Hi! my '59
 

Hi, I said hello in the Welcome area, so now I'm saying hello here as I'm going to need some suggestions! ;)
I bought this truck from a lady here in Houston. It's already painted a beatiful maroon/burgundy metallic with pearl. It has a 230/250 I6 with a 4 speed tranny(granny gear). Ive spoke to my husband about what I'd like to do, but money is a little tighter than usual, but that's why it's a long term project, but not as long as if I were have to paint it!

It has the stock suspension, has been upgraded to power front disc brakes(master cylinder/booster under the floor).
The rear axle on the drivers side is set back about 2-3 inches due to what I can tell the driveshaft is too long. The passenger side is where it's supposed to be. so I guess I'll pull the driveshaft, bolt the rear axle to where it's supposed to be, measure for the correct length and get the driveshaft cut to fit.
The 230 I6 upon firing it up after a couple years, made an aweful noise and found out there were tiny metal things in the combustion chamber. I pulled the head and found there was a war going on inside 1-4 cylinders, I removed the debris, then pulled the pistons, my motor man inspected the head/pistons and said its ok, put it back together ; ) IN one of the photos, you can see that the front "engine moung" is one piece of metal with a bushing holding the front of the 230 up! I was looking for a better way to mount the motor, but unsure if I want to keep this motor/tranny!
Anyway, Got it running but I just can't get that Rochester carburetor to do right! argh! I'll order another carb kit and try again!

* I just don't know whether to look for another motor(V8/automatic).
* I feel the front end just sits a little too high and see that a vendor offers a lowering kit of 3"'s utilizing the same front leaf springs?
* I definitely would like power steering

My husbands thoughts: just get it running and see what I can do with what I have to work with right now.

I'll just leave it at this for now and see what you guys/gals might have to say~ ; )
dne'

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../onthelift.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...idesupport.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...motorblock.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Hi again~
This is the motor right now. I took the intake/exhaust manifolds apart, had to drill out all the old studs holding it together, but all turned out ok. The heat riser~ i put a set screw in it on the halfway open/close to keep it from ratteling.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/Denee/engine.jpg

I know very little about rear axles and don't know what this came out of. But the one photo shows the axle is not bolted up correctly, like I said due to the driveshaft being too long. The driveshaft is together all the way where the spline is, so there is no give. Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to shop for a motor/tranny just for fun even though I probably wont buy anything~ you know how it is~!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/rearaxle.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...sideofaxle.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

So this is pretty much how the stance of these truck were? I'd like to get a front windshield in it pretty soon.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/allfours.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

i'm willing to bet that the rear end is like that becasue they used the wrong style of u-bolts,that should have the square style bolts. you probley could unboltit and slideit back can you get a picture of where the drive shaft goes into the transmission?

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Nice looking but whoever worked on it is a real hacker. It's not really driveable with the axle like that, don't try it.

that front motor mount is horrible. THere's stock parts available to fix this.


Congratulations got out to you for being willing to get into something like this. Feel free to hang out here, there's lots of help available.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

oh boy, I feel right at home already!
Here's a photo of the front of the driveshaft.
Tmobile, what stock parts can I use to support my motor?

I'll be ordering the correct ubolts this evening along with some other necessities.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/Denee/spline.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Nice to see another four-holer. Welcome to the forum
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Re: Hi! my '59
 

I suggest you look into this too-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLASS...#ht_1553wt_948

If it doesn't come through, this is a restoration book for these trucks. It is helpful.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Thanks for the tip, just ordered it! thanks! need all the help I can get! ; )

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Welcome. The rear ubolts are in upside down. The round part goes around the axle, the plate goes on top. There is a hole in the plate that the little pin goes in. They may be the wrong size but try that first before spending any money, I've seen worse. Nice truck, have fun

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Welcome, looks like a good truck to start with. With the other "problems" that have been pointed out I would go thru it with a pretty critical eye. Brakes, fuel system, electrical. Good news is all those little mechanical things are relatively easy to fix, much easier than the body work in my humble opinion.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

