Your truck really inspires me. Black on Black on Black....What else is there? That's what my F1 has to look forward too.
It's freaking hot so small update, after I put the stock NOS gauges in I'll take out the 70's Stewart Warners. I found a 46-48 heater switch bracket (I'll use an amber light instead). A little work on the holes and it's gonna hold the new headlight switch (has a stock GM switch now), alternator warning light and the new wiper switch (toggle switch now).: Then I found these, now I get to change the 70's turbo style mufflers:
Hey 1OT, Visiting San Juan Capistrano's coolest antique shop? What a prime parking location on Camino Capistrano. I am amazed that parking was available there on a weekend. We have shopped there many times and frequent the restaurants around the corner and across the street. Nice cruising partner in front of your cool Ford truck. Jnaki
The barn is great, I used to find lots of tools there. Have to visit all the antique shops around here before they're gone.....orange is already dwindling.
Small update. I know this isn't most peoples favorite subject, a more modern radio in an old car but I like music.........a lot. The truck already had a radio cut into the dash (a Craig 8 track) and pioneer speakers in the kick panels......both were the real 70's deal and made in Japan. But the 8 track head is beyond cleaning (trying to find a new head), the 8 watts per channel is kinda weak but the speakers look and sound perfect. I did find a repair manual online and a sticker on the radio for $127.95 in 1975 money . Anyhow, I needed a little more sound. I waited for some sales to happen and ended up with a 8" under seat powered sub, two 6.5" speakers and some old looking grills from ebay. I was going to rework the Craig with some circuit boards from Aurora Design, but went with a radio from RetroSound instead because of limited space in the Craig and pricing (boards alone was almost the same as the the radio). The radio is really universal, fit really well and works great. Only issues I would say is the digital display only sucks (but they do have cling covers for the face to look like a dial when the radio is off) and the limited faceplate sizes/styles. I also added a usb plug hidden behind the dash to charge stuff.....to add to everyone's horror.
I also am going to save the Thrushes for something else as they were too long to replace the turbos. I did however replace the turbos with some porters that fit like a glove. Also there was a post about mounting a chest in the bed of pick ups to haul stuff, here's my junk.
Ok, found a center chunk with a 3.08 gear and put in new bearings. Went to do just a regular easy swap with I found out was a 3.55 gear. Well nothing is ever "easy" with old cars as everyone knows, I found that the gears in there were from '57 and newer and tried to bore its way out the back. Turns out that there's a chance the gears will hit the back cover in a 55/56 housing if you use '57 and later gears since the later gears a slightly beefier. I can't believe no one heard the noise after the install, anyhow it all had to come out. I welded up the groove, messaged the back wall to handle the newer gears, replaced the shot leaf spring bushings with polyurethane and shined up the chrome u bolts and hangers. Now I get to bleed the brakes......again . Just in case I ordered new axle bearings, but believe it or not the Timken bearings are made in China...so they went back. The bearings to rebuild the rearend were Timken and made in USA...weird. I found some NORS BCA bearings on eBay that are made here and I have replacement seals just in case. Hopefully I can get it back on the road for the Aces poker run. Of course I didn't take pictures......
Back on the road, had to buy the vacuum brake bleeder from H.F and it worked real well. I couldn't get the rears to start bleeding after 45min of trying, so the next day it took 2 min with the vacuum to get the fluid to the rears and finished off with regular manual bleeding. Next up is the front spring......
After the poker run I took it on an about a 175 mile round trip. We went to Oak Glen for apples, cider, donuts and cooler air. Everything worked great and no leaks. Found some yard art at one of the Ranches: This piece of yard art did have a RAJO conversion head in it for a few years, but the whole motor/trans is gone now.
Never heard of this and never had an issue with my 56 housing with swaps of later years but I surly do like reading of this. How deep was the grove? Was there a bright ring on the outer edge of the ring gear of the 3:55’s you pulled out? I ask because I’ve heard stories of 3rd members going in upside down with these types of rears.
The groove was almost all the way through and about 10" long. The ring gear didn't have any marks on it, but the oil was glittery (they could've changed the center chunk after the damage??). I read on a few chevy forums that this could happen. Upside down?, with the hump on one side, the cutouts in the face of the housing for the ring gear and studs?. To be truthful I didn't try the new gears after welding it back up, I just went straight to pounding it out.
Up side down as I worded was a “story” told and I agree. No way. And yes to another pumpkin. I would be willing to bet it had short gears as that would put the ring gear closer to the pinion. Was the grove off to the side where the pinion would be?
