1949 Chevy with S10 swap. Beginner build with ambition!

[joedoh]

hey that looks like it will work great! you might need to redo the numbers, depending on the gear in the trans and your rear tire size, but it is a great jumping off point.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

you will appreciate having a speedo. are you able to get the stock light that went in the gauge to fit? that will also come in handy.

I grabbed some of these for various lights. I may stick the clear one behind the gauge to give it some light. Good thinking!



JD, I didn't even think of the trans and rear axle combo not matching the S10 speedo numbers. Oops!

[OutlawDrifter]

I have a set of those LEDs in red that I used in my buddy's Fairmont. They seem to work well. Put them in the master switch box I built for indicators.

Nice job on the speedo!

[99 to Life]

I used one bf as a high beam indicator. thing was almost too bright. but not many options I guess unless you found something non LED.

[Black93GT]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

you will appreciate having a speedo.

I wouldn't mind one now. That and a gas gauge.

[99 to Life]

haaha I know the feeling, the fuel gauge is booger too. My first build, I bought a tanks inc tank and 30ohm sending unit to work with my stock gauge. Couldn't ever get it to work, bench tested a spare gauge and it seemed to work but one in my cluster wouldn't. I'v ran out of gas several times!!! last build I def had a fuel gauge, one of my fav things about that build. I'm currently goin to a fuel cell and 90ohm sending unit for my truck.

[gigamanx]

Shake down drive Friday. Almost lost the upper radiator hose. Not sure why but it seems the clamp had come loose or was never tightened. No idea... Does the radiator tube slowly compress with a clamp on it and become loose? It was below 32F for the past 3 weeks or so, I'm not sure if the fluid froze up a little and pushed the hose off. Thank goodness for short drives to check things haha. I also have my three inch spacers on the rear. I think it pushes the wheel out perfectly for me. 5.5" backspacing on the Ridler's because I got a great deal on CL and figured spacers could fix any problems.



Lights all worked nicely. I also checked my vacuum wipers. They work, but barely. Seems they need to be lubricated or something. Turned all the way up, they barely make it across the windshield. I ordered new wiper blades hoping that helps. Has anyone had the need to lubricate the moving components? I'm also thinking of putting a hose clamp on just incase I'm leaking vacuum pressure somewhere. Passenger side doesn't seem to go all the way across. Not sure if that's normal operation

Check the video to see the wipers. Audio warning, I'm standing next to a running engine with no hood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vg_eDcIhYQ

Ready to put the door and hood on so I can take a longer drive. I have all the lights working now and put some sealant on a few areas to slowly tighten up the interior All these little jobs are great when I get to drive it on a nice day. OH, I also built my shift lever. It's a wrench from my late grandfather's garage. He engraved his own tools as a mechanic and I inherited some of them. I was careful not to weld or affect the wrench, so its sitting on a 14mm nut that was welded to a bracket. Worked awesome! Needs a shift boot, but I haven't found one that works yet; happy to take suggestions on that one



Tuning was off again. I think the HEI might be slipping so I need to check that out. I also changed my air filter so I may just need to retune the carb. Same problem I had a few months back where I turn the key off, but the engine keeps going and makes an awful noise when it finally runs out of unspent fuel.

Next steps over these next few weeks are finishing up the inner fender on the drivers side, wiring, noticed a low beam out on the passenger side, oh and I still need a temporary bed. Probably find a piece of plywood cut to size and throw it in there. I have some welds to fix because I forgot I only tack welded a few spots on the bed frame. Well, that came apart when I screwed it all together haha.

[99 to Life]

congrats on the shakedown. do you have a timing light? does it start up fine? You may notice start up on a hot day or engine be different from a cool day or engine. I'd get timing light and confirm your mark on balancer. Just youtube some vids on how to do that. If you have stock cam odds are its very mild, so not too hard to get timing in the right ball park. It would be really nice if you knew more about your cam, which will effect your "ideal" timing. But carb and tuning will effect things also. Are you running a mechanical or electric fuel pump? Either way, I like to have my fuel pressure regulated on an edelbrock to 4.5 psi. (not sure on your set up, but more info you have the better) always adjust your idle screws when carb is warm. Wouldn't hurt to check your carb out internally at some point too. But if you wanna go the route to just get you by. Slowly move your dist in small increments and start and just off engine, that can tell you alot. I like to run a vaccum gauge on my engines, really tells you alot about what is goin on.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

congrats on the shakedown. do you have a timing light? does it start up fine? You may notice start up on a hot day or engine be different from a cool day or engine. I'd get timing light and confirm your mark on balancer. Just youtube some vids on how to do that. If you have stock cam odds are its very mild, so not too hard to get timing in the right ball park. It would be really nice if you knew more about your cam, which will effect your "ideal" timing. But carb and tuning will effect things also. Are you running a mechanical or electric fuel pump? Either way, I like to have my fuel pressure regulated on an edelbrock to 4.5 psi. (not sure on your set up, but more info you have the better) always adjust your idle screws when carb is warm. Wouldn't hurt to check your carb out internally at some point too. But if you wanna go the route to just get you by. Slowly move your dist in small increments and start and just off engine, that can tell you alot. I like to run a vaccum gauge on my engines, really tells you alot about what is goin on.

