Hot Rods 1950 Chevy 3100 What's it worth?

The Autozone kit is GP Sorensen 96-104A - and their catalog says it DOES NOT fit a 1950 3100 with a 216, but I found a post on Stovebolt that says the "Generic" 216/235 carb kits will fit every Rochester B Carb from 1932 to 1962 - so we will see... I normally consult the Holy Trinity: Ebay/Amazon/Rockauto - and then I use Advance Auto's parts website to find parts or part numbers. I find that it's better than Autozone or OReilly's. Advance can also order from Dallas or Houston in a day or so. In this case - I came up dry on Rockauto - they don't show carb kits for a 1950 3100 216 - they just want to sell you a carb rebuild service for $200. So I went to ebay - which was also lousy, until I just search for Rochester B Carb kits - then there are alot of them. I used one of the Ebay adds to start searching part numbers on Rockauto - and found Standard Motor Products 123A and Airtex/Wells 2G1045, but neither of those numbers reference back to a 1950 3100. They show a bunch of Chevy sedans from 50-62 and 55/56 Pontiacs - with no engine reference, just the car model. Oh well - I will find out today if this Sorensen kit will work. If not, I'll be searching Ebay again.
The 48-51 Chevy Factory manual I found one line says the 216 with a Rochester B with a 1 1/2" bore and the 235 uses a B with a 1 9/16" bore - and that tells me that one kit can't cover both carbs - but I ain't no Rochester B expert... I will look at the Carb Shop website and see what I can find out. This carb has a 1 1/2" bore and the carb number appears to be 70045/6. I didn't have those numbers yesterday when I was shopping - I probably should have...

 

F1JIM64, I wud have started with a "1952" 3100 application as we already know that it's a '52 216ci engine, although we also know that it has been bastardized. That cud mean that anything is on there. The carb number is the best place to start. Yet, I wud have thot that the carb number you noted wud have had more digits in it. Did you get the number off of the base or via a metal tag? A cursory look at '50-'52 car applications show that they are the same carb, so it's a good bet that both years for the truck are the same. You might want to look at these two sites and/or give them a call for more information:
www.carburetion.com/CarbID/RochesterID.htm
www.carburetorexchange.com

Ain't old cars and trucks fun?

 

Too many Christmas lights to take down - and no time for old carbs today. I did do some searching on Stovebolt and the "carb" number I gave above is really the bowl casting number - that doesn't mean alot - it is 7004516. According to CarbKing posts on Stovebolt, you need the carb tag - and it is long gone. I just want the rebuild kit to fix my sticky float - and stop the waterfall of gas out of the throttle plate shaft holes.
This truck is never going be restored to numbers matching original - especially with the original engine gone - and the replacement engine a mix of 1952 block and 1948 heads. Would be nice if it was a 235 but I think the valve cover nails it as a 216. It is certainly orange - if that means anything.

 

Many times a leaky carb can be fixed simply by disassembling and cleaning. An overflowing carb can be due to something as simple as a chunk of old fuel line caught between the needle and seat. You have to disassemble it anyway so why not do it now [try to save the carb gaskets] to check for debris inside. I've done this several times just to get an engine running to check it's condition.

 

Hey Rocky - will do - I need disassemble carefully and try to check that my gaskets match before I break the seal on the rebuild kit. The only thing with this carb is that it's been sitting with gas in it for 5 years - so the rubber tip on the needle might be toast. The owner said he filled the tank with Avgas - so hopefully no E10 fuel means things didn't get too crusty or water logged. I know the bowl had a bunch of crap in it - even though there is a newish filter (from the tune up in 2008) in the line before the pump. So yeah - new fuel filter too - probably before I let it run again with a rebuilt carb.

 

So---- did you figure out the value/market in your area for the pickup?
2 years ago I bought one similar for $350 here in the NW. That was a good deal but they can still be found for 700-1500 around here.
(Worst part is that the guys that don't have a title usually are asking more). Profiteers dragging in field finds I assume?

