Projects The 40 stake truck and the 283, 350, 283, and a 350!

Because the 283 could be a "bridge motor", until I either rob a bank or inherit a gold mine and can rebuild my bored and stroked flatty, I wanted to use something that would not cause me to modify the radiator. I did paint those plugs with some glossy black rustoleum and put the "China" stamp on the INSIDE of the hose, so they look decent and the fatter threads are deeper in the hose.

As far as sending units, I used the stock Flathead temp sending unit on the top of the intake near the water neck. The Oil pressure sending unit is a BWD s330 one. I've been running one in my coupe for the past few years, and it has worked good. I have some of the "how to make voltage reducers for less than $3" (hamb thread) reducers on the fuel, oil, and temp gauges. I believe the one on the oil gauge may be acting erratically, which is why I'm gonna stick the mechanical in temporarily.

Did a little re-measuring of the battery cable length, called my O'Reilly "First Call" guy, and had him measure the longest piece of the cable, and I believe it will actually work. If I can sneak some time this afternoon, I'll run out to the garage and swap it out and hope that resolves the slow/no cranking issue.

 

yep!

Please refer back to my post #69.

 

I have sbc in a '41 pickup and I want to use the stock gauges again and was curious about the sending units. I have the voltage reducers and some nos gauges. I guess if the coolant doesn't leak by the threads your ok, but I've seen those cheap galvanized fittings rust/corrode fairly quickly that's all.

 

I finally took a little more adjustment out of the clutch pedal linkage this morning. MUCH better. Moved the release point closer to the floor, at about 1/3 pedal. It was at about 2/3 pedal, towards the top, and that was just un-natural feeling. I've put a little over 150 miles on it, and have been rapping it up pretty tight before shifting, just to hear the pipes rap pretty good. Consequently, my fuel mileage has not been good. Seems I am also using oil at a pretty good rate, whether it be out the tail pipes or the rear seal.

I don't remember what I did with the box, but I need to check the part number of the thermostat that I put in the truck. It must be a 190, as that was about where the temp was when I had it idling after some drive time and shot it with my cheapo infrared thermometer gun.

Bigger battery cable seems to be doing the trick with it wanting to start now. I haven't had to resort to bump starting since swapping it out on Friday.

I filled the tank this evening, and am planning on driving it "nicely" to work and back, just to see if I can coax a little better mileage out of this tank.

 

How did I miss this thread?

Cool truck.

Rich

 

Thanks, Rich!

Other than putting the lower radiator pan back on, cleaning up Doug's shop, and swapping out that little 13" fan for a 16" one, I am pretty much done with the project. I've got about 250 miles on the motor, now that it's on the road, and I'm hoping to add another 100, or so, tomorrow.

I've got a mystery noise, in the clutch of the '40 coupe, so the stake truck may get to make the drive over to Frog Follies. It will be at the HAMB drags, in a few weeks.

 

I didn't realize your truck had a flattie in it still, but I've only seen it once.

 

Yeah, up until about a month ago, Tim. I think that the 283 thinks it's a flatty, though, as it's rear main is leaking! After the HAMB drags, I'll probably just run around town in it and pull the motor out after the StL Hot Rod Hundred and put in a new rear seal, and a few other items that could use some attention, clean it back up after the radiator puked all over it, and go some more.

 

I hope that @edcodesign doesn't mind me sharing this one here, but I was quite honored and flattered when he asked if he could draw the stake truck for today's Friday Art Show.



The original photo was taken on the way to the 2012 Frog Follies.

 

I had a hearty LOL at the Oreilly's story. My employer, which has over a thousand tires on the ground, does a lot of business with them. I review the invoices weekly. It is a three scene comedy of purchases, credits, returns, and exchanges every week. Some are the most creative screw ups you could possibly concoct, all from the warehouses right here in their home town headquarters. They always get the job done, but it keeps my job... interesting.

 

Don't mind at all, good luck ! Ed.

 

Since I am running a stock '40 temp gauge, which doesn't have degree marks on it, I was trying to get an idea of the operating temp of the engine. The gauge reads just short of the "hot" mark, which is about where the one in my coupe reads, and under normal driving conditions, the only time it goes past that point is on initial warm up before the thermostat opens fully, but quickly settles back down. I didn't pay attention to what rating the thermostat was that I put in there, but when I would shoot the intake, below the water neck, it was showing around 195-200. I looked up the part number for the 'stat that I installed, and it appeared to be a 195.

