Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

Hey guys been a long time since I have been on the form. I am on the hunt for a new daily driver. Currently driving a 1977 K10 lifted, diesel swap, manual trans swap, locked built axles on 37 H1 beadlocks...... Gets alot of looks in the NYC harbor area. Its fun but I miss having a 2wd for daily driving. In the winter I have been driving a 1980 diesel benz.

Anyway, I am looking to clear out a bunch of parts from my parents house and get a different daily driver. The 77 is really built more to offroad which i used to do alot. I have been on the hunt for a engineless something to put the low mile 350 from the 77k10 into since it is now running a 6.2 diesel.

A 1955 3600 long bed stepside has been forsale locally for a few months. The seller is having another kid and wants to be rid of it. The truck has a 4 speed (sm420?) and had a 307SBC swapped in but now has no engine. The body looks straight and relatively rust free which is rare in this area. It is a no frills truck with the small back window and no delux options i can see.

My plan would be to swap in the 77 350 and maybe a ranger overdrive I have, go through the brakes and do a cheap flat paint job to hold it over.

Some questions:
Is there a disc brake swap to retain the 8 lug setup using junkyard parts?

Is there a dual master Setup to retain the factory clutch setup?

Anybody use the Trans depto v8 swap mounts?

What was a typical gear ratio for this era truck? (originally an inline 6)

I am sure some of these questions will be answered through searching the form which i am doing but I would like to make an offer on the truck this weekend. What does something like this go for by you?


I appreciate any feedback. Hopefully I can work a deal and clean out my parts stash at the same time.

Re: Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

Old car manual project (google it) will have tons of info on your truck. I think it was probably a 4.10 rear end but not sure. It'll be in the OCMS, though.

The disc brake thing... I know there was a thread on this site that might be helpful. Google something like "DIY brake conversion 8 lug 67-72chevytrucks.com" and see if it comes up or maybe somebody else knows the link.

Re: Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

yossarian19 , Thanks for the reply. I did find the brake swap on a 3600 AD truck using parts off a 2500 chevy van 2003 model I think. I also remember reading some place that parts off a 1 ton 1992 dodge van may work.

It is my understanding that 1955 was a change over year and the 1955 3600 Ad trucks and 1955 3600 TF trucks used the same brakes?

I actually have no problem with the drum brakes all around, I need the redundancy of a dual chamber master though. If any of you have driven the Jersey city/ NYC area you will know why loosing brakes would be a huge problem.

Thanks again guys and please feel free to offer opinions and feedback.

Re: Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

I have no idea about the brake parts interchange. I can tell you that Rockauto.com is a great resource for brake rotor dimensions. It's a bit tedious to flip to each 8-lug truck you want to know about and look at the brake rotor listings until you find one with dimensions listed but the information is out there. Hardest part is going to be getting the caliper spacing right, I'd think, but if you can mock something up / figure out the dimensions, there's a machinist near you who can build it.
I'm almost totally ignorant on the 3/4 ton trucks but if you want a regular driver (and don't care about firewall beauty) I'd put a firewall mounted brake pedal in there. Ease of service and setup can't be beat. Plus, it gives you the option of running just about any GM type brake setup you want to use. Hydroboost is highly recommended.

Re: Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

I am driving a 55 2nd series 3600 to go to work as often as possible. Drum brakes are not a problem for me but, I drive the truck only on secondary roads (country side), I have never tested motorway driving. The rear end ratio is 4.57 which I judge a bit short for me, I would prefer a 4.10 swap but impossilbe to find one in France.
Usual driving speed is between 80 to 90 km/h (50 to 55 mi/h). With a 4.10 rear end, the engine rpm will be lower and it will be more confortable for noise inside the cabin.
Hope to help you with my very limited knowledge ;)

Re: Looking at a 1955 3600 2cnd series
 

There is no direct junk yard swap from other vehicles.

We make the disc swap kits for your truck. Front , Rear and a booster/master kit that retains the original pedals, The kit allows you to use parts from a 2003 up gm 2500HD 13" disc brake front and rear and retain the late model parking brake that you can connect to your hand brake.
Front Disc Kit give me a call or email me if you have questions