 

Fourspeedwagon - the short answer is no. I've done a craiglist search of the AD trucks - and almost everything is already "restored", very few rough original trucks out there. Ebay has a few of these - but they look like they were just dragged out of a barn or chicken coop - the entire body (and frame?) are full of holes, without a drivetrain, etc... I've seen these rust buckets on Ebay for $4000-6000 - which seems too much to me, but.... This truck should be a complete running, driving, stopping, steering vehicle in a couple of weeks. Yeah - it's rusty all over and the bed wood is covered up by a diamond plate liner, but the only swiss cheese rust thru is the lower rear cab corners. And this one will have a clear Texas title.
I'm beginning to wonder if we shouldn't figure out a way to cheaply lower this thing, put some new tires on it, and take it to the Lone Star Roundup in April - I think that might be the right market for it - as either a starter for a rat rod or someone's stock restoration. I bet someone pays $4000 for it - can't believe that there are still that many complete running survivor trucks out there. My Grundy agent tells me that they insure them for $5K even if they are very rough projects - for whatever that's worth.

 

"According to CarbKing posts on Stovebolt, you need the carb tag - and it is long gone. I just want the rebuild kit to fix my sticky float - and stop the waterfall of gas out of the throttle plate shaft holes."

Just to explain WHY you need the carburetor tag: we make 79 DIFFERENT rebuilding kits for Rochester type B carburetors; 55 different for those used by Chevrolet, and an additional 24 for those used by other makes.

Jon.

 

I'm enjoying following your progress, but would you please stop talking about selling it to a rat Rodder.
We don't talk rr here.

 

I really can't believe all the low estimates on what it's worth, you couldn't find a half decent bed around here for $500.

 

Sorry HAMB - I even read Ryan's rules the other night - and wondered if this "get it running" story belonged on HAMB - or another Forum. So... no more references to "RR" - it will be like Voldemort from Harry Potter - and we won't ever speak his name....
OK - what is a traditional Hot Rod job for this truck? Let's suppose it's 1956 - and Dad has gotten his new 56 Task Force 3100 - and "the Kid" - he's the 19 yr old James Dean Look-a-Like, he gets Dad's hand-me-down 1950 Truck. So what's he do with it? Lower it? Keeps the stock steelies with poverty caps - but puts wide-whites on it? Puts a Flat Hot Rod Black paint job on it - with flames? I know he'll swap in a 235 or a 261 with a Vette dual carb intake - but that's out of our league. Muffler cut outs? Yeah - all that sounds right - I mean he needs a cool truck to haul his Vincent Black Shadow around in...

 

Is that your truck in your avatar?

 

Like these two?

 

Well, my dad and his best friend were working part-time in a gas station, late 50's. On a slow Sunday, they painted the shop truck (boss said OK) with a Kirby vacuum spray attachment. Took a month of Sundays to rub it out close to decent, maybe longer.

I'd sand down the heavy rust, learn to spray with some Rustoleum... OR make a party out of it with beer, rollers and brushes. See how much CHEAP FUN you can have with it just farting around! Split the manifold for dual pipes maybe? Junkyard turbo? Rubber rake with MOON discs? THINK CHEAP - HAVE FUN!!!

 

Henry29 - no, I don't own anything old enough to talk about on this list. That's just a photo of a truck at the Goodguy's show in Scottsdale this year. I'm just helping my elderly neighbor with his '50 3100. My oldest car is a '67 that starts with "C" - and might not be HAMB appropriate, but it is not an "RR" !!!

Bowtie Coupe - yep, that's the look, but I don't want to think about the hours of body work and sanding required to prep this rusty truck for those nice hot rod black paint jobs...Those 2 trucks nailed the look though - flat black and shiny chrome - it's a great thing.

6-bangertim - that's too funny. My mom had a Kirby vacuum (sold only door-door you know) with every possible attachment - and I think I remember a spray gun.... Never saw my dad use it though... And I think she finally sold it at a garage sale - Dang... I have read a few Hot Rod/Car Craft articles about brush and roller paint jobs (with latex paint maybe???) But the hours of post spray sanding made me think twice. I've actually sprayed an old Bronco with my China Freight HVLP gun and some Rustoleum Oil Base enamel. No hardener in it - so it took a day to dry, but it didn't look half bad. I think tractor supply has a hardener with their enamel tractor paint - so that might be an option. Don't think they have flat black though....

Off to carb work - I hope...

 

Ha! Maybe if Voldemort drove around on a Black Vincent with re-animated James Dean on the back.....

This is an interesting thread, 75 posts from interested people, there are many threads like this here. Myself, I like reading threads and learning, not necessarily creating them.

