moparmonkey

I have a set I pulled off of a '55 C3, they're the same as the ones I have for my '53. Not sure if they were the same all the way to '62, but I'm pretty sure they were the same through '56.

Sold for $209. At that price? I've seen the parking light surrounds by themselves sell for that much, although usually they go for around $100. Still, that's just the parking light surrounds, not even with the parking light assemblies. I'd say that was a really good buy for whoever got it. I don't think I've ever seen a complete set sold on the internet for less. Usually the parts are listed individually, and the sum would far exceed that price.

They're about the same size as a big block. Although, other than the overall width, the big and small blocks aren't all that different. The height and length are within 1/2", but the big block is about 4" wider. As far as the 360, its EXACTLY the same size as a 273/318/340. Blocks are pretty much identical except for the passenger side engine mount. You should be able to mount it so that you don't have to cut the firewall, just depends on how you do it and what you choose to move, ie, the engine or the radiator. Here's a list of some common engine dimensions, the mopar small block, big block, early and late hemi's are all listed. engine dimensions.pdf

Not compared to buying actual replacement lenses. On Ebay, the lenses alone usually fetch $40 to $50 each. Even from Robert's, they're $20 just for the lens. Considering you get the whole light- lens, trim ring, reflector etc, its a pretty good price. On eBay, the trim rings usually list for around $100 for a pair. If you need the whole set up, those are the way to go.

Not my truck, but I saw this on Craigslist and thought I'd put it up here. Original "arden electric" work truck. Pretty cool utility bed on it, appears in decent enough shape. Original ad here http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/2800233945.html

I recently found a '65 Polara at the local Pick-n-Pull, this was a 4 door but its a C-body like the sport fury's. Flange to flange you'll find the early C-bodies are 56 3/4", they're almost the same width as the E-body Challengers and 'Cuda's. They're usually a little wide for the 40's, the lend themselves better to mid to late 50's swaps. But, if its only a couple of inches wider you might be able to run it anyway depending on your wheel choice. Most rims nowadays have a much deeper backspace, which allows for a longer axle. An extra inch of backspace per side is usually pretty easy to come by, as long as you're not planning bone stock wheels. A lot of those cars had 11 drums, the 8.75" rear I pulled out of that Polara wore 11"x2" brakes. Pretty handy, and the parts are pretty valuable. But, the C-body's were more cruiser than musclecar, and the rear end ratio's are usually in the 2.76 to 3.23 range. With a 318 I would suspect freeway gears, but you never know. And if it isn't a single legger, it will be the more desirable clutch type sure-grip. Still, I think the 8.75" rear is one of the best out there. Easy gear changes, just swap the 3rd member. If you get an extra chunk or two, you can swap gears if you're planning on going racing, or for a long drive. The axles don't even have to come all the way out, just a few inches. Weld a drain bung into the housing and the whole thing can be done in less than an hour, with not all that much mess. Not as strong as a Dana 60, but unless you're running big horsepower they're more than strong enough.

Yeah I just about died when I saw that thread on the HAMB! Especially when I figured out that the truck was only a few hours from me. Certainly would be an easier project than mine! But, with that truck I'd feel like I had to keep it stock. At least with my '37 I don't need to worry about that... The wheels are optional "high clearance" wheels offered by Dodge. If I remember right, they're 20" rims. There were a few variations based on the year of manufacture, most are 18" or 20". That particular type I've seen sell for well over $1k. Like my custom wheels?

Now THAT is a collection of old trucks!

I love pilothouses, but that poor thing has got a face only a mother could love..

Definitely. Based on what I saw, I'd venture that someone bought it as a project and realized they were in over their heads. One of those "it'll run with a couple of things" kinda deals, except it needed more work than that (engine rebuild). Maybe someone thought they could fix it and "flip" it for a profit? Whatever the case, its too bad it ended up at pick n pull. It's really not geared toward older stuff like that, which is why I'm trying to get the word out. Most people looking for '55 C3 parts won't check pick n pull, and most folks at pick n pull don't have the foggiest idea what to do with a '55 C3.

Thought I would post this up here in case anyone in NorCal can use some parts. I was doing an inventory search and under D150 a '55 C3 popped up. Had to go out and look. This is what I found... Pretty much a complete truck, and a V8 at that!!! The 259 poly was stuck, but all there. Against my better judgement I pulled the 259 and transmission and brought it home, probably cost a little too much considering its a stuck poly. But I really didn't want it to go to waste, and since I have a couple of 270 poly's I figured I could use the parts. None of the half a dozen people that stopped to ask me about it knew a thing, best guess I got was a 318 poly. Anyway, the front end is now off the truck (so I could pull the engine), so that would be an easy grab. Bed is complete, still has both axles and brakes, as well as the bench seat, gauges, etc. Damn shame someone dropped it at pick-n-pull, other than a little rust at the cab/fender area of the cab it would have been a good resto candidate. If I didn't already have so many projects I would have considered trying to buy the whole thing, it was apparently a roller when it got there. Looks as if someone poured some Marvel mystery oil in some of the cylinders, guess someone thought it would be an easy fix. Now that its in my shop the engine gives off an unmistakable "welding" smell, probably not a good sign. Hopefully someone can make use of some of the parts that are left...

