I hate being a quitter, but...

Looks like I'm calling it quits on this one.  I've learned a lot, but it's costing me too much.  I'll be selling the truck as parts on forums I haunt and ebay in the months to come.  This decision doesn't come lightly, and it's been several months in the making.  I bid you farewell and best of luck in your own restorations and endeavors.

Cab rot strikes again

For the past while I've been debating about the best way to remove the layers of bondo from my truck cab.  I've tried chem strippers, which only soften the top layer a little.  I've heard of heating up putty knives and prying it up that way.  Sandblasting I suppose, but I've heard this is a terrible thing to do.  Then there are power tools.  Not too long ago I picked up a used rotary sander on craigslist with the intent on using it for SOMETHING during restoration.  So I went to the store and bought some super nasty 36 grit sanding discs for it.  I also had some wire wheels for my angle grinder, so we would see who did the best job.

I knew there was some bondo on the cab when I got it, but I had no idea about how much until I started to remove it.  As I cut through the bondo I could see multi-layered applications where it was applied very thick.  It appears the person who worked on this truck had no interest in body hammers & dollies and chose to work only in the art of body filler.

You can see the multi-layered approach to bondo here if you look at the rings, plus some pinholes in the raised cab seam.

The sander won the speed contest, but once the layers of bondo thinned out the wire wheels were nice to prevent abrading/cutting away sheet metal.  The wire wheel also probably made some damage worse, but I'm supposing the structural integrity of what was left wasn't very good if my wire wheel was damaging it.

Passenger side cab seam rot.

This looks worse in person.

Now I need to make a cab decision.  There are many places that need patched.  I have some of these panels already, but not all.  I'm contemplating just finding another cab and calling it quits on the one I have since it's so rough.  Right now I'm holding off on making a decision, but I know where to find what I need either way. I'm going to spend some time working on smaller things and think about my options.

Engine Decision, made

I went to a nearby car show with low expectations and came away surprised.  Several people selling old parts at the swap meet had parts for my truck.  There was even a complete cab, more on that later.

My main goal was to check for front fenders.  No luck there, but I saw someone with a couple inline sixes on a trailer and asked about one of them.  It was the Chevy 261 I had been trying to find!  This engine is the 'biggest engine easy' swap you can make for my truck.  I didn't want to go to a V8 for several reasons and was hoping to find a year appropriate 216 or any 261 engine.  I thought I had found one not too far away, but it fell through after the seller realized he needed to do a lot to replace his engine, so off I went looking again.

261 engine, with some orange (shall change this)

Engine decisions

I pulled the engine out of my truck a while ago.  I put it in the corner and decided I would take it apart when I felt like putting some money into engine work.  It's a replacement '54 235 Chevrolet inline 6 that came with the truck when I bought it.

I pulled the head off last week, removed a few pistons to check the bores, and took a look around.

I would guess from the bore size it has been rebuilt three times before.

Here's what I found:

-pistons need bored for .080 over sized pistons which do exist
-rocker shaft and arms need rebuilt
-cam shaft looks like it needs resurfaced too  (I left it in. This is a casual observation)
-many coolant passages are blocked partially or completely
-new valves needed

I don't know about the crankshaft yet.  I left it in for the time being and didn't take any measurements.


My dilemna:

I'm contemplating finding a 216 motor which would be more original appropriate for this truck.  Ideally I would get one from a '46 truck that had a V8 or 235 swap for the appropriate numbers to be stamped on the block and configuration.   The pressure oiled 235 vs splasher 216 is a debate probably as old as the introduction of the full pressure oiled inline six engines('54), but it's a decision I have to make too.

I plan on swapping out my rear differential ring and pinion gears which will help reduce engine revs, but I've seen some online forum posters claim this isn't enough to help out the old 216 engine at higher road speeds.  I just ordered a reprint vintage speed book for older Chevy inline 6 engines, and plan on using it to help make my decision.  If it's not helpful, I hope it's at least interesting reading.

I understand that a 216 rebuild may cost more due to babbitt bearings, but there's always the warm and fuzzy feeling it will give me when it's done and truck era appropriate.  I also don't feel like throwing as much money into the 235 as it will need either.

Babbitt bearings:
Babbitt bearings are a kind of bearing that is poured in place and then machined to size.  Chevy phased  them out in the fifties, Ford did this earlier from what I understand.  The switch was made to insert bearings, which are more easily replaced.

This is an oversimplification and I might be wrong about my timeline.  There are many resources available explaining more about this and history to satisfy your curiosity.

Engine in stand

Piston Bore

Green arrows point out some rusty coolant passages

Tropical heat wave

Truck as of mid June

It's been rather hot this week and I haven't accomplished much.  Over the past few weeks I've done some more disassembly and stripping, but not much.  I  contemplated purchasing a different cab, but that deal fell through.  Now I'm back to looking for patch panels.

The heat was making it next to impossible for my paint stripper to work before it dried up.  So I spent some time on other activities.

Bondo Bondo everywhere and not a drop to drink.....

The more I dig into my truck the more bondo I find.   Some of it is coupled with a pop riveted sheet metal repair some of it is not.

I pulled my wheels off and checked out my spindles and bearings.  The passenger side spindle is in pretty rough shape.  I lucked out on the driver's side and it looks pretty serviceable.  The passenger side outer bearing appeared to be missing the outer race and balls.  This made the spindle look pretty bad.  I haven't cleaned up and checked the hub, but I won't be surprised if it's damaged beyond use.

I opened up and cleaned out my ebay bench seat yesterday.  That was perhaps the most disgusting cleaning chore I will have during the whole restoration.  In addition to being full of rodent droppings, it needs a lot of repair.  The springs and frame are heavily damaged after decades of use.  I'll try to fix it up, but I have a backup plan or two if I can't make it useful.

Spindle, complete with serious damage.

Cab Rot, once hidden with sheet metal and Bondo.

Driver's side cab rot unmasked.

Coolant sludge and more sheet metal

This week I made the decision to do rebuild work on my engine since I'll have the rest of the truck apart.  I'm almost ready to pull it, but I need to find someone to do the machine work for me.  While I was draining the coolant from the block I noticed it was barely trickling out.  I probed deeper to try and clear any buildup of dirt and gunk, but try as I did I could not clear the passage.  We'll see if it's still dripping after being left alone overnight.

I tried removing some rust with electrolysis.  It was taking a little longer than I thought, but I didn't give it much of a chance.  I plan on trying again when I have somewhere to leave my setup longer.

I found a replacement floor section last week.  I thought this might be the last part on my shopping list I would find.  I also got an aftermarket oil filter.  The engines from this period didn't come stock with a filtration system. When I drained the oil it had a stench I had never smelled from oil before.  I didn't recognize it, and wonder what it was.

I haven't tried welding any patch metal yet.  I need to order some sheet stock to patch some things up.

Rust in my cooling passages. Hopefully not too much damage has been done.

Rusty thermostat housing, with destroyed thermostat.

A spot of original paint left on the firewall under one of the hood catch brackets.    I knew this was a pretty common color  for the 47-54 trucks, but I wasn't sure about mine.

My largely stripped engine awaiting an engine hoist.

My newly found floor section.  It's rusty, but workable.

A rear fender after some paint stripper.  I'm looking for a less unhealthy  useful stripper.