget to laugh a little along the way, even when things don’t go the way we want. After all these are fun times but challenging at times. I can see a big smile when it runs. More fun coming with a ride of course.

Glen

Thanks Glen! Just fixing one thing at a time. Sometimes I go back and look at my DITY at the beginning and read through all I've completed so far. Lots of work and not all was easy, but I got through it with the help of my Stovebolt friends.

FYI - I posted in the Electrical section for some ideas...

I think I competed my re-wiring. Running the 10 gauge wire from the alternator to the +battery. I also added an inline light on the excite wire - made a little bracket and attached it under the dash. Got the gauges installed and will try to test tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

There is something incredibly rewarding about looking back at your original DITY (Do It Yourself) notes and realizing just how much ground you’ve covered. You’re right—it’s rarely easy, but the progress you’ve made is a testament to your hard work.

That sense of progress is exactly why I am here. My goal in this community is to learn, to mentor, and to support one another through both the successes and the inevitable failures that come with these builds.

I’ve seen firsthand many projects go from complete "basket cases" to near show-quality trucks. I truly believe many of those transformations would never have happened without the collective support and knowledge of this community.

Keep up the great work. We’re all rooting for you and looking forward to seeing the next stage of your journey!

No Bueno on starting. 😥 Looks like I'm troubleshooting today. I know the engine runs since I got it started last April. I'm going to make sure the dizzy is grounded and I'll verify points are set correctly. I pulled a spark plug and it sparks, but barely. At least I think it's barely - doesn't look very strong. I'll report back later.

Here's what I've found out so far. I have a Rochester B carburetor and noticed that when you pump the gas pedal, I don't see or smell any gas going in. I disconnected the linkage and turned the throttle plate linkage by hand. Now I can see some gas squirting. So I believe I need to increase the length of one of the linkage rods or find a way to get another 1/4 inch of movement.

Just going from memory on my 54 .Try taking the bracket off of the pin that is on the engine and turn it around ,my memory is that the rod from the carb goes straight down almost hitting the exhaust manifold were the pipe attaches .The spring also attaches to the hole were your arrow is on the shaft and goes down to the oil pan lip or another metal bracket with a hole that sticks out from the oil pan

Took a few pics but it is hard to get a clear shot .

Here is a better picture from the web

Thanks Kevin. I have a couple different swivel brackets and wondering if I have one like in the last picture. I do have the spring and clip that go to the oil pan and haven't installed them yet.

I went thru your same issue. Your linkage appears to be from the ‘60 235 and apparently not correct for your truck. The bellcrank in Kevin’s photos (correct bell crank for your truck), is different and changes the geometry on how it works.

The ‘59 235 in my ‘52 Chevy, came with the same linkage that you have and like yours, did not work correctly. I ended up buying an original linkage assembly from a fellow ‘bolter to solve the issue. I was able to install that linkage assembly as is due to having a second forward pivot position for the bell crank. In your case, the second position on 235’s was eliminated in 1960.

If you decide to go down this path, you have two choices, shorten the rod from the accelerator or add a second position as shown by a fellow ‘bolter, Pre ‘68 Dave, whom has a incredible, very detailed and informative website that specializes in Stovebolt engines. However, the second choice would require you to remove the exhaust manifold, cleaning up any cast iron generated from the drilling/tapping process, so shortening the rod would be my choice and as proven by Kevin, does work.

You can read about this process here.

Thanks Phil. Yes, I have a 1960 and there is no secondary pivot location. Should have bought a '59! 🙂 I'm going to look at a couple brackets and rods and see if I can make something work better. If I need to drill and tap a new pivot location, I'm not opposed to that.

Phil, You suggested shortening one of the rods. I was a little confused as I need a little bit more travel. Which rod should be shorten? I did shorten the rod that comes from the gas pedal.

Also, thanks for the LINK.

John - I did a little web snooping this morning and came across this picture of a 235 with a bell crank very similar to yours, but installed in a different position. Perhaps worth investigating on your setup? It might entail straightening or lengthening your pedal rod, but would put the vertical carb rod more in line with where it should be and allow for correct placement of the return spring, I think.

Just thinking out loud here.

That is contingent on changing out the correct linkage and bell crank for your truck. The bell crank that Kevin shows (I believe correct for your truck),is different and would originally be installed in the forward pivot position, 2-3” forward of your existing pivot. That position places the bell crank almost behind the outlet of the exhaust manifold. With you using the existing position (and the only position on your ‘60 235), it would necessitate shortening the rod going to the accelerator.

The first photo shows the bellcrank as I found it on my ‘59 235 installed in my ‘52 3100.

The second photo (my truck) shows a ‘52 216 bell crank/linkage mounted in the forward pivot position, which allowed me use the linkage without any modification.

The third photo (found on the internet) shows the correct bell crank/linkage in the rear position similar to Kevin’s. This is not how it was originally mounted but adapted so it works.