I opted not to spend the money on a timing light knowing I'd use it maybe once or twice in its lifetime once the timing was set. I'm hoping to be "good enough" to drive it to a shop and have them do that and the TV cable adjustment. Everything is within pretty close range I feel. Start up and warm up are just fine. I don't notice any pinging or knocks in the engine. It's just turning off seems like its burning unspent fuel (too rich). I did just change the air cleaner so that may have changed it enough if the new air cleaner is more restrictive.

Fuel is running at 4psi. I don't seem to lose any power across the curve. Carb is brand new, so I'm assuming its pretty solid. Although, I assumed that about my brand new steering column and park lights and look at the electrical problems those caused haha.

Starting to consider the reality that I may not be able to paint my own truck. Building a whole paint booth while still having room for the truck to be blown apart for paint is a bit daunting. I don't have driveway or space next to the garage to store stuff. Might be time to get a professional on that step. Maybe they'll let me do all the sanding, prep, and primer and I'll have a shop shoot the color and clear properly. I would imagine it being much cheaper if I put hours into the body work first.

[99 to Life]

Brand new carbs can still not be right. your issue sounds a bit like "run on" or diesling. I have that problem on really hot days sometimes but my compression is high and fuel is crap around here. I highly doubt that is your problem. Do you have vac advance hooked up? you might as well learn this stuff yourself, its not hard and the more you mess with it the more you will know your truck and what it wants.

as for paint, man I really like the truck as is. Paint is a daunting time consuming project. There are lots of grades you can achieve for. But don't be surprised if a good paint job costs more than your whole truck. Not to mention, you are not going to want to take it off the road, blow it all apart and do that!!! I'd drive it and see where you wanna go from there. its nice to not have to worry about a rock chip or kids dinging up your truck. paint is nice, but it changes the whole game IMO. Its not an easy choice. I myself do some ok paint work at my house. I'm still learning and for not having a booth its ok to me for now. It takes a bit of time to learn and gather some decent stuff to do the job. But it can be done and is fun to do, just takes forever. I think I had like 40 plus hours just in cleaning up firewall and painting it. So add that to rest of truck. Going to take hundreds of hours guaranteed. Body work is prolly harder than painting itself. If you did the metal work, spray it in epoxy and get it to your painter that would cut the bill down. But then a good painter isn't going to just except any body work. They are going to want to get their hands on block sanding it to their standards.

[OutlawDrifter]

Most painters won't guarantee work that doesn't include them spraying the primer/sealer. Add to that any questionable filler/panel replacement work and your results may not be so hot.

I agree with both statements above. Buy the timing light, get a vacuum gauge and learn to tune the carb. It will benefit you in the future. Also, spend the summer driving it and then decide which direction to take with the "looks" department.

Every cruise in I have taken the '49 to, it draws more attention than any of the usual stuff that is there. Baffles me, cause the bed has no paint...or a floor for that matter!

Patina is the new "flat black" hot rod.

[joedoh]

check out e015475 thread, some painters wont touch a truck that they didnt do the work on. I know other painters that will show up, mix, shoot, clean their gun, and leave.

painting isnt about painting. its about sanding. endless amounts of sanding. reams of sandpaper and dust boogers and rubbing your hands on panels like the longest massage you have ever experienced. I dont have the patience for body work, to me its like pushing wrinkles out of a bedsheet, push here and you need more work there, and in the end you are just going to lay on it anyway.

add to that the merciless and vocal criticism of the guys who havent ever done it but know how it should be done. someone posted a 55?56?57? TF truck on the main page and most of the comments were about how it looked slapped together because the paint was shiny and nice and the underside still had rust and crud. its not really their fault, it illustrates that old saying about how fixing something up is a slippery slope because new next to old makes the old look REALLY OLD. You will end up replacing gaskets and painting window frames and polishing wiper arms, its just what happens. Still, I cant wait till some of those guys sell their trucks, because turnabout is fair play, and I hope they are completely spotless and ready for Barrett Jackson.

I have had show trucks with very expensive paint jobs, for driving one around I like the unpainted look. I can still haul wood, drive in rain/snow, down a dirt road, etc. I like not having to worry about it, and the best thing is that nothing looks out of place or too new on an unpainted truck. BUT in some neighborhoods, the HOA will have a fit. the guy who bought my 65 had to have it plastidipped because of his HOA.

[OutlawDrifter]

Originally Posted by joedoh

HOA.

Source of the problem... I could not, and will not ever. I'll stick to my country livin'.

I can't fathom being fined for a trash can that isn't the correct color!

[gigamanx]

I too am the patina guy. love the look of it. My biggest concern is some of the rusted areas on my truck I feel I need to protect the original metal or protect history somehow. Even if that means scuffing up the rusted areas and rattle canning them clear. I end up with that slippery slope of...well, if I took the time to paint a piece and save the metal from returning to its basic elements of dirt and iron, why not paint the whole thing.

