The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop What to do where to begin

Hello Im kinda knew to these trucks. Ive got two chevy truck projects. Ones a 1951 chevy 3 window my step dad had started before he past away acouple years ago. Its almost finished it will have a 350 sbc. Already has ifs done and almost all the body work done just needs reassembled and passenger side cowl vent piece welded in. Im building this one for my mom so trying to decide what seats to use old style bench seats or newer bucket bench?

The second one I just picked up this week and is more of a project. Its a 51 5 window. It has a inline 6 and from what Ive gathered from running the numbers its out of a 1956 truck I think. The bed is off of a 60s step side. The cab itself is in ok condition. What Im goin want to do is update the drivetrain to a 327 sbc or a 350 sbc with a 400 turbo hydromatic. Not totally sure on what rearend it has I dont think its original because if Im not mistaken these years used a attached driveshaft and this one has u joints attached to the rearend.

So here are my questions what do I need to do and get to swap the inline 6 for the V8? How do I tell if its been swapped from 6 volt system to 12 volt? and how do I get the seats out? Im not finding the bolts to get the seat out lol.

Can't advise on the motor swap stuff, but a quick way to tell what voltage the truck has been running is to pull a headlight and look at the number on the bulb.

Kurt

on my 49 the seat bottom you push back on the front and lift..seat back has two straps that curl over the frame and are secured by screws...remove these and it lifts off...as far as motor and trans.....what i did,having limited fabrication and welding skills was to go with chassis engineerings bolt in kits.. these guys made everything simple...the trans mount even used the original bolt holes...i also used their bolt in rear suspension kit and rear sway bar...i highly reccomend their stuff...good luck with your projects and welcome to the bolt......dave

Awesome thank you for the good info. That cross member has solved alot of it lol. I pulled the headlight and it looks like its still a 6 volt system.

So how do I go about converting it over to a 12 volt system?

To change to 12V the easy way,

You will need a 12v generator, voltage regulator, and battery and coil. Swap out those parts and change all your bulbs and flasher if you have one to 12 V ones. You may also have to change your gas gauge sender.

If you don't want to use a generator, you can use an alternator, but you will need to make some changes to your wiring harness and it is a bit more complicatedYou might try to contact Roadmarks about how to do that.

A 6 volt starter will work just fine with 12 volts.


Kurt

Kurt

Ask your mama about the seat, bucket or bench.

??? Umm.... That's not very nice!!???!

did you read the first post? if it's gonna be moms truck, she might have some input

Bill

Ive talked to her about the seats before and shes unsure of what she wants for seats. I was outside making a list of what I have and whats needed for the truck as I was dragging it all out of the truck lol. The origanal bench seat in it still has good springs so I might just re upholster them if she dont make up her mind. She does have quite a bit of input in it but there is somethings that Im not gonna tell her so that way its a lil bit of a surprise. Im gonna try and get some pics of both trucks today and post em.

Changing the seats depends on how much work you want to put into it. I say this beacuse if you pull the bench seat you will also have to cut out the seat frame from the floor board to install a differnt kind of seat. I installed a set of leather power/heated bucket seats out of a 99 Acura in my 50 5 window. I believe it was well worth the work. The truck is very comfortable to ride in. And my wife loves it because she can adjust the seat to where she wants it. here is some pics of the truck and the seats installed. I also modified the Acura console to fit between the seats very handy. http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/49647/2363061540107361323S600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/51240/2665630340107361323S600x600Q85.jpg As far as the 12v conversion goes, get a alternator with a internal volt regulator, less clutter on the firewall. And make sure to have real good grounds from the engine to the frame and firewall to the frame. And especially battery to frame ground.

I just put in a split bench seat out of a 99 Dodge Intrepid. I used 1/4" angle and flat bar to install it. I bolted everything to the original seat floor frame. Took me about a day to do it. It fit in my 53 5 wind perfect. I also used the seat belts from the car. Plenty of room to slide it fore or back and for my T5 shifter. Very nice to sit on. On the gas gage, use a 12-6V drop resister on the hot side of the gage when you do the change over, then you won't have to change it. Do a voltage check, 6V head lights will work on 12V, just not for long.