3/4 ton up type parking brake drum on the rear of the transmission, and at least theres a dual master cylinder already installed. I agree with OrrieG the mechanical stuff is easy, the painting and body work is the most difficult. Nice to see women are interested in these trucks, and you work on it as well, thats fantastic.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

This looks like a nice truck. It just needs someone like you to finish the assembly. OrrieG is right. The mechanical stuff is easier and in my humble opinion, more fun!! You will find that we here on this forum like lots of pictures, and we don't mind at all if a sweet '67 mustang happens to show up a bunch.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Welcome to the board.
Nice looking truck.
Rusty Hooker is right about the U bolts being installed wrong. That should be an easy fix.
Kim

Re: Hi! my '59
 

See if the u-bolts will go the other way, with the round end over the axle. The plate has to stay on the bottom, it's also the shock mount. There's holes in the spring perchs on the axle housing that fit over the center pin or center bolt. That's what aligns the housing to the rest of the truck.

Don't know why the driveshaft would be too long. Maybe it's the wrong shaft for the truck? Maybe it just looks too long?

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Nice looking truck.
As others have mentioned the rear axle is not bolted in correctly but to fix it is easy.
The bottom plate needs to be placed on the top of the spring pack and the U bolts placed around the bottom of the axle. It does appear those U bolts though are too small to fit around the 3" axle tube. A trip to a local trailer parts or to O'Rielly's will get you U bolts for a 3" axle tube if those you have do not fit around the axle.

I would suggest getting the rear axle mounting resolved before measuring for a new driveshaft.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Good morning ya'll! slept well last night for a change! ; )
I was thinking about this motor support problem~ how about me fabricating a bracket of some sort running from the block where there are motorsupport holes and running them to the front crossmember. Any ideas are welcome on this! ; )
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...inesupport.jpg

When I bought the truck, the lady said a guy made here this linkage piece to hook up the carburetor. Right now it's working ok and I consider it temporary until I find something better, but at least I can start the truck and move it around.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...enginecarb.jpg

This is how the springs are in my book~ mainly regarding how the springs are held in place. The u-bolts go in from the top, but I need the square u-bolts.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...can0010012.jpg

lastly, thank you for noticing my '67 Mustang! That was my 3 year project, and that's where I learned a lot of what I know by fumbling along "restoring". I painted it in my garage~ not sure if i'd ever be up to painting a vehicle again! It's not perfect, but i get a lot of people saying how nicely the paint looks ; ) ~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...IMG_9369-1.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Do you know if the axle and springs came out of the same vehicle?
The reason I ask is it looks like the axle should be on top of the springs instead of underneath like what was original on these trucks. This would lower the rear of the truck a few inches.
Just a thought.
Kim

Re: Hi! my '59
 

I have the correct U Bolts and mounting hardware I changed my rear set up shoot me a PM if interested

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Is this the same Denee from TLZone?

Re: Hi! my '59
 

OMG! yes!! I saw your user name and my brain was saying i know that name!! Really put a smile on my face and instant memories!! It's been a while! I had to give up bikes mainly due to health reason, tinnitus mainly, plus I want to be around for my grandaughter and I think old cars n trucks may develope more memories ; ) How are you?? I've really dove into old cars! A lot of fun n challenges and much more expensive! lol

Gosh Rude Dude, I ordered the parts this morning : (

Kim~ I don't think this rear axle is original, I don't think anything from the motor and back is original. It has that great big tranny (4 speed), ,but has the shifter on the column. So, I have a Frankenstein drivetrain! lol

*********************************************************
oh, update on the rear axle thing: The bolt that goes through the leafspring on the drivers side was broken allowing the leaf spring to shift(ordered new centerbolts) The driveshaft, I was still able to squeak a little more out of it, it moved easily on it's greasy splines, and I think it's going to be ok, the rear U joint is bad though. I'm not sure about beating out a u joint, it looks like it's really stuck in there! Surely a shop would charge too much to replace a lonely little u joint! I get enough encouragement, I can probably do it ; )
* Would I be happier with the standard 3 speed transmisson vs. the 4 speed on the floor. My column is kind of messed up/seized up. However, is the 4 speed tranny considered an upgrade?
dne'
Mr. Tucker, this is about one of my favorite photos. Gosh those were some exciting times! sigh~
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/IMG_3707.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

I thought it was you, until I saw the last pic of you by the mustang then I was pretty sure. I gave up the bike thing too. It brought back too many painful memories I'd rather not dwell on. Plus, I have a little daughter now, so it's good motivation to move on to safer hobbies.

