Projects 1934 Chevy 1/2 ton Build

Here are a few photo's of my newly acquired chevy truck. I had been looking around for awhile for some sort of hot rod project but couldn't seem to find anything cheap enough or interesting to me. Finally I saw this truck in my local buy and sell paper and went to look at it and bought it on the spot. I have since stripped some of the body parts with a stripping disc on the angle grinder and put down a layer of hot rod black primer. And this past weekend a friend and I set the frame on jack stands and loosely bolted the body together on top of the frame. Next up is to buy a welder and start replacing the cab wood with steel tubing. I also need a pair of rear fenders for this truck if anyone knows of any give me a shout.

 

Go Red Go!

 

Looks to be a good cab n frame..have fun with it, great winter project!

 

Looking good there Red, My nephew, youngrodder1929 has one of those cabs too, along with his other projects. Check out "Termites and Bowties", Social group on here too, lots of Chevrolet projects on it.

 

Looks like I am going to tear down the garage and build a bigger one with more power for my welder and air compressor. That will start in about a month so I have to take the truck apart again and store it until the new year. A small set back but it will be worth it, besides I can spend the fall collecting parts!

Red

 

Well, I bought a half decent welder and found most of the sheet metal parts I was looking for on ebay and craigslist. There is a little damage to the frame on the passenger side rear shock mount area that was poorly repaired by a previous owner. I ground and chiseled the old patch off and I am in the middle of doing the repair again. The old repair consisted of the frame being cut almost through and then a fish plate welded on to the outside of the frame rail. When I took this off it had tons of rust scale behind it. The new fish plate will be welded inside the frame rail and hopefully with a little neater welding job, water and crap won't find its way in between.

 

I love the early 30s trucks.

I'd get some metal that is the same thickness as the frame and cut out patch panels the same way that you repair a rusty fender. With a little patience, it can be welded and ground down so that you can't even tell that it was repaired. Fish plates are for dump trucks. If you go halfway on the frame you will look back and regret it later. JMHO

 

interesting idea, a bit more work but less obvious. what about strength though? the repair is right at the top of the hump over the rear axle. the truck won't be hauling anything heavy but maybe I should box the frame in this area just in case? I wasn't planning on boxing the frame otherwise.

thanks for the feedback

Red

 

Here's some shots of the area being repaired. The patches you can see are only tacked in place to hold everything together. The third photo shows some of the old repair on the under side of the frame that I still need to remove.

Red

 

If you bevel the edges of the weld joint to get full penetration it should be just as strong as the original section.

A weld is nothing like a glue joint. The parent metal and the filler rod all fuse together. A properly executed weld is just as strong as the original piece. The problem occurs if it's done poorly with bubble gum welds that don't penetrate.

To get a welding certification they cut a "coupon" across the weld, mill the piece back to the original thickness and then put it in a press and bend it into a U shape right where the weld was made. The weld should not open up and it should bend just like any other piece of the original section and just as strong.

It takes a little practice and some grinding but no one should ever know if or where it was repaired. It's worth the effort. Just like patching a rusted fender only thicker material.

 

OK, thanks Tommy, I will practice a bit first and then give it a try. Check out the pics I just posted. They will give you an idea of what I am doing.

Red

 

On frames you should only need a few tacks to hold the pieces in place. Unlike sheet metal it can be welded in a single pass once you get the feel of the heat required. It takes a little practice to get the heat setting on the welder to get complete penetration and keep the metal in the weld puddle. You have to get the feel of it. An experienced welder will run the machine a little hotter and control the puddle with the speed that he moves along the joint.

I call those "scabs" and not a proper repair.

 

Ok, here's my repair. All of the old scabs have been removed and new steel welded in to fill the gaps. I think it turned out pretty good. Thanks for the advice Tommy.

Red

 

Looks tops mate,im doing the same thing with an Aussie body,have fun replacing wood!

 

Wow! you did a nice job. You should be proud. I've picked up some very savable stuff because the other guys were afraid of it. now you won't be afraid to pick up a POS. because you know that you can take care of it.

Keep us posted on the build.

 

Thanks a lot for the kind words guys, I am definitely motivated by this small success and will keep you posted.

Red

 

That looks great Red! Keep after it homie!

 

Love those old trucks , alot of timber though .
keep it posted.
"AND THE BOWTIE ROLLS ON"

 

Here is the next project, refurbishing the cowl. The cowl is made up of about 6 pieces. the photo shows the piece I took out, it was riveted and spot welded in place and when I removed it I discovered a lot of rust in behind it. I will remove the other one and try to figure out how to keep it rust free in the future.

 

Well here's my project for today. I removed the driver side cowl brace that comes off the back of the fire wall and angles down toward the frame. The original was cut and brazed by a previous owner. The repair was terrible and on the back of the piece was deep rust pits and lots of rust scale. I decided to replace the whole piece with new metal. I fabricated it out of 16 guage steel and had to bend it all by hand as I don't own a metal brake yet. You can get an idea of how it fits from the photo where I have clamped it in place.

Red

 

Here's another picture that wouldn't load with my last post.

Red

 

lookin good red ! i really like the shape of that body style super classy looking, what are your plans for wheels and tires engine tranny wise ?

 

Hey, I really love your coupe too, those are so awesome. I have a 350 chevy with ram horns lined up with a Muncie 4 Speed. I have a 10 bolt chevy rear end out of a buddies 57 step side. For wheels and tires, I was thinking chrome OEM steelies with wide white walls? Not too sure yet. I have so much stuff to do I will decide on the specific details later. Where about are you in Vancouver? PM me if you want.

Red

 

sounds good, im from the ridge meadows area, i have a dropped front end with the parallel leaves with disk set up on if your lookin for somthing like that

 

Very nice truck and great work. That will be a lot of fun to drive when are you done.

 

Thanks 42. I do have the front I Beam axle for the truck with discs already mounted on the spindles but no calipers. This is how it was when I got the truck and I don't think the leafs will support a V8 but I don't know. Will your leafs hold up a 350? And how dropped is it?

 

Cool truck. I don't think you'll have a problem with the stock leafs and a v8. That old stovebolt engine wasn't a lightweight.

 

Red...
You can buy brand spankin' new rear fenders for your truck from Bowtie Chevrolet. I think they are in Ohio.
I bought a pair in Carlisle last spring for my '36 Chevy Suburban. They needed a little work to fit the Suburban opening but they were 100% better than what I had. Good Luck

 

i would say it would be good that original motor and tranny ways a crap load and they over sprung every thing back then for the rougher roads and such, I just messured that axle id say its a 6 or so inch drop over the stock

 

You're probably right about the inline 6 weighing a ton. I will set it up as is and see what happens when the V8 goes in. I think a 6 inch drop sound like a bit much but I have no idea what the stance will be until I get everything mounted. I will let you know.

Red