Our 55 Chevy 3100

[Whumbachumba]

This is our first adventure into restoring a classic. We decided to go with a truck and lucked out and found exactly what we were looking for at a good price. Yesterday we bought and got delivered our '55 Chevy 3100.

The previous owner has already put a decent amount of work into it and has some upgrades already read for it. He's welded in a new driver floor board, cab corners, and steps. We will still have to weld in the passenger side floor board and both new cowls, but thankfully the tough welds are already done.

Extra parts and upgrades already included are a new driver side door, disc brake conversion, 6 lug conversion (at least for the front, still looking for rears), door seals, brake booster, and various other bits and bobs.

We still have to figure out an engine to get, hopefully one that can pair up with the Saginaw 4 that was included with the truck. I need to get under the back and check the code on the rear axle too.

We plan on getting all the welding done and media blasting as we search for an engine and components to put in.










Passenger side door that has a bit of work left on the bottom. May just end up replacing this as the mirror mounts are completely different than the driver side.




Got this nice comprehensive manual as part of the deal.




Gauge cluster partially cleaned up. Odometer reads 27506, and I'm hoping that's original miles. The truck doesn't look like it's done 127,000 miles.


Sitting in it's new home, ready to be stripped apart and worked on.

[Sim6]

Congrats! Looks like a good start. And welcome to the forum.

[Whumbachumba]

Thanks! We got some work done today. Got the bed cleared out and the old upholstery is almost completely removed from the bench.

















We also found this in the bed as we were cleaning it out. We don't know what it is, but it kind of looks like a seat of some sort. It's made out of fiberglass I believe.

[Whumbachumba]

After pouring over other members builds, the assembly manual, and tearing the truck apart I've come to realize that we're going to need a lot of parts still. Our priority is getting the truck running, which means we need to find an engine that will work with what we have.

I still need to get under and check the rear end to see the gears on it, and we need to get the bench seat reupholstered so it can be used.

As far as the engine. I want something that will drop in easily without too much work and can be sourced pretty cheaply. I want to keep this as a budget build, so I'm not sure if an LS motor will be an option for us. Any advice on this would be much appreciated.

[Kim57]

Welcome.
Looks like a real clean truck to start with.
Kim

[Whumbachumba]

Got under the truck and cleaned up the bell housing and transmission enough to read their numbers.

Transmission:













Bell housing:







Also started cleaning off the rear end in hopes of finding it's identification number, but there's a lot of mud and grime stuck to it that it's going to take a while to clean off.





Here's the passenger side floor that needs to be replaced. Already have the replacement sheets, just need to borrow a welder to get to work.

[Whumbachumba]

Got a new, unused windscreen for $100 today. Already tinted with a nice fade at the top to help with glare.

[Whumbachumba]

Rear right spring looks to be missing a clip of some sort. I guess it would be best to just get a new set of springs and redo the entire rear?



I'm thinking of going with a 283 for the motor. From what I've found online, the bellhousing and transmission should pair up fine with it. I'm not sure what the rear end is yet, as I can't find any identification number on it. There's too much grime and mud caked on.

[Kim57]

Nice score on the wind shield.
It may not of had a clip on some of the shorter leafs.
Kim

[Whumbachumba]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Nice score on the wind shield.
It may not of had a clip on some of the shorter leafs.
Kim

Thanks Kim! I took a loot at the driver side and it has clips on the front and back of the springs. They're a different type than what's on the passenger side too.

Driver side:






Passenger side:



Has a bolt under one of the u-bolts. Not sure why that's there.

[Kim57]

The guy that put the rear in your truck at the factory is wondering where that bolt went.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

I can't spell your name without going back and looking at it so il, just say, "Hi" and make a few recommendations.

If you want it to drop in with a s little work as possible why not find another 235 straight six? If you want V8 power, go with a crate 350. Even a Target motor from Pepe Boys or Autozone will be more powerful than the 283, way cheaper to buy than to machine a 283 (unless you're a machinist!) and will be NO more difficult to install tha the 283.

