The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop need help

guys i need some help. I am fairly new to forum but there is so much info. here anyway, i have a 1952 chevy 1 ton pickup. took the gas tank out and cleaned it up. looks good. only prob, i was filing with water to check and i have 2 pinhole leaks on bottom front. what can i use or do i have to get it welded. don't have a welder. any advice will be appreciated.

Jimbo try checking with a radiator shop ,a good one with a good reputation and see if they can help you. I wouldn't do it myself because if there is baffles in there ,there might be some trapped fumes.

what are baffles

there will be sheet metal 'plates' positioned to keep the gas from sloshing side to side and making the sender float bounce up and down - the way to weld a gas tank is with it filled with water take it to a shop or do a make shift patch with JB Weld until you can buy a new tank

Bill

i heard of alot of prob with new tanks. i will check with a radiator guy

"IF" they are just pinholes, go to O'Reilly auto and get a can of redkote....follow instuctions with the keytone, etc....I once fixed a boat that had several holes in it with the stuff...It's made for gas tanks though..about $25.00 a quart....1 quart will do your tank...

went to local radiator shop. he said he could fix it but there is alot of rust inside tank. will prob leak in other spots. anyway i want to get a new tank like the one i have. i already bought new sending pads to hold tank down and hoses for filler neck. my clamps and straps are good. where do i get one. i will try to put up a few pics

you need to edit that link and remove the " at the end of the address
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag3/cuz2424/DSC00718_zpsb85530ce.jpg

it's the usual stock tank, find a supplier near you [look in the links section, top of page] that offers one, ask who it's made by, and find one from these folks, shouldn't be any problems with it

Bill

they are in canada. correct i dont see any prices

they don't retail, you need to buy from a retailer, any of the vintage supply places will have tanks, either Spectra or Chinese, find the Spectra, many good reports here of the quality

Bill

is my truck a first series vin # is 21ksa
also is it 3.5 or 3.8. It is a 3800 1ton

http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/cuz2424/media/DSC00715_zps69a28036.jpg.html?sort=4&o=6

it's an Advance Design model, plug the full vin# in here for details - "first series" only applies to the Advance Design styled 1955 model, there was also a "2nd series" 1955, the Task Force style ... don't understand the "3.5 or 3.8", 3800 is the model number

Bill

X2 on that. I recently installed a Spectra tank in a '72 Cougar, very impressed with the quality.

when i search for a part it says 3.5 or3.8 i dont know i guess that would be the motor.
also red58, i put the vin # and it says wheel base and where it was made but nothing else.

yes, 3.5 is a 216, 3.8 is a 235.

Some parts sources, especially the chain parts stores, tend to ask for the liter size of the engine, rather than the cubic inch size. A "3.5" would be s 216, and a "3.8" would be a 235.

ok, which one do I have?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gas-Fuel-Tank-1949-1950-1951-1952-1953-1954-1955-Chevy-or-GMC-Pickup-Truck-/190859312270?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1952|Make%3AChevrolet|Model%3ATruck|Submodel%3A3800|Engine+-+Liter_Display%3A3.5L&hash=item2c7019fc8e&vxp=mtr

what do you think of this tank?

not much else to know, see here, these aren't modern VIN's that tell you every nit picked along the line .... for other specifics about your year, get a shop manual and a Factory Assembly Manual, both of which are available at the vintage parts vendors

ahh, a 3.5L would be the 216ci and a 3.8L would be the 235ci only place I know does that is Rock Auto, who have good prices for what parts they list - try vintage vendors, like the Stovebolt supporters American Classic or Jim Carter and check other folks on this list to find what parts are available, most of them will list gas tanks

the ebay tank looks right, but I'd be leery of it unless he'll say where it's made
edit again: I see Rock Auto has spectra tanks about the same price

Bill

Does your engine have a serial number stamped on the pad next to the distributor? If it's still the original engine, that number should tell you what it is a 216 or 235, or if it is not the original (very common), what it is and what it came out of. There is an exception, some factory replacement engines are not stamped.

thanks alot red i have a manual coming in the mail. i am going to check rock auto

21KSA is a vehicle serial number code for a 1952 3800 truck assembled in Janesville in January of 1952.

