Lost my stovebolt virginity

[paintman]

Ok so I got your attention..........so first things first let me introduce myself. My name is Stan and I am from NJ. I have always wanted an old truck but because of limited fab skills and lack of time with my family obligations,I knew I would have to wait for a truck that had most of the grunt work already done to it.
So a couple of months ago I was in the local Tractor supply store here in town and in to the parking lot came rolling this red primered, really cool looking 46. Now instead of heading home like I should have I waited until the owner went inside and proceeded to go over to the truck and oogle. After a few quick walk arounds I noticed in real small lettering on the back of the truck that said for sale. So me being the impulse kind of guy that I am, I decide to go into the stor and ask the guy some questions.
He told me that he really did'nt want to sell the truck but it was part of the divorce settlement. He said the wife had it on craigslist for 10,500 but he would take 8,500.
Now since I have somewhat of a racing backgound I do know that there are some things to watchout for when buying a streetrod/truck. The owner told me that the truck had a 350/350 motor tranny from a 69 camaro. I went on to ask him how the truck was lowered in the front. He told me that the builder used a front end out of an 79 Amc Pacer. Now knowing the reputation of the Pacer red flags went up in my mind instantly. I asked him about the availability of parts. He assured me that the could still be found I would just have to take some time and look around.
I decided my next step would be to go home and sniff around on the internet and se what I culd find out about the Pacer front end. Turns out alot of old schoolers like using this front end because of its durability and the fact that it bolts right into a 46's frame.
Soooo.... after a couple of sleeples nights and with much hesitation I pulled the trigger and dropped the 8,500 and came home with a new toy. since the purchase I have been able to buy a complete rebuild kit for the front end with all the ball joints, bushings, and tie rod ends. I have come to realize that this knucklehead drove the truck around without a PCV valve, which probably explains the oil coming out from around the valve covers. I guess that does'nt matter much though as the plan was always to do a total tear down to go over everything, and then reapint the entire truck.
So I guess its time for some pice please feel free tor critque and give advice.

[Warrens69GMC]

nice...

[paintman]

wow I guess I should have proof read my post for spelling errors. O well its 12:30 a.m. new years day and I have about 6 martinis in me LOL.
A couple of things I forgot to mention.... all the body work has been done The bed is new from MarK about 6 years ago. I am still somewhat concerned about finding replacement parts for the front brakes. anybody got any advice or know of other parts that are compatible with the pacer front end. I think perhaps some jeep brakes will work.
My current plans are to drive it around for a year or so and have some fun, and then this time next year do the tear down and restore the restoration if you know what I mean. Buy the looks of it 50% of it has been done right 25% has been done wrong, and the other 25% just has'nt been done. I am defiantly moving the gas tank to the rear of the truck, installing all new wiring, and replacing the bed wood. Wish me luck guys, and it will be nice talking to all of you.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Very nice. I'm about 99% sure you can get any Pacer parts you may need from NAPA.

[dammitmitchell]

cool nice score. but even wit your "limited fab skills" your going to find alot of stuff to do and change on the truck hehehe
good luck

[Damien]

I just want to say the truck doesn't look too bad, but it is 3:14 am and I might have had a bit too much Jose and or Segrems. Pacer parts seem weird. Why not use the Camero Sub from the '69 the engine and trans are supposedly from?? I love it when an engine is from a camero or more commonly a Corvette. There are more vette engines in hot rods than there have ever been corvettes.

[paintman]

Originally Posted by Damien

I just want to say the truck doesn't look too bad, but it is 3:14 am and I might have had a bit too much Jose and or Segrems. Pacer parts seem weird. Why not use the Camero Sub from the '69 the engine and trans are supposedly from?? I love it when an engine is from a camero or more commonly a Corvette. There are more vette engines in hot rods than there have ever been corvettes.

