Projects Passing the torch...Father/Son 1951 Chevy 3100

When your son turns old enough to realize he wants his own hot rod...a dad realizes its time to p*** the torch. It's time to p*** forward the knowledge your dad, uncle and friends who took the time to share their experiences with me onto the next generation. To me, this is the foundation of our father & son project we began a couple of years ago. With so many interesting builds on The HAMB, I didn't think about this project becoming one of them until recently when a few friends convinced me to share it on the forum...so here is our contribution to the cause.

A few months before my son (Nate) turned 12 years old, he went with me to pick up a '51 Chevrolet 3100 5 Window truck. The truck belonged to one of my dad's best friends named Bill and when he p***ed away, Bill's wife Sandy and his son Tim offered it to me because they knew how much I cared for Bill. He used to enjoy keeping me when I was a small child, and would drive me around in this truck when I was still in diapers. Obviously the truck held a special place in my memories and I just couldn't see p***ing on the opportunity to become the next caretaker. The price was more than fair so we scheduled to go pick it up just as soon as our calendars fit together. It was very hot on the July summer day we chose to meet and extract the truck from the storage shed, but it was worth the effort as soon as I saw it in my rearview mirror being hauled back home on the trailer.



I was thrilled to get it back to the shop and planned on parking it in the corner until I could finish working on my '57 Chevy truck (which my great aunt & uncle bought new), a truck my dad gave to me when I was 11-12 years old. Within a couple of months, Nate asks me if we can build him a truck for his first car. Of course I was thrilled, but a little shocked when he added he liked the '51 best. Since projects were abundant with several to choose from, (1950 F1, 1957 Chevy 3100, and the 1951 Advanced Design)...I guess the fact it was red was just icing on the cake as he said he just liked the roundness of the body lines and fenders. Needless to say, I was proud he was interested in old cars and was more than happy to begin this quest with him.





Since I saw this as the opportunity to share what I had learned from my dad when we rebuilt our '34 Ford sedan in the late '70s (I was a young teenager at the time)...I figured the best way to begin was to mock it up so we could decide on the stance and tire/wheel combination. (dont pay too much attention to the wheels...we were just using them to mock up, more traditional hot rod wheels will be added soon).







Once the profile was established, we set out to make our plans for the ch***is. It wasn't long before we realized the old frame had seen too many miles to bring back to a safe & dependable foundation. So we decided to build our new rails from scratch...this way Nate could learn how to build a hot rod from the ground up.

It's late now, so I will post pics of the ch***is soon. As you will see, we begin with raw steel and somehow form the ch***is which should last another 60+ years with ease.

Best regards,

Troy


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Looks like a good one. I'd bet you will be surprised how good of a shape that frame is actually in when you lift the body off. I've had a lot of them and wrecks, hacking due to engine swaps and rust or twists from hauling way to heavy of loads over rough ground are about all that really hurt them and that truck doesn't look like it received much abuse from what I can see.

 

Mr48chev, your ***essment is very close to what we found. Other than a couple of cracks from fatigue, the frame was pretty good. I have fully boxed frames before and already knew how much labor & time is involved to do it right. Since this was an opportunity to teach, I figured my son could learn a lot more by building the frame from scratch. So we took a trip down to the local metal yard and bought (1) 20' piece of 2"x4" and (1) 20' of 2"x6" rectangular tubing. We bought 3/16" wall and in hindsight I believe 1/4" would have been just fine for the task...but it's definitely not going to fatigue in the future.

We started by taking a lot of measurements of the original frame. Once we had our length and widths do***ented, we ordered some frame curves from Paul Horton's Welder Series website (http://www.welderseries.com/blog/online-store/category/frame-curves/), and began on the rails. We started with the front frame horns as pictured here...




Next, we cut the 2"x6"x20' in half and mated the front frame horns to one end to create the front half of the frame rails...









Of course I used all of this as an opportunity to teach Nate "how to measure twice/cut once" using the chop saw and band saws. He quickly learned how to go slow and let the blade do the work...



He then learned how to grind a beveled edge on the tubing in preparation for the welding...




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VERY KOOL! Great Story, subscribed, Keep us posted on progress. John

 

Lucky kid! Way to go dad!

 

Next up, we turned our attention to the rear kick-ups. Using the metal worktable top, we laid out the design and began to cut up more 2"x4" tubing and the curves from Paul Horton.





After making the first one, we laid out the second to match. In this photo you can see the sections needed to complete the entire kick-up...





This was a great opportunity to begin teaching Nate how to weld...Of course he needed a youth-sized helmet & gloves...but with a project this big, I figured he would get a lot of use out of them before he outgrew them.





