The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Slow Progress

Grill and Bumper on

Over the fourth I installed my grill, and bumper, I am not going very fast on this project, but, it is drivable and licensed as you can see.

The grill was kind of a problem, the splash bars came from a grill off a 1-1/2 ton truck, disassembly two grills to make one was quite the job. That and the truck is bent a little, so it was pretty tough putting this grill in and getting everything to line up. But its just an old truck.

Birge

Hey, It's progress. Looking good.
Cleon

It seems like a lot more "fun" when you take your time.

LOLOL...It ain't "just an old truck"...It is a Stovebolt. Lookin' good.

Thru

Thanks Guys, my hopes are just to get it all to rattle can primer, in lieu of the multi colored scheme I have going on, and your right it is fun, not really a bad way to spend a weekend.

Also On Sunday I figured it runs about 45 top speed, I think the speedo could be off too, but at around 45 on the speedo she seemed to be running at pretty high rpm by sound, no tach yet. Make me wonder if it has the lower factory gears in it.

Thanks for the kind words guys

Birge

Fair guess it does, Birge. My '51 was near topped out at 45, and 50 was not sustainable with the original 5.14 ratio. In those days I had 7.50 17" tires, and a 35 - 40 mph cruise was where the truck was happiest. I was always in top gear. Now I have 235/80R16's and a 4.11 diff, and life is about 30 times easier on the road. I still have the SM420 backing up the old 216 and I might never get an overdrive, unless I get to long-distance driving the auld girl when I retire. She'll do a steady 60 mph without difficulty if I want her to, and after 30 years of driving transports for money, that is plenty fast enough for me.

Thats just about right Hotshoe, it seems really happy cruising town 35 -40, I have stock 15" Bias Ply 15 x7

Its just low gears, the Ole SM420, I never use first unless I just want to crawl, it would be good if I was pulling a hay wagon though and loading bales. The heaviest load I have put on her so far is a bobcat load of mulch, i really couldn't tell it was there, not real heavy though. Soon I am going to get a load of gravel and create her a nice side driveway. Anyway I am getting off topic a bit so I better shut it down.

Thanks
Birge

No, you're not, Birge. This is about what our trucks'll do, and how. Your 15" tires probably give you the same engine revolutions per mile, hence the same engine speed at a given road speed, as did my bigger tires with my lower gears. If you were to go to the same size rubber I have now(or had then; the difference in tread height is about 1") I think you'd be happiest at 50 mph, and able to sustain 55. And that is enough, really. My 4.10 set me back about $1600 all in, but I needed it worse than you do with your 4.56, I think.

I'll tell you this as well: I put 3,000 lbs of timber in the box when I had the old gears, and that made her happy at 50 mph: she just didn't like freewheeling that fast, running empty. I don't know what speed the engine was turning, but the more she is loaded, the happier she'll be at high RPM's.

it is fun seeing progress,slow or otherwise...............dave