The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk v8 or straight 6?

the other day I was asked if my '57 3100 had originally run a V8 (it's currently a straight 6). the guy referred to the hood emblem- see below link
http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/BagdadChevy/DSC03631.jpg
I looked into it some (through catalog sites) and found that there were different emblems for '56 based on engine, but I only see the one hood emblem (called a V8 hood emblem) available for the '57's.
I'm pretty darn sure this 6 cyl is the original with the truck- can anyone confirm?

If you can post a VIN number for this truck then someone can tell you if it came with a V8 or 6, also can tell you where it was manufactured at. The hood and emblem are correct for a V8 1957 model. Look thru the stovebolt gallery for examples of '57 trucks.

James

It's possible a bodyshop installed a used hood that had the V8 badge and never noticed? Lots of changes have been made to these old truck over the last 50 plus years. Some the changes are 50 years old and just look original!

that emblem is indeed for a V8 equipped truck - if it was originally a V8 it would also have "V"s on the doors right behind the fender spear, and there would be brackets riveted on the back of the front cross member where the 265/283 front mounting pegs sat, those brackets would not be there on a 235 equipped truck or would be bolted on if the truck had been changed to a V8 - also the V8 truck vins started with a V, as in V3A57xxxxx for your 57 3100

the fact that only the V8 emblem is reproduced means nothing other than that's what sells

Bill

hmm... well the vin # has no V in the beginning. Thanks for clearing that up for me Bill- must be like Yakima said-
James what part of the vin will tells me where it was made?

3A57[next letter indicates assembly plant]:
A=Atlanta
B=Baltimore
F=Flint
J=Janesville
K=KansasCity
L=LosAngeles
N=Norwood
O=Oakland
S=StLouis
T=Tarryton
W=WillowRun

although some of those didn't assemble complete vehicles
after the plant letter, there will be 6 digits which is the sequence [ID] number of the specific vehicle, all plants starting at 100001 the TF years
Bill

Wow- this is great- Thanks Bill-
so my truck was assembled in LA and was the 409th truck off the assembly line, according to what you're telling me? Amazing!
One last very novice question- would the emblem for the V8 have fit on the hood of the 6cyl? I'm trying to figure out if the whole hood was replaced or just the emblem. I'm also trying to figure out if I can replace the V8 emblem with the 6cyl emblem (should I ever locate one) as I'm trying to keep the truck as original as possible.
Again- thanks so much for all your help!
Be sure to check out the video of her coming back to life after 25 yrs: http://s858.photobucket.com/albums/ab145/BagdadChevy/?action=view&current=DSC_0014.mp4

Traeger

if your id number is 100410, yes, and that would include all trucks, not just 1/2T's ... also yes, the plain and V emblems use the same mounting holes - either the hood or emblem may have been replaced over the years, the plain emblem shouldn't be hard to find as the 6 was the standard and many more of them were sold ... try an ad in the parts wanted forum, prolly someone right near you with one spare

getting it going - make note totally quiet 235s mean valves too tight, needs some of that noise

Bill

A six cylinder will not fit in a '57 that originally had a V8. The radiator is mounted further aft on a V8 truck. The radiator support is attached to the frame. The location of the brackets on the frame is different on V8 and 6 trucks.

A new radiator support may be located in the 6 position but the original support will have to be cut and the mounts still bolted to the V8 brackets because this is what holds the front sheet metal to the frame.

Also changing emblems will not make your truck "original". Original is how it came from the factory. When any parts are replaced it is no longer original. It is highly doubtful your truck still has the original tires, brakes, shocks, etc.

I'm keeping the 6cyl that was originally in the truck- the vin shows it was not a V8. The hood or hood emblem must have been changed at some point. Thanks for straightening me out on what's "original", Cletis. I still like the idea of finding an emblem that represents what the truck actually is/was.
Since we're talking emblems, were all '57 emblems stainless with red paint background? Mine (especially front fender) appear to be white- but maybe the red just faded?

the emblems aren't stainless, Traeger, they're chromed pot metal, and yes a red background in 57, but that painted area doesn't hold up to long use, especially as red gets sun bleached easily - or it may have been repainted

Bill

Thanks, again, for straightening me out Bill. You guys are gonna find I need a lot of that- But hiding my ignorance isn't gonna get this truck looking good and on the road any faster. So I'm throwing it out there, my ignorance that is, for you to straighten out. Chromed pot metal, paint was red. Got it.

This is the best site for the REAL information on Chevy/GMC trucks. You'll also find that all of us have something left to learn.

One more clue, check the number stamped into the block next to the distributor, could also be the VIN #.