47-55.1 Looking for Advice on Upcoming 1950 Truck Project

[dsraven]

well, I hate to say it, but maybe assemble what you have, loosely so as to keep all the parts in one lump rather than a bunch of boxes, and move on to the next acvailable power source. a stock 6 wouldbe the easiest since the truck is set up for that.
I will say though, before you get too far into your pocket for a new engine, do the inspection on the rest of the truck so you have an idea of the TOTAL cost to get it driving

[pjmoreland]

Any pointers on what to look for in a replacement engine? Based on earlier comments, it appears that the current engine might be a 57 or a 58. If we ended up with a 56 or earlier engine, would all of the accessories transfer over?

[dsraven]

try this site for some info on the 235

https://www.enginefacts.com/chevrolet235/

a quickie on engine rebuilding the 235. not gonna be cheap but has some info

https://www.autoblueprint.com/1961_p...e_removal.html

a thread on here discussing something of interest possibly

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=720825

in case you get bored...or the wife wants you to do something, this will keep you looking busy.a little more reading, haha

https://www.paulsroom.com/BlueHost/w...ngineSwap.html

[pjmoreland]

We acquired a replacement engine today. It is a 1962 235 that the owner has run a couple of times in his garage. It rotates easily, and it seems to have compression. It doesn't have holes in the front mount bracket, so we will need to drill holes to match the other bracket, I believe. We noticed this thing on the bottom of the fuel pump. It has two metal lines coming out of it. One goes to the intake manifold, and the other is cut off, so I don't know where it went originally. What is that for?

[1project2many]

That engine sounds like a good find. Don't forget to use a "bottoming tap" if you are threading any blind holes in the block. Regular taps are tapered and won't create usable threads to the end of a blind hole.

The fuel pump has an optional accessory vacuum pump. It can really help keep the old vacuum wipers working when climbing a hill or driving while heavily loaded.

[dsraven]

thats what I would say it is too. never seen one like that before, but then, they say I need to get out more. haha
you could run a vacuum canister to help store vacuum and make the wipers run a little smoother, nit required though.
looks like a good find. you could do a quick compression test on it before dumping it into the chassis, just to make sure you don't have a gimpy cylinder ot something. up to you. otherwise, some hole plugs, quaker state super clean and a trip to the car wash. then, before you install, check stuff that is a common problem. exhaust heat riser siezes up, exhaust pipe connection bolts/studs threads, clutch, pressure plate and release bearing-resurface flywheel. tune up stuff, include valve adjustment since it is easier on the floor than in the truck. pull the lid off the carb and see what is in there for sediment etc. gaskets, seals that may be suspect. oil pan plug threads. water pump shaft bearing play.
or just stick it in there and get it running before you spend money on it.
either way, keep posting up the progress report. lol.

[pjmoreland]

Thank you for the help, guys

[joedoh]

woop congrats on the find!

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by joedoh

woop congrats on the find!

Thanks! My wife's uncle knows a guy who has connections in the local car enthusiast community, so he gave him a call. It just so happened that there was another guy visiting his shop when my wife's uncle called that is somewhat of a collector of old engines. This guy had the '62 engine stashed away in the corner of his garage. He pulled it from a panel truck a while back with the plan to build a car around it, but that plan never materialized. He has run the engine in his garage a couple of times just for fun. The spark plugs have a bit of carbon on them, but they are not oily at all. Super nice guy. He let us borrow his engine hoist, and he even gave us some of his smoked trout.

[pjmoreland]

Got the engine in place today. Spent a fair amount of time cleaning it up and removing components that will be transferred over from the previous engine. It also took a while to drill the two holes in the front mounting bracket followed by filing them square. Tomorrow we will work on installing components onto the engine.

