I’ve had my truck for 24 years and love it dearly. It is totally stock and now with the major increase in traffic and my advanced senior status I am finding it a hand full to drive it. I am also well over 6 feet tall and weigh 240 pounds. This cab was not meant for me. I just wish I could drive a mile without having shift gears and jam on the brakes. My trips are only about 8 miles now and I follow the same route. Here is my predicament. Do I sell the truck and look for a hot rod sedan, a muscle car or just live with the frustration of my situation? I am not interested in having a M2 front end but maybe an automatic with power brakes. Two things. I like the nostalgia of the old truck and even if I decided to with the latter, there is nobody in the area who could do it. I have even considered having the seats rebuilt with a thinner memory foam to help with the leg room.
I think I'd sell it to finance a more comfortable sedan or even a coupe. Rodding is no fun if you hurt.
The truck has a lot of sentimental value to me. I have had a few heartbreaks but the truck was always there.
Cool truck and with what you describe, I might just try to make it an automatic, add disk brakes, and find a better seat. You know that truck well and might be money ahead if you could get those few things done. Sounds like it might be tough finding someone to do it though? Maybe your specific location might help someone suggest someone near you?
Learned to drive in my dad’s ‘49 Chevy 3100. The truck had a million miles on it and when I was about 12 Dad replaced the engine with one pulled from a ‘50 coupe. Learned a lot from that truck! Would love to find one sometime but I’m in the Northeast.
Say the truck had an automatic and power brakes, would you still be comfortable driving it? If so, then upgrade it. If you can’t do it yourself, then look for someone on the Island (Hawaii?) who can. If you’re not comfortable driving it on the highway when no stop and go and shifting is happening, then sell it. Find something you are comfortable in.
Crap I’m 6 foot and over 240 and loved driving my stock 49. I understand with the wear and tear of life that lifting that right leg to clutch regularly can get tough. It’s not impossible to add an auto to the truck. The power brakes are simple.
I am 6'3" and 280. I have a 56 F100 with bench seat, floor shift and swing pedals. I am very comfortable in it. My buddy has a 54 Chevy 3100 all stock. I drove it a couple miles and was very uncomfortable. With seat all the way back against gas tank I can barely lift my leg high enough to step on clutch or brake, my knees hit on the wheel. I know what you mean... If you aren't comfortable in it you will take your daily and it will just sit.
Umm, are you dyslexic? I lift my LEFT leg to clutch, but maybe I'm just weird... I lift my right leg to pee on fire hydrants, though
for added interior comfort a tilt steering column, when you go to automatic will help. also, having an upholstery shop work with you to redo the seat too. when going to automatic (350?) might go to a later 6, or small V8. from a 50's car that has automatic attached. give you more engine power, and easier to set up power steering. automatic will require a rear gear ratio change. as the saying goes, nothing is cheap or easy. but, the end result will be well worth it.
And, I also had a pretty original 49 1/2 ton and enjoyed driving it around town. It was still low geared and had the torque tube and not a highway truck at all. I can understand it not being real comfortable. My last couple pickups have been 60-66 Chevy’s that are much more comfortable.
You have a good point. I live on the west coast of Canada and there are very few hot rods available here. The ones that are available go for crazy prices. For example a glass 32 Ford with a SBC is being offered at $60k and in U.S. funds! The Canadian dollar is worth about 70 cents on the American dollar. So it would at least 30% more expensive. I cannot figure why Canadians often demand prices in American funds but maybe its greed!
You can see my predicament with the pedals. It is a gymnastics trick to get that right leg to the clutch!
Indeed they could be related! I have yet to add the Chev name on the tailgate. All of that would give me a new truck! I know of a fellow down by Seattle who does T-5 mods on these trucks. I do like shifting gears but not every 500 feet. The six in the truck is a 1954 235” I rebuilt about 20years ago. It has enough power for me. I was measuring the seat back thickness today and it’s about 7 inches. If I could decrease that by 4 it might help. I think I’ll makevacwooden mock-up from some 3/4” plywood I have. Just to see.
