VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Personalized Modifications Beverly Hillbilly Truck

To keep things straight. LP is the original 28 1 ton we are trying to keep near original (by popular demand) so I have a "hall pass" on this site to build a hooptie from the remains.. P1 (pile one) will be the donor truck on front of the trailer loaded in Kansas 22 degree weather. P2 (pile two) will be the donor truck mounting P1. What is the average Chevy litter size? Today was unload both and start disassembly of P1. Decades of Kansas dust and weather left no wood usable but the metal and frames are in solid shape. Of course EVERYTHING is stuck and tons of dirt. So far we have decided P1 will be the hillbilly truck as the tree grown around the frame will be custom carved and part of the build (love my job!). AND IT HAS A TITLE in sellers name. Here are day 1 loading and today parting out. Looks like motor and tranny have to come out as a unit. Back to the shop. Later.

PS thinking about changing user name to Gulf Coast Rustoholic unless Dean has copyright LOL. Phish

Everyone needs 2 of each! I find myself browsing crate engines occasionally and wish I had a spare car that wasn't rare to build up lol.

I have a friend with a 1938 Canadian Pontiac Coupe like mine (built from a Chevy at the factory) and he is buying another 1938 Chevrolet frame so he can build up one chassis for driving but can then restore and keep the original chassis and drivetrain and can drop the body back onto it. He's in his 30's so has lots of energy still...

P1 motor a rebuildable core at best. Cam is flat but scored a nice pan, correct pickup filter, correct fasteners etc for LP. We think P1 was a stake bed with running board vertical flaps. Motor tranny out but still stuck. I bet bearings are toast but the block has little or no wear in cylinders. Done for the night. Stephen

Love the tree art!!! Glad you are going to incorporate it into the build. Authenticity rules!

Looks like you also scored a great front bumper for LP from P2!

Too much fun! Dean

Fired up the steam cleaner before shower time but dogs not helping. Bust engine down in AM.

I am not a 4 cyl guy but from what I see of the insides looks really good. No bones in there so can't blame the dogs for lack of interest.

We found JIMMY HOFFA!!!! He was stuck in P1 bell housing SO that is why the motor was stuck. Cam is good so that means it must have bent rocker arms or something in valve train. 4 stuck valves, Boyd cleaned it and reworked it but still will use as a core. The motor spins nice and has a clean bottom end. Cleaner than the running LP. Pics tonight.

Air compressor in shed never sounded right after Laura and it quit on the dirtiest project in history. There was a mouse skeleton in the water jacket of the head! Had to come thru top of radiator and tunnel into the engine. Hoffa, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Dorothy, all in P1. Who will be in P2? BUT cam is fine and lower motor cleaner than LP. So we will break it down and hone etc. The vac tank even worked but still having Chipper rebuild. Also moved P2 headlights crosseyed over to P1. Clampett look. SLH

Today was a slower pace as help had to go to paying job. Started on P2 (pile 2) : Good: cowl light lense, 37k miles showing and top of motor looks great, front spoke wheels and 2 piece bearings good. Dry spokes but will try to soak. Bad: not one split rim is good. Rear seal leaked and goo all over that brake system passenger side. Try to pull cowl and motor tomorrow. P1 motor looks good as well and have 2 rims that could be welded. What kind of grease fittings are these? Found a telegraph insulator. Money? How about that heater flap. Patent pending?????

Lurch's rear brakes looked like that too. After I cleaned up the brake area, I replaced the outer felt bearing seals with neoprene ones: SKF 16406. That prevented any bearing grease getting into the brake area. The new seals fit nicely inside the original seal housing plates.

I did not bother to pull and replace the inner axle bearing seals. Okay, I'm lazy. The original ones (felt) are still in there. I don't care if a little bearing grease leaks into the differential area and mixes with the oil.

Then again, I only drive Lurch less than 200 miles per year. If I drove him more, I might be motivated to mess with the inner seals too. Maybe not. ;-)

Regarding the strange grease fittings. They are called Alemite grease fittings. You can get an adapter that has a zerk fitting on one end and the Alemite female fitting on the other. I think Chevy changed from Alemite fittings to zerk fittings sometime in the early 1930s.

Cheers, Dean

Thanks for the info. After learning about design as I pulled the wheels off P2, the easiest path for a parade hillybilly truck is to run the original drivetrain/suspension. We have an abundance of parts to clean and use on both LP and P1HB. THEN we can weld/rig Iron Duke modern suspension on P2. A single keyway on a tapered rear shaft would likely fail if you put a 140HP motor in there. Just as I was warned on my first day here. Glad I joined here instead of Stovebolt etc. Saved my life. LOL Stephen

Keep us informed on your progress including the setbacks. Those learning experiences can help others as they progress down the preservation/restoration road.

