After the 34 3 window,....It's been a while since I have had a project going and I got the itch after seeing an ebay Auction for Chevy Fleetside Bed Trim. The trim is good looking and hard to find. Well, I bought the trim because I had hoarded a Fleetside bed a couple of years ago. It was on Craigslist as "old trailer needs to go". Rex Rogers picked it up and my buddy Josh broke it down to store the sheet metal for me. Now that I have a bed and trim,......I better find a truck. I have been watching Craigslist as well as ebay and asking folks to keep an eye out for me. Long story short. I bought a 58 big back window truck this morning. The fellow had been collecting parts for years and actually accumulated the best pieces from 4 separate trucks. It has 59 front fenders. The same as 58 accept different trim pieces. The 58 trim says "31" and the 59 says "32". I think??? I am new to these trucks and just beginning to learn the details. The truck has a 383cu in and a 3 on the tree with a OVERDRIVE manual tranny. Wow! I didn't know that existed. Now that I have a collection of the previous owners passion, I will have to sort it all out for "love it or list it". I will go back and pick it up next weekend after he is satisfied my check has cleared. No I didn't take cash with me as I didn't know I was really going to step up and do this project. If any of you are willing to be my 58/59 expert, I sure would appreciate the guidance on these trucks. For example, I really need help finding the hood emblem with the "V" under the bow tie in the center. I am going to try and do all of this build myself (with the exception of paint and upholstery ) in my home shop. Shouldn't be an issue as this will be mostly mechanical work and project management fun. I am considering a big block....what's it take from one of you experts that has been here done that? smile. Good old fashioned piddling in the shop. Come visit and I will put a wrench or a scraper in your hand. Picture posting after she comes home. Regards, George
The 31 is 1/2 ton and 32 would be a 3/4. I imagine you are going to trim it out like a 59 since you have the bed chrome. I have a set in the attic and still can't decide if I want to put it on my 58. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If it's a 383 you won't need a big block. If it's a 283, I would leave it in and enjoy the overdrive. Have fun. I'm hoping to finish my step side this summer.
I'm bad about wanting the "W" block "look". Bobby Alloway had adapters made to put 409 covers on a customers 502. I am really interested in this approach and have asked if they will consider machine a set of adapters for me. "IF" so, what does it take to put the big block in her? Surely there is a set of pre made something out there???? I agree on the 283....I have a 327 in my 66 panel and its just plain simply , reliable fun! Is there an after market set of BBC mounts or will I need to make my own? Definitely going with the bed trim . smile.
I agree 100% with the W block. I have come close Twice and that's the only way the 6 will come out. I will most likely build a hotter 6 instead. Although I have nothing against the SBC it's just too common. I would go for the real thing if that's what you want. Because anything else (BBC with covers) won't fool you or anyone that knows what a 348/409 is and would otherwise be impressed with it. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Had a few of these trucks... 32 series is long bed half ton. 31 is shortie half ton, 36 is 3/4 ton and 38 is one ton. Installing a big block or W motor takes moving the steering box over about an inch or so. I still have a good 1/2 ton front axle ready to send out to be dropped if anybody needs one.... Devin
31 was short bed - 6 foot 32 was long beds - 8 foot Hood and fender trim was thinner in 58. 59 had bigger wider and chunkier Edit... Someone beat me to it Just some more info, not trying to tell you what to do. Only tractor trailers came with the 348s. The biggest thing that came in a 58/59 1/2 ton was a 283 and that is a direct bolt in with almost no mods. If you really want to go fast you might consider upgrading brakes because if you spring a leak at speed with the original single pot master you're screwed. ...color me green bed trim is hard to find!