Nice truck! Sounds like in addition to satisfying your driving needs, it also has sentimental value, which I totally understand. Also.... you KNOW what it is.... if you buy something different you might be in for a trip down rabbit hole you're not prepared to go take. My '51 has a lot more modifications than you are contemplating, but it sounds like the following would get you where you want to be: 1) An automatic transmission makes driving in traffic a lot easier. I don't know what adaption issues you might face with your '54 235, but an aluminum Powerglide or a TH350 would work well. This would mean a rearend change to open driveline, but that's not too bad. 2) A tilt column would give you a little more interior space. 3) Late '80s/early '90s Chev pickup seats are thin but comfortable. They fit best when narrowed a few inches. I'm shorter than you, but even with the gas tank in the original (behind the seat) location, there's enough room to drive comfortably for a few hours. 4) Disc brake conversion parts (manual and power) are available, as are power steering. You'll get a lot of suggestions for small block, 700R4, dropped axle, etc., but don't allow yourself to get pushed into more modifications than you need to make this into a more comfortable driver. It seems like there's a decent hot rod community on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver, so finding a shop shouldn't be too bad. There are also a lot of shops from Bellingham to Seattle, so you might be able to do a drive-in, drive-out deal and save on duty. You might also check for shops in Port Townsend and Port Angeles. Good luck!
I think if I wanted to keep the truck, and make it more enjoyable, and comfortable to drive, I'd give it a ferry trip to the mainland, or even to a builder in Washington State, and get it swapped to a automatic, or V8 and automatic. Then have a comfortable seat built for it while it's there also. If your '49 still has the gas tank behind the seat, it can be replaced with one under the bed, and gain more room to move a new seat back further also. Considering what you'll spend to upgrade it vs. spend to buy something else, it will be a lot cheaper, and you'll have the truck you love and be more comfortable.
Hey @blubomber I totally get that you love your old truck and that it has a lot of sentimental value to you, after all, its been a good friend to you, for a long time. But when it gets to the point of it not being comfortable to drive anymore, well then, there are other options to consider. This is just a suggestion and nothing more. Have you considered getting rid of your current truck, and then acquiring a cool 49 Chevy panel truck such as the one I have posted here? It's already the model and year, that you are familiar with, and with a panel truck, you can certainly have enough room to have the bench seat moved or modified to be adjustable to move back, to give you ample leg room as well. I totally understand that this option, might not be feasible in regards to cost, but if I was in your situation, I would certainly consider it. Thanks from Dennis, for sharing your pictures and your situation.
By your own admission you are only making 8 mile trips. I do think that with a thinner memory foam for the seat back it is going to make a world of difference. I've had my 1949 Chevy 1/2 ton for 25 years, 15 as a dd/only vehicle with a couple dozen 1k trips, the odometer at 120k on the present engine. Make it more comfortable and keep it till someone you trust tells you to hang up the keys. Just my humble opinion.
What he said. Moving the gas tank out of the cab probably gives you 6" more free space behind the seat. Even the old beer keg in the bed could probably work. There are modern tanks that could be bolted into your truck bed. then a longer fuel line and your in business. Moving the seat back could be as simple as drilling new seat frame mounting bolt holes, or possibly different brackets. With the seat farther back, using the pedals should be a lot easier. Both should be pretty inexpensive. A different seat and seat mounting brackets is an option after the gas tank got moved.
The stock seat can't go further back than where he probably has it, gas tank does not interfere with the seat going all the way back to the rear of the cab. The only thing he can do is to change out the padding on the back of the stock seat and replace with narrower dense foam. Or, as said above, a different seat. If the OP adds pictures, all will be revealed. Here’s two pictures…The first shows the rear seat nearly touching the wall. I am 5’11” and the seat is all the way back. I can just slip my hand behind the top bar of the seat. Second picture shows what the six foot plus OP is dealing with. At my height I fit perfectly with the seat all the way back and my left leg can extend straight all the way to the angled foot board to the left of the clutch.
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