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Projects 1950 3100 Truck Project

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by shadams, Mar 21, 2011.

  1. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Well, long story short I bought a 50 pickup and I am going to tear it down to the bones and start over. I bought it as a "running, driving, vehicle, well except for suspension" and got the "chorizo" as they would say down here in S. Texas. But I am past that now and want to concentrate on the truck and what needs to be done.

    Anyway, supposed Camaro clip, 350 with turbo 350 transmission. 10 bolt rear end with who knows what goin on inside. Rust in usual spots but not too bad, easy fix as far as I can tell. Bed wood is toast, new glass with new rubbers, tinted except corner windows, spray painted primer so it looks better which half of it washed off when I power washed it. So here we go....

    Here is a shot of my buddy and I putting the hood on after the wrecker dropped it off at the shop where I work. If you look in the background you can see my 49 on the trailer, I was supposed to trade it off for this truck and cash, but I wasnt going to give it up after seeing this one up close, so we made a deal and now I have two of them.......great....the 49 is for sale BTW.

    4_800x600.jpg


    BTW, another sleezeball salesman trick, the hood didnt line up for squat, so he left it unbolted and said it was so you could lift it off to work on it easier. Fits really well when it isnt bolted on...

    6_800x600.jpg

    So from here it goes to the wash bay and all hell breaks loose. I decide it is more work then I was told so I call the wrecker back to go ahead and take it to the house, full teardown needed. Here it is sitting in my garage, with the hood bolted on, so you can now see what I saw after I bolted it all up. Why is it crooked you say? Minor adjustment? I'll get to that in a minute.

    9_800x600.jpg

    So, first things first, I clean out the inside, vacuum all the dust/rust out, and find the back of the cab had previously been undercoated and was falling off. A scraper and a couple hours later and it looks better. Now, before looking at this, keep an open mind. It looks terrible now, but just give me some time, also this is at night with a flood light so it looks worse then it really is...btw, this is a semi before shot, I didnt take any after shots because honestly it doesnt look much different.

    79_800x600.jpg

    Floor board will need some attention....BTW, the doucheI bought it from had glued jute padding over it in the hopes I wouldnt think anything was wrong. I did peel it back and saw this, but whatever. Again, a "during cleanup" shot.

    80_800x600.jpg

    Something else, the kick panels had carboard pieces over the, once removed one side was rust central and the other was bondo-ville. GRRRRR! My fault though for not being more thourough. Cant trust anyone these days....

    Dash is pretty dang nice though...steering column and wheel suck though, and nothing worked.

    81_800x600.jpg

    Earlier you may have noticed the gas tank was out. Well it is chuck full of rust. I will be shit canning it and going with a rear fram mounted unit. I hear a nova tank works great.

    So I decided it was time to stop jerkin with the inside and get to work on the drive train and chassis. I mentioned it had no suspension, well, really it has no coil springs or shocks in the front. Supposedly the guy had air bags, but I see no evidence of that at all, luckily it looks unmolested so I can go back to regular coil springs.

    Anyway, here is an engine shot, and then a front end off shot.

    15_800x600.jpg

    22_800x600.jpg

    Can anyone ID this clip from this picture? If not, I will have more.

    So I have since torn out all the wiring, all the rubber hoses, all the fuel line and trans cooler lines, and got it ready for removal. I will take the engine, trans (which BTW is a turbo 400, not a turbo 350) and rear axle to my shop for inspection/cleaning/rework if needed, etc. I still need to firgure out what to do with the back end suspension, but that will have to wait a bit.

    OK, so back to the hood issue. As it turns out, they totally half assed this clip install. It appears to be welded to the frame ok, but look at this...

    25_800x600.jpg

    This notch, or whatever you want to call it, and three bolts on either fender to the cab were all that was holding the front end on the truck. It was literally just resting on these notches. I sharted. On the positive side, a little nudge would have fixed the hood alignment. I dont even know what to do about this. What is the "right" way this is supposed to attach? I am sure I'll figure something out, but any ideas are appreciated.

    I have more pics, but its getting late. Any and all feedback is welcome, positive and motivational is prefferred, but hey, this is a forum, right...See you guys later.
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2014
  2. tony31a
    Joined: Aug 6, 2006
    Posts: 152

    tony31a
    Member

    Looks kind of like a mid size metric clip (Malibu) but its hard to tell from the pics.
     
  3. HotRod60F100
    Joined: Jul 13, 2004
    Posts: 1,196

    HotRod60F100
    Member

    "Subscribed" Its a project yesiree but you live and learn on getting your tits ripped off so let them wrenches fly and good luck on it man!
     
  4. ironandsteele
    Joined: Apr 25, 2006
    Posts: 5,918

    ironandsteele
    Member

    wow. perfect example of someone with not enough knowledge or skill doing a back yard "restoration" nothing surprises me anymore.... believe it or not, i've seen much worse.

    it's good you're getting this thing back into shape, and un-raping it.

    keep the progress pics coming.
     