With two identical pieces, we were able to graft them into the front sections. By mocking up the truck early on for ride height, stance and wheel/tire combination...we identified the wheelbase distance to lay out the kick-up location.









With one complete, we simply measured and cut the second to match. Now we had two identical frame rails...






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What you are doing with your son is awesome!! I just finished my 31 Model A Coupe and am now starting my son's 37 Ford coupe, he's only 7 but you can't start them too young.
Way to go!! You must be proud.

 

Some of the purist on here may not like the fact of building a new ch***is from rectangular tubing...but this project is about getting a youngster interested in old cars. The older my son and I get, the more I have learned if you want them to learn from you...you have a better chance if they want to get involved. I own a restored '56 F100 and Nate really likes it, but not as much as he does the more modernized trucks he has seen at the shows and rod runs. At his age today, he definitely likes the newer paint schemes, wild color combinations, wheels, etc...and I want to believe he will learn to appreciate the beauty of nostalgia like my dad did and as I do today. My plan is to let him be a kid now (most important to me) and allow his taste to grow as he does. I know that worked with me when my dad allowed me to make my own mistakes (within reason) and now I think much like he did...such as keep it simple, get the rake "just right", fit the car/truck to the tire & wheel, and don't do anything you cant undo if you change your mind later on. I can still remember my dad's voice telling me those words back then.

All that said, the goal is to spend time together working on a project we both have interest in and allow him a positive learning environment. If I can keep everything focused on that, we can't lose. And with that...let's focus back on the build.

We bought a front suspension from Justin at Scott's Hot Rods in Los Angeles. Nate wanted the ride of independence but the adjustability of air so we decided on their air bag setup using Slam Specialties bags. We also added some large Wilwood caliper brakes and power steering. Justin shipped us the hardware and we ***embled it so we could begin jigging up the ch***is with our newly formed frame rails.









Once the rails were set inside the crossmember and measured for proper width, we used the tabletop as a simulated ground and set up the suspension for our ride height we gathered from the original mockup. With everything measured for accuracy, we began to tack weld the uprights to the table and clamp the rails so the geometry was based upon final ride height.





Now we had the rails locked into place and could move onto the cross-members to tie it all together.



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Awesome start. It's great seeing your son being taught the right way to do things. Enjoy this adventure!
I did a Camaro with my son, and it was some of the best time I have ever spent in this hobby.


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Thanks guys for all of the positive feedback and encouragement. More updates to come...


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Subscribed. Cool Troy! Cool that you are a pro, cool that you learned it from your dad and uncles, cool that you know this truck from your youth. Cool that Nate is interested in the old cars & trucks.

 

What he said...

Nice, love the first few pics....keep them comin..

 

One of the tools I would really like to own, but haven't bought yet is a tubing bender. So I called up Justin again at Scott's Hot Rods and he told me not to worry...they had just finished building a 47-54 ch***is also and they could bend us a center section and rear 4-bar setup with ease. In hindsight, I don't think we needed anything close to this strong considering the rails are 3/16" thick...but I guess my dad's training kicked in and took over. He used to believe "if 1x was good enough...then 2x or 3x would be just about right". While it was plenty of work to tightly fit this in the rails...we liked the final product.









We also fit the rear cross-members in place...and since the Cryer family is known for no fear when it comes to tagging a trailer or travel trailer behind us we thought an integrated hitch would make good sense.

 

Rear End Installation:

We reached out to John's 9" Factory and they shipped us one of their extra-thick (insert Dad's advice about 2X/3X here) new housings. Based upon a 30" tall tire, and the planned 4 speed auto transmission...we also specified a 4.11" pinion. This should maximize the cam/engine torque at low RPMs while making the most of the overdrive at freeway speeds.







It didn't take long to realize the shock crossmember was not going to work as it would clearly conflict with the rear end housing during suspension compression.



More about that problem next...nothing another crossmember can't solve.

As with most projects...detours come into our path along the way. While working on the frame, I determined we needed some lifting ***istance as many of the upcoming work would require more than my young son and myself could handle safely. So I began searching Craigslist and found an electric 2250# winch for $250.00 and called up my friend Dwight to help me build a gantry crane. Using a similar design from previous manufacturers, we simply increased the steel size and gauge strength so we wouldnt have to worry about failure. As the pictures show, this is a very stout and adjustable gantry crane. Thanks Dwight!

 

This is gunna be awesome!

 

Amazing work!!

 

Thanks again guys...this is definitely a hobby shop. I make a living in communications, but truly enjoy the peace and tranquility of "therapy" when I'm in the shop. While it's not a "nickel & dime" affair, it really is as close to homemade as I can do given my schedule. I know I would save a lot of $ hiring this out, but I want to teach Nate that it's not about what you own...it's about what you build!

