1952 1 Ton Rebuild
 

Last Sunday, I broke quite a few records; my first truck, my first real project, farthest I have had to go for a truck.
Last weekend, I caught a train from Chicago to Springfield. Stayed with some family there, then Sunday, I went with my cousin do to fetus, MO. to pick up my 1952 Pick up. We hauled it back up to Springfield, where I'll keep it for a couple weeks till I make sure everything is alright with everyone.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

My plans are to get the straight 6 running smooth, make sure everything works the way it should, Patch the kick panels where the rust ate through, find a bed, and eventually throw in a tri-power V8 I've been working on.

The following picture is the color scheme/ general look I'm goin for.

I don't have a complete timeline all laid out yet, but I know I'm going to go into paint the second week of march. (Spring Break. I'll be able to spend a whole week sanding, spraying and checking!) I hope to have it on the road by July.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Sweet.....glad to have another 3600 onboard!!

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Thanks a lot!
I must say, I'm quite impressed by the work you have done on Henry. I know I'm going to use that as a reference for myself in the coming months.

My biggest concern is I'm having problems finding a long bed anywhere between Chicago and St. Louis. I've been searching for about a month now (my cousin has a half ton I've been helping him on). And all I've been able to find, are a couple short beds, but that's about it. I was kind of hoping some members might point me in the right direction for a bed.

Thanks again

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Really decent long beds are few and far between just about everywhere as the guys who had the trucks years ago usually worked them pretty hard.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

of what year?

i could see getting it running and patch some panels by then,
but getting it paint ready is a whole different can of worms.
so as not to set yourself up for disappointment you might want to put a bed on it, get it running and safe
then drive it.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Well, I'm a junior in High School, and I have Spring Break in march. So I figured with a full week without distractions, I might be able to get at least a substantial part of the bodywork done. I figured I would work on the engine first. Right now, I'm rebuilding the 3 carbs that came with it. I know the one on the left is the original, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to restore all of them, just in case one was screwed up. (so far, i think the one on the left is beyond repair).

I was cruising through Menards, and found this tub that is used to coat wallpaper in glue to stick it to the wall. I filled the tub full of CLR and set the valve cover in it. I'd let it set for a few hours, then scrape the rust with stiff wire brush. Just finished the top side, and it looks fantastic. Do you guys have any ideas to remove rust on something like the block? I went to a few auto parts stores, I didn't find too much. That's why I went with CLR. It seems to work great, but I don't want to more damage without realizing it.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Finished the valve cover, and carb.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Keep on it...nice project!
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Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Well it's been a while since I have done anything, but I finally brought the truck home from an uncle's house 200 miles away. So I can finally really tear down the truck, and see what I'm working with.
My cousin and I threw a battery in, and tried to start her. The motor will engage, but the engine is locked up. I'm hoping it's nothing too serious.

The valves look clean as a whistle. surprising considering how long it sat.
The farmer I bought it from told me he bought it from his neighbor, who had it on his property for who knows how long.

When I pulled the starter to try to turn it over with the flywheel, the space between the fly wheel and bell housing was PACKED with nuts. Damn Squirrels..,

I got an extra set of glove box door/grill combo. It's straighter then the original. I want to set aside all the parts to chrome so I can get them all done at once.
So I decided to blast and paint the original grill just so it looks a little..cleaner?
As for the air cleaner, I was roaming through a garage, and saw the air cleaner. I figured it was kinda cool looking, and it matched the color scheme of my engine, so I asked the guy how much he wanted, and he said I could have it. So there it is just mocked up for now.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

If you are planning on pulling the six later in favor of a V8 I don't think I would spend a lot of money on the 216 but put that money towards the V8 swap.

I'd stop and figure out why the engine won't turn over and decide if it was worth repairing before I spent another nickle on it. That's from a guy who has spent way too much money on things he ended up not using and then was stuck with the stuff he had spent the money on and no cash to buy what he needed. I'm not trying to be negative but trying to get you to look at things in a practical and economically sound manner.

My guess, since the top end looks so clean, is that the truck was parked because it had a rod out in the engine and that is what has it locked up. It won't hurt to put penetrating oil down the spark plug holes and it appears that you did to free up the rings but that may not work. If you have the brakes working good you might try towing it and letting out the clutch and seeing if you can get it to turn over that way rather than trying with the starter. Leave the plugs out so you aren't fighting any compression it might have. YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOOD BRAKES TO DO IT THAT WAY THOUGH! And don't hook the chain to the bumper.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Yeah, I've had contradicting arguments on what I should do with the motor. Some say don't waste time with a V8, stick with the original motor. Others say forget the six, and drop money in the V8. My goal here, is to get the 6 running so I can get to school/work for the next few-several months, then When I have a whole new drive train ready to drop in, I'll do it all at once.
So far, I've followed the idea of "spend no cash", not buying, a condenser, spark plugs, or a coil. We'll see.

If I get enough time, I'll post pictures of the bottom end, and see what everyone thinks.

I was thinking about trying to push start it, but my brakes are completely shot. And my cv joints are bad.