Still think about that old tiller tho...and the DRZ....and the SV....lol, ok maybe I do miss bikes, lol!


Glad you found this board! It's probably the coolest forum I've found since I left the TLZ...

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Agreed! it's just another chapter in life gone by, something to make more memories!! now, most friends can be included in this era of life, at least ride around in my old cars! I felt badly when my husband would go to the track with me, but couldn't take part, plus my kids couldn't take part, but again, now they're seeing the effort that goes into old cars, and enjoying riding around! ; ) I'm babysitting my 3y/o grandaugther, so I'll be back! ; )

Re: Hi! my '59
 

If it were me, I would fabricate some mounts that would bolt to the standard mount points on the frame, I don't remember if those sixes had the 2 bolt points up front like the old V8s did, going to the side mount points is too far to go. So did the truck not have a windshield? Hope there isn't a good reason for that, like something being tweeked.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

don't re-invent the square wheel, get the stock motor mounts and bolt it up. They can be bought reasonable at any of the major vendors. (IOW, the usual suspects)

Glad you got off the bikes, there's just too many sad deals there.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

You have a later model axle, similar to the one in my truck, but without the lift block. When I ran the stock shocks I just welded a clip on the axle to receive the end of the shock. This time around I used the later mode mount points and beefed up the side of the frame. I did it that way because off-road I did not want anything hanging off the bottom of the axle to get sheared off or hung up. What you have is ok if you like the ride height and can get the correct square top "u" bolts.

You don't pound out u-joints unless you are out in the boonies and have no choice, to easy to damage the flange they sit in. They are pressed out using a bench vice and too sockets, one small enough to push thru from one side the other large so the end of the u-joint will go into it when pressed out. Once out you remove the cap and pull it back thru the hole. Installation is reverse process. If you have a hydralic press life is even better.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

The link below is about the only site that I can come up with as to what a 60's model or 230motor would be supported by. I can't seem to find those metal pieces that they show. Another thing that I see may be in the way is the clutch linkage which runs down the front left(drivers side) frame. It's really in the way. I'll take some better photos tomorrow sometime, just baby sitting and this 3 y/o doesn't like me to get on the computer! lol
Orrie, I've soaked the u joints and will take a look at that replacement Thursday. I have ordered shocks and the correct u bolts and the bolt/s that holds the leaf springs in place.

Another thing that I may do is the rear shock lower placement. The axle I have has the brackets on them for shocks, one faces forward and the other backwards, so I just need to mount the upper part of the shocks 'somewhere'(drill a hole?). I'll play with that idea soon!

As for the front windshield, or all the windows for that matter, the lady didn't have those, but they were removed for paint. The truck sat at a paint n body shop for 2 years and they worked on it at their leisure and allowed her to pay in off on a monthly basis. I paid 5500. for this truck, may not have been a great deal, but the paint alone would have been close to that price? it did come with the wood/chrome strips for the bed, and of course the power front disc brake conversion is nice that I don't have to do either! ; ) But like many here, I have plenty to keep me busy for a while.
I'm still looking intermitently for a V8/tranny setup.
be back~ ; )
http://www.persh.org/pickup/perches.htm

