The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1947 Australian 3/4 Ton Truck Questions

Hi All, (sorry about the long post)

Just picked up an 1947 Australian Built 3/4 Ton truck on the weekend and now I have lots of questions for people who know these beautiful old trucks.

She is still very original with the previous owner restoring it about 17 years ago. You can see photos at http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4652675372

I want to use her as my daily driver, so I was thinking of a few changes to make her a little more driver friendly and this is where I need advice from you guys. The brakes are very scary at the moment, so I was thinking of changing over to disk brakes, the thing is I am struggling to find any info on changing over on this model and no kit's available. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on the changeover, or should I concentrate on getting the drums rebuilt and put a booster in.

The next change that I want to do is change the engine over. I would like to put 350 chev in her with a Turbo 400, has anyone done this or have any suggestions? I have measured the engine bay and a 350 I have in another car and it appears that it will fit without chopping the firewall or engine bay, but I am more than likely wrong. I am not the most mechanically minded but a mate of mine has offered to help and he will be able to fabricate engine brackets etc.

One advantage you guys have over in the states and Canada is the abundance of parts and reproductions bits and pieces, over here is Oz there is very little for pre AD trucks.

Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated.

Cheers,
Richard

you won't find much for 3/4T trucks - 1/2T disc kit - I'd look for a hydrovac and go thru the brakes - I had a 1.5T 46 and the stock brakes with the hydrovac unit would paste ya to the windscreen - I also considered putting a V8 in it, but there's enough mods necessary I decided against it - might look at bigger 6's like a 261, even a late 235 [around 1960]

Bill

Thanks for the advice Bill,

After your adive and others I've decided that I will keep the drums and use a booster.

I've had a look around and I can't find any 235's, 261's or 302's.

I've been offered a 308" and Turbo 400 that are in good condition for a great price, so I think this will be the direction I take. That is unless someone tells me that I am opening a can of worms.

Cheers,
Richard

G'day Richard,

Nice truck mate. Might pay to have a wee think about how you will use the truck. If you want it as a daily driver what sort of mileage wil you do? Will it be mainly city driving? I use my 41 half ton as a daily driver. It has original running gear ( apart from 3.55 rear ). Its been converted to 12 volts with decent indicators and hazard flashers etc. The old huck brakes are fairly good when adjusted properly. I intend putting in a dual master cylinder and perhaps a booster over the summer. The little 216 will hamdle everyday use no problem. I see that the truck came with a couple of other engines as spares. Going the v8 route will mean upgrading not only the brakes but probably the front end, driveline, diff, fitting seat belts etc. Just my two cents worth anyway. Fire away if you have any more questions. There's also a tech tip on changing the huck brakes over to the later bendix ones. Plenty of options to think about.

All the best

Bob

I've got the old Hucks on my '46 3/4 ton. They work very well as-is, but, then again, I replaced the entire system (aside from the drums).

As Mozzie said, there is a tech tip for converting to bendix, but personally, I feel that the Hucks are much easier to work on.

Just be careful if you install a hydrovac. If you put one in off of a big truck, you may end up plastered to the windshield.

I'd stay away from a V-8. There are some fairly extensive steering box modifications that are necessary for dropping one in, and you'll have to fabricate motor mounts.

I'd keep the 216. It's a good little engine and if you rebuild it with aluminum pistons and whatnot (there's a recent thread about the details that you can peruse) you and wind it out to 4200 safely. Many of the old racers would use the splash oiling engines in racecars because they were so reliable.

You may want to update the transmission to something with an overdrive on it, if it will be a daily driver. The only problem will be that it won't have the low end torque necessary to get the truly HUGE loads of stuff moving.

Also, see if you can find a pumpkin off of a late fifties/sixties/early seventies 3/4 ton truck. The differential ring/pinion setup were pretty much the same from 1946-1972, and in the sixties and seventies, some 3/4 tons had 3.90:1 and 4.11:1 differentials, as opposed to the 4.55:1 that you currently have. It should be enough to get you to about 100 km/h, versus the 78 km/h that I got out of mine yesterday.

Good luck, and have fun!

Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys.

I am definatley going to keep the standard brakes and add a booster. I figure I've got enough work ahead of me without adding extras that I don't really need.

As far as the engine goes I am still really keen to put the 308 and Turbo 400 in the truck as She will be my daily driver and I do around 500 to 800 kms a week. I'm have a handyman business, so it's a lot of short trips around the northern beaches of Sydney. Because of the amount of Km's I do I also want to run the truck on LPG.

Does anyone know what is involved in the steering box modifications to fit in a v8.

The mate of mine that is going to help with the change over has a full fabrication workshop, so little bits and pieces that need to be made up are not a problem.

Thanks again guys for your info.

Richard