I'm on spring break this week, so my list of immediate goals are:
Get the motor turning freely
Mount a dual master cylinder
Rebuild/ clean up the brakes

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

The first day I brought it home, I took out the plugs, and used a stroboscope to look in the cylinders.
All the spark plugs looked good except for cylinder 1, which had some rust on the elctrodes/threads.
When I put the camera in the cylinders, they all looked good. They all seemed liek they were used recently, the only problem being there is some oily gunk on the pistons.
After we looked at each cylinder, I put some marvel mystery oil in each cylinder, and let it sit for a month.
So I'm going to guess, if anything is wrong, it'll probably be with the first cylinder.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

It sounds like you have a plan in action. The gunk on top of the pistons is pretty normal on an old engine that probably didn't get driven fast or far in it's last few years of running on the road.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

A cool project to follow.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Alright, So I dropped the oil pan, and looked at the bottom end of the engine, and it also looks clean.
I can't seem to find anything wrong with the crank/valve train.
Is there anything I could be missing? Distributor? Anything else that would keep it from turning?
I tried pulling off the cover for the flywheel/clutch assembly, and can't find the last bolt. Is there anyway to get it off with the crossmember?
I couldn't get the camera far away enough to get a decent picture of the whole crank,
Hope these are alright.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Thanks, glad you like it

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Does your starter spin on it's own?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

We heard the stator engage and the stater try to turn it over.
I don't want to just try it out on the floor (afraid I'll break SOMETHING, with my luck ha ha)
I'm thinking I'll just head on over to O reillys and let them test it

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Starter has foot pedal?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Yeah
It looks to be the same as yours,
The second picture is what my cousin and I did to see if we could get any play at all.
Amazing how a Big-Ass Screwdriver can come in handy

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I would put it in high gear and rock it back and forth to see if you can get the engine to turn slightly. If it's on pavement you can usually rock it enough to make the engine move if it's not locked really tight. I don't think I'd try towing it until I got the engine freed up and turned it through a couple of revolutions.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I'd have a bit of a problem doing that....
Ha ha

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I know I have the pulley on the front of the engine that allows me to hand crank/start it.
Could I jerry-rig my own starting handle just to get it spinning?
Would there be anything else stopping it though?
What if I still put it in gear, and try to rotate the drive shaft?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Does the starter spin when the button is depressed?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Yes

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Does your battery have a good charge?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Yeah full charge, It seems the problem lies with the bearings, or something along those lines.
By hand, the flywheel doesn't want to budge an inch

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

What does the battery measure?

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I haven't actually hooked up a multimeter to it,
I have a DieHard Battery charger/engine starter and it's reading a full charge

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Well I removed the intake/exhaust.
Of course Bag and Tag everything
The bolts on the flange were stuck, and I had no way to get the proper leverage to get the exhaust pipe off. I knew the pipe was a but rusted so I figured a bit of movement would break the pipe down by the frame.
I removed the manifolds, and they just dropped, I caught them in time, and pulled up. I didn't know the pipe had already rotted through so I pulled all that from the engine bay. Kinda felt like pulling a rabbit from a hat.

The bolts are really stuck on there. I tried to get them off, but I figured I'd save that for another day. So I thought, "if the pipe is already coming apart, maybe I can crimp it so much, that it breaks just under the flange."
I hit the pipe with a ball peen hammer, and thought I was almost there, but the pipe actually slipper out. In the picture you can see where I was hitting the exhaust pipe, and where it shredded

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Great news!!!!
The engine turns over just fine!
I got under the truck, and told myself that I wasn't getting up till i could see the clutch. So I got a screwdriver, and pried it off. Turns out, the reason it was so hard to remove it was the rats nest. The picture doesn't show the sheer amount of crap that was in here. But I pulled 3 acorns out that were stuck between the flywheel and the block, and tried to spin it. A little stiff, but it works!!

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

So I just found out what happens when I go to the parts store with a hundred dollars......
I found out a piece of plywood on the frame makes for a great workbench.
So tonight I'm going to finish cleaning up the parts, and throw them back on the truck. I'll see if I can get her started tomorrow.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Just a quick update,
I Cleaned and painted some engine pieces. I replaced the coil. plugs and points. Hope to have it running by Thursday.
We'll see

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Did you make sure that the butterfly damper on the exhaust was free and working with the spring? That will help with the cold starts until the engine warms up.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Glad to see that it will turn over for you. Sometimes it pays to be stubbron and keep at it. Keep at it and good luck.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I just took mine off and it looked exactly like that. Haha
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Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I played with it, not much play, How can I loosen it up? some penatrating lube and rocking it back and forth? What exactly does it do? I followed it through a line to the cab, where I assume it goes to the wiper motors.

Thanks! I'll try my best. It's great that I can get all this help and support from the forum. Really helping me get a handle of what to do/what's going on.

Yeah, Amazing what these buggers can do. Isn't it?
Ha ha

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

I used PB Blaster and a propane torch. It needs to turn freely. The spring on the end holds it in position to direct exhaust around the intake to help heat the fuel vapors until the engine warms up. As the enginge warms the spring will be affected by the engine heat and let the counterweight on the opposite end redirect the exhaust bypassing the intake manifold. you can check its operation buy using a hot air gun to make sure the spring is functioning properly.

On a side note. Sprucing up the engine is nice but I think you should make sure it is running properly before you shine it up. When I purchased my truck the PO installed a newer 235/ painted it up to match the truck scheme, changed out the gaskets and installed. I think that the For Sale sign was installed after he finally got the engine started and found it was completely shot. I bought the truck and pulled the engine and ended up spending $1300 on machine shop labor and all new inners minus the crank. Lifters that were apart and cam flopping in the journals.

Not to be a downer but I think you should get the engine running and see what you got before putting a lot of time in making it look nice.

From the movie "Christine" "You know Pepper, You can't polish a turd" even though I think the "myth busters" actually did.

Keep up the good work and stay focused.

Re: 1952 3/4 Ton Rebuild
 

Alright, thanks, I'll see what I can do with the flap. It almost seems like the shaft is bent on mine. The counterweight is just kissing the exhaust manifold.