Re: Hi! my '59
 

In this first photo, it shows where the shock 'originally' mounted. But the axle already has some brackets on them, so I thought go ahead and use those. However, it's the upper placement of the shocks that is mostly of concern. So where would I drill holes for the upper stud to mount?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...deofaxle-1.jpg
These next photos would be the new placement for the shocks: I'm just using the old shocks for mocking it up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/Denee/shock.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/Denee/shock3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/Denee/shock2.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Hello and welcome to the site and nice looking truck you have there.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

that deal with the shock bottom mount off the back of the u-bolt plate and top mounted to the stud on the front of that crossmember is factory. I'd use that. I don't think that rear axle is the right one for the truck.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Maybe this will help. Axle is 74 K10 truck mounted to bottom of spring with bolts up (RAncho kit). Red circle is the clip I welded on to use the original shocks. Yellow are the factory shock clips, pink is the hole and flat plate in the frame. I used the approximate angle and location as the stock 74 truck. One shows in red the stock upper bracket and where the first shock was. In that photo I had not added the 1/2" plate on the inside of the frame to beef up the mount. Its a lifted 4wd application but principle is the same.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

nice EPN link.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Thanks Orrie! so, if I were to raise the rear by blocks, I'd use the system like that? (which by the way how nice and clean it is!!). Since mine won't be sitting up much higher than it is right now, the angle of my shock, can mine be a greater angle compared to yours? So I would drill a hole in the frame, weld on some metal on the inner frame, or outter frame~ the metal doesn't look terribly thick so my mig welder should be able to handle that weld. I"m sure I can dig up some metal somewhere around here. You think I should add a little height while I'm here? maybe a couple inches, and if so, where do I buy spacing blocks?
again, thank you Orrie!
dne'

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...can0010012.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Mine was raised using a Rancho 4" lift kit because placing the 4wd front axle on the bottom of the springs raises the truck that much (see photo). Your application does not need the blocks and you can mount the shocks in approximately the same location, shock length would change (I used 74 4" lifted shocks). If you want some height Rancho and others make them in 1" increments I believe. I measured from the mounting points then went to the local 4wd shop and found a shock that worked centered for that measurement. The additional plate is to keep the upper bolt from tearing up the frame. I used 1/4" plate (measured it last night) and just tack welded it to the inside of the frame after the shock mount bolt was tightened. I have a little Lincoln 140 welder which will tack 1/4" ok. Any angle up to 30 degrees off of vertical will work, over that and the shock will not work right. I matched the factory angle.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Gee Orrie, your frame looks brand new! Again, thank you for your help! I think I'd like my rear bed up a little higher and I guess now is the time to do it. Maybe an 1" or so worth doing and that would mount the top of the shocks a tad higher? and eventually lower the front, but not ridiculously low, but logically, I need to get the thing running and see how it does down the road(around my neighborhood). I drove it down my street not long ago, and the granny gear does its thing and seems like I got into 4th gear too quickly, like the top end speed is going to be pretty low. There are no tags on the rear axle to tell me the ratio, but I suppose I can remove the backing plate and count the teeth(I read this somewhere dividing the larger gear by the smaller gear)? I'm frazelled from babysitting the past couple days! lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/allfours.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

ok, looks like I'll have to use the u-bolts that go from the axle and up vs the square ubolts. I recieved the square u bolts today, but they are too narrow. I did get the ujoint in! something accomplished! There's a Rancho distributor not far from my home, I may go by there tomorrow and see what kind of shorter lift kits they may offer. just an 1" or 2".
Would this kit work from jegs?
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...60801/10002/-1
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...uboltplate.jpg

Re: Hi! my '59
 

There is supposed to be a bracket that contacts the axle and kinda cradles it, and the u bolts go through it. Scroll up to the line drawing and you kinda see it.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

To check the ratio make a chalk mark on the passenger drum and drive line. Turn the drum 1 rotations and count the drive line rotations. The number will be close to the ratio. Little over 4=4.10, 3-3/4=3.73, little over 3= 3.08, 3.25=3.23 ratio. I would expect to find a 3.73, pretty common ratio for that type of rear end. Take good measurement of axle diameter, spring width and height you want to Rancho. I did mine over the telephone and they were able to get me the right kit and shock recommendation.

Re: Hi! my '59
 

Nomenclature,
Backing plate, usually the round plate behind the brake drum that holds the brake shoes and wheel cylinder.

Thing on the rear of the differential gear sets, just a good old differential cover.

Corrections welcome.