 

Back to the original $$ question, I'm offering one point of reference. I bought my '50 Chevy 3100 from a guy in Austin in July of '14. It still wears much more paint than your neighbor's does though it's patina'd, might have a cleaner body rust-wise, but the floors are rusting through where the windshield rubber was leaking, and the front panel of the bed is rusted. The guy I bought it from said he got it off a farm as a parts truck, and decided it was too complete to part out, so he did all the stuff you're currently doing to get it going- rebuilt carb, brakes gone through, gas tank gone through, steering box gone through, new tail lights, etc. It has new tires on 15" '55-'60-something wheels. He put newer used bed wood in. It has what I suspect is its original 216 (dates correspond, and it matches the title). It was running, driving, starting, stopping, basically everything except the horn didn't work, and the generator wasn't charging well when I got it (though it may have just needed some TLC and voltage regulator adjustment instead of parts replacement, I don't know). No heater, no radio, no frills. I paid $5,700, and feel like I got a decent deal compared to what others are asking for comparable trucks, or what condition cheaper trucks are in. It seems to me like folks ask more in the bigger cities since there's a bigger local pool of potential buyers. The guy I got mine from didn't strike me as being an opportunist.

I converted mine to 12-volt with an alternator to fix the charging issue, but otherwise haven't done much of anything major mechanically. I've driven it to the Round Up from Houston twice, and on several 100-mile round trips to other shows, and it hasn't missed a beat. I've since lowered it, painted the wheels and dressed them up, and have done some little piddly stuff to fix or upgrade things. I'm building a 235 and getting a 5spd ready to go in, along with front disc brakes. I'll eventually address the body and paint, but don't want to tear it down.

 

Wow ebs121781 - that's exactly what someone should probably do to this truck. Do you mind telling me how you lowered it? (And I know this is something that I could search and probably get a million conflicting opinions on...) Did you do a drop axle in front and remove leafs in the rear? I also dig those wheels - and being 6 lugs, I guess you've got to find a 50s or 60s chevy truck to steal them from? (I know 56 Chevy car/Vette wheels are only 5 lugs)

I've mentioned that this truck has swiss cheese lower rear cab corners, and a hole in the tailgate - and I know they make patch panels for the cab corners and new tailgates are cheap. Is does seem really rusty around the instrument cluster - so I'm hoping there are no hidden rust gotchas in or under the dash... The floors seem OK as far as I can see. I've been under the front end and the fenders, they seem OK. I can't get the bench seat to fold forward (Help!) so I haven't been able to look back there.. Bed sides and rear fenders seem OK... The biggest body problem to me is just the general lack of paint - it's beyond Patina, it's GONE. And a lot of guys would like a patina look, so how do you repaint - and then Patina a NEW paint job? I've watched a few Youtube videos where a guy will scuff an already failing paint job - but this truck has NO PAINT to start with...

Thanks again for those pics - that's probably what this truck wants to be

OK - one more thing that's bugging me - there are two 3/8" holes right in the middle of hood crease - like a big arse hood ornament used to bolt on there - but I've never seen a 50 with any bolt-on chrome there... Did someone pimp it out with a car hood ornament - then take it off?

 

Texas doesn't care about engine numbers, only the vin on the vehicle and the title. People are still hot on those trucks I'd ask 3500.00 and see where it goes. Having a title helps a lot. They made a cool wrench/screwdriver tool back in the day that made it a little easier to work both tools at valve adjustment time. Those engines don't oil the valves like a SBC. There is no hot oil squirting everywhere.

 

The seat doesn't fold forward, the gas tanks behind the seat.
Hood ornaments were optional on these trucks but a lot of people just put what they wanted on them.

 

As far as patina you may want to look at a few threads on here that preserved it with that CRL product you buy at the grocery store. Some have come out pretty decent..

 

I did a 3" drop axle and 3" blocks from Nostialgia Sid's in OK. I haven't done anything with my springs.

Send Sid a stock axle and steering arms, wait several weeks, and get a dropped axle back. He also takes the steering arms and pitman arm and sets them up for modern tie rod ends (cuts of the linkage balls where they attach to the tie rod and drag link sockets, and drills them for the tie rod ends). He sends tubing cut and threaded to assemble a new drag link and tie rod that uses the new ends. I got the blocks installed one evening after work, and did the front axle in a weekend working mostly by myself. I put about a grand in it, including me shipping the parts to him, the axle and steering arm mods, new lowering blocks, new U-bolts, and him shipping it all back to me. It took a couple weeks less than the turnaround time he quoted me initially.

Yes, these wheels are off a slightly newer Chevy truck, though there's nothing wrong with freshening up the stock 16" wheels, assuming tires are readily available.