The groove was right behind the peak of the ring gear, where it starts to curl over into the teeth (looks like it lined up with the 3.55 set also). There was even marks on the drivers side where the pushed in part of the housing is, it looked like even the bolts holding on the ring gear hit. Here's some crappy pics off Google, look closely at the indentation on the drivers side of the ring gear bump. The later 59-64 housing looks to have a smaller crease.....further away from the ring gear. 1955-56: 59-64:
Most interesting about what has happened. I’ve ran a 59 pumpkin with 4:56’s with a ring gear spacer with out issue in my 56 housing. A question worth asking. What would happen with a short gear carrier with tall gears on it? I’ll just leave this to the X Files. “The Truth is out There”
Hey 1OT, "Well nothing is ever easy with old cars as everyone knows, I found that the gears in there were from '57 and newer and tried to bore its way out the back. Turns out that there's a chance the gears will hit the back cover in a 55/56 housing if you use '57 and later gears since the later gears a slightly beefier. I can't believe no one heard the noise after the install, anyhow it all had to come out." Everyone has different situations and build complications for their own builds. Your truck is a quite a purchase and rebuild. Great story… Ours Chevy rear axle situation seemed simple at the time. I had grown up being the 3rd member exchange guy from the time the 58 Chevy Impala was new. At first, it was only 4:11 to 4:56 and back…then in 1960, a set of 3:55s came into the picture. The 3:55s were only for long distance driving and back. We had a new, 58 Chevy Impala with 4:11 gears from the factory. But, those 4:11 were good for a while, but we replaced the whole 3rd member 4:56 unit into the 58 housing. That set up worked the best at the drags and on the cruising area drags. No problems with anything at all. After we were finished racing/crusing the 58 Impala, we looked for something else. A 40 Willys coupe was staring us in the face and so, we pulled it out of some weeds and paid the lady. We put in a complete 283 SBC, LaSalle 3 speed, and a 55 Chevy rear end in our 40 Willys. It came with 3:55 gears. The spare 4:11s went into the 55 Chevy housing for the Willys until the 2nd build of the Willys. The later model 4:11 gears worked fine in the 55 housing. In the last build of the 671/SBC 40 Willys, we put in the 4:56 gears for competition. That was the best set up for the C/Gas class. Still, no problems with the later model 4:56 in the early 55 housing. Jnaki The 4:56 went back into the 58 again until sold in 65. The 4:11 went into the 55 Chevy complete rear axle unit scrapped out of the Willys The 3:55 went into a friend’s 56 Chevy 2 door post. The only difference was the smell of the oil, a regular smell for the 3:55, but with the 4:11 and 4:56 Positraction gears, a smelly oil had to be added to make everything work well. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the smelly, Positraction oil.
Hmmm, this is the first '55/'56 rear I've had, the others where '59 and up. It could also be that my housing could be pushed in a little, although it doesn't look like it.....but I don't know for sure. Again me looking for answers, I hit the internet and found some posts on a Chevy forum stating it could happen, but then again it could just be me. I'm not sure if anything else will bolt into the housing, like an Olds center that might have hit.
Like the lost city of Atlantis, answers some times never come clear as to what happened. There are many others things I can bring to light as to why the marking were there (the next person after you will ask “why is this welded?) but with out the key witness (actual 3rd member and gear set that caused the marking) no longer around we’ll never truly know if it’s interference by design or disaster.
More: Not 45 deg but A LOT better then it was, found this new only used to test fit Posie leaf and a mono spring at a local swapmeet for $40 (for both ). I heated up and re bent the spring hangers, used a hot rod style shackle with oilite bushings. It raised it up 2" off of the bump stops, not 100% if I like the new fender height....might have to get the axle dropped 2". Harbor freight porta power seems to be bending a little, I think it's the slop in the adapters. Before: After:
I also found a decent used door latch mechanisms (left and right) on eBay for $20, a spare window regulator for $10 and NOS strickers for $30.....gotta love the bay sometimes. I used evaporust on the latch ends, blasted the rest, painted and installed today. Now the drivers door latches firmly and actually locks from the inside. The wiper motor was a universal type, but true to the early 70's build was made in Japan. It had the cover missing for what I could only think would be to get the gauges out without removing the motor. I don't want to poke a hole in the pass cowl for another wiper arm, so I bought a Mighty wiper to replace the duct tape one....which is A LOT smaller. Plus the passenger doesn't need to see anyhow .
Great truck, just read all 5 pages. You mentioned using or buying a Posies mono leaf spring. Did you ever install it? My truck has a 7 leaf spring pack with teflon/ plastic sliders and a reversed eye main leaf. Was thinking of going to mono. I want to go back to original instrument cluster and was wondering about sending cluster to someone for a cosmetic redo and mechanical/electric update. Any suggestions? Your truck seems to have been destined for your garage as mine was. Wasn't looking, storage space to limited, happened to come up at car club meeting and was just to nice to pass by. I've always thought that '39 deluxe to '41 commercial was one of the nicest prewar designs. Waiting on brake parts and drums from Speedway. Got tail lights working but still no stop. Wiring may end up being the bigger project in the future. Old cloth stuff spliced and diced, wires to nowhere etc. Don't want to start major stuff at this time, as there is a new shop in the works. One more question. Rear fender brace that goes from rear of opening to frame rail, do guys modify these, remove them, or ? I have 205-75-15 rear tires, would like to go to 225 or 235 to fill fender but it looks like they would hit this brace. Thanks for listening to my questions and ramblings. Mike
Sold the mono leaf and paid for the spring I used. I don't really have a place to restore gauges that I've used. Good luck with your truck.
Pulled the windshields out to replace the gaskets, POR15 on the pinch weld. Replaced the rear window gasket also (that pinch weld is clean). Cleaned up some more issues that popped up. One of the headlights was wired wrong, the low and beams were mixed up......and I didn't notice it for awhile. The horn relay was loose in the cover and would work some only times, the high beam switch would cut the headlights until you kicked it.....small stuff. I found NORS switches on eBay for both, the horn relay was superseded with a different bracket but I ended up finding an older aftermarket. One of the rear shocks was rubbing and it broke the upper tube shield and it's rattling around. Also going to make a better looking fuel line holder. I also took this opportunity to get the stock gauges hooked up and to redo the lower gauges (mostly get rid of them). With the exhaust and parallel leaf springs in the way of getting the fuel sending unit out and I'm not wanting to remove the bed, I'm going to keep the fuel gauge under the dash. This meant making a gauge panel for one gauge, 2 switches and a warning light. I'm getting rid of the GM style headlight switch, moving the wiper switch from a toggle under the dash to a push/pull on the panel and switching from a SW III (70's) to an older SW fuel gauge. Pics soon.
The Jalopy Journal
