1956 Chevrolet 1/2 Ton Panel Truck

[Model56s]

My Erector set arrived. Beautiful, and all pieces are the correct diameter.

 

I'll be getting to work on this shortly.

[EmTee]

Some assembly required... 

[Model56s]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:43 AM, EmTee said:

Some assembly required... 

😆

BTW, I’ve been through Central New York State more times than I can count, and love the region and history. We pass north of the Finger Lakes and go through Lake George and Ft. Ann on our way to Vermont, a route I plan on taking in the panel truck sometime. I’ve traveled to New York to purchase three vehicles, Edmeston and two on Long Island. All good experiences.

[Walt G]

Great you had a good experience on long island. Many people who do not live on long island have considered it part of NY City, saw no difference.

I have lived on long island all of my life, my grandparents moving here in 1920 and buying property. Long island is not all concrete, black top macadam, subways, or highways. there are areas less then 35 miles east of NY City that are incorporated villages that preserve the atmosphere and solitude the way it was when my grandparents settled in here over a century ago. Some of us get involved to make sure that it stays that way, , has the laws to support it, and is still "a great place to live".

[Model56s]

8 hours ago, Walt G said:

Great you had a good experience on long island. Many people who do not live on long island have considered it part of NY City, saw no difference.

I have lived on long island all of my life, my grandparents moving here in 1920 and buying property. Long island is not all concrete, black top macadam, subways, or highways. there are areas less then 35 miles east of NY City that are incorporated villages that preserve the atmosphere and solitude the way it was when my grandparents settled in here over a century ago. Some of us get involved to make sure that it stays that way, , has the laws to support it, and is still "a great place to live".

So, are you the Walt Gosden who writes for Hemming’s Classic Cars? I appreciate your columns and and this bit of family history!

 

The VA hospital in Manhattan was a customer of mine so I’ve spent some time in NYC and have seen and appreciate both cultures. A lasting and good memory from this trip to L.I. was breakfast at the Greek diner near Deer Park (The Olympic?) after we loaded the truck and were setting out for home. A local in the parking lot complimented our purchase and quickly sized me up as a Midwesterner. He told us the best route West to avoid legal issues with the trailer, saving us cost and a hassle. It was a great trip.
 

In a previous post I mentioned that Frank from whom I bought the truck was in the hospital with COVID - he’s home and recovering. I plan on showing him the completed truck in person.

 

Thanks for responding Walt!

 

 

[Walt G]

Yes, I am the one who wrote for Hemmings Classic Car magazine and now do so for Crankshaft magazine that is Edited and published by Richard Lentinello who was the Editor of HCC when I was a contributor .  Always happy to communicate/know other "Old car types " like you.

[Model56s]

No pictures tonight. Tomorrow I take the truck (no front clip, on a tow dolly) to Safelite for the new windshield. I'll post a description of how they install the windshield, with pictures if the manager permits.

 

I've had my first significant setback - a slow coolant leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the engine block. If it is from the rear of the block it would be one of the two freeze plugs at the back. I wasn't very confident with the one that goes in convex side out (why, Chevy?).

 

In their primitive (cheap?) mentality, General Motors bolted the pump to the crankshaft flange, not to a flexplate, which means an extra two hours labor + new gasket to disassemble/reassemble the converter and losing the ATF. Buick's earliest torque converters mated to a flexplate (4 bolts) and removal was uncomplicated - I did this in 2017 when I had the Dynaflow rebuilt on the 49 Super.

 

At least the front clip hasn't been mounted.

 

[Model56s]

Good news, the leak is not from the rear of the block, so I don't have to pull the engine.

I removed the driveshaft and Wednesday afternoon I delivered the truck to Safelite on a tow dolly. The dolly was a mistake - without a locking steering column it was almost impossible to back the truck but I got it into their shop to hold overnight and get the rubber to room temperature.

 

Safelite brought in a specialist, Wesley, who got the windshield replaced in less than an hour, before I arrived at 7AM to watch. The Steele gasket is the problem in that it will not allow the top edge of the glass to fit into the channel so that the bottom edge can be brought in. He and an assistant will be coming to my house Tuesday to complete the job using a technique an old GM autoworker mentioned to Wesley that was used to deal with these wraparound windshields. The autoworker told him that in those days they broke a lot of windshields at the factory.

 

The truck is on the lift, and today through the weekend I will be working on the exhaust system and bolting & completing the cargo floor.

 

[Model56s]

Good progress today.

