The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Weight of a 1951 1-ton

Hi all - I just bought an original Chev 1951 1-ton and will be picking it up with a trailer to haul home. I have been trying to find out its' empty weight but no luck with the searches either here or on the 'net. I'm hoping that the truck I have (a 1996 Chev 1500 2wd with a Class III hitch and trailer tow package) is up to the job, so that I can avoid imposing on friends with bigger trucks for the 1,100 mile round-trip across the Canadian prairie. I had assumed the 1951 would weigh about 3,100 pounds, but that may be too optimistic. Does anyone have this info at hand?

Thanks,

Mark

Yes. Mine, a 3804(1-ton pickup, single wheels) weighed between 4100 and 4300 lbs. in its original state. You could do it with the right trailer, but pay close attention to tire pressures, brakes etc.

p.s., You're in the right place. Welcome!

One thing you could do is if you need to go buy landscaping rocks, take your truck. They'll get the tare weight of the truck first and then weigh it after you load up; then you know how much the truck weighs. Don't forget to remove your body weight from the figure.

Weight for a 1951 3804 pickup is listed at 3930 pounds in the
Stanard Catalog of Chevrolet Trucks.

Thank you for the information, she's a little heavier than I expected.

I look forward to getting it home, assessing what needs doing, and taking advantage of the good advice I've seen left behind by all the members here.

Cheers,

Mark

My 52 3800 pickup sits on the scale at 4,400 lb with me in it.

If the drive is flat, you have trailer brakes working, and don't try to go fast the you should be OK.

Someone is always hauling something huge with a small truck, but that does not make it a good idea.
I have hauled mine several times, always with a 3/4 ton or larger truck. I tend to think that you may or may not have just enough truck to pull it, it's close. If the trip were not so long you would be fine, but that's a long way to go to have problems because you did not bring a big enough truck. Or even if you do get home your "tow" truck may may find an excuse hang out in the shop for a while...

Grigg

Grigg makes an excellent point. And be sure to read Barry Weeks' article on trailering in the Tech Tips section (Go to the menu bar at the top of the page and click on "Tech Tips"

Or you could just click here

I agree that towing that truck that far with a 1/2-ton is *not* adviseable. IF you do elect to try it (which, again, is not my recommendation), at least use a tandem axle trailer with electric brakes on both axles.

And welcome to the 'Bolt and to the old Truck Hobby. Be safe, be smart and enjoy yourself! And never hesitate to ask lots of questions!

Regards,
John Milliman

Carry oil in your vehicle if it is working that hard you will use some oil even if it never did before. Expect mileage to drop at some points nearly in half. And go 65 at most and you will do fine. You have if I read your post right 550 miles roughly of hauling and 550 miles of cruising. If your vehicle has high miles I might be hesitant but if isn't go for. Just take it easy. I pull a 3500 pound sailboat with a similar sized vehicle a couple of times a year not quite that distant but still a haul and it does fine. Also remember when slowing down I recomend on top of electic brakes to downshift it will save the brakes.

Regardless have fun and enjoy the new truck.

Thanks for your advice on this upcoming haul. The 1996 Chev is in very good condition, with a 350 and a 7,500 pound towing capacity. I will be using a tandem axle trailer with electric brakes on both axles. I'll be making the trip from Calgary to Regina and back on the weekend of December 15th (weather permitting) so no worries about the transmission over-heating, and it's fairly flat terrain for the whole trip. I've read the article on hauling and it was very helpful. I won't be pressed for time to get home so I won't be doing more than 60 on the return trip. The 1951 is a one-owner truck that has been in a farming family from day one, when I get her home I can post a couple of pictures.

Mark

Grendel: Welcome to the "Bolt". Drop a line when you get home. I am sure a lot of us will be interested in how the trip went. Have fun and be safe. Congrats on your find.

Not knowing anything about who owns the trailer, if it’s a loner from a friend you might want to knock off the dust caps and make sure there is fresh grease on the wheel bearings. There is nothing worse than losing a bearing/hub and on the side of the road. Better to be safe than sorry.

I've done that, lost a wheel while towing. Ended up coming home with a three wheeled trailer and about 90 psi in one tire to get it to stand up, not much fun...
Could have probably been avoided if I repacked all the wheel bearings more frequently.

Grigg

Hi again - Well I collected the 1951 1-ton last weekend (610 miles out Saturday, loaded it on the trailer and drove back Sunday). The body is in great shape - various minor dings due to being a farm truck, but virtualy rust-free. One surprise was finding out that there's a hoist for the box (I've got a dump truck!). The worst part is the color. About 20+ years ago it was painted brown. I would like to say it looks like it was dipped in milk chocolate, but that wouldn't quite be the truth. I'll post a couple of photos. If there's an award for "Most Off-Putting Paint Job" I think it's a shoe-in. I expect the darn thing's going to be covered in blackflies come summer.

