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#1 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Nampa Idaho
Posts: 7,506
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Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
June 21 1955. Sam Gray, David Rutford and Fred Hallberg begin their cruise down the Mississippi river from Saint Paul Minnesota on a homemade raft. The raft was built of barrels and planks. Power for the propeller was provided by a 1939 Chevrolet they had paid $ 15 for. the car had 172,000 miles on it. The rear wheels of the car ran against another set of wheels which turned the propeller. The car's steering wheel turned the raft's rudder.
In Saint Louis Missouri the men had a delay as the Chevy's valves needed to be ground. Outside of Memphis Tennessee a bearing on the propeller shaft burned out but the men were able to repair it with tools borrowed from a barge crew. The men ran low on food as they discovered a stowaway was eating their food. The stowaway was a rat. The men tried fishing for food but caught nothing the entire trip. Other problems encountered included mosquitoes, driftwood in the river and backwash from passing barges. On July 25 1955 the trio reached New Orleans. They planned to drive the Chevrolet back to Minnesota. Epilogue. The three men made it back to Saint Paul driving the Chevrolet in 49 hours. The car used five gallons of oil for the return drive.
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When you learn a thing a day you store up smart. |
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern Calif.
Posts: 3,689
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
"The men tried fishing for food but caught nothing the entire trip."
Been there, done that! ![]() |
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#3 |
laying low
![]() Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Searcy, Ark. USA
Posts: 13,239
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
What an adventure!
5 gallons of oil? She was pretty much used up.
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Boog 69 Chevy stepside, 358/T350, 4.11 posi, 4.5/4 drop, rallys, poboy driver primer is finer 91 Chevy sportside, Tahoe, Yukon & GMC Crewcab All GM..'nuff said. I stand for the flag and kneel at the cross |
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#4 |
Proprietor of Dale's Corner
![]() Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Vacaville , CA
Posts: 16,106
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Very creative, I was expecting it to sink. Cool story.
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"Some Days Chickens And Some Days Feathers" Dale XNGH ECV Sam Brannan 1004 R.I.P. 67ChevyRedneck R.I.P. Grumpy Old Man |
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#5 |
laying low
![]() Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Searcy, Ark. USA
Posts: 13,239
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Your classic Huckelberry.
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__________________
Boog 69 Chevy stepside, 358/T350, 4.11 posi, 4.5/4 drop, rallys, poboy driver primer is finer 91 Chevy sportside, Tahoe, Yukon & GMC Crewcab All GM..'nuff said. I stand for the flag and kneel at the cross |
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#6 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cypress, TX
Posts: 3,711
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Fantastic. I want to build a pontoon structure to put my 1969 Chevy onto, and drive around on the lakes and rivers.
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#7 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Elkhart, Texas
Posts: 1,702
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Load up some boards and barrels on your '69 and come to my house.. We'll whip up a barge while you'll learn to weld.. Together, we'll ply the Neches River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico..
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#8 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ark City, Kansas
Posts: 3,333
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
I think I can hear Patsy Cline singing "Crazy" in the background..........
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#9 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Cypress, TX
Posts: 3,711
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
It's CCR singing Proud Mary keep on burnin', Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river!
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#10 |
Who Changed This?
![]() Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Simi Valley, CA
Posts: 10,406
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
When I was really young (in the '50s) I remember that my dad drove a '51 or so Chevy. We were as poor as you can believe. I remember seeing Speedol brand non-detergent oil in a 2 gallon can in the trunk of his car, because it burned so much oil that he had to add it to the engine before he left for work, and before he left for home...18 miles each way. That thing smoked like a locomotive.
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~Steven '70 Chevy 3/4T Longhorn CST 402/400/3.56 Custom Camper Simi Valley, CA |
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#11 | |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Nampa Idaho
Posts: 7,506
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Quote:
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When you learn a thing a day you store up smart. Last edited by GOPAPA; 07-24-2024 at 09:54 AM. |
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#12 |
laying low
![]() Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Searcy, Ark. USA
Posts: 13,239
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Those old 6's were stout. I believe GM put that same engine in everything from passenger cars to pickups to school busses and dump trucks. The heavier the load, the more gear they put into it. Maybe it was too good?
