VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Total Beginner Question

Ok so, I have wanted to rebuild a car for 16-17 years and I always thought it would be a 1968-69 camaro but since i have a 2 seat car atm and I am into gardening, I decided I wanted to rebuild a 52 chevy 5 window 3100 (half ton) pickup truck. True to form, once i have decided to do something, I started. Today I found one that is a total rust bucket (for less than t would have sold for scrap) but has all the mechanical components except for the transmission. It came with 3 different tailgates in varying condidtion, an extra grill but has the hood from another 52 since the guy i got it from wanted the moulding that was on its original. While I would have loved to have had all the original pieces and parts, I want it for the look and of course the year is the year my mother was born. I have located another 216 with a trani that was pulled from a 52 when he decided to do a frame swap and engine upgrade. Both engines turn over. My intention is to get the truck up and running then to make it pretty. In the future i may decide to rod it out, but right now, aside from changing the gas tank location, adding 3 point seat belts, power steering, disc brakes, and AC, I want to go with as much of the original as possible.

And now for the total newbie question - where should i start? I have ordered the truck shop manual so that will help me learn how to do the things i need to do, i'm just not quite sure where to begin. I was thinking about rebuilding the carb and cleaning the engine replacing gasket and hoses etc but I'm not real sure if that's where I should start.

Any tips, hints, websites, suppliers or any other info would also help. Thanks in advance

Hi tragikmuse,

I would like to welcome you to the Chevy Chat II. We are glad you decided to join with us in the restoration of Chevrolet cars. As a general rule the guys on this Forum are oriented in restoring a vehicle to the condition it was delivered to the dealer from the factory. You will receive much help in that direction.



After reading your plan of action I worry about your satisfaction with your help you will receive here. I suggest you stay with us for a while and see if we meet your requirements to make many changes to your truck that are not in line with what we do best.

Again, welcome!

I appreciate the welcome and I do understand what you are saying. I am trying to keep my options open but at the moment, I think this is likely the perfect place for me to start. Any modifications will only be done AFTER i get it as close to original condition as i can. The more I talk to people, the less i lean towards turning it into a hot rod which was the idea i started with. The modifications I talked about, the disc breaks, 3pt harnesses, power steering and AC, are totally optional and not something I am looking to start. While we may have a little different ideas, I have already found some of the information needed and that's been great!

Welcome and glad to see another old Chevrolet getting deserved attention. You should put some thought into how you are going to use the truck and what you expect out of the truck. It will be slow by today's standards, the noise inside the cab will be louder than modern vehicles and it will take more effort to drive and operate a 60 year old truck. Good luck in getting it running so you can give it a shot.
Don

Welcome aboard. I'll pull up the post from Random Photos to show you what I started out with. Bought it 50 yrs ago, looked at it for 47 yrs and then started by taking the metal to a local body shop, had the frame sandblasted and painted,and in the mean time worked on the motor with an oldtimer that knew what he was doing. Got a wood kit from Jim Rodman in Indiana and assembled it on the frame with the help of another friend. Put the motor and tranny in and when the finished body parts came back we then fit it to the wood. WHAT A JOB BUT WAS FUN. Then the wiring. Then had it upolstered by another local guy. Not original but close and a lot cheaper than if I went original. Took about 3 yrs to do it off and on. Drive it all over the place now and get a lot of smiles and waves and the grandkids love it. You can see it in my avatar. It was well worth it. Working on the '49 sedan now. Thank heaven that doesn't need a wood kit. Take your time and have fun. Gone for the weekend. First communion for one of my granddaughters.
Jerry

Welcome TBQ,

Your answer is an easy one as it has been the direction I have followed for 3 years now from my friend Wayne who restores old cars. I figure I'm 1/2 + way done.

1) tear it down completely and clean, paint, restore, refinish, replace? every little part.

2) put it all back together again! simple huh?

TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL ANGLES! EVERY NUT EVERY BOLT, EVERY PIECE OF RUBBER, ETC. THEN BAGGIES AND MAJOR MARKER everything!!!!!, PERMENANT ONE! TRUST ME YOU CAN'T AND WON'T HAVE ENOUGH PICTURES TO RECONSTRUCT SOMEDAY. I TOOK HUNDREDS BEFORE DIGITAL AND STILL I HAVE TO REFER TO THIS GROUP, OR OTHER CARS, AND EXPERTS.

Have fun!

dads51

Like das51 says: take lots and lots of pictures. I thought that taking a picture of something, removing a part, taking another picture, and so on like that in layers would be fine. It doesn't even begin to catch it. All angles is a MUST!

I appreciate you stressing the importance of taking pictures from all angles. I have about 100 pictures so i can document my progress but admittedly, I need some more from different angles. So far I have cleaned everything out, wasps nests were great fun and broken glass tickles a little, but I can actually see the floor now that all the debris is gone. I have also given her a name, Eleanor. If you've ever heard the song by the same name from Shannon Worrell, you'll understand, if not suffice it to say "you're no empty shell....heavenly bound i say".