If the four speed was original to the truck I'm pretty sure the original rearend ratio is 4.11 or 4.56. Neither one will give you enjoyable highway cruising without screaming in your ear.

[Whumbachumba]

Haha, Dan. You can just call me Scott, will be much easier.

I don't think the Saginaw 4spd is original to the truck. The online manuals I've found don't list it as an option, just as a 3spd. We have quite a few friends telling us to go with LSx motors too. I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there.

[Dan in Pasadena]

These trucks came as both 3 AND 4 speeds for certain.

LS engines are the thing now and they make sense because they make great power and are economical on gas BUT you'll need a gas tank for fuel injection and of course you'll have to get a wiring harness made for the electronic fuel injection. Certainly worth doing but you posted you want "drop-in" simplicity.

My truck came with a warmed over 283 and I like it but it's got a weak cylinder and when I eventually deal with that the question will be whether to rebuild it, replace with crate 350(most likely) or search for a 5.3 LS engine.

EDIT: Just re-read my post above and saw that my "smart" phone posted "Pepe Boys" when I wrote Pep Boys. Apologies to my Latino brethren if anyone raises an eyebrow. I think it's kinda funny but others might not.

[Whumbachumba]

I definitely appreciate the input Dan!

Wasn't sure if the 4 speeds that came on these were Saginaw or not.

Going with a 6cyl may be the way to go. Haven't seen much on CL locally so far, a '57 235(? type not listed), a '68 292, and a '70 250.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I have a buddy that had a '66 C10 he out a 292 in front of a TH400 trade and it ran great. Just to get your "juices" flowing I'll repost a picture I've posted many times before because I like the hell out of it. Yes, a lot of billet but I don't care, I think it looks great. This is a 250:

[Whumbachumba]

Awesome, thanks Dan!

I'll do some more research into the inline 6s. The 292 seems like a good option so far.

[Whumbachumba]

Opened up our brake booster to look at it. Looks very nice! Will work well with the front disc brake kit we're picking up tonight.









Also picked up our rear window today.

[Kim57]

Nice stuff.
Kim

[Whumbachumba]

Thanks! And what better way to follow up new stuff but with more new stuff! Met up with the seller to get the tie rod and disc brake conversion that were accidentally left out when they brought it over.

1" Tie Rod


Disc brake conversion:

[Whumbachumba]

Rust got cut out.

[Whumbachumba]

Got the rusted unusable rails out of the bed. The bolts and nuts were horribly rusted and even with my 1/2in drive 12 point ratchets, they wouldn't break loose, so I just cut them out with the cutoff wheel instead.

[1958Warrior]

Looks like you got a good start on the tear down, also a nice pile of parts to start with

Drivers side spring was replaced or reworked at some point , check to see if it is 2" wide , passenger spring appears to be original

The bolt appears to be the spring center bolt, may have been placed there for safe keeping.

Most of the bolt I encountered I used a torch or grinder to remove, bolts are cheap, and will be replaced anyways/ best place I've found for hardware is Tractor supply sells grade 8 bolts $5 lb ,

Cheers from Mesquite,

[Whumbachumba]

Mmmm, Shiner.

Thanks! Just checked the passenger side and driver side and they're both 2" wide.

Checked the rear end for dimensions and it has 10 outer bolts and measures about 10" wide on the outside of the rear cover. Cleaned it up a bit more today and still can't find an ID number. I guess I'm going to have to drain it and pop the rear cover off to count and figure out the gearing.

At some point, one of the previous owners swapped everything to 5-lugs. Would it be possible that they were able to just change the rear lug pattern without changing rear ends?

[1958Warrior]

I'm not aware of anybody that sells 5 lug axles for stock rear end

Does it look like they were re-drilled? to 5 lug? I think at least 2 of the 6 lug holes would have to welded up in order to be re-drilled.
5x5" or 5x4-3/4"pattern?

It does look to be the stock axle, just like the one out of my 58

May ask the Previous owner if he did the conversion and how. Would be good to know for replacement parts if you're going to reuse it