My g/f has a 6v Optima in her '55 Coronet. Been there about a year now I think, no issues with it whatsoever. It's being charged by a rebuilt stock generator and run through a new voltage regulator.

If you're not looking to spend more than a few thousand dollars you'll have a hard time keeping the poly or even a flathead. The Flathead parts can be had a little cheaper if you keep an eye out for NOS stuff on eBay, I picked up pistons and rings for my flathead for less than half what it would have cost for a poly. Also keep in mind that a lot of the poly parts are hemi parts, so there's more support than you think. But in either case, flathead or poly, the parts are going to cost more than for a 318. Be careful if you're actually going to sandblast the body parts, its pretty easy to warp sheet metal with a sandblaster. If you're having it done at a shop they *should* know this, but I thought I'd mention it. It will be a lot easier to do it now if you're tearing it down to the frame, especially if you're going to paint the outside. Prepping the outside of the truck will be a lot easier if the inside/backside of everything is clean too. You would think that as long as the outside is clean you'd be fine, but all that dirt finds a way out when you start painting, and of course if it finds a way out it ends up in the paint.

Are you still running the original harmonic balancer behind the front pulley? I'd probably look there unless you know something about the torque converter I don't. The hemi's should all be neutrally balanced, so if the torque converter for that auto wasn't that could definitely be the issue. But if its also a neutral balance, I'd look at the harmonic balancer next if its the original. The rubber has a tendency to break down, I know both of the harmonic balancers for my '70's 318's were junk.

Uhh, actually, according to Bunn, Custom and DeLuxe cabs had them from '48-'50, but from '51-'53 only the Custom cabs had them. Regardless, not all PH trucks had them. My '53 B4B doesn't. Since it also has wing vents, that would make it a DeLuxe.

Cross-over pipes are supposed to improve scavenging by making use of the exhaust pulses coming down through each tube. For separate dual pipes, you'll have 3 pulses per cycle in each exhaust pipe. But, if you use a crossover, you'll add those three pulses from each pipe together (back to the original 6 pulses you had with a single pipe) improving scavenging. That's why a lot of the performance pipes for v8's now use "X" pipes instead of a straight crossover, higher velocities and even better scavenging (in theory). But it does depend on timing and firing order. Having the pipes close together wouldn't negate using a crossover, in fact, the shorter the crossover pipe the more likely it is to actually work. Placement of the pipe also makes a difference, as does design (ie, "X" vs "H"). There's actually a lot of theory that goes into it if you want to be technical. Regardless, they aren't absolutely necessary. They do tend to make the exhaust note a little more mellow, and depending on who you listen to they may improve power/efficiency a little.

Welcome! Its too bad you're on the other side of the country, I'd definitely hit you up for that 315. Do you just have the block, or do you have the heads and everything else too? As far as mating a 3 speed to the 318, there was a 3-speed transmission that was used back in the 60's and 70's that came with the 318. Most folks swap them out with 4 speeds, so they're usually pretty cheap. I think they use the same bellhousing as the 833 four speeds, but I'm not 100% on that one. You can probably modify the shift linkage to make it work with the 3 on the tree set up. Just thinking too, 904's and 727's are 3 speeds too. If you put a manual valve body on one of those auto's, you could probably modify the shift linkage to work with the auto also. It wouldn't be the same as shifting the original 3 speed, more like a later auto with a shifter on the column, but it would look stock...

Not to steal the thread, but cheap, poorly built hot rods have been around forever. The "rat rod" phenomenon, however, is a new thing. But it's kind of getting like the extreme '70's show car scene, they just kept escalating until they were so crazy you couldn't drive them or afford to build them. The rat rods I'm talking about are getting VERY extreme, and in many cases they aren't cheap at all, some jerks are paying a ton of money to "rat rod" perfectly decent cars and trucks. If you don't believe me, check out what some people want to sell those piles of crap on eBay for. But, the "style" to me seems to be running its course, I think the number of 50's trucks with 30's grille shells etc will be decreasing in the near future. That is not to say that half finished, poorly built, and otherwise dangerous hot rods will go away, as long as there are hot rods guys with no skill, talent, or imagination at all will try to build one. But I do think that as a genre, the rat rod thing is waning. I think that it will cease to be a blanket excuse for all the ill-conceived, unfinished or outright dangerous builds out there. Ie, you won't just be able to say "oh, its a rat rod" and have all the shortcomings of your build be forgiven. Just like how rat rods were born out of the street rod scene, the backlash out there to them seems to be growing. And if the membership #'s of the HAMB are any indication, it seems like things are moving more in the direction of "traditional" hot rods. I mean, its not like street rods went away, heck, there are still guys out there that build crazy looking one-off fiberglass 70's style show cars. But the popular market has shifted away from them, and I think rat rods will run the same course...