The 396-454 type big block fits a 58-59 with the steering in the stock location, but it is an easier fit if you move the engine over to the side a fraction of an inch. If you are going to use a manual transmission, with the stock bellhousing that mounts to the frame, then you might need to go to some trouble to fit the driver side exhaust manifold...there is one manifold that fits, just barely, with a little trimming. Then you can make some adapters to use the stock front mounts. If you decide to use an automatic transmission, then you can get rid of that bellhousing crossmember, and instead use aftermarket crossmembers to mount the engine and rear of the transmission. I've done it both ways. I drove my 59 model 32 truck around yesterday...the one I swapped a big block into back in 1979. So yeah, I have a little experience with them. For the hood emblem, do you want the 58 or 59 version? Either should run about $75 or so at a swap meet, if you get lucky. I got rid of all my extras, I think.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the education....Looks like I will need to buy aftermarket cross members for a big block . I can use a late model steering box on the outside of the frame rail to free up some space. It causes a little bump steer,.. but as a local driver...not a big issue. I appreciate knowing about the 31 being a short bed . I will have to get rid of the 32 trim. I will Use all 59 trim since I will be using the bedside trim it will need to consistently look like a 59 rather than a little of this and that.
Sorry about no pictures. I will go get her and bring her home this Saturday. I did get started on a list for project build milestones and located/ purchased a 348 to go in her. I called and scheduled the machine shop for a rebuild slot in 2-3 weeks from now. While the machine shop is rebuilding the 348, I will strip the chassis, add an IFS kit and get it to the media blaster for cleaning up,... before my buddy at MAACO shoots it in chassis black for me. I'll build the chassis while the cab paint work is done and get started on the wiring. I love a project! Regards, George
I bit the bullet and ordered an M11 front IFS with 11" rotors from TCI. First task this weekend is to get her home. The second task is to pull the front cap and have the frame rails ready for when the kit arrives next week. It is a particularly easy task when you dont have to take out a cross member to add anything. Clean, box , locate and weld in the new cross member and top hats. My guess is less than an hour to clean up for boxing plates and 4 hours to weld and grind pretty. smile . I am going with standard height spindles that net a 3 " ride height drop for the front of the truck.
There's a forum for 67-72 Chevy trucks that has a section on 55-59 trucks. Check it out. Good source for info. Google 'Chevy truck forum' and you will find it.
Belair...Thirsty is OK . Im going with a Holley 670cfm. MINIMAL cam and going to make her very docile with super quiet exhaust. prrrrrr Tailgater, Thanks..... I have been looking through some of those posts. There is some really good info from a lot of knowledgable folks. smile
59chev...I came up with a pair of 59 Apache fender spears today. Have you any advice on how to repaint them?
The first time I built my truck, I was a teenager and just carefully repainted them with a model paint brush. It looks ok but I'm not sure that is the best way to do it.. I'm not planning on running them for the second rebuild so I will just weld up the holes.
I drove up to Superior to pick her up Saturday morning. 54 miles with an empty trailer is easy. We loaded it backwards as it was headed out of the garage this way and was a bit of a pickle with all the weight behind the trailers rear axel. I drove slow and made it home with out any issues. I had other plans and just left her in the trailer for a Sunday project. I managed to empty most of the parts. Then I turned her around and pulled the front cap and drivetrain Sunday afternoon. I'll try to get all the rivets out of the frame that need to go for the Mustang 11 IFS kit. It is due to arrive Wednesday. I have a small group of friends coming this weekend to install the kit. The 348 W motor will not be here for 10 days and the Ford 9 inch ( 3.5 ratio), for 4-5 weeks. I will need to find a 700r4 for setting up mounts and get the chassis off to the sand blaster afterwards. I really hate waiting but did not do any advance planning for the surprise project. OH WELL> smile Regards, George P.S. The floor was really NASTY after the effort and I had to clean for you guys so you don't think I am a slob.
