thanks for the advice guys I found me a cool old pickup, just gonna lower it and what not, should be nice.
Alright.. let me just first say.. thanks for the link, i actually know quite a few sites and local magazines to find these pickups. SECOND, this isnt at ALL meant to be a wanted AD, I just want some advice as to what to stay away from and what to Look for is ALL.. Thanks again. Anthony
Well I'm really into the 49'-54', but I think the bed might be too narrow for use, maybe some of you guys who own one can tell me different. So i'm not sure when the fleetside started but I see them in the late 50's and thought those are still cool looking. I notice less V8's in the 49'-54' but they are still out there, dont know anything about them really and how hard it would be to put a v8 in one if I got one with a straight 6. Like I said... I just want a cool old pickup man.. haha.. Thanks Anthony
http://www.americandreamcars.com/1949chevythriftmasterpkup0608.htm http://www.americandreamcars.com/1948chevycustompkup082707.htm http://images.google.com/images?sou...&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=***le http://www.oldride.com/cl***ic_trucks/cl***ic_trucks.html?ADV
thanks for the links guys.. but I'm more so looking for advice. Maybe I didnt write this thread right.. sorry.
Generally speaking, the bed on a stepside is the same width between the wheel wells as a smooth side bed, about 4 feet. As for the engine, if you want a V-8 between '48-'54, you just narrowed your choice to Ford. Chevy didn't have a V8 until '55 and I'm not sure when mopar came out with one. Pickups get lousy gas mileage because of their poor aerodynamics and you really don't need a monster V8 for your dad to drive to Hope Depot. V8's are for hauling big stuff in the bed or towing something. A good six cylinder has lots of torque and can get the job done. What you really want to look for is soemthing with a decent bed, tailgate and very little rust. Check the floors, back of the cab down low tends to rust due to poor drainage. Most Fords and Chevys have repro parts available for those years. Good luck and have fun.
Thanks hotrod, I didn't know the beds were the same width, I figured youd be able to pack more into the fleetside cause of the area available in front and rear of the wheel wells as opposed to the other style, as far as the 48-54 not having stock v8s this I know, i'm not a fan of straight 6's and theres quite a few of small blocks put in those years as well as clipped and thats where I kinda get confused.. dont know about the clipping thing besides that some are really wide and look funny. Thanks Anthony Also the monster v8 isn't needed but I figure if they took the time to put a v8 in there they probably changed the trans and the rear so theres prob some updated stuff thats better to have. that was my thinking anyway.
Well there is the whole s10 ch***is under a chevy deal..do a search...theres a s10 compilation ch***is thread. with GREAT info.
IF you really want something cool and different why not go with a dodge pilot house pickup. It is more of a challenge because there are very few hot rod parts available like they have for furds and chebbies. Check out the pilot house forum for some interesting jabber. tinlizzy
I have a '49 Chevy pickup I have used as a daily driver for several years. With a 305/350 and 3.00 gear it gets 16 to 18 mpg and has worked out well for daily use. I've done all the work myself so I know what I've got. If I were buying a clipped or otherwise modified vehicle, the first thing I would want to do is see the work underneath on a hoist. Inspect the welding and look for clearance issues between moving parts. Brake and fuel line routing is also important. Have someone follow you when you test drive to see if it tracks straight down the road. If the work looks good and it drives right, it should do the job.
just dont get caught in the novice trap and get one of those plentiful Old Navy blue trucks that are completly jacked up. one of my buds got one and that thing is still sitting.
Get a 47-54 chevy and drop in a 350 v8/ turbo 400 with a 9 inch ford rear. As far as clips go I wouldn't do it. Just rebuild the stock front suspension and get some Posie springs for it to drop it an inch or two. If you want to use it to actually haul stuff you will need some springs that can carry a load.
Chevy started with their steel sided Fleetside bed in 58. In 55 they introduced the fibergl*** straight sided Cameo which had a limited production run until mid 58. These are quite collectible. there is a gentleman in M***. who has a collection of about 30 fully restored Cameos. Quite a retirement plan. 58 and 59 were the same body styles with only slight changes to the badging and ornamentation. These were the last of the "Task Force" rounded body styled Chevys. Hope this helps some. Ken in NY
There were two of those old navy trucks at the last swap meet I attended. I believe $3500 was the price on them. They look ok from a quick glance.
Blue49 thats exactly what i'm looking for, maybe if I find a cheap pickup i'll just have to drop in the V8 and trans by myself, was kinda hoping for something ready to go though. Camel city Skull, thanks for the advice, i'm heading to the next pomona swap if I dont find one by then, i'll make sure to watch out for those. So the original suspension rebuilt with some heavy duty spings otta do the job it seems.. thanks guys. I'd like to hear any other advice from any of you other truck guys. thanks Anthony
I was in the similar situation when I found my old truck. I wasn't sure exactly what truck I wanted but narrowed it down to 50's and older. I knew that I didn't have body shop skills so I needed to make sure the body was in decent shape. What skills do you have? Does the truck need to be a daily driver or is it a project? Do you have to have the truck now or can you afford to take your time? If you can wait, take your time and enjoy the search. Like someone mentioned earlier, get a Chevy or Ford if you want to be able to find repoped sheet metal. There's just not much aftermarket support for the Dodge's. Good luck with search. Keep us updated.
tinlizzy is right, the pilothouses can be made into a great truck with some work, see below. this one got my juices flowing enough to buy one and it is in the middle of a chop right now. Bud <!-- / message --><!-- sig --> __________________
Yeah i'd like a daily driver in decent shape, nothing that i'd want to turn into a super nice restored pickup, just something semi clean and cool looking to drive, I'm actually not in a hurry but dont wanna wait months know what I mean.. Chevy if for sure what im into and looking for, just not the pickiest about the years but dont want a long bed.. as far as skills I can weld and wrench, but dont want something id have to replace panels on, hopefully pomona will yield some good finds!! The more I see'm the more I want one.. !!
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