Will's 1955 2nd Series Stepside Project

[ChevroletWT]

Originally Posted by 63split

nice looking truck !

Thank you sir!!

I just finished up adding most likely the most impressive modification to the truck yet. This is a 1960's Smokey Bear antenna topper that I have converted to be hung around the rearview mirror (Figure someone would steal it on the antenna)

[Palf70Step]

Very kool!

[zellway]

Great looking truck. I love the motor!
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[butchp]

Do you have help, do you have someone to look at the likage as you put it in gear. I am in Dyersburg, TN. I also have a 1956 that I am working on.

[Chevette]

Hey Will. I just checked out your web page. Love the Blues and you're good. Oh ya, your truck is coming along nicely too.

[ChevroletWT]

Butch - thanks for the offer! I do have help, but I wrote down your number and will keep you in mind.. I'd like to see your truck!

Originally Posted by Chevette

Hey Will. I just checked out your web page. Love the Blues and you're good. Oh ya, your truck is coming along nicely too.

Thank you!!!

Here is some food for thought

My 700R4 has an electronic lockup switch mounted up under the dash. I have not tried playing with it, and have not thought about it until now. As far as I know, the lockup switch has been off. But what if I accidentally reversed the leads and the lockup was on? Would that cause this problem? Would it be ok to try turning the switch "on" while sitting still to see if this maybe is causing my problem... or is there even any chance this could be my problem?

[ChevroletWT]

Well, the lockup turned out to be my issue. This dummy wired in the switch backwards so the lockup was turned on. That caused the TQ to lockup and send straight power to the wheels.. seeming like the engine was going full throttle.

Now that the throttle issue is solved I need to do some rear end work. The leaf spring mounting pads need to be re-welded to the housing but my 90 amp welder is not powerful enough to do the job.. time to phone a friend!.. or maybe get an early Christmas present

[cAlvis165]

Originally Posted by ChevroletWT

Well, the lockup turned out to be my issue. This dummy wired in the switch backwards so the lockup was turned on. That caused the TQ to lockup and send straight power to the wheels.. seeming like the engine was going full throttle.

Now that the throttle issue is solved I need to do some rear end work. The leaf spring mounting pads need to be re-welded to the housing but my 90 amp welder is not powerful enough to do the job.. time to phone a friend!.. or maybe get an early Christmas present

Glad you got it figured out! I firmly believe that the best way to learn about this stuff is to roll up your sleeves and dig into it. Of course, I know about your flight simulator (I followed Nadine's build). So I know you don't need any encouragement to dig into daunting tasks. Looking good. Let us know how it drives.

[ChevroletWT]

Thanks Calvis!

I'm dreading pulling the rear end on this thing so I decided to tackle some brake work. The PO installed the master cylinder on the firewall, and while I didn't like it too much, I figured it would be OK. I recently have realized that when the brake pedal is pressed, the linkage presses against the back of the instrument cluster... that's not OK. Well the whole setup was sort of sketchy so I decided to take the plunge and install a new frame mounted power dual master cylinder from Speedway Motors. The installation was very straight forward and fortunately my brake mounting bracket had not been cut off of the frame! Overall the frame mounted brake cylinder feels MUCH more solid.

Here is is mocked up on the frame.


Here is the hole in the firewall I get to patch up now. Thanks PO...


I moved on to an area that I figured needed attention and boy was I right. I went and pulled the front drums.. here is what was inside:


I can't believe this thing stopped as well as it did with this crappy brake setup. I think my favorite part of all of it is that the passenger side had two of the small surface shoes (rear) and the drivers side had the two large surface (front) shoes.. man oh man..

Well about 30 minutes later we have something that looks much healthier. New wheel cylinder, shoes, and hardware. The driver's side got the same treatment.


I have new roller bearings and am considering buying fresh drums. These drums are just so rusty.. I don't feel too good about them.. I have a broken stud on the passenger drum as well. And to top it off I think I may also have to "spring" for new front leafs. Mine seem very, very weak.

Here's one more thing. As expected the engine has been getting hot a bit too quick during the test runs. Well I installed a 3" fan spacer and a shroud from Speedway and cooling problems seem to be a thing of the past!

[Russell Ashley]

"the passenger side had two of the small surface shoes (rear) and the drivers side had the two large surface (front) shoes.. man oh man.."

Will, The short (primary) shoes go to the front.

[ChevroletWT]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

"the passenger side had two of the small surface shoes (rear) and the drivers side had the two large surface (front) shoes.. man oh man.."

Will, The short (primary) shoes go to the front.

It's been too long since I've done drums... Guess I'm as much of an idiot as the PO! Haha!

Thanks for the pointer!
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[Kim57]

Nice upgrades on the brakes and fan.
Kim

[ChevroletWT]

Time for a big update as to where I am on the truck. I've been working hard on it but lacking in keeping up with my posts.

I finished up rebuilding all the brakes with new shoes, hardware, and wheel cylinders. I got fresh drums for the front and rear and installed roller bearings up front. After inspecting the front leafs for a while I made the decision that they had to be replaced. They had been painted numerous times but it was clear they were rusting from the inside out.

After being shocked by the price of front leaf springs from internet vendors, I had a place locally that specializes in semi-truck springs make me a new pair. They came out fantastic and I ended up saving roughly $300 by having them made here locally versus ordering off the web. In addition to the springs I obviously utilized new pins, bushings, and U bolts. To put the icing on the cake I also installed new shocks at the front and rear.