looks like the early one, used in Chevy cars and some trucks 1955-66ish. I assume it has a 4 bolt side cover
Thank you Squirrell. I will look tonight. I am trying to see what I've got,... so I can get rid of it! smile
I had time before dinner to ease out to the shop and take on the dreaded RIVET REMOVAL. 14 of them removed in about an hour. It's interesting as some of them went so fast and a couple of them wore me out. No particular reason. I probably would have kept at it a little longer, but one of the rivets in the rear cross member has been cut flush and worked on hard with my air chisle with the punch. It just wouldn't budge. I can see where it was originally installed,that there is a gap between the two pieces. I am going to have to drill that one out. (ANOTHER NIGHT!) Good progress and this should be fun not a chore. smile. I'll go out there and take my time starting with an 1/8 inch bit. OR NOT??? It might make more since to just use my little Porta Cable bandsaw and cut the cross member center section out first. My big question for the night is what about the emergency O.E. cable mechanism? Should I work around it with a boxing plate? Remove and replace later?Hmmmmmm? Have any of you already been here and done that? Regards, George P.S. That pile of rust came out from under one of the upper shock mounts. There is a 3in crater in that frame rail that I will need to cut out and weld a good piece back in. Over all the frame is so clean that I was surprised to find this small gotcha.
A repeat of last night ....Good Progress on the rear crossmember removal. The stinker of a rivet from last night is gone and his next door neighbor is still hanging on for pure spite!!! geezem I will have to evict him tomorrow as one of these PITA's a day is enough. The TCI front kit arrived today so I had better pick it up a bit as the plan is to have it all completely installed by Sunday . I ordered a steering column from CPP and the u-joints/ double D shaft and bearing support from Borgeson. Regards, George
I ALMOST finished pulling off all of the old parts/ rivets yesterday morning before reinforcements arrived after lunch. Fatkoop pulled my steering column for me while I finished up the last of the rivets. We were just getting started into the hanging of the cross member when Guy and his son Brent dropped by to see what we were up to? Brent is a professional welder and runs his own welding service. How nice it was to have a volunteer fireworks starter on hand. grin. The instructions on the TCI kit want you to leave the boxing plates outside the edge of your c channel frame. Guy likes to scribe them and put half the metal thickness inside the C Channel so as to cause the frame rails to pinch the boxing plate and hold onto to it. I cut the first boxing plate down on my bandsaw and it was a slow PITA. After finishing the first one, guy sprayed the second with DyeChem, then scribed and used my Burr-King belt sander with a new coarse grit belt to finish it up. Much faster! After getting both boxing plates squared up and tacked in place, we notched the lower rail and slid the cross member up in place. Hmmm, pushing the boxing plates back into the frame .100 on each side left us a big ole gap. Ooops! No magic, I sheared two appropriately sized plates and Brent tacked them on each crossmember end as fillers. TaDa...not an issue. I leveled the truck frame to "0" degrees by putting a pair of jack stands under the rear axle. We tilted the cross member back to get 2+ degrees and tacked in place. We assembled the lower A arm upside down as instructions call for ,...I.E. using the grease fitting to measure to the back center point. We needed to be within an 1/8 inch and were tickled with the 1/16th variance we achieved. Not bad gentlemen! We called it a day about 5:30. I started today about 9:00 o'clock with my focus on cleaning up the place to get us started with a clean work environment . While waiting for Guy and Brent I started on removing front cross member rivets. Brent took about an hour to run all the welds and then we added the top hats. I spent hours removing the original cross member this afternoon and cleaning up AGAIN! Now all I need is my motor mount kit/tranny crossmember that was late shipping from CPP..... PLUS the "W" motor and a donor 700r4 for set up. I don't have a tranny yet and will figure it out this week. It was a great weekend of fun in the shop. Regards, George
My 'W" block left Mizzou Friday evening and will be delivered to the dock here at work tomorrow. The 700r4 tranny core is due here Friday and that only leaves Motor mounts and the new tranny cross member to get her set up this coming Saturday. I have been LIVID with this supplier that is 2 weeks behind on their shipping. They are committing to 3-5 days ship times and then dragging to over 2 weeks. Regards, George
Well George, I need to ask you to slow down. With all the progress you're making you're making the rest of us look bad.
The Jalopy Journal