 

So there's some type of metal lever on the driver's side - on the side of the seat (might have had a plastic knob on it originally?) I thought this would allow the seat to tip forward - but does it just let the seat adjust forward and back?

Belair - if Texas only cares about the VIN "on the vehicle" then the owner has a problem - because the VIN on the title is related to the original engine block - and that's long gone. I was told Texas used to (or still does) use the engine block number on the title for old trucks like this. I would think that the VIN on the title has just been carried over from Texas title to Texas title without verifying the VIN on the truck. I supposed we could do the title search/bonded title thing on this truck -but I think those are about $200 - and I'm not sure what they would search for - since the engine block number has been on the title - and not the body VIN number.

 

The seat is supposed to slide front to back. There's a little pulley system with some springs that help it move when the lever is moved. Mine's missing the springs, so it won't move- It's a good thing the seat is in the right position for me to drive... I had found some info on Stovebolt about the spring size and tension, but I haven't gone out to find springs that are close to try to get mine working again. I haven't seen any replacement springs for sale at any of the parts places.

 

I looked but didnt see if you mentioned the vin tag was gone. The vin should be on the left door jamb. It will be black or blue. I don't know all the ins and outs of TxDot. But most of the old cars I have had over the years either didn't have an engine or a later one installed. They all had a title, however, so I didnt have to deal with the DPS/Tx Dot. Obviously, a trip or a phone call to the courthouse is in your future, but I have never had to deal with the relationship between the engine and the title on an old car when getting the title in my name. The VIN is on the body. The state dosent care about the engine. You buy an engine without a title (they dont issue title for engines, only cars) and put it in a registered car and the state doesnt care, doesnt ask, doesnt check the relationship between the vin and the engine number. Check the driver's door jamb. If it's gone, (the tag is held on at two corners by rivets), then you have to get the DPS there, assign it a vin, blah blah blah. Best of luck. I wish I had never sold my black 327/tri power/4 speed 50 3 window.

 

Hey belair - the truck has the vehicle VIN plate on the door hinge post - and it is correct to the truck (1950 3100), the issue is the Texas Title VIN is based on the ORIGINAL engine block numbers - and that engine is long gone. So we have a title VIN that doesn't match the vehicle body VIN or the engine currently in the truck. I'm told Texas used to use the engine (not the body) VINS on all their titles back in the day. Now I guess we need the DPS to inspect the truck and correct the VIN on the title to match the VIN on the door frame. Not hopeful on that happening because I've been waiting for 6 months for Travis County to correct a VIN error they made on an early Bronco title - they read the "U" as a "V" off the OLD TITLE FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER - and stuck me with a VIN that's never existed on any Bronco in the world - they are all U15 or U10 - and I've got the only V15 VIN in the world !!! And now it's on me to correct it, great....

 

So one carb rebuild later - she runs ! - and doesn't dump gas all over the place. The float arm was rusted to the pin - so the float was creaky, it would move but it was sticky. The Autozone rebuild kit works - there were two bowl gaskets - and one of them fit. The needle and seat were different, but seem to work. Had to readjust the float level and drop - and clean all the crap out of the bowl, but it runs and idles - but now the fuel line inlet block is leaking... So I gotta pull that off and seal it with Rectorseal pipe dope. And check the timing... and recheck compression... but that has to wait - as I gotta go to Vegas and find a job ! Thanks for everyone's help on this.

 

My guess is that if the title vin and the truck vin don't match, then you have a title that is for another truck. Good luck with city hall. Small town DMV was always easy for me to deal with.. l can't imagine the big city stuff. Honestly, (to beat this poor horse one more time) I think youre getting bad info on the engine title thing. If your info is right, then the bonded title would probably be your best bet. But the body vin and "engine vin" would/should be the same as the title vin, so you should still have matching numbers on the body and title. PM me when you unravel the title. I'm interested how it turns out.

 

Most states titled cars and trucks by the engine numbers before 1955.
The body serial number is different from the engine number.
Gm didn't start stamping the partial vin on engines until I believe 1968.

 

Dude, good luck at your job fair. While you are there you might as well have some fun, (avoid gambling), but there's a ton of cool things there to keep people entertained so they stay and gamble longer. Eat at a lot of buffets.
http://hollywoodcarsmuseum.com
http://www.countskustoms.com/tour.html
http://www.automuseum.org/?m=0
I'm guessing you have already planned a few things out....