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#1 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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1952 Pickup Street Rod project
At long last I'm starting my own truck project; 1952 Pickup Street Rod using the Flatout engineering kit to mate a 1987 corvette suspension to the original truck frame. Lot's of photos to come.
Last edited by csmeutah; 06-02-2020 at 12:23 PM. Reason: correct year |
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
|
Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Removed the cab, lift is incredibly helpful here
Used a plasma cutter and air hammer to extract the rivets and off to the sandblaster. the running board brackets were beat up and mostly broken so cleaned it all down to the frame with just the 3 crossmembers. Back from the sandblaster, I used a 6 1/2 dewalt circular saw with a Freud blade to cut the slots for the front suspension cross piece. Nice and straight cuts with no cleanup although it was a little jumpy on the plunge cuts. Love the plasma but when I use it there is a real mess to cleanup. This is ready to weld. I use the 14" metal cutting blade in the chop saw but this was amazing for the smaller straight detail. Will definitely use gloves next time (and probably not hold the blade guard with my thumb...) Last edited by csmeutah; 06-02-2020 at 05:47 PM. |
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#3 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: May 2007
Location: Doodah Kansas
Posts: 7,773
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
clean work! I am in for updates
__________________
the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation if there is a problem, I can have it. new project WAYNE http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=844393 |
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#4 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: pembroke pines, fl
Posts: 699
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Awesome, I'll be following
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#5 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: West Plains, Missouri
Posts: 7,557
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Ready for more...Jim
__________________
my build thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=459839 Jimbo's long bed step build:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...t=464626<br /> |
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#6 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Thanks for the comment oldman3, I've followed (and thoroughly enjoyed) your build for years and have been considering a convertible top for mine. Can I ask, the mating surface for the top of the windshield, did you fab that or find some parts for it?
Just as a side note, I've created a convertible in the past on a sports car and modified a frame to work but that frame had a gasket and mating plate to match. This would be all custom. TIA Last edited by csmeutah; 06-03-2020 at 06:34 PM. |
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#7 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Love your build Slammed57, you've given me the courage to paint my frame white
![]() Last edited by csmeutah; 06-03-2020 at 06:33 PM. |
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#8 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bryan, Texas
Posts: 2,311
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Welcome and very interested in the build.
I have an acquaintance here that put a 1956 Chevy truck on a complete Corvette frame, tons of fab work to mate those together. He even customed the dash using the Corvette dash, gauges and console.
__________________
8man-aka Robert 1948 on a S10 Frame, small block with a carb 1954 Cab, 53 Front and Bed, 50 Doors, S10 Frame, Power TBD Build thread: "]http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=746899&highlight=wife%27s+48[/URL] [/URL]http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=840204 |
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#9 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: West Plains, Missouri
Posts: 7,557
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
It's part of the stock roof of truck above the windshield, and hand fabicated the fill in between the outside and inside of header. Hope this helps...Jim
__________________
my build thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=459839 Jimbo's long bed step build:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...t=464626<br /> |
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#10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: calgary alberta
Posts: 8,027
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
careful not to spray sparks all over the vintage honda (assumed) in that one pic.
I have been using the lennox metal max discs on a 4 1/2" angle grinder, they work well for thin metal. I use a zip disc for heavier stuff. less melting plastic that way, lol. gotta wear hearing protection for sure. edge of cut is a burr as well, not much worse than a zip disc though. |
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#11 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Quote:
Last edited by csmeutah; 06-04-2020 at 06:14 PM. |
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#12 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: pembroke pines, fl
Posts: 699
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
thanks bud. the white on my frame its just epoxy primer. it will be black soon just because the truck it self will be black
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#13 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
So looking over the frame I discovered a number of stress cracks mostly around rivet holes that I am cleaning up. I'm convinced that I will need to box the frame at least between the axles and weld the riveted cross members.
I also welded up and resurfaced the cab mounting brackets since they were really rusted. And just to be a perfectionist, I bought the largest crescent I could find, not for leverage but for the throat depth, to straighten the unruly waves in the frame. Made quick work of that; much faster & truer than the hammer and dolly I was using. Last edited by csmeutah; 06-04-2020 at 06:31 PM. |
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#14 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: calgary alberta
Posts: 8,027
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
when I boxed the original frame on my 57, before I did a frame swap, I simply went to a fab shop and had them shear me some 3/16 cold rolled to fit the width I needed then cut off some areas to fit the down taper etc. just be aware of how the plate will fit to the original frame and leave room for the weld bead. I cut the plate narrower than the frame width by about 3/16 top and bottom so there would be ample room for the bead. I used magnets to hold in place as I tacked it all together. remember when you weld them in to just weld a short piece at a time and then go to anther cold spot and do a bead kinda spreading the heat of welding out everywhere. don't go back and carry on with an old bead unless that spot is room temp again, like you would feel comfortable sticking your tongue on it (ok, yukk, but you get the point). otherwise all your work will be for nothing because the frame will not be straight anymore. you would be surprised how much heat stretch and contact rates can bend a frame. another thing I do is cut the mig wire before every weld start to ensure a nice chisel tip and easy start for the weld and also I grind back with a grinding disc on edge, about 1/4", on the end of the old bead that i am welding onto, this ensures a nice clean add on bead plus allows you to check your old bead for contamination porosity etc.