1. I got the bolt holes drilled in the floor that correspond with the two cross members. I was concerned about this, but once I had the cross members fixed in place, no trouble to drill from below. Four holes remain to be drilled, which due to access problems (leaf springs, etc.)  below have to be drilled from the top side of the floor. I mapped the holes in the cross members so it's a matter of just measuring from an adjacent hole. All remaining cargo strip bolt holes do not correspond to an underside structural component and will be drilled from the top of the floor. I kept the original strips and will drill the new ones from their pattern.

2. Last summer I bought plain un-punched stainless cargo strips because no pre-punched strip bolt hole spacing matched the panel truck floor bolt spacing. Instead of buying a square punch to accommodate the stainless carriage bolts, I drilled a test hole a little larger than the shank of the carriage bolt in a piece of stainless scrap, and using an oversized nut for spacing drew the stainless carriage bolt fully into the hole, forming the square corners. It did this with no distortion. So the challenge will be drilling holes in a straight line down the strip, but it'll be simple to draw the square carriage bolt shoulders into the holes for a clean installation.

 

Once the floor is done this week, I'll fabricate the exhaust system and install the parking brake return spring. I'll be done under the truck for a while.

 

Wesley from Safelite will be at my house early tomorrow morning.

[Model56s]

Safelite couldn’t install the repro windshield they brought to my house yesterday because the windshield is 1/2” wider from edge to edge than the original I pulled from the truck. I called around several suppliers and the ones who could give me measurements all matched the repro windshield. Safelite ordered another one plus a new gasket which should be here next week. The wrap around edges flex though, so we’ll try an idea I got from a friend.

 

Tonight I got the cargo floor caulked at the perimeter using clear outdoor window caulk, and the floor is bolted in for good. What a workout - I knew this job would be involved, but I’m happy with the result. The truck was up and down on the lift several times as I had to caulk from the inside, from the outside of the wheel wells, and underneath for the sills. With the cross members out and the perimeter bolts loosened, the plywood flexed giving me a gap to pump caulk into. I then drew the perimeter bolts down tight. Once the excess was cleaned up and the seams smoothed inside the truck, I called it a night.

 

The center cargo floor strip is drilled and ready to install. I have 58 holes to drill in the remaining strips, then caulk the center floor seam and bolt them in place. The windshield and front clip remain after that.

 

 

[Model56s]

With the exception of a couple bolts, the cargo floor is done. With all the drilling into the stainless strips, I bought a set of Bosch cobalt steel bits which drilled the holes quickly. These bits are amazing, the last hole went as quickly as the first and there’s no need to sharpen them. I used the 5/16th bit which makes a hole a little too small for the 1/4” carriage bolt square shoulder which I set by hammering the bolt head into the hole. The picture of the two short strips shows how the strip held the bolt heads - I just fed the bolts into the holes in the floor and coaxed them home with a rubber mallet.

 

Each strip took only 22 minutes from blank to installed and I’m happy with the look of stainless hardware against the black marine top paint for the underside. The afternoon sun somehow made the interior look blue to my iPhone camera.

 

The long strips were evenly spaced from the factory, but I moved the outboard strips in a few inches to place them over the frame rails. The factory inserted the 4 inboard floor-to-frame mounting bolts in the open with fender washers - I didn’t like the look plus the strips spread the load much wider than a fender washer.

 

Exhaust is next.

[Model56s]

The front and rear sill bolts of the cargo floor are installed, so the floor is done. Removing the original floor revealed rust on the rear sill - not rusted through but the strength was compromised. For reinforcement Adam had welded a piece of 1” square tube to the base of the sill, which made for a perfect conduit for the passenger side tail light leads. The leads had to be removed to drill the 6 sill bolts, so they were run and the bolts installed.

 

The exhaust system was on today’s agenda and it went as well as I had hoped. I’m very happy with the kit, but I couldn’t use the U tube pieces and needed another three 45 degree elbows. The single rubber brake line feeding the rear drums will have to be moved to get it out of the way of the passenger side exhaust line, so a new copper-nickel line will be needed for the passenger side rear drum. Tomorrow I have to get a bunch of exhaust hangers to replace the wire holding both driver and passenger exhaust runs.

 

No word from Safelite, so I’ll call them in the morning.

 

 

[Model56s]

Quick post -

-exhaust system is done, all joints sealed and reassembled. First run was messy, second very clean as I learned a few things.

- new windshield (Pilkington) is a better fit and is now properly installed and sealed - 2nd and 3rd picture shows the rubber fully seated over the lower pinch weld. The Steele gasket would not do this, Wesley sourced the new one from Raybuck. Without going into detail, Safelite guys Wesley (standing on the frame) and Dan went above and beyond and this took just 45 minutes. They were here 2 1/2 hours the first time and couldn’t get it to fit due to a poorly fitting windshield and the Steele rubber.