To use the orginal camaro clip would'nt be possible. the mods to this truck were done nearly 15 years ago. I did not buy the truck from thr orginal builder. When I get the truck tore down to the bare frame I will do another evaluation of the front end and then decide what I want to do. The thing is that the truck handles really good and tracks nice and straight. why fix something thats not broken. Plus if you look at a Pacer front end, their built a hell of alot stronger than the new tubular stuff. Over the last few weeks I have been able to buy a complete rebuild kit for the front end from Kanter Restorations, so parts are not an issue. I would still like some advice on calipers though.

[special-K]

Nice truck! The main thing is getting your hands on a solid one. The rest is easy (relatively). As they say,the hard work's been done. I've seen Advance Design trucks clipped using Pacer front ends before.

[Mayo]

Pretty nice truck man. I have a 37 Chevy that my dad and I are building and we used an original Mustang II front end for it. Then we upgraded to the 11 disc brakes off of a 83 or so Camaro to give it the 5 by 4 3/4 bolt pattern all the way around.

[grape48]

nice truck,i like it....

My 48's got a Pacer front end,the PO was the builder, it's got 28k miles and no problems yet, and it does handle very well.....like you said if it ain't broke don't fix it...

[jakeblues652]

nice truck!!! i actually think i saw that one on CL. its hard to remember though, because i go throught hundreds of listings a day! looks like it'll be a nice project. and i really like the look of the rallys on the back

[yote1234]

Way cool... Just drive and enjoy. Welcome to the site......

[papajohn51]

Looks good the way it is,
if it needs any new parts for the pacer stuff, that's easy stuff,
I wouldnt swap or change it out, just replace components with new pacer stuff,
I like it,

[dan42]

Very nice looking truck. The body looks very solid, and to me that's a huge part of it - when it looks good, it motivates you.

[cayoterun]

I like dat twuck, (quoting 6 yr old grandson). It looks great like it is----Enjoy it, regardless of what/when you do to it.

[paintman]

Hey thanx for all the feedback guys! Its going to be hard not to change out the pacer front end once I get it all torn down. Its just going to be real tempting to go with all new, and parts that are readily available. Oh well for now the truck is just sitting in the garage. I have a ton of snow on my property and have run out of places to put it when the plow guy comes. So the truck is going nowhere soon. Heres a few more pics that I have just to kepp ya occupied over the winter.
Take a close look at the patch panel that is pop riveted to the back of the cab. When I asked the PO why it was there he told me he bought the truck that way and has no idea why the original builder put it there. Before i paid for the truck he pulled the seat out to show me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the sheetmetal no rust, no dings, nothing. The only thing we can think of is it was put there to protect the cab from rusting,....or theres a treasure map under it that the guy was hiding from his wife. I guess I will find out when I go to paint the truck. I know one thing I got alot of pop rivets to drill out and fill in

[paintman]

just a little bit of snow LOL

[fishmunger]

If it was me, I'd leave the truck as-is for a little while and drive the stink out of it and get to know her well. I know we all can't wait to tear them down and 'do them right' but to me, your truck looks GREAT just the way it is. I'm jealous She looks nicer than my 64 and my dad's 46.

Either way, enjoy her!

[75ChevyGuy]

That truck is absolutely gorgeous! I wish my truck looked that nice...

[ChevLoRay]

I like it! Even the Mopar police caps look good.

I once had a '38 GMC, so that body style looks good to me even though it isn't quite the same.

You're probably better off without the stovebolt.....

[zicc1835]

Great Looking Truck I just joined the site yesterday and finding my way around stumbled over your post . I have a 36 1/2 ton in the garage waiting for my attention found a 67 small window 3/4 out in Or. last week,and will give that my attention first and use as a driver maybe ill pass u on the road in Jersey keep the updates coming ....as soon as i get some comfort on this site i will try to post some pics of the 36

[stllookn]

I love that truck just like it is...might change the hubcaps but I would just drive it and enjoy it. I think fancy paint would make it look like every other truck at the Friday night cruise-in!