OT '49 chevy pickup

[Cpt.Fred]

i know this is OT but i noticed many of you here keep a chevy pickup

in the barn for utility purpose

now a friend of mine has a '49 with the same problem than my P10:

horribly low gas mileage (downs over 30 litres per 100km... yikes!)

mine's gotten a little better and i'm waiting for the pack of spares from andy b. right now.

so i will work on his engine on sunday, check for air leaks and ingnition timing

and the infamous broken vac advance.

does anyone have another tip to share were to look closely on these stovebolts?

they seem to be sturdy, painstaking engines to me,

just like our flatties or the slant sixes.

[james curl]

They,like our MoPar flatties are geared in the 3.9:1 to 4.11:1 ratio. So do not expect to get much more than 16 MPG on a good day with no load. Load it and get in hilly country and it can go to 9 MPG with ease.

[Cpt.Fred]

you're right, james, but 15 or even 13 would be a dream.

what we have here is more like 7 or 8, driven without load

on a flat country road with 40-45mph cruise speed...

we'll see what the ignition says.

[Don Jordan]

I have a 47 Chevy which is completely disassembled. I was just going to do a fender, then the bed and... you get the idea. There are places on line and catalogs where you can get most any part for the Chevy pick up. Mine has a trans with a granny low (which I never used) and a very low rear end. It will go straight up a hill with the way it's geared. Problem it goes down the hill at the same speed.

It's a bullet proof engine - just change the rear end for highway speeds and better mileage.

I've been a member of the Vintage Chevrolet Club since 1969.

it's a work in progress.

[Rodney Bullock]

The 47-53 are almost identical with minor difference. I have had mine along time. It has been changed many times or should I say upgraded. I started with a 216 then got a 235. I also went from 3 speed to 4 speed. I doubled up on the carbs and exhaust. I think my truck gets 21 miles to the gallon. I cruz at about 65 mph thanks to a 355 gear in the rear.

If are getting bad gas mileage look at the carb and it's base, the spark plug you are using and yes the vacum advance.

Patrick's of Arizonia is the best expert on these trucks.

Last year I upgraded my running boards and fenders. I also fixed alot of the rot in places and that sturdied up the whole truck. My truck is my wifes favorite and it can not be down for any period of time. She goes to the market,flower shop, furniture store in it. It has been in my family for a very long time. It's a pleasure to drive and people love it. The bed has been redone however I would like to do it again.....some day:)

[Cpt.Fred]

thanks don and rodney,

i checked the vac advance and surprisingly its not the culprit,

but, you already named it, the carb is bathing in fuel and there is

a lot of work to do. i'm leaving right now to work on the truck,

will post some pics later. it's a beauty, you'll see;)

great cars, if i may say so on a mopar message board:eek:

greetings to all of you from steaming hot berlin!

fred

[Cpt.Fred]

ok, nearly forgot that i wanted to post a picture here...

it turned out the ignition system was working fine, though

i couldn't really find the mark on the flywheel. manual says there's

supposed to be a metal ball pressed into the fly wheel somewhere,

i know this system from my old opel (GM product as well). normally

you just hold the timing light in front of the opening in the lower

rear of the block on the driver's side and there's supposed to be a needle

or mark of some kind that has to line up with with the metal ball.

i didn't find any of these two.

the 49 model has a special linkage on the carb connecting the choke to the

throttle, this seems to need a little tune up.

in fact, the carb is in quite a poor shape, so i told my friend to order a rebuild kit

before we mess around with it any more.

thanks for your info!

best,

fred

[Rodney Bullock]

HEY FRED, That truck is fantastic! Thanks for posting that pic. My truck did not always look like it does in fact it looked like yours. That's when it was the most fun. It hauled coal and wood when I was a very young lad and I enjoyed riding in the back. I can't ever remember that truck leaving us on the side of the road. I do remember my father wrecking it. I recently was cleaning out an old tool shed and finding the original radiator (my dad fell asleep at the wheel) He replaced everything on the front (sheet metal) Then he tuned the truck up. He was a very good mechanic it's surprized me because he loves Fords. When I rebuilt the front last year it made me think of him. Once you get the kit it will be very easy to fix. Good luck and again thanks for posting!

[Cpt.Fred]

thanks, rodney, i'll pass on your compliments to the owner!

sadly it's not mine, but he's on the same yard right across from my garage where i work on the 40.

he's kind of a maniac when it comes to utility vehicles.

owns a 39 chevrolet truck, too, it was built in switzerland and equipped with a special body at a coachworker for the swiss army.

they used it as a mobile garage with tons of tools and spare parts in it. only two where made.

also owns a 37 buick 4door with ahuge straight8 in it, his girl is driving it all the time.

it's great to work on these cars, especially now in summer!