Yeah, we all ran into this conundrum at one time or the other. I decided on 12v upgrade because everything is 12v these days and its not good on the system to get a jump from a 12v battery if you are stuck somewhere. There is alot to doing that right, but for me it's worth it. You can get 12v motors to replace the heater, 12v ignition parts, sending units, etc. You can even get a Genernator so its upgraded to an alternator but looks totally stock.
I decided I had a low limit of 70mph on the highway, so I swapped the rear end for a 1955 1st series. Almost bolts right up. If you get new leaf springs it will bolt right up. The only problem there is a custom length driveshaft. Not hard to find someone who does that. The other part of the equation is the transmission would need swapped too. I put a Borg R10 Overdrive (6 speed standard basically) in and that bolts right up too. I hear there is a 4 spd Muncie that does highway speeds too? I need more info on that because I have another project that needs it. (help) I really like the 235/261 6 cylinder. Its a workhorse and very easy to maintain. Dropping a V8 in this truck requires a special steering system and when I see a non-standard steering column in these old trucks, I just cringe. The 6 cylinder will do 70mph all day. Its just personal preference. If you still have a 216 motor in your truck, you will have to decide if you want to rebuild it. Finding someone who does babbiting may be hard but you can get insert bearings for it from Jim Carter. If it costs too much, swap a 1954 or newer 235 or even better 261. They bolt right in if you change the water pump. If you have two acorn nuts on the valve cover you have the older 216. You can find alot of this information on my website below. Other good places are stovebolt.com and inliners.org. Also, get catalogs right away from Classic Parts of America, Jim Carter, Bowtie Bits, Chevs of the 40's, Classic Industries, LMC Truck, Brothers Truck Parts. I am sure I forgot someone. Deve www.speedprint.com/Deves50 -----Original Message----- From: old-chevy-truck@yahoogroups.com [mailto:old-chevy-truck@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of d...@kvederis.com Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2013 10:35 PM To: old-chevy-truck@yahoogroups.com Subject: [old-chevy-truck] to restore or not to restore - just getting started I have a 54 Chevy 3 window. The original owner was a Texas farmer who kept it for 40 years with no major changes to the truck - it is well worn but very original. I bought it 20 years ago and stored it until my retirement a few months ago. It is time to restore it and I am on the fence about whether to 1) keep it as close to original as possible (for example 6 volt electric), 2) do a modest upgrade (for example 12 volt/ add a radio/change door locks/etc) or 3) really goose it up (for example, go V8 short block/stick on the floor/ lots of chrome/etc. My goal for the truck is to have a great looking and reliable daily driver that I can leave to my son someday. I might drive it in the local fourth of July parade but it won't be entered into a Concours d'elegance competition. I am neither a collector nor car restoration enthusiast but I do appreciate well done restorations and fine paint jobs. I came across and joined your old-chevy-truck group. I am very open to hearing your opinions and suggestions. Thanks! Dave ------------------------------------ Ole Chevy and GMC trucks rule! To unsubscribe, send an email (with no subject, no body, just the email), to: old-chevy-truck-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links ------------------------------------ Ole Chevy and GMC trucks rule! To unsubscribe, send an email (with no subject, no body, just the email), to: old-chevy-truck-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/old-chevy-truck/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/old-chevy-truck/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: old-chevy-truck-dig...@yahoogroups.com old-chevy-truck-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: old-chevy-truck-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