- three brake line double flange joints corrected using a high quality 1/4” double flange tool, stopping leaks due to poor flanges.

 

Will bleed the brakes again and install the driveshaft with nylon lock nuts vs lock washers. I can now finally start on finishing the few details left in the cabin and installing the front clip.

 

[Model56s]

Just a quick note, no pictures.
 

I started the engine off of a gas can after I installed the drive shaft and we bled the brakes. The exhaust sounds good. The exhaust from the front cylinders was clear but it had a little smoke from one of the back cylinders, probably #6 which had the lowest compression reading. Oil pressure was excellent, well past the median mark on the crude mechanical gauge. The Hydramatic responded (lurched) to what would be Drive (“1-4” on the selector), so the torque converter is full and the dipstick shows full, so the transmission is ready. I need to top off the radiator. 

 

I ran the engine for five minutes and shut it down when the fuel line at the pump began to leak. I’ll fix that tomorrow and do another run. The first test drive will probably reveal a bunch of things to clean up.

[Model56s]

Another update, sorry no pictures, and a question.

 

After correcting the fuel line leak (inlet side) I ran the engine for 10 minutes - sounds sweet! The blue smoke is gone, like the rings had to re-seat or an exhaust valve had some deposits burned off - I'll take it! The exhaust is clear, with some water vapor from the 3 front cylinders, very little vapor from the rear 3 (???). Maybe someone here knows something about this. The dipstick shows clear oil, no evidence of coolant, and the inside of each tailpipe is a clean as when I installed them.

 

Four more leaks were discovered - in the Navy we called this process the "shakedown cruise" - coolant line leaks at the thermostat housing (fitting for the feed line to the manifold) and the (mechanical) temp gauge line fitting at the head (wondering if I got an incorrect gauge); minor fuel line leak at the fuel pump output which I didn't notice before and an oil leak from a threaded opening, just above the oil pan flange and about midway on the manifold side of the block. I sealed it with a bolt & gasket sealer.

 

It's obvious that this 3/8 - 24 threaded block opening is not to a pressurized oil gallery, but seems to be to the crankcase as if it's where a crankcase breather attaches. A drop or two of oil would occasionally spurt out, not much, and would hit the front cylinder exhaust pipe just below the header. It was as if oil would splash to the interior of the opening and crankcase pressure would send it out.

 

I'll correct these and do another run tomorrow. Once the engine is under control, the front clip goes on.

 

[Model56s]

Once the fuel pump fittings were secured, the fuel pump leaked at the diaphragm/gasket seal. I think that fixing the leaks at the fittings increased the internal pressure and oh well.
 

A new mechanical fuel pump was ordered Saturday from LMC Truck in Lenexa Kansas (Kansas City), expecting to see it Wednesday. That should finish the engine test runs (ha) and the front clip goes on and I begin test driving in the neighborhood. 

 

 

Does anyone know why the temp gauge bulb male fitting was machined flat on four sides? 😡 This makes it hard to not cross-thread into the head fitting. 

- Baffled In St. Louis

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Well, I certainly don't know why the fitting is reduced like that, but the notion occurs that perhaps it's a way to have the water in more contact with the thing. That way there is less reading of the surrounding metal and more of the coolant's temp. Just a guess and worth what you spent on it.

[Model56s]

Thanks Pat, that's logical. But it's painful, like Chevrolet not using a flex plate.

 

Thursday March 2nd I noticed a little coolant on the floor at the rear of the engine. I couldn't trace it anywhere from the front of the engine, so I decided to pull the engine/trans once and for all have one more look at the freeze plugs on the rear of the block. I ordered the replacement rubber torus O ring Friday (Dave Edwards at Autotrans in Needham, MASS) and pulled the iron on Saturday March 4th. The new O ring  arrived Monday (thank you Dave!), so I separated the trans from the engine that morning and the freeze plugs I installed last year were good. I balanced the frustration of a needless exercise with the peace of mind I gained and the fact I lost only 4 days and just $14 for the O ring and shipping. I reassembled the torus with the new O ring and got the engine/trans back in the truck by 4:30 that afternoon.

 

I can't understand why Chevrolet didn't use a flex plate, instead they bolted the front half of the torus directly to the crankshaft flange, so the torus must be disassembled (18 bolts) prior to separation. With a flex plate, I could have left the engine in the truck and saved hours. 7 years earlier GM used a flex plate on my 49 Buick which made pulling the Dynaflow in 2017 a cinch.

