The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Greenhorn takes on project.

Hey Everyone,
I'm sort of new to the 'bolt era, but am really interested to learn. I say that, because I just bought a '56 1/2 ton truck. It's a project truck, and I wanna complete it. But, I am a greenhorn to say the least. And this truck needs a little bit of everything. The body's good, and the frame is solid, but it needs, an engine, a transmission, and probably a complete rewiring. It'll need a paint job, and the window runners replaced, and not to mention redoing the wheel hubs and the brake lines. A big undertaking, but I got time, and patience. My first real question is. . .Where do I start? And does anyone have any advice, for any of this?
Thanks.

Welcome to the Bolt. Many ways to go on this and many will chime in shortly, I'm sure. The big question is What do you want? Bone stock, frame off restoration, or rat rod or somewhere in between? Once you have the vision, then you can progress.
Will it move under its own power? If so and you want to use it a little, brakes are on top of the list.
But, What do you want it to be?

Mark

At one time we were all greenhorns.Just get a plan and stick with it.90% of building an old truck is nut and bolt work.Not really that hard when you think about it.

You can say that again!
Use this and any other forums you can find to get advise. Lots of people willing to help! Join a local car club if possible.Go to shows and ask questions. Most car guys are most willing to tell you how they did a particular task!

Welcome to the bolt. I can say from experience that to get a project finished, you need to commit to doing something everyday – even if it’s checking to see that’s its still on the jack stands. You’d be surprised how true the adage “out of sight, out of mind” is. Also share your progress with others, it will keep you motivated. Make sure you post plenty of pictures; everyone loves to see what others are doing and get ideas from them. And don’t be afraid to ask a question, there are a lot of great minds and experience on this site.

John


http://s783.photobucket.com/albums/...%20pickup%20project/?albumview=slideshow

http://s783.photobucket.com/albums/...%20Pickup%20project/?albumview=slideshow

Thanks folks. I feel like I'm up to the challenge, it's just actually doing it, I suppose. I dont' mind putting in screws, or turning bolts, and I'm looking forward to all that. I got a nice little 327, and a 3 speed transmission to stick into my truck, I'm just wondering if I need to rewire the thing, due to the 327 being a V8, instead of a Straight 6. Again, I'm not sure, but would I need to convert things under the dash to a 12 volt system? The guy I bought it from, said it had a 350 in it, previously, so all that might already be done, but how do I tell? And if it aint' done, how do I go about it? And as I said, I'm learning the whole thing from scratch here, so where's a decent place to find that sort of information? I know some folks have posted about doing this sort of think in the Electricals section on here, but I still need a basic primer.

There's a book called "How to Restore your Chevrolet Pickup" by Tom Brownell that was very helpful to me when I started. There are other good resources too but I recommend starting with this one. It separates the process into different categories like engine, body work, painting, etc. I've had mine for 5 or 6 years but I still go back to scan through it from time to time. Since you have a '56, another good book that's specific to the taskforce trucks is "The Classic Chevy Truck Handbook : How to Rod, Rebuild, Restore, Repair and Upgrade Classic Chevy Trucks, 1955-1960.
I don't know why they say 55-60 since the 1960 model is a completely different animal than the 55-59 and is not even mentioned in the book but I still like the book.

John, you got two Good lookin trucks. What year model is the first one? And is that a 65? My brother has a 65 that he's working on, and loves it. But his truck, (like mine will be) is like Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time."

Good luck on your project. Plenty of good advice above and also plenty of knowledge and experience on this forum.

I should think your truck would already be 12 volt.
Some of the best advice has already been given--read everything you can and learn as much as you can before diving in too deep. I don't know the extent of your mechanical abilities-mine are rather limited-but it helps to have as much background information as possible before tearing into anything. If you're willing to learn as you go, then go for it!
It also sometimes helps to do little things first, one at a time. That way you can keep driving it in between, which helps keep your enthusiasm up. A lot of projects never get finished because they get torn all apart, and then the owner gets discouraged and loses interest.

A factory shop manuel, assembly manuel, and maybe even a Motor's manual will be very helpful. All can be found on the internet.

Welcome, Stoveboltzouave,

I'm just across the line in NC. I have a 55 2nd. A note on the electrical:

I started with brakes first. Then I started by getting the tail lights and brake lights to work. In the end, I ended up rewiring everything because all the insulation was rotten and the wiring had been cobbled up over the years. In hindsight (always 20/20), getting a wiring harness from one of the stovebolt suppliers would have been much easier. Everything would have been labeled and color coded. Your truck is already 12 volts.

Good luck,
Hugh

My advice is to get the mechanical stuff sound first, then worry about making it pretty. Of course, I like to drive them, not a show or 'restoration' kind of guy!