'52 Chevy Panel: Project "Orange Crate"

[h0wb0y]

I am starting up a project to get this '52 Chevy Panel driveable and looking respectable for the first time in 40+ years. This was the owner's boyhood love and he traveled around the country in it during his early years. When it stopped running many years ago, he meant to get it back on the road, but life happened and there was too many other projects to do and priorities to devote his attention to --- that is, until now. I am helping the owner get this project rolling on a shoestring budget - so he can drive it around the lake a few more times.

I am definitely looking forward to all the input and opinion of knowledge and experience from everyone here on the forum.

Here are the before pictures:

[IMG][/IMG]

[h0wb0y]

Got the interior pretty well taken out, engine and transmission pulled, and the doors off. I was going to start pulling apart the engine because it is seized - but I ran into problems getting the distributor out. The thread for that can be found here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1#post6787695

Here are the pictures of first day progress:

[IMG][/IMG]

[Katrina/10]

I don't think that's a 52.

[h0wb0y]

That is VERY possible Katrina --- I really have no idea. The ol' man said it was his '52 and I did not question it one bit. I suppose I have some research to do for my own knowledge. I'm still not going to correct him if it turns out that he is mistaken though!

[h0wb0y]

Well - It sure looks like a '52 Chevy Panel to me - and google images seems to agree. I have NO idea what the front end is off of.

What seems to be out of place if this is not actually a '52?

[Russell Ashley]

Definitely not a 52. Check this link: http://www.46chevytruck.com/

[1project2many]

Neat little truck!

[h0wb0y]

Well, I can see what you guys mean after looking at the '46. I will go grab VIN numbers the next time I am out there and figure it out! Thanks for the heads up!

Hopefully that doesn't mean I have to uproot from this thread and put it elsewhere. Or - maybe I will just buy a few '52 parts and throw them on real quick to fool everyone - bwahahaha.

[Highsider]

Did you say you were working on a 283 for it?
That had to be from a later year, so you are in the "right" place.

The great photos are appreciated, too!

[oldman3]

That front end sheet metal is from 1942 thru 1947. The body also seems to be in those years. Someone may be better informed that me....Jim

[_Ogre]

very cool, ogre likes panel and burb builds

the pre 47 forum doesn't get much action, had 10 posts in it last month
the moderators should just combine the two forums into a pre 60 forum

[msaintg]

this is a 1947

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by h0wb0y

That is VERY possible Katrina --- I really have no idea. The ol' man said it was his '52 and I did not question it one bit. I suppose I have some research to do for my own knowledge. I'm still not going to correct him if it turns out that he is mistaken though!

Do you have a clear title for this yet? That will tell you what year it is. Definately 41-47(early). If you do not have a title, do a google search here in the box above, checked for this site, and find out why and what you need to do. If it is titled as a 52 and the title number does not match any of the numbers on the truck, you have a title for someone elses truck.... this is a 52 panel

[h0wb0y]

Thanks for everyone's input - it is MUCH appreciated.

I don't know if the owner has the title or not - but I will definitely ask him and check the VINs just to be sure. I just don't know. I think that front end absolutely is from a late '40s truck (if you can call it that) - but it would not surprise me at all if this old farmer has plopped the body down on some random other chassis that worked for him at some point in time. I know the motor mounts for the 283 were fabbed up by him sometime in the '60s because he told me about it.

I will have an update on Thursday.

Thanks again!

[h0wb0y]

So - I found out that you good people were absolutely correct. It is officially a 1946 Chevy panel.

Hopefully that does not end up booting me out of this active portion of the forum - but I understand if it does.

Due to some serious trouble removing the completely frozen distributor, I really did not make a great deal of progress to actually show pictures of - but I will throw some on here anyway. I did end up getting the distributor out with the help of a very large pipe wrench, a hammer, and lots of PB Blaster. The manifold came off no problem.

Now, I am having issues pulling the harmonic balancer. I soaked it all in PB Blaster - and left the puller HEAVILY tensioned in hopes that maybe mother nature will work her magic and the changes in temperature, humidity, etc. will assist in breaking it free under constant pressure. If not, I am not quite sure where to go. Heating the balancer with a torch possibly?

I got all of the glass out.

I started pulling everything out of the dash - including all of the home-made guage clusters and switch panels. I thought the home-made fuse box was particularly interesting.

The steering column is being a little stubborn as well - but all of this work was done in just the time I had after I got off work on this last Thursday.

I am thinking about just swapping the original chassis out for something more modern with a similar wheel-base. I am thinking an S-10 with a 350 conversion would be just about perfect. That way, the ol man will have much more modernized steering, suspension, braking, heating and cooling systems.

Any thoughts on this?

[Advanced Design]

The panel looks like a very solid one. Thanks for sharing it here.

I am sure someone will offer thoughts / information on using an S10 chassis on this project.

Might be simpler to use this frame and install an IFS from one of the many vendors offering them. Don't know if that fits with the owners budget though.

[DransportGarage]

Wow. Electrification by Flintstone...

I second the IFS. It's just cleaner, and I believe you have much more room for steering column, headers and stuff when you're done.