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#15 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: calgary alberta
Posts: 8,027
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
you should also check your frame for straight, square and sag as well. especially since it has possibly had a hard life at some point, noted by the stress cracking at the rivets etc. it's pretty easy to do and should really be done anyway even if not boxing the frame.
do a corner to corner check ensuring to hold the tape measure the same on each side and also pulling it nice and tight each time. I used a bolt in a hole that is in the same spot on each side so the helper could hold the tape without eyeballing anything. since it isn't really an actual dimension you are trying for but rather a difference of dimension you are checking a piece of wire with a loop on each end could also be used if doing the job by yourself. just pull it hard enough to stretch out the loop in the end of the wire so you get accurate results. for the straightness check you can place a piece of masking tape in the middle of each cross member and then mark it with a sharp pencil at the midpoint, side to side, of each part. then run a laser or string line from front to rear down the middle. all the pencil marks should line up. for sag you can run a laser of string line from front to rear down each frame rail. space the string or laser off the frame with a small length of wood or some other equal sized block, then use another block the same size to check the space between the string or laser all the way from front to rear on each rail. it should be the same all the way except for the obvious tapered areas. these links may be useful https://www.trifive.com/55-59Assy.pdf this one has a few pages missing here or there but these trucks are basically all the same with the exception of the 58-59 frame length being different ahead of the front springs and few other differences between those years and the earlier 55-57's http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com...esto/index.htm it's good to download a copy of the assembly manual for reference in case the link goes bad. same for info from the other site keep posting pics, we all love pics and sometimes gets us off the couch and interested in our own project again. sometimes you just hit a wall, you know? here is a bit of info on fishplating a frame as well. lots of theories on whether the ends of the fishplate should be welded all the way around or if the weld bead should go off the corner and continue on for a short length of weld at a different angle then the fish plate in order to stop a stress crack https://forum.millerwelds.com/forum/...sh-plate-welds https://forum.millerwelds.com/filedata/fetch?id=507884 https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/...lating-a-frame https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=123624 https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/...t-fish-plating sorry man, I got on a roll when my coffee cup wasn't empty. haha. it's done now. hope it helps somebody |
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#16 |
Senior Member
![]() ![]() Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Eagle, ID
Posts: 3,005
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
dsraven, I have no idea where you have time to work on your stuff since you are so busy helping the rest of us, and for me be inspiring. Thank you. I wish I had as much knowledge and skills as you and several other people here.
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#17 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
thanks dsraven, lot's of good info. I did check the frame for square before I started and it was within 1/16" corner to corner so I think I'm good but yeah, probably got carried away with the welding in one spot, I will watch for that. Since the stress cracks are around rivets I plan to weld those up and then after I build a K frame for the tranny go back and re-evaluate the boxing. you said you used 3/16" on the box plates but I'm measuring closer to 1/8th on the original frame thickness?
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#18 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: calgary alberta
Posts: 8,027
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
not sure on the half ton frame thickness but mine was a 3/4 ton when it started life. that's why I used the 3/16 to match. it was also a Canadian model so maybe a little thicker for temp variances or something. who knows.
there are a few ways to weld in the plates so thought I would chime in and also mention the heat warpage considerations. I have found the course flap discs make short work of smoothing the edges of the welds on the boxing plates. just don't go crazy and grind the whole weld off except for a thin skin. |
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#19 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: calgary alberta
Posts: 8,027
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
rickysnickers,
thanks for the compliment, appreciated. I like to help out where I can. I've been there too, usually, at some point. |
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#20 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
|
Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Got the cab and the rest of the parts back from the sandblaster, the shop is getting crowded, need to get them prepped and painted with epoxy
I'm also trying to decide on the trucks rake, I want it low and flat front to back (frame = level) but not sure how that will affect my ride for a daily driver. Any suggestions? I plan to run the same size tire all around |
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#21 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Willow, Alaska
Posts: 878
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that uses a large crescent for metal work!
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#22 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
|
Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
I was waylaid for a week when the pointy end of the frame jumped out and picked a fight with my right eye. The frame won. My daughter took her own duct tape out ( I taught her well) and made sure that the frame is now eye & covid safe.
I cut out the notches for the Rack & pinion/tie rods |
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#23 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: May 2007
Location: Doodah Kansas
Posts: 7,773
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
man those pointy frame ends have claimed almost every pair of my work shorts, they all have the same tear in the right leg.
nice work, nice your daughter made it work safe too. you need a "__ days since workplace accident" sign now.
__________________
the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation if there is a problem, I can have it. new project WAYNE http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=844393 |
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#24 | |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: North Texas
Posts: 73
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
Quote:
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Wes Instagram @revisedclassics 1951 five window with lt1 t56 and c4 suspension build |
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#25 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: American Fork, Utah
Posts: 33
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Re: 1952 Pickup Street Rod project
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Tags |
1953, corvette, flatout, ls1, streetrod |
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