Next up it was time to tackle the rear end. I got her mocked up again at the correct angle and tack welded the leaf spring mounting pads with my crappy 110v MIG. I then took the housing over to a friend who is a professional welder and had him weld the mounting pads on securely. Before putting the rear end back into the truck I decided something had to be done about the axles.

This rear end came from a 1970 C10 1/2 ton, which is obviously a 5 lug truck. The PO decided to make it a 6 lug by attempting to drill out the 5 lug axle flanges to a a 6 lug pattern. This almost might have worked except for the fact that the 6th lug lines up with the a hole of the 5 lug pattern. So in turn the axles only had 5 lugs, in the 6 lug pattern. Not to mention they weren't even lined up correctly making wheel changes a pain. So it was clear these axles had to go.

I ordered a new pair of fresh 30 spline 6 lug axles and had no problem getting them installed. After that I put the rear end back into the truck along with fresh U bolts, shocks, and rebuilt brakes.


I had a small landmark moment today. I installed the rear drums and got the wheels bolted back on. I also bled the new brake system. I was able to crank her up and back in and out of the garage a few times which I was very happy with. Believe it or not, this was the first time she ever pulled into the garage under her own power, every other time was pushing!!

Tomorrow I will continue the fine tuning working towards another test drive. I am going to bleed the brakes one more time because I think I may still have a little bit of air in the lines. I also need to work out my brake switch and address a small fuel leak at the pump.

I also am having trouble getting my throttle to return all the way. I am running a lokar pedal and cable setup and have some really hefty return springs but for some reason it just doesn't quite return all the way. I'll work on that tomorrow as well.

Here she is as of the end of today. She needs a good test drive to blow off all the dust!


And STILL looking for a set of 4 stock 6 Lug 15x5 wheels!!!

[Wheelie]

I like that color combo! I have had bad experience with the lokar pedal too. I had an issue with the pedal binding on the carpet. Make sure where the cable comes in to the bottom of the pedal on that little pivot isnt hitting anything or getting hung up. I also lubed the crap out of the cable.
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[Palf70Step]

You have gotten a good bit done. I too really like the color combo of your truck!

[Kim57]

Looks real good. Very cool your close to having it on the road.
Kim

[ChevroletWT]

SUCCESS!!

It sure has been a long road, but today I finally got to taste success. I did about five laps around my block getting her fine tuned. Did some brake adjustments, TV cable adjustments, throttle linkage adjustments, and got her running really well! All that is left to do is to install the brake light switch, take her to the exhaust shop, fine tune the body gaps, and she will be 100%. It drives fantastic!! Just like an old truck should. :tu

This week I will start the registration process and hope to have her street legal sooner rather than later!

Oh.. and I'm STILL looking for stock wheels!

[Palf70Step]

[Kim57]

Congrats.
Looks real nice.
Kim

[Katrina/10]

Good job! So you want to get rid of the aftermarket wheels and go all stock wheel/tires?

[ChevroletWT]

Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

Good job! So you want to get rid of the aftermarket wheels and go all stock wheel/tires?

Yes sir, I'm not a big fan of the wheels that are currently on it and I have a few reasons for wanting to go back stock.

-Stock wheels and tires will make the truck sit up a little higher
-Skinnier tires will be MUCH easier to steer
-Current aftermarket wheels rub rear fenders on tight corners
-Stock is cool!

Believe it or not, I got the truck registered and tagged a few days ago.

In case I didn't mention earlier, I bought this truck without a title. The PO never had one, and neither did the one before him. I have heard so many horror stories about title-less vehicles and the registration process so I expected the worst.

First things first, when I was doing my first dealings with the truck I called a good friend of mine who is a police officer and had him run the VIN number to be sure it was clear and showed no current owner. It did in fact come back this way so I proceeded. I made out a clean bill of sale signed by the seller, myself, and my father as a witness.

So I called the DMV to tell them what my situation was. I was sure that when I said the phrase "no title" that they would ban me from the earth. Instead, she told me I needed to file for a "Certificate of Ownership" that would legally put the vehicle in my name. From there I could file for a replacement title.

So I got up early one morning, went to the DMV and told the lady behind the glass that I had a truck I restored with no title and needed to file for certificate of ownership and replacement title. She did not seemed bothered and simply handed me a one page form to fill out for the certificate of ownership.

I filled it out right there and handed it back to her. She typed on her computer for a little while, I paid my fees, and in 30 minutes I had a title and tag. That was easy!!

So after getting the truck legalized this week, one of the last things to do was to wire in a mechanical brake switch to the new pedal assembly. I got my switch in the mail today and after a couple hours of minor fab work I got everything working the way it should.

I managed to put about 10 miles on the truck tonight around my subdivision. She ran great!!! I've got to go out of town tomorrow but will be anxious to get some good daytime test drives in as soon as I get back!

[Katrina/10]

You are really lucky with the title, in my state if you try to register your vehicle without one, your only choice is to buy a bond, which could cost hundreds of dollars.

Your rear tires don't rub because of the wheels, it's because your axle is wider than the original one.

[Luther Grimace]

You've done a great job with this truck. I'm glad to see it going. Congrats!

[Luther Grimace]

By the way my trucks hood does the same thing how it sits up in the back. Do you think new hood hinges would fix it?

[ChevroletWT]

Thanks Gary, with back spacing and all considered I do think that a 5" wheel would clear the fender even with this rear end. Yet another reason I wish I had the stock rear end..

Thanks Luther! As far as the hood goes, mine wasn't as bad when I got the truck, which makes me believe that if I just spend some time with it adjusting at the firewall and at the hood that I can get a decent gap again.

It's amazing how much the gap can really be changed when you consider adjusting the fenders, hinges, and hood tie bar and latch.
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