Welcome! I've got a chopped '53 also. Based on how small the front windshield is on yours, I've have to say its chopped around 6". I took 4" out of mine, and that one's definitely lower. Not sure I'd keep the nose with the grille closed up like that, even if it does cool ok it looks like something out of "Cars", too cartoonish. Another front panel should be easy enough to find, but I can't see the body line between the front fenders and the front panel in that picture, so the previous owner may have welded or filled that seam, which will make it harder to do. The other problem severely chopping a truck like that is throwing the proportions of the body out of whack, the whole truck would probably look better with a low side bed, possibly even shortened a little. But shortening the bed is a whole lot of work, as it would have to come out of the frame too. I would stay away from the "rat rod" look too, I really think (and I really hope) its about run its course, so your resale in a few years will be a lot better if you clean things up a bit. If you address the front grille panel and put a half-decent coat of paint on it you'll have a really good looking hot rod. But that's just my opinion... This is my '53, with the 4" chop in progress.

Marvel Mystery oil is pretty good at freeing stuck parts and dissolving gunk and deposits. I use it to soak stuck pistons. But its not a lubricating oil, so I don't see how its supposed to help your rings. As far as the octane, all that is required is that the engine doesn't detonate. With a compression ratio at 7.5:1 or lower, you can run just about anything you want and not get detonation. 87 octane is far better than what's needed, and even with the ethanol we probably have higher quality fuels than in the 50's, certainly more consistant (ie, better quality control). If running premium makes you feel good, then feel free. But hopefully you have stock in whatever oil company you buy fuel from, 'cause that's the only benefit you'll see from doing that.

Head bolts are specialty fasteners that are designed to provide an equal clamping force across the head. Every time they are torqued down, they stretch. While they are not single use items, they do have a life span based on how much they've stretched. Rust, corrosion, and overall deterioration also weakens the bolts, and since they're in a pretty high torque application this is important. And I can guarantee they weren't intended to last this long. If you have to replace 4, replace all of them. Replacing just 4 may result in unequal clamping forces, which can cause head gasket problems. And if 4 of the bolts were bad, its a good indicator that the rest of them aren't in much better shape anyway.

Depends on which frame its on. If it's on the '37's frame, then 3" out of the width of the bed shouldn't be a problem. Obviously if its on the pilothouse frame there isn't that much room. On a pilothouse the rear fenders are pretty much flush with the running boards, if anything the running boards stick out further than the fenders (which is why I think its not on the pilothouse frame). For example...

A shame? Why? Because he turned it into a monster truck? Could be worse, it could be sitting and rotting somewhere. At least this way its getting used. Maybe not a "standard" restoration, but its on the road (or off road in this case), being used, getting seen, and being taken care of.

I think I've seen this one listed before. Pretty good looking truck considering it used to be a car, I've seen a few and most look pretty awful. Which surprises me really, it takes a lot of fabrication to make this happen, why not go all the way? The devil is in the details. If they had rounded the top corner of the door (why does everyone overlook this on these conversions!!!?), narrowed the bed about 3", and shortened it about 6" the proportions would look a lot better. Especially narrowing the bed. You can see in this picture that the rear fenders stick out past the running boards. Narrow the bed until the fenders are flush. This will not only solve the fender issue, it will tuck the bed rails behind the cab and minimize the look of the bed. The best solution would obviously be an earlier bed so the front and rear fenders would match, but even the later bed would look fine if it were narrowed and shortened a tad...

Not sure if this was meant for me or 4mula, but the Pioneer Chevy head bolts are made in the USA and are cheap because you're buying in bulk, just happens that for a flathead you need that many. Unless you're going to use ARP bolts, I don't see any reason for spending more money on head bolts. VPW sells head bolts for $3 that are likely also Chevy bolts. They also sell NOS bolts for $6, this is really the only way to get it right. The Chevy bolts are a little longer, but this isn't an issue as the thread pockets are deep enough, a bottoming tap should be used to make sure but that should be done anyway to get the torque spec right. Any ARP bolt you could get would be a Chevy length I'm betting. If you want, I can check into how much it would cost me to ship the Chevy head bolts to you by post, the box is small and really doesn't weigh much. I'd have to order another box from Summit, forgot you need 27 for the 25" head. But I only need 24, so it works out anyway. You may also want to check your local parts supplier with the Pioneer head bolt #, I believe that someone got these from a NAPA originally, Summit just has a better price (unless you're shipping to Canada). They may be available locally. The bolts that came out of it probably aren't right either, as I mentioned mine was rebuilt with grade 8's. If you are going to use regular bolts, grade 8's probably aren't the way to go. An uncoated grade 5 would likely be better, the grade 8's are too hard and won't come close to the original stretch.