Just recieved this "55 Chevy Pickup" from my father in law. He has had it for a while, and just doesn't have time to work on it. He had it ***led in Arkansas where he lives, ***le was issued in 95, with a VIN that doesn't match anything i can find online. When i got it home to hear in Delaware, i found the plate on the door jam. It says 3A59K which from reading online tells me its a 1/2 ton 59 Chevy Pickup. The headlights are single and the front hood emblem looks like a 55-57, not a 58-59. So what do i exactly have here, and where else can i find a VIN on the frame?
sure looks like a 55 2nd series to me. the ***le VIN is likely the engine number. If you do some searching, you can find a range of numbers that would be correct for a 1955 engine.
I thought i read that a 58-59 frames were longer and the front clip would not work. I may be wrong. I did read that all the cabs were the same other than heater hose location and maybe the window motor? Any references where to find good information ie website, books would be great. Thanks.
Engine has been swapped already to a 350 SBC and turbo 350 or 400 trans..Just got it home today and starting to investigate things.
thats a nice pickup ... is the ch***is bellied down alittle? .. maybe the pic is distorted but it looks like the bed rails dip down
The rear bed has Roller Skate wheels as a bed lift, lol. The vin on the ***le is F198978K if that tells you anything. Bopwop why do u say that? Is it hopless? LOL
should be a partial VIN stamped on top of the frame, both near the steering box, and under the cab. could be the cab was changed, or something. If the cab is later, the holes for the heater will be in a different place, the lower hood hinge bolt will be in a different place, and a few other minor things. The 59 frame is longer than the 55 frame.
That "sag" is likely front cab mounts/floor deterioration. Does look like a good builder though. Hope you can get the ***le thing straightened out fairly easily. Ray
the ***le numbers sounds like it could be a state ***igned number? it's not what the engine number would look like, as far as I know.
Due to the dual headlights and wider fenders from the dual headlights on the '58-'59....the mounting holes for the hood hinges are in different locations than the '55-'57's. Do you see any evidence of another set of holes where the hinges bolt to the firewall? If not the cab and front clip could have come from a doner TF. TF = Task force
Only if there's a tag on the truck with the same number. it could be an engine number too...not sure what engine that would be though
that VIN number on the ***le sounds like an engine number to me. why not do some searching and find out? I can do it for you, but doing it is not helping. I would be dollars to donuts this is the case. and if so, then you can figure out why I say you have a problem...the ***le used the engine number as identification (very common) and then the engine was changed. now you have nothing the corresponds between vehicle and ***le. Houston, we have a problem. but this is certainly not the first time it has happened.
here is some info on the truck from Chevy from long ago... http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html find the "other trucks" and then find "55 second series" and download the .pdf and look it over...it has the format for the VIN and the engine number etc.
Squirrel awesome website. Lots of stock info, lots of it will be helpful. Thanks. My father in law says the truck would not run very fast with the 6 cyl, so he installed the 350 and then it would only run 55 mph and the motor was done. Looks like a 12 bolt cover on the rear, not sure if that is the same as a Chevy 12 bolt rear that im used to hearing about, not my specialty. Must have a high gear ratio, need to take some pics of the rear and compare to that website. Thanks again. Bopwop, i have searched before and after posting to this site and those numbers come back to nothing for me. Thanks for your input though, i just haven't found anything that makes those numbers mean anything.
you can figure the rearend ratio by turning both rear wheels one revolution, and count how many times the driveshaft turns. Or turn one wheel two revolutions and keep the other wheel on the ground, the differential makes it so either way works the same. The number of driveshaft turns = rearend ratio. for example, 3 and 3/4 turn is 3.73 ratio, a little over 4 turns is 4.11, etc.
Yeah i have done it that way in the past. Still on the trailer at this point, when i get it unloaded and start working on it i will check into it.
What do you guys recommend for the spots on the body where there is bare metal is showing? There is some light surface rust that i plane to sand off and then wanted to spray can some primer on them just to keep the corrosion down.
Ok i found the frame VIN this morning, 255L002906, so 2nd series 55 built in LA California, 1905 to roll off from that plant. Am i correct in this?
Yeah, that sounds like what the VIN means. My guess is that someone swapped the cab. Good luck with the ***le....that's one of those things you're supposed to check before you buy. Tough lesson.
Didn't buy, was given the truck from my father in law. We had to go to arkansas for a funeral and we brought it home with us, i borrowed a buddy's open trailer as my enclosed is being occupied right now. Cost me maybe 100 to 200 more in gas back that if we had just drove down there and back. The ***le is in my father in laws name in Arkansas. I have a buddy whos dad is a state cop for DE and is the DMV enforcement division, deals with trailers, ***les, thefts, etc. I may need to talk to him to see what to do about the ***le. 3 diff vins..LOL
Hopefully you can get it straightened out, in one state or the other. It is a neat truck, and deserves to be put back on the road.... edit: Oh, you got pics up. The heater hose locations are not easy to see with the battery box in the way. The pic here is a 59 firewall, the 57 and older have one of the holes up higher and off to the left of the battery box. If the holes on your truck are the same as on my picture, then it's probably a 59 cab.
Your right, buddy of mine says hes got a fresh 454 and glide to drop into it..LOL.. I'll keep the pics and updates on this coming as i dig deeper. I love do***enting things, i do the same with the racecar, have a notebook full of notes and such.
Yeah i tried to get a pic of the hoses and the hood hing mounts. I believe the heater hoses are some what on the same level and both under the battery box, so im pretty sure its a 59 cab by all the info. No big deal, its going to be driven and had fun with. Not restored to factory conditions.
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