So aside from my girly attachment to my new baby, I am now working on getting her apart. The bed has been modified, diamond plate in the bottom, but its not attached anymore and I got the rear fenders off. The cab up however is just nasty.

I have been using PB blaster to try to move the rusty bolts so I can get the rest of it apart but i have to say, i haven't had much luck. I snapped a bolt earlier today on a piece i was using to test. There are some screws that i will have to cut out but I would really like to be able to keep the bolts intact. That way i can use them when i take it to compare new pieces and make sure i have what went in there.

Any tips? Admittedly I have only had the truck for a lil over 48 hours and sprayed it with the PB blaster once a day and spent some time tapping and wiggling as the can says. Should i continue with the repeat applications perhaps more often? Try another product? Get used to cutting bolts out? And if i have to cut the bolts out, is there a reference where i can get bolt sizes? Already i am having trouble finding out what size bolts i need to bolt the engine to an engine stand...

Also, I have heard soaking in molasses and water is a great way to remove rust if you don't mind the panels sitting for 1-3 weeks before you pressure wash them, dry and protect them. I am told this doesn't hurt the metal and is more gentle than sand blasting would be. I just wanted to know if anyone had ever tried it or what your thoughts were on that.

Again thanks for the support!

BP Blaster is a very good I have used it with good results. You might also want to use a little heat and also try to shock it by putting cold water on them after heating.Last you could either cut the nut off by using a disk and cut along the thread's and the tap the nut to spread it off the bolt.

As far as the bolts go, even if you cut them,keep them in your baggie or container with the part you are removing. Then you'll know what was there and you'll be able to replace it with the correct fastener.

I've even made sketches of which hole each bolt goes in when they are different lenght or type.

yea, molasses does work. I am using it right now

Reid

I have a 53. Pretty sorry condition. Maybe I can help you with some information now and then during your restoration. I won't be much help with the modifications, though. The one I got is modified enough already.

Welcome to Chatter II,
Charlie

BTW: I'm in Fayetteville, also.
Charlie

Hi Tragikmuse.
Welcome to the VCCA chat forum. As a fellow beginner, I've got some answers to your question--where to start.
Having begun this 9 years ago restoring a 51 Chevy Coupe, and I can tell you getting the shop manual for your truck is a great start.
Here are some other tips:
1. Get a copy of the book, How to Restore Your Collector Car, by Tom Brownell. I think you can find it at Amazon.
The book guides you in planning how to proceed with your resto..Many folks make the big mistake of going hog wild unbolting and disassembling the entire truck. Then, looking at the massive pile of parts, they get overwhelmed. This leads to burn out and eventually selling the pile as you lose interest.
Instead, decide on one section to work on at a time, and leave everything else intact. You will see the progress you're making and feel the satisfaction of doing it in steps. For example, pull the motor and work on it. Then work on the chassis or body, etc..
2. Join VCCA . You can go to the homepage from the forum. As a member you'll have access to technical advisors who can help you immensely with your truck. There is an advisor who is an expert on your vehicle and can show you tricks and where to get that hard to find part.
3. Join a local region of the VCCA in your area. You'll find members in your area who likely have your truck or can assist you.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Rick

chevdude51 - Your complete post is right on. Excellent advice to the nube.

Yes it is an excellent posting, well thought out and right to the point!
Good job!

Thanks Ray and Mr. Mack for the kind words.
I only wish I knew about VCCA when I started nine years ago. Might have saved a lot of hair pulling and swearing at the car.
https://vccachat.org/images/icons/default/smile.gif

Cheers.
Rick

Welcome to VCCA chat. I totally restored my '49 5 window and made the mistake of ordering parts for her well before I needed them. Much to my dismay, I found that I could not install 3 point seatbelts on a 5 window because there is no place to really attach the top part to. I ended up just using 2 point belts. Has anyone else run into this?

check this out...
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1297184493063595776HLLmJn
later, bill

Thank you!

buy the 47 to 54 truck factory assembly manual, it will be the best 25$ you'll spend on the project. I have a 54 3600 bought for 500 three years ago got 6000 into it and the cab isn't back on the frame yet.restoring an old trucks isn't cheap but it sure is a lot of fun.

Before you go any further, you might explain just what you mean by the term "rustbucket". Up here, a rustbucket is a vehicle where the rocker panels have disappeared (rust), the floors around the door areas have gone also, there are holes in the front fenders right behind the headlights you could drop a cat through, the rear fenders are full of holes and paper-thin, the bottom corners of the cab no longer exist, and if you tap the frame with a screwdriver, you can punch holes through it in many places.

If your "rustbucket" looks like this, I suggest calling it a parts truck and start looking for a better example. Rust is like an iceberg - for every inch you see there is almost a foot of it in the surrounding metal you can't see.

If you are dealing with simple surface rust resulting from sitting outside for many years, but not with rot, any decent bodyman should be able to advise you how to stabilize the rust first, then what steps will be necessary to remove it before painting. Doing a proper job ain't easy or cheap, so you'll have to decide how much you want to put into this vehicle. Better to get the info first than to spend a few thousand in the excitement of getting started and finding out you have a deep money pit in front of you.

Keep us informed of your progress - we're interested!!