  5. mrtrimmier
    Joined: Feb 18, 2011
    Posts: 33

    mrtrimmier
    Member

    Def a chevy cavalier wheel and column. Good Luck with it. <envious>
     
  6. REBEL43
    Joined: Feb 17, 2007
    Posts: 722

    REBEL43
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from TENNESSEE

    A lot of work ahead, but well worth it. Big thing is to check everything done before because you are probably gone to redo it .
    Keep us posted.
     
  7. Not a metric frame clip. Looks like 70's camaro which is too wide, but they do make Aarms that are narrower to help that.
     
  8. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Thanks so far, I have some more I am going to post tonight to firm up the clip question and show the back end and bed.

    I have read a whole bunch about that, esp on here. Seems like the guys who have done it says its fine and the ones who havent say its not. I might get me one of those wheel backspace tools that bolts to the rotor and see what my options are, and will also look at the control arm idea if it isnt too outrageous. I guess if I were doing it from scratch I would probably avoid the camaro clip but since its already a done deal I dont have that luxury.
     
  9. I'm in a similar boat. There are a lot of guys (even on the HAMB... even some pretty well-known rockstar HAMBers) who don't seem to have a problem upselling their bondo-over-rust crap and still evidently sleeping at night. I'm in the middle of a frame swap on my "running/driving" shoebox.

    Good luck with the project.
     
  10. Tony
    Joined: Dec 3, 2002
    Posts: 7,350

    Tony
    Member

    Man this reminds me of when i bought the 52 3100 in my avatar a few years ago. Seriously speaking, it was a combination of me being blind and dumb, allowing myself to be misled.
    Water under the bridge now, and after all the work i have a truck that's probably the best thing i've owned. I love it.
    I'm sure you will have the same feeling when it's all said and done.
    Just start from scratch and make it right :)
    Good luck!!

    Tony
     
  11. FoxSpeed
    Joined: May 19, 2009
    Posts: 385

    FoxSpeed
    Member
    from NorCal

    Karma will get the guy who bullshited you on the truck. Slow sometimes, but he will be repaid for his lack of integrity. Good luck on the rebuild and keep us updated. Nice truck by the way, my favorite after the 56 ford f100.
     
  12. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    I hope so. The worst part about it was it wasnt "his" truck. I could understand if he was the one who built it because when you do something yourself, you tend to think you did it right. He bought this and supposedly hurt his back and couldnt finish it, so he knew how crappy it was and proceeded to spray paint it to hide all the problems and talked it up for a couple of weeks, begging me to come check it out. So many red flags I should have known something was up. I let my excitement get the best of me, for the second time....(think 1949 chevy.)

    Sorry to boowhoo all over the thread, I'm done now. I'll tell you what though, its amazing how much I learned from this experience.

    Awesome dude. Seriously makes me feel better and I cant wait to get this thing going.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2011
  13. ...all that can be fixed, looks pretty good overall; PM me if you need any help; I've done dozens of these. There should be a radiator core support that holds the fenders/inner fenders and all in place; you need a crossmember from frame horn to horn to mount the core to.
    good luck with it.
     
  14. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Awesome, I appreciate it. So yea, it has the core supports which are in good shape. Makes sense about the crossmember. When I get to that point I may be buggin you. Thanks again!
     
  15. Fat47
    Joined: Nov 10, 2007
    Posts: 1,454

    Fat47
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I am just finishing a 48 for my wife with a similar story. Looked pretty good when I bought it, but mostly half assed job. Ended taking it down to the frame and working back up. Since you have already done one, you probably don't need help, but if you do have questions along the way send me a PM. Good luck
     
  16. tonkadawg
    Joined: Jun 23, 2009
    Posts: 162

    tonkadawg
    Member

    I'm in the same boat as you with my 49 3100... Sounds like the same MO too - spray paint to hide all the bondo, out right lied when answering questions, bla, bla, bla. Lesson learned.

    Like others have said it all can be fixed.
     
  17. ...how bout a pic of the frame graft joint ?
     
  18. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    MOTOR/TRANS and REAR END OUT!!!!

    37_800x600.jpg


    So it came out fairly easy. Couple of things i noticed. Seems the either cut the driveshaft too long or mounted the rear axle too far forward on the leafs, the drive shaft was all the way in the trans and would not slide in so I could pull it off the rear diff. Oh well, wanted to pull the rear axle anyway and see what I have. After I pulled the engine I was looking around and noticed that there were no brake lines to the back at all, just to the front disc's. I swear I feel like going to this dudes house and just whippin his ass. Moving along.....

    27_800x600.jpg

    Better view of the clip, still look like a Camaro to you guys?

    As far as the frame graft, the welds look nice along the top and sides, but look terrible with gaps around the bottom. Also a little worried that it isnt on the straight. When I lowered the hood with the front end off, it sat level up against the cab. The center trim was dead nuts in line with the windshield, but it looked like the frame was off center slightly to the left, my point of reference was the crank shaft bolt.

    95_800x600.jpg

    More pics to come, for now the engine/trans/axle are going for tear down/cleaning/repair/reassembly. We will see how that turns out.