 

Thursday the 9th everything was installed on the engine and I just took a break from the truck through the weekend and today. Tomorrow I'll begin test runs again. If all goes well, I'll install the front sheet metal. I hope to post pictures of the completed truck by Friday.

[Model56s]

Getting ready for the first drive. There is more done than is shown on the pictures.
 

The front fenders fit perfectly when I got the truck, but getting the lower portion to align with the doors on reassembly yesterday and today was a nightmare, taking two days to solve. The 1st picture was taken yesterday and it looks better after a lot of effort today with Adam making a house call. None of the body work that was done affected the geometry of the mounting surfaces, so this was a puzzle. I assume the factory installed the entire front clip as a subassembly and probably didn’t have this problem.

 

All that remains to do for the interior:

install & hookup the new repro heater/ventilation panel

complete the steering wheel installation

hook up turn signal leads to harness

install the radio

install front cabin interior overhead sheet metal fixture

Install glove box and door

 

For the exterior

install and connect headlights & park/turn signal fixtures

front bumper and hood

wipers.

 

I’ll post pictures of the interior tomorrow & might be able to to do first drive tomorrow afternoon.

[Model56s]

Besides hood installation and adjustment and front end lights hookup, only a few interior items remain.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Model56s (see edit history)

[Pat Hollingsworth]

nice project that's a vehicle that appeals much to me. it seems like it went too quickly to get to here. i'm sure you would not agree! Anyhow, i hope you enjoy it for a long time, and your children in the passage of time...

[GARY F]

Did you get the passenger fender lined up. I haven't seen an update.

[Model56s]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:01 PM, Pat Hollingsworth said:

nice project that's a vehicle that appeals much to me. it seems like it went too quickly to get to here. i'm sure you would not agree! Anyhow, i hope you enjoy it for a long time, and your children in the passage of time...

Hi Pat, I didn’t want this to take too much time. I bought the truck in May ‘21, brought it home mid-June and spent the next 6 weeks making decisions. I started disassembly 1st of August 2021. I appreciate the utility and styling of this truck.

[Model56s]

On 3/30/2023 at 4:09 PM, GARY F said:

Did you get the passenger fender lined up. I haven't seen an update.

Hi Gary, yes, but not to my satisfaction. Adam and I can’t figure out why the fender brace bottoms on its body mount with the fender bottom sticking out 7/8 “. We got it closer by adjusting the radiator support and a lot of flexing the lower part of that fender.

 

My wife and I have been on the road since the 31st to see our newest grandson Emmett. I’ll post a picture tomorrow.

[Model56s]

On 3/30/2023 at 3:09 PM, GARY F said:

Did you get the passenger fender lined up. I haven't seen an update.

The first picture is the driver side, which is satisfactory. The second and third are of the passenger side, looking to the rear and looking to the front, respectively. I will probably have to remove the fender and cut down the fender brace to bring the bottom in (but not anytime soon!). It makes no sense that the brace bottoms on the body mount with any lower protrusion when it fit perfectly on disassembly and no work was done to either surface.

 

Adam and I worked this all ways possible (pitch, up, down, front-back etc. etc.) and eventually secured the lower mounting bolt with my holding 1/2 “ of twist to get this little bit of improvement.

[Model56s]

Many many thanks tonight to my daughter Madeleine and her boyfriend Brett for their invaluable help in helping me to mount the hood! I was dreading this operation and they made it easy. To do this safely it truly is a three man job - Brett and I hoisted and positioned the hood and Maddie got the bolts in. There is still some adjusting to do, but the finish line is just a day or two away!

 

What an incredible experience this truck had been, so glad I did it.

[Model56s]

I wanted to list and recommend these essential suppliers and service providers on this restoration. I also want to thank Chet Palumbo and Ted Becker of the Gateway Chapter Buick Club of America for their invaluable advice, referrals and assistance.

 

Body and paint: Antique Automotive Service (Adam Martin, Foristell, MO - excellent workmanship, detailed and transparent invoicing and progress reports)

Media blasting: Blastco, (Lake St. Louis, MO)

Upholstery: (Allen Mutert, Wentzville, MO)

Locksmith: ARC Locksmith Service (Wentzville, MO)

Exhaust: Complete Automotive Custom Exhaust (St. Peters, MO) - the proprietor is very knowledgeable, honest and gave me great advice. He gave me the confidence to fabricate a system myself from components.

