Joe Flanagan Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 That's what I've been doing lately. I've been checking in here from time to time to see what's going on but mostly I've been discovering that the 50+ year old truck I bought isn't as close to being roadworthy as the PO seemed to believe. First of all, it was full of old gasoline and heavy varnish. I pulled the gas tank with the assistance of our very own Rodney B. I stripped out all the fuel lines and installed new. Disassembled the carburetor and soaked the parts in solvent for three days, then rebuilt it with a new kit. Discovered the battery was bad. Replaced it. Discovered the exhaust manifold is warped. I'll be taking that to the machine shop tomorrow. Found out the reason the driver's door wouldn't close is because the lower hinge pin is broken and the top is ovaled out. Went to take it off and had two cage nuts disintegrate on me. Made new ones today and welded them in and will be dealing with the hinges tomorrow. I'm getting there. I just want to get it road worthy and then get back to the Plymouth. Still have to replace the window glass and all weatherstripping. That has all kinds of potential for cursing and tool-throwing. This project has thrown me a few unexpected curves, but I'm having a good time. Quote
BeBop138 Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 Keep at it Joe---we both got our projects about the same time-----should be fun---it`s what we do---would go nuts without doing a car once and awhile. This one is for the Kid, makes it even better..............Lee Quote
Jim Yergin Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks for the update Joe. I was wondering how it was going. Jim Yergin Quote
james curl Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 The lower hinge pocket takes a lot of abuse over the years and the weld nuts on the back side of the pockets tend to crack around their extremities and fail. Most 55 through 59 Chevy pick ups have either bad hinge pin/bushings or lower pockets. One test of the doors on the Chevy pick ups is to grab the bottom of the rear edge of the door and pull up. All vertical movement needs to be removed for the doors to work properly. You can buy new bottom pockets for around $45.00 or just drill out all of the spot welds in the door interior surface and remove the hinge pocket. Then you can cut a piece of 3/8" steel strap to the length of the flat surface and drill and tap the holes for the hinge then weld the plate to the back side of the pocket after removing the weld nuts and fixing the cracks. Then plug weld the pocket back in its original location. Quote
oldmopar Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 That is the problem with a long distance purchase the things that the seller forgets to tell you. Nice thing about the chevys is they repro just about everything so parts are not hard to find all you need is money. The one thing I know you have to like is how much easier it is to get under a truck then a car most time you do not even need a jack for a quick repair. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Posted November 21, 2011 I'm amazed at what's available for Chevrolets. I wish that were true of our Mopars. And yes, it's so much easier getting underneath a truck. I actually fabricated my own cage nuts yesterday and welded them in: I drilled a few holes in the door pillar so I could plug weld the cage nuts in: Here is one of them installed. Spent some time trying to get one of the hinge pins out on the driver's door. It won the first round but we'll go at it again tomorrow. Quote
Frank Elder Posted November 21, 2011 Report Posted November 21, 2011 I'm amazed at what's available for Chevrolets. I wish that were true of our Mopars. And yes, it's so much easier getting underneath a truck. I actually fabricated my own cage nuts yesterday and welded them in. Don't get Chevy lazy Joe......it would be too easy to order store bought parts:eek: Quote
Chester Brzostowski Posted November 22, 2011 Report Posted November 22, 2011 Joe, I know how you feel. When I brought home my 29 Plymouth it finally got me out on the road even though the 48 lingered in the garage while I got the 29 road worthy. That was four years ago. Once my 48 is complete then the 29 is getting the full 9 yards. With your truck as well as with my 29 the time to get on the road had a lot better prognosis then the main restoration task. Have fun, The conclusion is just down the road a piece. Chet... Quote
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