The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1955 235 1st series

Hey guys, new to posting as I am to Stovebolt. I've been searching the Forum for a similar truck as mine, but no such luck!? 235 engine, HD 3 speed on the floor with compound gear. The rear bumper is one I haven't seen on trucks in this Forum. It's big and square-ish I suppose? Real Heavy Duty.Has stater push button on left hand side of dash which I find odd since all others are floor mounted? The Engine number is 063III6f255x. Anyone have some info, I would really appreciate knowing what kind of set-up I have. Thanks!

Welcome to the forum Kato. The original truck engine in your '55 would have the engine no. ending in F55X, so I'm not sure what the extra "2" is for, possibly a remanufactured engine?

The pushbutton starter was only available for trucks equipped with the Hydramatic trans so I'm thinking someone swapped in a SM420 4-speed somewhere along the line.

The rear bumper sounds like an aftermarket item, there were lots of them available over the years. The Barden bumpers were commonly seen on pickups over the years.

Hope this sheds a little light on the situation. Post some pictures when you can - we love pictures!!!

Thanks Waldo53,
Trucks been in the family from way back then. Now it's my turn to wrench on her. Recall it had a spotlight as well. Not there presently, but if I can find one, I will replace it as stock as possible. I am certain it has a 3 speed with a first gear that is made for pulling stumps,extreme low gearing/torque, something of the sort. In the process of overhauling the head, blown head gasket,and trying to make ground on what's what. I will post photos as soon as I figure out how to accomplish that feat! This is a great site and I know I will spend hours researching what to do and how to do it. Thanks again!

If it has a floor shift most likely you have an SM420, which is usually considered a 4-speed, though most drivers rarely use the compound 1st.

Take your coveralls off for a minute and put your pencil holder in your shirt pocket and stroll on down to the IT room. There's some how-to's in there on posting and such and any questions can be answered by the geek squad there.

Feel free to ask any and all questions here as you move ahead with your project!!!!

The F255X was used on 2nd series 1955 Chevrolet truck engines built in Flint, MI.

Tim

OldSub,waldo53,tclederman,
Good info from you all, Thanks! Where there any major changes in regards to the 1st series vs. the 2nd series? I've been ordering parts for the 1st series, so I hope not too many changes were made! The truck is definitely a 1st series, I am guessing original engine had seen better days?

There is a big difference between 1955 1st series and 1955 2nd series. A fun and easy way to see the obvious differences would be to look at the gallery
http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery.htm
I have ordered only a small amount of parts from the company LMC truck but one thing I like about LMC's free parts catalogs is the pictures and the good discription. They show a picture of the part, a discription and a year range the part goes to. There are lots of parts that are different between the 1st and 2nd series but also some are the same.
http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/ca/t.aspx

Unless you can find the person who decided to make the swap your guess is as good as anyone else's.

That truck is 54 years old and most likely a number of parts have been replaced along the way, and many of them with pieces different than what the factory installed in '55.

If you are trying to create an accurate restoration getting all those parts right matters. If you just want a driver, getting a combination that works well together is what counts.

OldSub,Blake51,
Just going for a nice driver. I will attempt to get as much restored as I can, but shoot, it ain't cheap!! Blake, I will scour that website you recommended. Thanks again! Hopefully post some pics soon?

Oil pump and oil pan are different from 55 1st series to 55 second series 235.