[47 Fasttoys]

Taking one apart is the easy part. I hope your bagging and tagging everything (doesn't look that way). If your trying to go super low budget, stop now and think ahead. To build one cheap you need a well thought out plan.
It's great that your trying to help someone out, we need more people with that attitude.
That being said, I've seen a lot of good intentions turn bad without a plan. In the long run, if you get burned out, this fellow will be out of a rebuild-able panel and you will feel bad. I lot of guys have built these trucks with very good results. There is a lot of good information on the web. Unless you have a good stash of parts, plan on a minimum of $2500 just to get it able to drive and stop safely. I'm not try to be an A-hole here but in my experience (35 years) it's best not to learn on a truck you don't own. It's a receipt for disaster.
Rob

[Russell Ashley]

It looks like that truck was "fixed up" back when you didn't have all of the after market stuff we have now, and you had to do with junk yard finds and your own ingenuity to get it done. Been there, done that. You definitely have your work cut out for you, but it's doable and some have started out with worse. I hope it goes well for you.
Love the wood dash inserts with the routed designs. There was a time when wood was the in thing for dashes and you could actually buy pre cut panels and inserts for different vehicles. Wood still looks good to me when it's done right.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

Wow. Electrification by Flintstone...

I second the IFS. It's just cleaner, and I believe you have much more room for steering column, headers and stuff when you're done.

I re-read your first post and focused on the "shoestring budget" part. I also read 47 fasttoys' post and, although I would have been a little more upbeat, he's right about having a plan and being organized. (But I don't tag and bag the stuff I won't be re-using. I throw it in a pile that I keep until the project is done.)

That said, I think my suggestion about the IFS was mis-guided. If you've done chassis swaps in the past with success I'd say that's a good route. Otherwise, you might consider rebuilding/repairing that original chassis for those "rides around the lake". You'll be motoring in a much more timely fashion.

[h0wb0y]

Originally Posted by 47 Fasttoys

Taking one apart is the easy part. I hope your bagging and tagging everything (doesn't look that way). If your trying to go super low budget, stop now and think ahead. To build one cheap you need a well thought out plan.
It's great that your trying to help someone out, we need more people with that attitude.
That being said, I've seen a lot of good intentions turn bad without a plan. In the long run, if you get burned out, this fellow will be out of a rebuild-able panel and you will feel bad. I lot of guys have built these trucks with very good results. There is a lot of good information on the web. Unless you have a good stash of parts, plan on a minimum of $2500 just to get it able to drive and stop safely. I'm not try to be an A-hole here but in my experience (35 years) it's best not to learn on a truck you don't own. It's a receipt for disaster.
Rob

I can respect your intentions to help out, Fasttoys - but this is not my first rodeo --- just my first rodeo on this type of bull. I have just never built a panel before. My builds have been much more complex in the past. Like I said - I completely respect your attempts to reach out to someone who does not know what they are getting into - but we are all good on that front.

By the way - there is nothing to 'bag and tag' in any of the pictures I posted --- because everything that I am salvaging is already 'bagged and tagged' in a separate toolbox. I take a lot of pictures of things to jog my memory later on as well - but this panel is getting gutted and refitted. Like DransportGarage, I generally don't take the time to label and organize my bolts and brackets either - but I do when I am working on something that I have never worked on before. You are right - it takes time - but is always well worth it.

Originally Posted by DransportGarage

I re-read your first post and focused on the "shoestring budget" part. I also read 47 fasttoys' post and, although I would have been a little more upbeat, he's right about having a plan and being organized. (But I don't tag and bag the stuff I won't be re-using. I throw it in a pile that I keep until the project is done.)

That said, I think my suggestion about the IFS was mis-guided. If you've done chassis swaps in the past with success I'd say that's a good route. Otherwise, you might consider rebuilding/repairing that original chassis for those "rides around the lake". You'll be motoring in a much more timely fashion.

Hey - there we go! Someone who reads all the way through AND puts themselves into the scope of the project. Excellent. I do have quite a bit of chassis fab experience - so I really don't foresee this panel as posing much of a challenge with a chassis swap. We ALL know where that mentality usually goes though... It was just something I have been tossing around - and, honestly, it just makes more sense --- ESPECIALLY for the money involved.

For everyone that is reading/keeping up with this project, I would like to remind you that this build is for a farmer who never wants anything perfect - just good enough to get the job done. It is me who is having to bite my tongue when he is coming up with ideas to rig things and cut corners --- but - it is his budget, his car, and his dream. My part is to try to make it happen for him.

If anyone here is expecting a show car condition vehicle as the end result, you might as well stop checking up on this thread. However, if you (like myself) are curious to see what this thing ends up looking like with a MINIMAL amount of money thrown into it --- stick around!

Either way - I am going to be enjoying having a beer with an old farmer knowing that hell or high water - that old man is going to be driving that car around the lake again.

[oldman3]

I'm sticking around till the end...Jim

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by oldman3

i'm sticking around till the end...jim

x2!

[47 Fasttoys]

I stand corrected sir, well put response and good luck.
Rob

P.S. I also have a '46 which I built from the frame up as my daily driver, so if I can be of any assistance just chime in.

[57taskforce]

Love the bull horns! I've never seen an Art Deco truck with horns. Looks pretty cool to me.
I will be following this post as well very cool panel.