That being said, once the engine was changed, your in custom linkage territory, so you’ll just have to play around with it to get it to work. You could always try adding 1/4” to your existing linkage!

Thanks guys! I'd like to get the linkage rod to the carburetor more vertical if possible. I need to find my spare parts and try different combinations this weekend.

Phil, Forgive me, but the bracket that holds the rods and sits on the pivot is called the "bell crank"? That is a new term for me.

No problem, it was new to me five years too!

I think I might have a good combination to get full throttle. I need to straighten the pedal rod by the firewall, but just a little so that it passes through smoother. I'm going to try and use the bell crank by pointing it down and that gives a little better geometry on the vertical rod. If this doesn't work, I have some other mix and match pieces that I can try.

The Bell crank I circled in red (your photo), is the one I used.

Photo two is how mine is attached. Notice the rods are reversed. Not that you have to follow how mine is, but I just wanted to show you that there’s more than one way it can be accomplished. Mix and match your parts before bending and or cutting.

Looks like you are headed in the right direction John. I’m betting on you😎.

I think this setup will work. I ended up heating and bending the pedal rod a few times and finally got it where it wasn't rubbing in the floor board hole. Then I had to bend the thinner part of the rod up a little. I found parts to fit and didn't have to cut anything. I moved the return spring clip on the oil pan forward one bolt hole. Gas pedal and linkage move freely and release 100%, but feel like I probably could use a tighter return spring?

Thanks so much for everyone's help. I'm planning to try and start it up again tomorrow. 🤞

Phil, I tried that bell crank, but from the rear position it was touching the exhaust flange, so I went with the next option.

Looks like you’ve got it. Now we’re looking forward to hearing it run. Great work!

I was thinking this would be the easiest part of my build. I started the engine last April to test it, but now I'm having no luck. It sounds like it wants to start, but quickly dies. After re-wiring the alternator, the main fuse is no longer blowing when I'm trying to start it. I checked and I do have a spark, but it doesn't seem lively enough (I checked with spark plug grounded to engine and I can see a faint spark when opening the points). 12.4v in front of the ballast resistor and 5.24v after and through the coil down to the distributor. Not sure that's enough juice? I have not removed the distributor since it was started. Maybe I'll get the engine to top dead center and verify the rotor is pointing to #1 spark plug wire. I could also wire around the ballast resistor to see if 12v will make it run?

I'll try some more troubleshooting and report back.

Does it die as soon as you let off the starter? That would be an indication that you don’t have enough voltage to the coil.

Yes - That's what it seems like. Last year when I did a test start, I didn't use a ballast resistor because I was only going to run it for 10-20 seconds. So the coil was getting the full 12v I guess. I've read other threads where they say you need 7v to 9v after the ballast resistor.

Note: the discussion on John's ballast resistor problem has been moved to the Electrical Bay HERE. Please reply there if you have input on that particular problem. Keeps the DITY thread a little cleaner and makes the discussion easier to find if someone is having a similar problem.

OK - The no start mystery has been solved. It came down to swapping out the distributor condenser. I probably shorted out the condenser early in the starting process when a fuse kept blowing up. I did some rewiring and replaced the condenser today. Here's a video of the engine finally starting. LINK

Thanks to everyone for help, suggestions and encouragement. The Stovebolt Team rules!

Congratulations John! I knew you would get to the bottom of this. Almost time for a test drive.

OK, good. I thought the ballast resistor was a red herring.

Otto has pointed out many, many times, the current supply of condensers made in China fail before you get them out of the box. Most of the rest, shortly after.

Thank God, Jon G is part of this community and had solved this issue for us!

Yes! Now I need to order a spare!

Thanks Paul! Now I'll get the doors and hood installed. Going to read up on "break in" procedures for the engine and the new gears in the rear axle.

Nice to have that behind you good job 👍

Started some "break-in" steps today. Hoses get warm, but temp gauge is not moving. I have 3-4 gallons of fuel, but the gas gauge doesn't look like it's working. Ammeter does not move when turning lights on and off. Oil pressure looks good at almost 30 lbs. Well, looks like I got some troubleshooting to do. One note - I haven't started the engine since last Thursday (first start up) and it fired up on the second try and I didn't see any leaks on the floor. I feel good about that.

Gas gauge: With key on, use a screwdriver (or a short piece of wire) to short the center screw on the sending unit to ground. Gas gauge should read empty.
Now take the wire off of the sending unit. Gauge should read full. What does yours do?

Ammeter: One side should have only the battery wire coming from the stomp starter switch and the power wire to the horn. The other side should have all others. With the key off turn on the headlights. If the ammeter shows a charge swap all wires from one post to the other on the ammeter.

No leaks on the floor: Are you sure there is oil in the engine?

In case you don't have a wiring diagram CLICK HERE.

Ha! Yes - I verified engine oil last week before first start up. But now - I better go check it AGAIN!

Thanks Bill. Going out to test this morning...