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?