Now...I may catch a little flack for this, and that's totally fine, but I went ahead and pulled out the 195 'stat and popped in a 180, just to see what it would do on the gauge and how it would respond to some highway driving and then some stop and go around town. The needle moved closer to the hash mark between "Normal" and "Hot", and it stayed consistent at highway speed and in town. Due to trying to do this all over the lunch hour, I didn't have time to let it sit and idle very long to see what it would do.

Yes, I know that some newer engines run with 205 degree stats, but they also run 16 lbs of pressure, and I am using a 77 year old radiator and only 4 lbs of pressure. I figure if it'll run at 180, that gives a little more time before it can climb to the boiling point, in the event I get stuck in traffic and can't keep it cool.

 

Well, there's been a change in the story...with more ins and outs, and what have you's than the Big Lebowski's storyline.

The 283 ran decent, but was burning oil and slinging it out like the Exxon Valdez. Being a cheap kinda guy, I found a too good to pass up deal on a 350, on the local Craigslist. The 283 came out and the 350 went in. I had to space the 350 up a bit higher than the 283, due to the front of the oilpan, and it caused me to have what I thought was an exhaust pipe hitting on the frame. After a trip to the exhaust shop, and some heat and pressure applied to the offending exhaust pipe, my worst suspicion was confirmed ROD KNOCK!

Due to the fact that I use space in my brother in law's shop, and he was trying to lease the portion of the shop we were working out of, I decided to yank the 350, put the 283 back in, as a temporary solution, again, so the truck would be able to be moved easily. This also kept me having a way to take the 350 to get rebuilt.

After about a month at the engine builder's shop, I got the new and improved 350 back. It had toasted the crank and two rods, and the heads needed guides and new valves. It was already bored to .040, so they went to .060, and put in new flat topped pistons, and the Elgin 1785 cam that I had for it.

Two weeks ago, I pulled the 283 back out, dropped the 350 back in. While at the shop, the snow started to fall, and I had to make the decision on whether to drive the coupe on the icy roads to get home, or to drive the slightly more tame, yet non-road tested truck, that had only run long enough to set the timing. I took the gamble and chose to drive the truck. (The engine builder ran the 350 on the test stand and broke the motor in for me)

It runs FANTASTIC, compared to the tired 283, and I still need to tune the carb, but I've got about 250 miles on the 350 now, and many more planned for this year.

Here's a few new pictures, because that's what folks want to see, rather than reading. LOL


If i said there were a dozen cars in the ditches, on the way home, id probably be understating the number.

 

Brett,

I know I've said so before, but the best two days in the life of Clarence were:

1. the day we pulled the flatty out and put the (then fresh) 283 in, &

2. the day we pulled the tired 283 out and put the brand new 350 in.

If we get flamed so be it. They're our trucks and we can run them the way we want.

Perhaps the 3rd best day was the day we replaced the '48 radiator with a new custom made aluminum radiator.

b-t-w; we're iced in here today. Over 200 churches closed in the area, wrecks everywhere, and 2 dead so far in Callaway county. I'm sure glad you got your '40 home safely. I'm thankful I don't have to go anywhere in Clarence today.

 

Yeah, I don't really care about getting flamed for not rebuilding the 283 and choosing the 350 instead, but...budget dictated the decision. Since I don't raise the hood, in public, I figure it doesn't really matter.

 

I'm glad it's back on the road! See you next month!!

 

Very cool BC, the world needs more stake bed trucks.
I was really excited when 3W Larry got that deuce truck with the wood sides.
Not that it matters to you I'm sure but those thermostat housings are a little later than 57.
I have a couple of them and I too have one on a 350, this is how I remedied the hose hookup on my Suburban.
Cut out two pieces of aluminum, oriented them and welded them together on the inside.

 

Yeah, from what I found when I looked at the part number, it was spec'd for the 56 to late 60's vettes and some of the other chevy models. I'd never seen one, in real life, until I ordered it from O'Reilly.