Love this thread even though I do not have or want a Chev (or any other make) of this era. Looks like quite a challenge and I admire you for all the effort your putting into this project.

Dick

Don't dare to buy a 20s Chevrolet! You likely will be infected with a fatal disease. I own 5 of them. Sorta like marriage you love them even when they let you down. Fixing the problem makes it even better.

I'm infected, but the disease is in check. I only have two.

Lack of storage space is my limiting factor. Otherwise, I'd be the owner of a 1920s Chevy boneyard. ;-)

Lovin' the era! Dean

Slow day working alone, the most verbal day of my life working alone on P2 fasteners. But the good news is bore wear on P1 motor is 4 thou on worst hole and 2, 3 thou etc on the rest. Ball hone and ring with a rebuild head, carb, vac tank etc (Chipper), we rolling. Steam clean both chassis tomorrow maybe as I have 3 lifts coming to get boat house off pool. Lots of hammer use. Phish

Hey Phish,

Here's a neat video about loosing REALLY STUCK rusted bolts: Old school method for removing rusted manifold bolts

Also, you can heat the bolt with a propane torch and melt a candle on it. The wax will wick into the threads and help lubricate the bolt.

Cheers, Dean

Well I had to come in for lunch and have a beer, maybe 3 or more. All I wanted was a hillbilly truck. I apologize for claiming Jimmy Hoffa was in P1 bell housing. You aint gonna' believe this. I have never pulled an oil pan on a motor that looked like this. Could be the cure for the Kung Flu???? BUT the flywheel teeth are good and will clean. Looks like the throwout bearing is a graphite washer??? So good thing P2 was near free. Guess I will start with a small shovel, then blower (Compresor sill broke) and then the steam cleaner. But the top of the motor looks decent. More tonight. Stephen

Happy Birthday Rustoholic. I can ship you this mouse mulch!!!!

Thanks for the B-Day wishes, Stephen. I might be getting older, but I refuse to grow up. Also, thanks for the birthday present offer, but I'll pass on the mouse mulch. ;-)

Yup, the original throw out bearing is a carbon disk. I have replaced this in both of my trucks with a newer, ball bearing type of bearing that the Filling Station sells. This way, I'm not worried about the carbon disk overheating when the clutch is pressed down for a long-ish period of time.

Cheers, Dean

P2 (PILE 2) is living up to its name. Pan rotten, rod bolts rusted, motor still stuck, oil pump & dizzy froze. Using this motor teardown as a research project as P1 motor seems to be a freshen job. Learned that cam gear is fiber and took off a tooth messing around. Crank pully came off (thanks Chipper). Rod bearings had 100 thou spacer and only one had a single brass shim. They still have babbit. Next up is get the cam gears off, crank/cam out etc. Good news is 4 solid but dry spoke wheels, nice flywheel, guages have a shot, front apron metal, lots of brake parts and a nice frame. I guess it was worth hauling home.Clutch pad still has logo and worlds fatest rings! Shop is a wreck.

Just made my first Filling Station order. Lots of goodies ordered. Stephen

Howdy,

Here's a link to an interesting discussion that includes changing the rear end ratio in the one ton trucks for greater speeds.

MPG discussion for 26-28 one ton trucks

Enjoy! Dean

Had to stop for a little more Laura cleanup but spent a little time at the shop debris field. I see no way to get a cam gear off without destroying it. The P2 motor is still stuck with only 1 piston and the crank out. Will try heat and a pipe wrench to get cam to turn and come out. That one is a mess for sure. Perfect storm, P1 motor had mouse stuff in bellhousing ruining all that, P2 had a complete crankcase of mouse stuff ruining rotating stuff. Betwwen the two, will get a driveline together. Phish

I just learned from Chipper the nice LP truck has Zenith 1925 carb BUT P2 has the correct Carter with linkage bracket on starter. Planning of being at his house with a load of stuff Friday AM for him to rebuild. LP will get the correct 28 stuff back on it. P1 has a Tillotson aftermarket so prolly' not used by us. Stephen

Regarding the cam gear. The cam can be ground with the gear still on. There is enough space between the first lobe and the grinding wheel. These gears are one of the hardest to source items for the fours and early sixes. If at all serviceable its best to leave it on there. Art