[dsraven]

if you are having trouble with the engine running on after the key is turned off check to see if you have an electric actuator (some will call it a solenoid) that you adjust for idle speed. it should have one that pushes against the throttle on the carb when the key is on and relaxes back when you shut the ignition off. that allows the throttle plates to completely close when the key is off but also allow idle speed adjustment on the plunger from the solenoid. the reason for "run on" with a hot engine, when the key is turned off, can be the throttle is still open partially. it can continue to draw air, and so air/fuel mixture, into the engine. the hot engine can then "diesel" because the hot spots in the cylinders are hot enough to ignite the fuel mix being drawn in past the open throttle plates. some guys will rip all that stuff off the engine in an attempt to get rid of the "emissions crap" and then adjust the idle speed with the screw on the carb linkage. that leaves the throttle plates always partially open. that little solenoid item should stay and be wired in to the "hot with ignition on" slot on the fuse panel. some cars with a/c also use these to increase idle speed when the a/c clutch engages so the engine doesn't die under the sudden load of turning the a/c compressor.
here is a pic of a generic one off google.

https://www.lectriclimited.com/carbu...-stop-solenoid

[dsraven]

I was just admiring your shifter. that's cool. the nostalgia part is cool too. I engraved all my tools back in the day too. now I know which ones my son "borrowed" while working on his hotrods back when he still lived at home. small price to pay though. he learned lots out in the shop figuring stuff out. he still likes to get out and tinker with stuff and has inheritted my need for more tools, haha
don't be tempted to slip your finger in the wrench hole, could be a hazard that I found out about when I had a custom steering wheel with a hole just the right size for my finger.....ouch when you gotta fish it outta there in a hurry.

[dsraven]

how about a c/v joint boot from a late model car. they fit over a round shaft so it would be easy to tack a ring of tubing to the floor and clamp the boot over the ring. cheap as well. there are silicone ones available for extra flexability. they would be small enough to do the job but not take the eye away from the shift lever. might even look like it's supposed to be there.
possibly a taller unit like this?

http://www.stretchcvboot.com/cv-boots/

[OutlawDrifter]

9/10 dieseling is a timing issue.

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by OutlawDrifter

9/10 dieseling is a timing issue.

I thought about it this week and I did notice I place the strut that goes from the cab to the fender over top of the plug wires. I'm guessing while I was driving, that strut (unbolted) bounced up and down and pulled the distributor cap over a few degrees. I turned it back and things seem to be ok. I need to tighten that SOB so it doesn't happen again haha.

Good call on the timing!

[joedoh]

I dusted rustoleum on a big patch on my last truck, looked right. your truck looks to have been painted somewhere in history, just find a color thats close and spot it in!

[gigamanx]

Originally Posted by joedoh

I dusted rustoleum on a big patch on my last truck, looked right. your truck looks to have been painted somewhere in history, just find a color thats close and spot it in!

Yes sir it was definitely repainted at some point. The original paint is the forest green because I have found portions still that color when I took the body panels apart. I believe the respray was done with the truck together. Places like the flange between the front fender and cab are green and behind the fuse panel was green indicating to me that the truck was masked off and sprayed. That also means some of the bolts like the door hinge bolts where painted into place haha. I had to crack all those off when I took everything apart.

The white paint is really chalky and has a layer of mossy mildew stuff that was growing on it. I've considered just getting some 2000 grit and seeing if I could cut in can clean it up a bit. I've also considered fixing the rusted areas by sanding them down to clean metal and just using one of those rust converter/clear rattle cans. It turns the rust black around the edge and covers the clear metal.

I imagine the look would end up like this one...



Although a little rust with a clean interior may also be a nice compromise that doesn't require blowing the whole truck apart again. This one looks damn sexy with the color matched wheels and interior.

[NorCalGal]

I like the old paint with the nice interiors. The best of both worlds!

[gigamanx]

Parking brake is in from the S10. After the thread about the guy who had his car roll down a hill, the park brake priority went higher on the list. Glad I kept the bracket even though I wanted to use the original parking brake.





This weekend I was also able to complete the drivers side inner fender cut up and mounted. Close to being ready for the hood and drivers door to go on. I am working on a radiator overflow mount for my bourbon bottle that I am repurposing for the overflow. Should look pretty sweet only to have it covered up by the hood closure cover haha.

[gigamanx]

Well wrapped things up this week. All that's left is a hood which is a trivial thing to throw on at this point. Took a drive today with windows, doors, interior all set, all good!

Might have to start a phase 2 build thread later in the year since 1. I'm no longer a beginner and 2. My swap is complete

If you've posted anything at all this past year -- words of encouragement, suggestions, pictures, and puns, I appreciate it. This forum has been awesome and I would not own a truck without it!

Now to go drive the wheels off!

A couple of final touches. I built myself a radiator overflow from a nice bourbon bottle just to add a touch of class haha.

[8man]

Congratulations and very nicely done sir.