Here is a link to an album (17 pictures) of the 1951 1 ton I hauled home a couple of weeks ago from Scratchy-bum (that's 'Saskatchewan' to our southerly friends). I hope the link thing works, I couldn't find a linking option for Photobucket that didn't require at a minimum a thumbnail picture.

After posting this message I found that only the one picture was 'shared' and that I didn't make a link to the album.

[IMG]http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/Braggck1/1951%20Chev%201%20ton/th_IMG_1776.jpg[/IMG]

I was re-reading the recent thread on heaters and unfortunately my underdash heater (picture # 16) doesn't look like a standard Chev model, either the deluxe or the recirculating variety.

Cheers,
Mark

I am so green with envy that you found a 1 ton, single axle, dump bed, body in good shape, AD truck.

This truck picture has just won my award to be placed as my computers desk top image for the next month.

CONGRATULATION!!!!!!

Thanks very much! I told a couple of my friends that I'd bought an old truck with a dump box and the reply was a scornful "What are you going to do with a dump truck??" The next several seconds was like an old clip of Moe tuning up Larry and Curly.

I don't know if the photobucket link will work, but here's what they claim is a link to the album with the rest of the truck pictures. I'm not very good with internet stuff, but perhaps by trimming some of what looks like excess off either end of the url it may get you to the album.

<a href="http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/Braggck1/1951%20Chev%201%20ton/?action=view&current=IMG_1767.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/Braggck1/1951%20Chev%201%20ton/IMG_1767.jpg" border="0" alt="engine bay left"></a>

The truck spent it's whole life shedded on a grain farm in SE Saskatchewan, and it was used on a decling basis until about the mid-80's. Then one of the family members did a cosmetic restoration, knocking out some dents and repainting it. That fellow then died in an accident, about 20 years ago, and the truck was put back in the shed until recently when the current family members decided to sell the farm. In that interval mice destroyed the seat upholstery and the headliner, but other than that it's in remarkable shape. For grain hauling they put a sheet of 1/8 steel in the box, over the wooden bed floor. From underneath the wood planking is still there, but I haven't lifted the steel yet to see what the top of the planking is like.

Due to the condition of the truck I plan to do only a 'limited' restoration (lots of mechanical stuff, not so much with the cosmetic) to make it safe to drive (interior to original colors and materials, repair the brakes, suspension, and any drivetrain issues, etc., leave it a 6V, and repaint it the original "Commercial Maroon"). I think there's a place for a truck with some time-earned patina.

I'll post a note every now and then as she progresses.

Mark

Yep. Nice truck, very very similar to mine - except for the corner windows, which are making me pea-green with envy. Here's a current(more or less) pic of Epic #2, with next summer's load aboard:[IMG]http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/60/460/2/93/35/2357293350096215731NILUKV_th.jpg[/IMG]
I've had this truck since the middle of '06, and as you can see, the work is in progress. My end plan is about the same as yours. PM me if you have any questions about what I've done, why and how.

p.s., your link didn't work. I don't know why, but someone on here does.

Hmm, let's try this for a link (I just copied the url from the top of the photobucket page, instead of doing what they said to do). The worst that can happen now is someone posts dirty truck pictures to my album.

http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj191/Braggck1/1951%20Chev%201%20ton/

Hotshoe, I'm likely going to be asking you for advice on a regular basis.

Mark

What a lovely machine! Where was this pic taken? Looks more like Bragg Creek than Regina. The apparent condition of your acquisition bears out my belief that Saskatchewan might be the world's best place to go looking for an old truck. Have you driven it yet? That looks like road dirt in one of those pix. When I got mine, it had its original differential ratio; 5.14, which rendered a comfortable cruise of about 35 mph, a fast cruise of 40 - 45 and was nearly flat out at 50mph. I like 50mph, but not with the engine screaming like that. It was okay at 50 with this load on it, [IMG]http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/59/159/2/44/83/2992244830096215731VRvwTI_th.jpg[/IMG] because the engine was working, but fuel economy was abysmal. I never thought to gauge it, but I think that since I've changed out the differential it has increased by nearly 50%. I now have a 4.10 diff, and the truck is now a reasonable candidate for a road trip, because it can cruise easily at 50 - 60mph. I have been staying close to home since the change, but have driven enough to know that there is no ill effect from the change. She can still pack a monster load, could still (hypothetically) pull a big boat up a ramp, or crawl dead slow over a field of rocks.

Right now it is time to go indulge in an annual event of foolishness on my motorcycle. When I get back I'll talk about tires and wheels.

"AWESOME TRUCK" Grendel, Can't wait to see pictures of it with the dump, in action. These 1 ton pickups, are "Neat". I purchased a '50 GMC 1 ton pickup last year.

Hope you made it in good shape. After towing a 3800 and a 4400 with a 1987 3/4 ton Suburban 6.2 Diesel, I'll never do that again. Electric brakes or not, the tow vehicle was too small.

Okay, I'm back from the motorsickle foolishness. Shaken, stirred a little, and thoroughly chilled.