__________________
Boog 69 Chevy stepside, 358/T350, 4.11 posi, 4.5/4 drop, rallys, poboy driver primer is finer 91 Chevy sportside, Tahoe, Yukon & GMC Crewcab All GM..'nuff said. I stand for the flag and kneel at the cross |
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#13 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Elkhart, Texas
Posts: 1,702
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
The first car I can remember my dad having was a '36 Chevy Coupe. At 4 years old, I remember seeing that car as far back as 1947 when we lived in Slocum, TX... In the summer of 1949, my dad loaded up that '36 with everything we owned, Him, my mother and I headed to Beaumont, Tx about 150 miles away.. We stopped for gas somewhere along the way, and I remember my dad telling my mom, Honey, that old rod is knocking again." Even though, at the time, I was only 6 years old, I still have vivid memories of the following. He borrowed a jack from the station owner, jacked up that old car and pulled the pan.. He crawled out from under that car with a rod cap in his hand.. He cut the tongue from one of our shoes and wrapped the piece around the crankshaft. He put everything back together and drove that old Chevy the rest of the way to Beaumont, probably about 100 miles.
The GM I6s of that era had pressurized oil to the main bearings but the rod bearings were oiled by splashing oil on them from a dipper attached to the rod cap.. The engine's didn't even have an oil filter. Very primitive by today's standard, but very effective... |
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#14 |
laying low
![]() Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Searcy, Ark. USA
Posts: 13,239
|
Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Substituting shoe leather for rod bearings sounds crazy but it was commonly done back in the day. Remnants of the depression days.
My dad bought a '36 Ford that didn't run. Owner told him it was freshly overhauled but they couldn't get it to run. Dad got it to run alright but uncle rodney was there and it smoked to high heaven too. And it had shoe leather on several rods. "necessity is the mother of invention"
__________________
Boog 69 Chevy stepside, 358/T350, 4.11 posi, 4.5/4 drop, rallys, poboy driver primer is finer 91 Chevy sportside, Tahoe, Yukon & GMC Crewcab All GM..'nuff said. I stand for the flag and kneel at the cross |
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#15 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Nampa Idaho
Posts: 7,506
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
My dad told me that he used Bacon Rinds for crankshalft bearings
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When you learn a thing a day you store up smart. |
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#16 |
driving is in my blood
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Mesa AZ
Posts: 5,726
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Some coast guard or sheriff boat would come shut that down real quick these days.
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-78 c10 short/step: 388cid, M20, 5/5 drop, lots more. Playtoy and first vehicle. -98 c1500 x-cab: 5.7L, 17" rims, 5/6 drop, flowmaster, helper bags,NBS rear disk brakes. -02 Suburban 4x4: leveled front -CBR600F4i, CBR600RR, CBR1000RR, and standup skis DISCLAIMER: I cant spell for the life of me. |
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#17 |
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Woodbury, Ct.
Posts: 1,682
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
My Dad drove a '51 that he got from my Grandfather when he was dating my Mom. It was smashed up by my Grandfather who was a terrible driver. He told my father he could have it for $1 if he could get on the road again. He drove it back and forth from Ct. to Norfolk Va. where he was in the Navy. He had to keep the big cans of oil in the trunk too. My Grandfather cried when he saw how nice my Dad fixed it. He was working in a body shop part time. When my Grandfather passed he still had the $ in his wallet.
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#18 | |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Nampa Idaho
Posts: 7,506
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Quote:
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When you learn a thing a day you store up smart. |
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#19 | |
Proprietor of Dale's Corner
![]() Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Vacaville , CA
Posts: 16,106
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Re: Them ol Chevy 6 bangers were a good Motor
Quote:
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"Some Days Chickens And Some Days Feathers" Dale XNGH ECV Sam Brannan 1004 R.I.P. 67ChevyRedneck R.I.P. Grumpy Old Man |
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