    My next stop is the bed, tear it down and get looking at the rear suspension and what needs to be done there. Here is a pic of the leaf springs that do just about nothing. Oh, the lower saddles or whatever are too wide, or the leafs to narrow, or both, and were over tightend and taco'd.

    19_800x600.jpg

    Notice the turn down, the mufflers were held up at the ends with some kind of coated wire. Thats all in the recycle bin now, well, except for the muffs, I cut those out and will reuse them. 40 series flows it looks like. See ya later.
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2014
  19. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Do they make lowered/dearched leafsprings that will bolt in to the factory hanger/shackles? Someone said earlier they used s-10 leak springs and fabed them up, whihc would be fine and probably cheaper, but I am fine with a little more money and a lot less work. I saw where someone welded square tubing across the back of the frame to mount shocks to on top. Should I weld shock mounts to the axle or use lower leaf spring mounts?
     
  20. treb11
    Joined: Jan 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,948

    treb11
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Posies makes new rear leaf springs and I think Eaton Spring does too. a trick is to use the rear hanger brackets off of the front suspension as the front hanger on the rear. lower by about an inch. Look around the various suppliers for a complete install kit, much less work.
     
  21. That's the right attitude. Kharma will kick the seller's ass, you focus on your truck. It looks like it's in good hands. I was really pissed about my car for awhile, but it forced me into tackling stuff I've never attempted and I'm learning a ton.
     
  22. tonkadawg
    Joined: Jun 23, 2009
    Posts: 162

    tonkadawg
    Member

    yeah posies makes 3" lowered springs - be sure to get part # 440A if you're using a later model axle - they will center the wheels.
     
  23. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Me too, that is actually the first time I have pulled an engine. Seen it done a million times but never done it by myself. Oh, I shouldnt say I did it myself, my wife helped quite a bit too.

    That is exactly what I need! Thanks!

    Sure, a 4 link air bag set up would be nice, but for my first build I am going for somewhat affordable and easy.
     
  24. shadams
    Joined: Mar 16, 2011
    Posts: 1,492

    shadams
    Member

    Got everything (engine/trans/rear axle) loaded on the trailer and its off tommorow to the shp, hope it all checks out ok. I pulled the rear leafs out and saved all the junk, but will be going back with posies out back. I found some camaro coils but they are cut. I am going to throw those in just to get the frame mobile after getting the rear axle back, then take it for blasting.

    I firgured I would strip the frame completely once I get it out from under the cab and take it to them bare, with the rest of the stuff I want blasted in boxes. Are there any precautions I should take as far as what can be blasted. Will they actually be "sand" blasting or using some other media, or is that something that is determined by what you are having cleaned?

    What about the blasters you can buy at, say, tractor supply? Are they worth it, do they do a good job, etc. I thought about buying one of those and laying down a tarp, then maybe erecting a canopy type deal with plastic sheet sides to make a sort of booth to cntain the mess, is that feasable?
     
  25. texasred
    Joined: Dec 3, 2008
    Posts: 1,202

    texasred
    Member
    from Houston

    At least slap him around a little, maybe thump his woman,,,,
     
  26. 1950ChevySuburban
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 6,187

    1950ChevySuburban
    Member Emeritus
    from Tucson AZ

    Sounds like your making good progress there. More pics?
     
  27. treb11
    Joined: Jan 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,948

    treb11
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    right, sand, aluminum ozide, glass beads, garnet - all of which can be had invarioius grits - depend on what you are cleaning. an industrial blaster might be agressive, since you are paying by the hour, so anything with a machined surface, that carries a fluid, that is out of aluminum, etcetc you should strip off the chassis. blasting takes a LOT of air volume. the home units are ok for small jobs with the typical home shop compressor, but you would struggle to do a chassis with them. Hamber CJSteak has a good setup upin Pflugerville and knows how to blast sheetmetal without warping it.
     
    Madness likes this.
  28. tonkadawg
    Joined: Jun 23, 2009
    Posts: 162

    tonkadawg
    Member

    I'm doing the exact same thing - ordering everything first of next week. Here's a list of parts and prices I put together - hope it helps:

    440A Springs - $345.95
    455 - Spring Eye Bolt - $34.95
    450 - Rear Shackles $84.95
    8003 - U Bolt Plates - $18.95
    8002 - U Bolts - $25.95

    For the U Bolts and Plates remember to measure the diameter of your axle.
     
  29. JustJoey
    Joined: Apr 9, 2007
    Posts: 105

    JustJoey
    Member

    I was in the same boat with my 50. I hated the way the clip was done so I ended up scrapping the frame and starting from scratch. The only thing ive kept from the original truck was the cab and engine/trans. Live and learn I guess. Good luck with it.
     
  30. Big Nick
    Joined: Sep 7, 2005
    Posts: 846

    Big Nick
    Member

    Did I miss somthing here, it sounds like you bought a truck that wasnt finished and you are suprized that its needs work? Im not trying to be an asshole, its just how I read this.
     
    LOU WELLS likes this.

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