Heater core and tank testing & repair: S&S Radiator and Welding (St. Peters, MO)

Parts: (all with whom I dealt directly (not Amazon, ebay) provide outstanding customer service, although Amazon and ebay-linked resellers were reliable)

Summit (Ohio)

DNA Motoring (via Amazon) Exhaust system tubing section kit

Jim Carter Truck Parts (Kansas City)

H&H Classic (Arkansas)

Autocity Classic (radiator, Minnesota)

Tanks, Inc. (fuel tank and associated plumbing, Iowa)

Haywire (wiring system, Ohio) I strongly recommend this wiring system, excellent documentation.

Langdon's Stovebolt (Chevy inline 6 parts and consultation, Tom Langdon, Michigan)

Safelite (O'Fallon, MO store)

Truck Stop Car Shop (ebay)

Eckler's (mirrors, door handles, etc)

Danchuk (now represented by Classic Industries)

Autotrans (vintage transmission parts and consultation, Dave Edwards, Needham, MA

St. Charles Hardwoods (cargo floor, St. Charles, MO)

LMC Truck (fuel pump, Kansas City)

Charlie's in Wentzville, MO and Ace Hardware for a much better hardware selection than Lowe's and Home Depot.

The usual suspects for smaller items like shocks, exhaust hangars, electrical connectors, hoses & clamps, fuel and brake line and fittings & hardware (NAPA, Autozone & O'Reilly's)

 

 

[keiser31]

BEAUTIFUL job!

[Model56s]

5 hours ago, keiser31 said:

BEAUTIFUL job!

Thank you Keiser.

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Well, I sure hope (along with many) for some photos of your beauty out 'in the wlld'. At least in the driveway. 

I owned a '57 Ford panel that we used for a pushcar and parts chaser for a while. I drove it a lot during the week and it had the usual blind spots that they all had. Real good reason for those 'truck mirrors' so many ended up with- ours had them. But, the thing that mostly comes to mind now is that those doggone things are plain ol' noisy with the cavern of tin behind the driver and mid-fifties tech. Still, I envy you the fine, fresh vehicle you now have- enjoy. And again, thanks for the look at the work.

[Model56s]

First drive today!

Transmission was rough shifting at first, then settled down nicely, shifts well.

 

I spent all day redoing the throttle linkage that was binding up - what a job with the fenders on. I had to do this under the truck.

 

I’ll post stills of the truck at a nice setting, right now I’m going to relax.

 

 

 

[Model56s]

6 hours ago, Pat Hollingsworth said:

Well, I sure hope (along with many) for some photos of your beauty out 'in the wlld'. At least in the driveway. 

I owned a '57 Ford panel that we used for a pushcar and parts chaser for a while. I drove it a lot during the week and it had the usual blind spots that they all had. Real good reason for those 'truck mirrors' so many ended up with- ours had them. But, the thing that mostly comes to mind now is that those doggone things are plain ol' noisy with the cavern of tin behind the driver and mid-fifties tech. Still, I envy you the fine, fresh vehicle you now have- enjoy. And again, thanks for the look at the work.

Hey Pat, I appreciate the comments. Yep, I was surprised at how loud she is! I thought something had come loose, then realized it was the acre & a half of unreinforced  sheet metal reporting it’s happy presence! This truck is loaded with character.

 

I have a passenger side outside mirror to install tomorrow and some interior items, then I’m taking my wife in the truck to the farmer’s market Saturday morning.

 

Another nice outcome is that I have a life again.

[Model56s]

On the second drive today several issues came up including transmission adjustment needed on downshift, tightening throttle linkage on 2nd carb, revisit fender alignment, the glove box door hinge doesn’t play nice with the Dynacorn repro dash, and an exhaust hanger needs tightening. The engine is smooth and strong, I’m very pleased with the Stovebolt!

 

Here are a couple portraits in front of our house. The house was built in 1839 by a German immigrant medical doctor, Dr. John Baptiste Mucheny. The local historical society told us that Dr. Mucheny operated his practice and pharmacy in the house until his death in 1862 (we have the marble headstone) and that evidence suggests that the supervising stonemason was a slave, Archer Alexander. Archer Alexander served as the model for the emancipated slave in the Emancipation statue featuring President Lincoln.

 

Attached also is a picture of the house taken at the turn of the 20th Century. The house was on at least 100 acres when the land was sold in 2006-2007 to a developer and is now on 3/4 acre near the center of the subdivision that was built. 
 

Thanks to all of you who followed this restoration and for your comments!

 

 

[Pat Hollingsworth]

Looks like a lot to be proud of in those photos. I really like that truck, and it sure looks at home in that setting. 

[Model56s]

15 hours ago, Pat Hollingsworth said:

Looks like a lot to be proud of in those photos. I really like that truck, and it sure looks at home in that setting. 

I appreciate the comments Pat, we’re having fun in the truck.