Once the ch***is was all tacked in place, we needed to make sure everything lined up right. So as the pictures below show, we used the gantry crane to re***emble the cab, front clip and bed back together to make sure the frame rail planning was accurate.





Next, we needed to figure out how to bolt items to the frame rails such as running boards, bumpers, gas tank, and exhaust. With stock c-channel rails its no problem to bolt up as you simply use an existing hole or drill a new hole, slide a bolt through and tighten it up. But I kept hearing my dad tell me how he used to be able to remove and re-install the front sheet metal on our '34 Ford all by himself. He said this was only possible because the original sheet metal was located on the original frame...and he had always regretted moving the body to another frame. This was caused by the fact he needed to minimize the down time (daily driver days) when rebuilding the car, so in an effort to shorten the rebuild he found another frame and pre-built it so we could just move the body over quickly and get the car back on the road in short order. Unfortunately this meant the sheet metal never fit like it did before...a challenge he fought then and I do to this day when trying to secure acceptable body gaps.

To solve this problem for Nate, we decided to build the frame to fit the body rather than build a frame and them modify the body to match. To minimize movement and to eliminate the need for two mechanics/wrenches/sockets...we cut up solid bar stock, drilled & tapped it for the appropriate bolt size and then welded the nuts into the rectangular tubing. This meant we wouldn't need to drill holes on the backside to gain access to lock nuts...as they would simply be welded inside the tubing and locked in place forever. The following pictures show how we cut the bar stock, drilled holes on the lathe, tapped and then welded on both sides of the frame rails so they couldnt move or break free later on. This also keeps the frame very clean as there are no access holes on the backside...just a clean mounting surface for anything needed to mount up to the frame. We simply cut them to match the inside width of the 2" rail, drilled a small hole on the back side (for securing on both sides), drilled a hole equal to the bar stock on the bolt side and then welded them in place...too simple.

 

Wonderful project! Thanks very much for using our parts.

 

That's not a shop, that is an operating room. Great project and best of all way to p*** the torch.Good job dad.

 

After the bumpers, we moved on to the running board mounts. Since the bolts were only 3/8' we decided to use manufactured weld-nuts rather than making our own. Drilling and tapping 3/8" weld-nuts seemed too work intensive so we simply drilled the frame and then welded the nuts into place. Next we ground down the welds and then cleaned out the threads. The whole point to this was to eliminate the need to fasten from the backside of the frame so it only requires one person to bolt up running boards, bumper mounts, etc. After many years of struggling to tighten or loosen one bolt from both sides of the frame, I wanted to make sure Nate could ***emble or remove parts with only a single wrench or socket.











Rather than just build a flat plate for the radiator crossmember, we decided to slice up a 2"x4" section of tubing and then modify it to wrap around the bottom of the radiator. The photos below show how the crossmember finished out.



Using the original frame as a template, we built the new crossmember so the radiator would fit without issue.





Once tacked in place...we welded it in place for good.

 

Im looking forward to doing this kind of thing with my son. Hes 4 but already saying daddys going to build me a car.
I have a spare 38 dodge truck cab, a 235 chevy six with a 3spd o/d and some falcon drum brakes on early ford spindles. That chould be a good start in a few years.

 

I wish I could say the shop is always that clean...but that's definitely not the case. I have tried to teach Nate how important it is to clean as you go...but I too get caught up trying to accomplish more on the project instead of remembering how important it is to stop a few minutes early and clean up the daily mess.

That's awesome! I hope your son stays interested in old cars and you two build that truck together. Although I lost my dad in 2001, this project keeps bringing him back in memories as I keep hearing his advice guiding our way. I know your boy will never forget the time you share building a hot rod together.

Bed Mounting:

Since the frame is made from rectangular tubing, mounting the bed introduced a decision to either drill access holes on the inside of the rails in order to attach the bed to the frame like the stock design dictated. With the idea of keeping the frame rail as sanitary as possible, we weren't too keen on drilling a bunch of holes into the rails as they would forever leave their mark.

Instead, I noticed a 4 bar rod end laying around and figured by using those we could not only achieve ultimate adjustability to raise or lower the bed onto the frame...but also eliminate the need for side access holes which totally met the desire to keep the look clean.

 

Steering Rack Clearance:

Due to the low stance, we needed to clearance the front frame rails to allow unobstructed movement for the rack to connect to the spindles. So we broke out the plasma cutter and made room for some heavy wall 3" tubing we cut on the bandsaw.





We angle ground the edges so we would get the best weld penetration possible...