The engine size is not designated by that code, but a 216 engine was standard equipment. It would be a 3.54 liter engine.

I quickly read the above post but I did mot see an engine serial number, which might designate a 235 (3850cc) which does not look like it was an option on a 1952 3800-series 1-ton truck ?

Has the year and size of the engine been posted? If not, the engine ID Is most likely pressed into the block just to the rear of where the distributor enters the block.

tried to order fuel tank from rock auto. i had a question about pitcock and fuel line on bottom of tank(no pic). they gave me spectra phone# to ask. They told me they dont have anything for 1952 chevy truck 3800 series. I mean fuel tank. can anyone help. Spectra also told me that they will not warranty tank from rock auto because they don't have anything listed. I wish i could fiz my old tank

you can fix the old tank, or have it fixed, by de-rustig the inside, welding or soldering up any holes [including the ones that will appear after de-rusting], and using a 'sloshing' compound available from a number of suppliers to coat the inside

new tanks don't come with petcocks .... learn more about the configuration of the trucks before searching for parts - asking for something for a 3800 1T confuses the situation, most places list all the parts they have for these trucks as being for a 3100, and while some of your 'hard parts' like brakes and steering may be 1T specific, any size pickup has the same tank, and the tank is the same for a range of years - not sure about the AD series, but I'd expect 49-54 at least [Tim?] .... check out the GM info pack, if you plan on keeping the truck, get a shop manual and the 47-54 Assembly Manual

Bill

bill i have a manual on the way and i am keeping the truck until i am gone back to dust.

The 1954 gas tanks differed from earlier years. In 1954, the "pick-up" (fuel delivery) tube and the sender are on the same assembly attached through the top of the tanks (regular cabs and panel-body cabs).

As Bill correctly pointed out above:

In 1949, the fuel tank went indoors (inside the cab in standard-cab trucks) and 3800s had a larger fuel tank than the 3100s. By 1952, the 3100-3800 cab-truck fuel tanks were the same size, 17.5 gal. I do not see any reason why a 3100 tank would not work in a 3800 (for standard cab vehicles).

are these engine numbers on block 854 848 850. does this tell me 3.5 or 3.8 i am confused

No.


jimbo,

Here are locations of engine identification codes
http://www.1954advance-design.com/Web%20images/casting-code-photos/low-press-codes-ser-nums.html

Post the codes and people will help you ID your engine.

I think the code you give above is the only code that is not useful in identifying the engine.

Good luck, and keep asking questions.

Tim, I was thinking that change happened with 55.1, wasn't sure - I see Carter [and others] list the tank as 49 - 55, so I'd expect they'd fit 52 and either type sender

jimbo, those are casting numbers, look for a number stamped into a pad near the distributor

Bill

Bill,

I think that those tanks should work with the 54/55 sender/fuel-tube, but I do not know for sure if the top opening is the correct diameter for 54/55.

on the block i see J190. what is that

Is that the only number stamped by the distributor? It does not match anything I can find, and seems to be an incomplete number. A couple of other numbers to get, should the serial number not come out, would be the block casting number, found on the right hand side of the engine towards the front at the bottom of the block, just above the oil pan rail, and the casting date, which would be behind the starter on the right side of the block.

for a new gas tank it wouldn't matter which engine you have. (I'm pretty sure anyway) I mean you can determine which engine you have. It will become useful at some point in your relationship with your truck.

ok this is the best i can see C0N4CJ190

that's the 'CONveyor' number in the casting plant Jimbo, maybe with the date - look for a flat pad just about the same level as the distributor, and near it, there was a code number stamped there on assembly, if the engine has been rebuilt that number may have been shaved off

Bill

I took an old tank and filled it with small stones. Tied it to the farm tractor wheel and drove the tractor in the fields for a few days. Gets all the rust loose and you can vacuum it out.

I believe you can tell the difference between a 216 and 235 by the size of the side cover. A 216 side cover covers the entire engine side and spark plugs go thru it whereas a 235 side cover only covers the lower half of the engine where the tappets are located.

i see the flat pad but no numbers on it.

it's been rebuilt, will need to ID from the casting numbers, block and head, they're 6 or 7 digits

Bill