Well, this is kind of an update to my previous thread some of you may have seen about a pair of trucks I was trying to decide between. It looks like, as it stands, I am in fact getting both! What Im looking for right now is some help on ideas on how to rebuild them. The International is leaving me scratching my head a little. The Chevy is mostly intact, but has a lot of dents & rust. The rear box was put on a 58 Apache and is pretty rough (pictured below). I havent found the rear fenders yet, but they should be somewhere. The plan for the Chevy is a traditional hot rod, probably either with the original motor or a later model 250/292. My uncle has a 66 with a 250 & 4-speed that I might look to get for it, though it will take some doing to get it out of the truck and shipped. The truck is going to be a long-term project, one I wont start until after we buy a house. The delivery van pictured is a 46, and will be a source of a few parts. The Binder is pretty complete, but we havent found the running boards yet. The headlights and tail lights went missing, and the gas tank went who-knows-where. The truck is going to be our work truck, to be actually used as a truck when I need to haul stuff, or the occasional cruise. Its going to have to be fairly budget to get it on the road any time in the near future. The two main issues are brakes and drive train. Im not sure if I should do a disk brake conversion, and go manual or power brakes. Brake parts, at least drums, are near non-existent for replacements (if necessary). Im leaning now towards manual disk brakes, but open to suggestion. The other issue is the drive train. The original motor is probably completely gone. The manifolds were un-bolted, and I was told it had rod knock when it was parked. So, I am trying to decide what way to go for the motor. I have thought of completely restoring the truck to original spec, which is tempting, but will take a lot more money and time. I also am going to be doing most of the work out of a two-car garage that needs to be shared with our other vehicle, so space is a premium. Ive thought about getting a newer International motor, say out of a Scout or even just another Binder truck. They even had a Nissan-built diesel in some years which is somewhat attractive. Ive even thought about going with the Vortec 4200 from the Trailblazers, but thats probably a little newer and gadgety than I want. Ill probably get a disc-brake Explorer rear end, as I understand they bolt in perfectly and even use the same wheel pattern. A mild crate 350 SBC with a 5-speed manual is high on the list for the budget and simplicity, but Im not sure which way I want to go yet. Any suggestions on what might be a good motor swap?
The Jalopy Journal