Tires: Yours look good in the pics, so maybe you won't be doing anything with them for a while. Mine were rotten, so I set about looking for replacements for the original 7.50 - 17". I wanted radials, but what I found was mostly nothing. The only choices were bias ply, at vastly inflated prices. I considered them, but soon enough came to the conclusion that since my truck was to be road iron instead of an occasionally-driven museum piece, I had to go with my instinct as a trucker and upgrade all the way around. What was readily available and not overpriced was 235/80R16 tubeless. Superior in every respect except for originality. I had to change the rims as well, and found used aluminum rims which pleased me for the same reasons. Painted 'em black for effect [IMG]http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/52/452/5/7/74/2835507740096215731EDCLJS_th.jpg[/IMG] and added a bit of chrome to set it all off. What I had then was a smoother, quieter truck which would pack more load with fewer tire failures than I could expect from OE.

Those are some gnarly looking skins you have on your drive axle, Grendel. They look tactical. Are they?

Hey guys - The picture Hotshoe asked about was indeed Bragg Creek, by comparison in Regina when your dog runs away you can still see him running three days later.

And if this truck is any indication of the quality of old trucks from Saskatchewan then it is definitely the place to be snooping around, it seems like a lot of the old farms are changing hands and they are often being consolidated into larger farms, which should mean redundant old trucks needing new homes.

The PO said he started the truck when he listed it for sale, though it hadn't been started for 20 years prior. I wanted to try and start it when I got it home but I was thinking I should remove the gas tank and get it cleaned out, and replace the fuel lines first. My garage is being used by the 'regular' cars until the worst of the winter cold is past, then I will bring the truck inside and see what's what. I've got my fingers crossed that the 20-years-ago work included a rebuild of the front suspension and brakes, but I should just be grateful for the condition of the body.

The tow home was prenty hairy, mainly due to a blizzard and slick road conditions for the first half, and even when the road was good I didn't go over 55 mph. That said, the laden trailer tracked straight as an arrow, and the ride back sure was better than that awful back-and-forth jostling that happened every time the empty trailer hit a bump.

Those back tires really are the business, with the knobbies going right up the sidewall they look like a motocross tire done large, which would be good for that Saskatchewan loam mud. The sidewall says "Goodyear Studded Supergrip, 7.50 - 17, Heavy Duty 8-ply rating". They're pretty cracked so I'll be looking at Hotshoe's approach to wheels and tires.

The motorbike show comes to town this Friday!

Cheers,
Mark

The next time you have a long haul with an empty trailer drop the tire pressure on the trailer to 30- 35 lbs. That will greatly reduce the bounce and sway. Just don't forget to refill the tires before you load up!!!!

Sounds like you had it loaded right for tongue weight. Did you read the posts here on trailering, or are you some kind of professional?

When I first got my truck, there were plenty of fuel crud issues to work out; it, too, hadn't been driven for a decade or more. I didn't want to go all nuts replacing stuff, so what I eventually worked out is this: a sediment bowl just under the fuel tank (downstream from a big shutoff valve) catches all the coarse particles, and a glass in-line filter(generic, readily available, clamps into a rubber line) close to the carburetor catches the fine stuff. By looking at the glass I can tell when to take things apart to clean them, and in that way I've managed to clear the crud from the fuel system. Now I just keep her full of fuel to keep rust from accumulating. Of course, this forces me to drive the truck occasionally - even when it has no work to do - just to keep the fuel from going stale(that is what I tell my wife).

Had the same worries about the fuel system with both the 3800 and 4400. Things didn't turn out to be so bad. The 4400 hadn't been started for 12 years, so I was very suspicious.

The first thing I checked was that none of the fuel line connections leaked, so I just poured a gallon of gas into the tank and got under the truck with my BIC ;} (NO WAY!)

No leaks, so I disconnected the fuel line at the input to the fuel pump and let the fuel run into a bucket. After it quit dripping, I put another bucket under the fuel line and dumped the first bucket back into the tank.

After three rotations with the old stuff, I started using fresh fuel. One of the things I was looking for was that the same approximate amount of fuel came out as I put in. Maybe I was hoping I would get more out than I put in due to the current price of gasoline.

So the tank and the tubing to the fuel pump appear to be fairly clean since there was no residue in the buckets.

Now I have a clear plastic filter in the tube that feeds the carburetor. Remember to keep the carburetor end of these filters as far above the fuel pump end as possible, because the gasoline will float on top of the water. If there is a lot of water in your system, the bottom of the filter fills up with it until you're getting water overflowing into the carburetor. That will make your truck run poorly, if at all.

Next step for me is a metal cannister type filter between the tank and the fuel pump. I figure I'll change them about every month for three months, and then once a year after that. The cannister filters have pretty good capacity. When the truck bounces around, it may knock some rust flakes loose from the inside of the tank. I'd rather not have them get into the fuel pump, which has a rubber diaphragm.