Cab Mounts:

In order to provide secure mounts for the cab, we simply angle-cut the 4" tubing and drilled holes to match the floor holes in the cab. Once they were bolted up snug to the body, we lowered the body on top of the frame and tacked the mounts into place. After we double-checked them for accurate fitment, we welded them in solid. We decided to not use the stock-type rear mounts and instead simply build them similar to the front mounts. We figured we would cut out some spacers for them (on the mill out of aluminum) to reach up to the rear floor pan under the stock holes and call it a day...that is until we decided to box them in on the bottom side so they would be finished and match the fullness of the rectangular frame.

 

With the cab mounts completed, we were excited get the frame on the ground to check out the progress...I guess we needed some visual reward for all of our efforts thus far.









Next we lowered the engine & ****** so we could test fit them. We found a friend who had an LS1/4L60E combination with low mileage out of a wrecked 2004 chevy truck and struck a deal and brought it home. We didn't like the stock look of the EFI intake so we ordered up an Edelbrock intake and had it powder coated satin black. We added a 60's style air cleaner from Alan Johnson and will do our best to hide the coils so it looks more like a small block chevy.

It wasn't long before we realized how long those engines are and we knew more "adjustments" were in order. We didn't want to cut up the firewall or smooth it out so we decided to snug it up against the firewall and then make the adjustments on the front side by moving the radiator forward.

 

Core Support:

With the addition of the motor accessories, our fitting problems only got worse. Due to the 1.25-1.5" shortfall of space, we dug into finding more room. It wasn't long before we realized the stock core support wouldn't look good after the required butchering it would take to move the radiator forward. So we found some rectangular tubing and began cutting it up to build a new core support.

As with the frame rails, I wanted to recess the nuts so Nate could install or remove the bolts without needing ***istance from the backside or trying to work two wrenches all by himself. Using the mill, we drilled out holes and added the weld nuts. Within a couple of hours we had a new core support which allowed the radiator to move forward and still locate in the stock inner fender holes. Those holes also allowed us to create core support mounting arms that bolted to the topside of the frame rails on top of some firm rubber pads. We made the mounts by cutting them out of the spare frame tubing. This provided a finished look that didn't require any welding of flat plates together.

 

Exhaust:
Next up, we focused on the exhaust so we ordered up some 2.5" stainless mandrel-bent tubing and went to work. We wanted to keep it as hidden as possible so it wouldn't catch attention later on. Beginning at the headers, we worked our way back to the rear. This was our first ever exhaust system and I'm still unsure if I wouldn't begin at the rear and work my way forward next time due to the complexity we learned was involved to make it clean. Perhaps it is just more difficult than it looks to make it look good.















When we reached the rear end section, we found the rear crossmember wouldnt work so we had Heath Murray at Murray Kustom Rods in Fort Worth bend us up a new one for more clearance. I guess we really do need a tubing bender...so we are keeping one of those on the search list going forward. Anyway, Heath took great care of us and the new crossmember gave us the room needed to extend over the rear end housing and eliminate the requirement of running underneath the axles.



Fuel Tank:
We also made up a poster board template for a fuel tank to be located underneath the bed. After several revisions, Heath helped us out again and rolled up some stainless and welded up the tank. We took it home and fabricated the mounting tabs and located it into the frame...

 

New Wheels:

During the build, we kept looking for wheels that would better fit the 60's era I remember about this truck as a child. Nate wasn't interested in painted steelies & baby moons like on my '56 F100...so I kept showing him how good some of the more traditional hot rod wheels looked back in the day as well as they do still. Since we wanted something a little less popular (not on every other car or truck we see at the rod runs and shows), we decided on the Cl***ic V wheel from ETIII Wheels. Nate wanted them larger than the original 15" versions, so he decided on the 18" models. We couldn't wait to mount them up and ***emble the cab, bed and front clip so we could see how it would look when completed. Nate was stoked with the outcome!













At ride height...




Next up...dis***embly of the ch***is and off to the powder coaters for some color.

 

Damnnnnn...that is slick....lucky kid there for SURE...my first car was a POS civic....ha!

 

Amazing build!


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Thanks guys! I would say we are both lucky. He is definitely blessed as my first car was a work van...but I'm fortunate for him being such a great kid.

Powder Coating:













Found the best place we could locate the transmission cooler and mounted it to catch as much air as possible while being out of harm's way.



We used some Kugel Komponents stainless line clamps to hold the heavy-duty hoses onto the k-member. To make them match the curvature of the tubing, we tightened one side up in the vise and gave them a "whack" with the rubber hammer to bend them into a convex shape. Then we simply drilled & tapped the tubing to support the mounting screw. Now its mounted secure and the hoses cant move around either.