Thread: Please please please, Keep the booing to a dull roar, PT.II

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It would seem that this part of the forums is limited to 6 pages of inputs. Seems that way anyhow, since I have posted twice and recieved comments, yet cant see anyof them. Somewhere there is a 7th page, but it aint showin up!!!!
ANYway, for those folks that were following my madness on my old thread:
http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12917
I have updates!

OK, the big things that haven't shown up:
*I haven't gotten much further on the Bomber other than completeing the rear metalwork for the deck lid frame, and she's now in storage.
*The reason would be I took my old early 70's Coca-Cola bottle vending machine out of stoarge & stripped it down to parade rest. EVERY part came out and the big components are off at the powder coaters to get refinished. All of the white parts are done, but backordered on the red. lookin forward to getting that old beast up & running again.
* And the big winner is,... I got a new truck!
Well, she turned 50 this year, but she's still new dammit!!!




She's a 1956 GMC 2-ton dump truck. I-6, 4-speed w. 2-speed rear, all original and all there! Ugly as sin, but other than the expected rust in the usual places there's very little damage to the sheet metal. Only issue is the brakes are marginal and it's stuck in low (top speed, a blazing 35MPH). Paid a lil more than I wanted to, but the guy wasn't budging for anyone.
Attepted to drive it home, thought better of it, and had it towed to a tire shop to get the brakes eyeballed and buy her some new shoes. Rubber is on order, and I have decided I really dont wanna have to buy any more, coz 6 heavy truck tires plus tubes HURTS!

Yeah, like I dont have enough crap to spend money on allready,...

Hello, my name is James, and I'm a motorhead.

I have the brother to your truck 57 Chevy dump. I used it for 6 years on remodeling jobs to haul loads to the dump. It like me is now retired and is used just to plow my driveway(1/4 mi.). I think there is a picture in my gallery. I paid $500. for it rebuilt the engine, new clutch and tires. Only single speed axel. Granny gear could pull over building.

Iiiiiit's heeeeeere,...

Yep, we got the '56 home today. what a trek that was! Got the same guy that towed it before and hauled her home to the tune of 200 bones. Kinda ouch, yeah, but MUCH less than it would have cost me to rent a truck & trailer that had that high of a tow rating.
The guys at the tire store were sad to see "Mater" go. Well, except for a couple of the newer techs that got to assist & get trained on changing tires on "widow maker" rims, old split ring rims that can fly apart with enough force to chop a man in half.
After some work & a couple laps arounf the parking lot I managed to get it out of low range, amazing how reading the directions on the sticker can help! Altho, I was trying to get it to get out of low and it did, half way anyhow,... Seems it was stuck inbetween gears and I was afraid I'd just screwed myself when I got it in Hi. Would have made towing it a snap, no worries about the drivetrain then, still not good tho.
The trip home was uneventful. Could hear the gears in the rear end whining all the way home, and one of the rear brakes was still slightly engaged so it was smoking when we got here. No actual damage or issues at all.
Anyway, she's home now, and she has new shoes. The new rubber doesn't look too out of place, but then med/heavy truck tires haven't changed appearances as much as auto tires in the last 20 years.

Now, just have to pull the brake system apart & get that fixed, at least rebuilt well enough for the short term so I can get it onto the base & to the auto hobby shop for a couple months of serious rework. Once there I can gut the whole brake system & instal all new parts and lines & do it the right way, can NOT afford to have it take a hairy dump on you!
Once it's there, strip the front from the firewall up, repair the sheet metal as needed, pull the engine out & change all seals, gaskets, & other items that are overdue. Also gut the cab & clean everything up, fix the electrical issues & start making a new wiring system.
I'll pop up the occasional update with pics as I can.

What was funny, I was standing in the parking lot at the tire store, and this guy walks up & starts talkin to me about the truck. He's tellin me on the sod farm he runs they have a 1957 flat bed out there that they just retired coz they bought another rig with more load capacity. Still runs & drives perfect, has a 12' bed, all the stuff I was wanting except it doesn't tilt. Said they're prolly gonna offload it as a whole truck or part it out for a couple hundred sometime, might even let me have just the bed for a reasonable price,... NOW??? What lovely timing! ugh!
But yeah, this truck has more of what I need even if she is in a bit sorrier shape. Plus the fact that you just cant buy the character she has.

Would be a way kewl toter truck with a tilt flat bed on it!!!!!

So what is your back axle? There wasn't an obvious 2sp change button on the gear lever, so how is it changed?

johnboy

Those old Chebbies used a vacuum shift 2-speed.

cool old work truck but what about that vdub special?
hank

Originally Posted by R Pope

Those old Chebbies used a vacuum shift 2-speed.

Okay. I remember that the vacuum ones were a lot slower than the electric. Would it have been Eaton, or a GMC "special"?

johnboy

Naw, it's actualy an electric shifter on the diff housing, it has to be shifted while the truck is in motion. The hi/lo switch is actualy built into the knob on the right side, a small slider switch that cant be seen in the photo, and the wires are taped to the shifter.
Spent today mounting the new plates, removed the FUBAR mudflaps & started getting the new one mounted, and got some new marker lights & was fiddling with wiring. Kind of in limbo for gettin parts till the 15th, so the brakes will have to wait. Till then, lots of electrical work to do!
Now, if that ol bastage I bought the '56 shop manual from would get over the flu & send it, we'd be doin good.

As for the Bomber, it's in storage right now awaiting better weather so I can set up the forms & start making the rear deck lid. Since I'll be working with wood & bare sheet metal this wet weather can be a real bear. The truck on the other hand, there's plenty I can do with it before I get to the point where I need to worry about water messin up my work.
I am going to yank the engine out of it soon & give it a good going over. It has a lifter that refuses to adjust, thinkin it may have eaten itself on the cam break in.