[pjmoreland]

I've run into a bit of a stumbling block. The oil pan on the replacement engine is in really bad shape. It's got a huge dent, and it has a couple of holes in it that have been JB welded and are leaking. My plan was to swap the nice oil pan over from the original engine, but they are different styles. The replacement engine has pipes and oil spray nozzles built into the oil pan, whereas the original does not. I'm going to have to hunt down a replacement pan. The block date code on the replacement engine ends in a 2. Does that mean 1952, based on the oil spray nozzles in the pan?

[pjmoreland]

Got almost everything reassembled today. The oil pan is still a problem though. I went to a wrecking yard today that has lots of old vehicles. They actually had an oil pan, but it was rusty both inside and out, so I passed on it. Our current oil pan has a very small hole in the middle where the metal got dented in by a sharp object. It also has a couple of holes where the piece that the drain plug threads into ripped out the spot welds . The drain plug threads are stripped out as well. We found someone who has a welder we can borrow tomorrow, so we are heading out early in the morning to go do that. We also bought an M16x1.5 drain plug, so we will have to track down a tap tomorrow.

[dsraven]

That's great.
On the oil plug, I have simply welded a regular nut on the inside and then usd a regular flange head bolt with a drain plug washer. Cheap and easy. Use a fine thread if possible. If you have a metric drain plug you could use a metric nut inside. Since the pan is off try to remove the original nut first. I have also simply welded a patch over the original plug hole and made a new hole and plug close by. Whatever works.

[dsraven]

You could use a jam nut, they are half as tall as a regular nut. I have seen some repairs where the nut was welded onto the outside of the pan as well.

[dsraven]

if using the weld on nut idea, install a bolt/washer into the nut to hold the nut in place, with some antisieze on it, before you weld the nut onto the pan, it helps to hold the nut on plus the antisieze helps get the bolt out of the nut after welding. just enough lube to coat the threads a bit so it doesn't bubble out and get into the weld. the washer also helps flatten the pan sheet metal against the nut. I usually gas weld these as I don't have a TIG welder..............yet............working on the wife to loosen up some cash.
I have also used a regular steel pipe union, cut in half so it is shorter, and welded that on as an oil drain bung on some other projects I have done. no sealing washer or other parts to lose and the new drain plug is available at any hardware store. use a brass plug as they self lubricate on the threads. weld the fitting onto the outside of the pan, pick a size you like. 3/8 npt is good to drain quickly. 1/4 npt is a little small to drain but will still work
got some pics of that pan?

[dsraven]

if using the pipe bushing make sure it is steel, not cast, so it will weld properly to the sheet metal.

[dsraven]

there are also weld on pipe fittings available for easy weld on, something like this. they are usually used for tanks but will work fine for your purpose as well.

https://www.crracing.com/product/3-8-npt-bung-fitting

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...saAs88EALw_wcB

[dsraven]

sorry, for some reason my phone didn't load the oil pan pics so I didn't see them till now, on my desktop.

[pjmoreland]

Here are some photos of the pan. This morning we picked up another drain plug that fits through the existing hole and has a long Threaded section. We also got a nut that fits it. I'm hoping to weld it to the existing rectangular steel block currently inside the pan.

[pjmoreland]

Welded in a nut and fixed the pulled out spot welds. I'm planning on using a hand file to flatten it out in a controlled manner.

[pjmoreland]

Filed flat

[dsraven]

That ought to do the trick. If you wanna check for leaks just set the pan right side up and sorta level, then dump some varsol or paint thinner in the pan and let it sit for a bit. See if it gets wet on the outside of the pan anywhere.

[pjmoreland]

Oil pan is back on. Got the radiator and hood back on. Working on freeing up the brakes now. Will try to start the engine tomorrow morning.

[Rickysnickers]

Nice work! I'm impressed that you were able to flip the truck upside down to take the photo. So you don't get inundated with requests to do that again, I flipped the picture for you, hahahahahaha!!!

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

Nice work! I'm impressed that you were able to flip the truck upside down to take the photo. So you don't get inundated with requests to do that again, I flipped the picture for you, hahahahahaha!!!

Yeah, it sure made it easier to install the oil pan that way! Thanks for the flip