unconventional 50 chevy truck

[belairesearch]

well I guess im still a newb on this site but with all the hounding for pictures in my introductory post I figure ill just start a build threads.
the engine cam first, engines are my bread and butter, the odder the better, so I started with a 3.8l v6 from a 96 mustang. did a good heavy port and polish job, swapped out for arp studs. drilled and tapped the injector ports in the cylinder heads for 3/8 npt plugs. welded up a sheet metal carb adapter to bolt to the lower plenum. I will be running 2 Rally brand performance 1 barrels (Carter YF copies) I love these carbs. ran into quite a few issues with the ignition system. planned on running an early duraspark set up but the early 3.8l timing cover will not bolt to the newer engine. (cam sensor hole is too small and machined too deep to just be a simple bore out and drop in, and oil pump shaft sizes are different) still working this issue. engine pic...

 

[Yankee Transplant]

Nice [cl[cl

 

[belairesearch]

after the engine was all done I did some research and found that a c4 auto trans with a 164 tooth flexplate with bolt up directly converter and all. so I scored one on craigslist for $100 that was "rebuilt". so I tore it apart and actually found it to be a fresh never ran rebuild so I tossed a few coats of primer and paint on it and called it a day. I also bought 24ft of 2x4" tube and laid out the front half of the chassis. built motor and transmission mounts as well as mount my steering box from a '71 vw super beetle.

 

[belairesearch]

pics are a little blurry because my phone is terrible.

 

[belairesearch]

went and got a 2 wheel drive 99 Cherokee front axle and cut all the brackets off, rebuilt both ends with new unit bearings and ball joints. constructed some suspension arms with a combination of DOM tubing poly bushings and some 3/4 hiem joints. steering is going to be something special. since the jeep axle is forward steer and the vw steering box is push pull I decide to do things a bit different. so my father and I came up with a bell crank that mounts to the axle tube and rides up and down with the suspension.. if anyone wants more info on this please ask. ill snap some better pictures of it. this pic is still in the mock up stages but its all ive got right now.

 

[belairesearch]

then I had to decide which cab I was going to run, I have a prewar dodge truck cab and the 50 chevy cab. they were both very rusty. did I mention this is going to be a roadster. I picked the chevy cab because the roof was already separating at the body line. heres a pic the day I got both cabs to my house (neighbors love me)

 

[belairesearch]

out comes the sawzall and cut off wheel. I braced the cab a little and sliced out what was left of the floors and off came the roof.

 

[belairesearch]

that brings me to about where im at right now. cab is on the frame floors are about 90%, passenger door is welded on (they will no longer open, roadster bucket style?). I have filled most of the holes in the dash I wont be using. the cowl vent was a rusty mess so that's welded shut too. built new front cab corners and a complete drivers side cowl panel where the kick vent used to be. someone had filled it with lead back in the day. threw a mock up wheel in the front and rolled one of my 20" truck spares up to the back about where the axle will be.

 

[belairesearch]

another pic of the floors



also chopped up and modded the headers.



and the only shot I have of the steering

 

[belairesearch]

so that's where im at right now. hope to have it on the road by the end of june beginning of july. only parts im lacking are rear axle and cooling system. everthing else I have just needs installed/fabricated. hope you all enjoy it as much as I am.

 

[Yankee Transplant]

You gave me another option for my front axle .. this may be easier to find than the others . Thanks

 

[Torchie]

Very nice looking build. Looks like you and your Dad have some great skills.
Fun to see a Ford in Chevy instead of the other way around.
Torchie.

 

[belairesearch]

I actually have not seen my dad since Christmas we talk on the phone a lot and anything I need I measure a lot and some times draw up blueprint and mail it to him. then it comes in the mail. he lives in Michigan and im down here in Virginia. hes retired and lives within his machine shop. no cable or internet. builds miniature engines as a hobby. as for the ford in a chevy, my friends call this thing "No Loyalty" because so far I have 5 makes worth of parts and should be more to come.

 

[soltz]

Great build [cl
Great ideas, lots of food for thought, I've been looking for a different roadster [S, thanks for doing the leg work.
I'm looking at putting a Ford in my GMC Sprint [S

 

[belairesearch]

ive spent years building ideas in my head, this build is one of my oldest. super wide truck cab all welded into a roadster on a short super light chassis, no bed or fenders. i know its been done but i just need one. and as for a ford in a chevy, im not biased, ill use any engine/body/chassis combo that i can get my hands on.

 

[JBailey]

Lookin good, those little ford 3.8s are packed full of torque for a V6 and last forever if you can keep head gaskets in em, but sounds like you solved that problem with ARP bolts. I've been thinking about finding a cab to turn into a roadster like this. Keep at it, I'll follow along.

 

[mikec4193]

Hey Belair

See my avatar
I started this one back in the 2008/09 era and at that time there seemed to be a lot of guys building the larger open wheel cabs...that seemed to have sorta gone away a little.

Tommy Ring over at Rat Rod Magazine just finished one too...(his has a top on it)

Glad to see you building this. I will be watching to see how things go along.

Thanks for posting

MikeC

 

[belairesearch]

yeah head gaskets are an issue, i had .100 machined off of each head and .020 off the block, running mls gasket and 11mm arps. ive been down this road before with motors like this so it wasnt even an option. my deadline of mid june on the project is out the window because i have to rebuild the transmission in my wifes truck so im shooting for the 4th of july. should have more pictures tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Old Iron]

"i had .100 machined off of each head and .020 off the block,"
I'm taking that to be .010 on the heads.
On the .020 off the block of the 3.8, will this bring the pistons to zero deck or what ?

 

[belairesearch]

no its actually .100 off the head and .20 off the block. not a typo. the intention is to shrink the combustion chamber, .020 off the block zeroed the deck. im running close to .560 lift with 1.7 rockers and have the pistons fly cut deep. it nets out to be about 11.8 to 1 compression with a .049 compressed gasket thickness. im also running 237cc intake and 200cc exhaust runners. rods have been shot peened, crank was edged and balanced and the entire bottom end has been treated to arp fastners...she should rev pretty good!