Tyler,
First, congratulations on your acquisition and welcome to the world of
ole truckers (that is, people with ole trucks not necessarily ole people
with trucks, I mean just because I'm turning 50 next month doesn't mean
I'm old, right?)
Second, I have to agree with those who are recommending getting your
truck into a safe, drivable condition first and getting the enjoyment of
cruising around and getting the feel of your truck. When doing a frame
off restoration, it is very easy to get discouraged with that huge pile
of parts sitting in your shop for months and years while you are either
bumming rides from friends or driving around in your parent's car. I'd
also pick up a copy of Tom Brownell's book "How to Restore Your
Chevrolet Pickup". He provides a very good comparison between
"rebuilding" and "restoration" and the pros and cons of each approach.
Third, and this is purely a personal opinion which can be effectively
argued against by others on the list, if you have one of these ole
trucks in fairly good working condition I would recommend keeping it
stock. If you are going to butcher (<grin> I just threw that in to see
if the rodders on the list are paying attention, I don't really mean it)
one of these trucks with IFS, new rear end, etc., I'd look for one that
was much less amenable to restoration. There are fewer and fewer of
these classic, industrial artifacts each day and I believe we have a
responsibility to preserve as many of them as we can in original
condition. On the other hand, it is your truck so go the way that feels
right to you, after all, "better modified than crushed."
Good luck and I hope we hear lots from you on the list.
Jeff Nelson
1953 3600
Paducah, KY
> ----------
> From: Joel Brain[SMTP:brain@jacksonesd.k12.or.us]
> Reply To: Joel Brain
> Sent: Saturday, April 24, 1999 9:55 PM
> To: oletrucks@autox.team.net
> Subject: [oletrucks] A zillion questions!
>
> Hi, I'm fifteen years old, I own a 53' gmc 1/2 ton. It's a five
> window.
> I have a bunch of questions about restoring it, so please answer as
> many as
> you can. I'm kinda of thinking of two different ways of doing the
> resto'
> (ya'lls lingo is wearin' off:) . The first way is my idea- strip the
> sheep
> metal and build it from the ground up with a mustang II front end-
> 700r4
> tranny, chev small block, f*rd 9 inch rear end (chevy 12 bolt?) -- get
> the
> picture right? The second way is my dads idea- do all the body work
> (I'm
> gonna do it myself!!) get it running really smooth ( it's got a 228
> in it)
> and then paint it. Pretty much just make a reliable daily driver.
> After
> that I can decide wether I really want to strip it down and put all
> those
> goody's underneath. Is it better just to strip it now and do it
> right
> the first time or is this one of those 'father know's best' kind of
> things?
> Besides that, how does my drivetrain combination sound as a whole? any
> suggestions? I live forty miles out of the nearest big town so I'll
> be
> commuting quite regulary. Thus the overdrive tranny. Also has
> anybody
> had any background with Jim Pace Perfomance Parts? They offer a 300
> H.P.350 engine for 2000$. Is this a good deal? Are they very durable
> engine's? It sound's better than building my own engine, and that's
> about how many horsey's I want. Of course cost is an issue ( it
> always
> is, right?) . I'm a newbie ( like ya can't tell) and I need any/all
> the
> help I can get. Thank in advance, Tyler (Joel's son.)
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and
> 1959
>
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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