1936 chevy low cab build 1.5T

Rat Rods Rule

Help Support Rat Rods Rule:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
How much room do you have between the floor and the top of the frame?

I have a similar hydroboost set-up. I'll need a bump in the floor to accommodate
the fittings and lines. I'll be looking for your solution.

Good to see progress on your stuff.
 
Thanks guys...

I got maybe 2.5" between the frame and the floor..

DJ If i recall correctly you have a hydroboost set up on your Chevy truck? Maybe you have the knowledge I seek.???

Since I am not running power steering and merely using the hydroboost for brake pressure, can I just cap the high pressure outlet from the booster or do i need to run it into a tank of some sort and then low pressure line it back to the pump???

The tank would be in place of the power steering pump...
 
Last edited:
For the hydroboost you still need the power steering pump. Without the pump there is no boost. The high pressure line goes from the pump, goes to the hydroboost high pressure port. The hydro boost has two low pressure ports. My understanding is you can tee them together. The small one is some kind of non pressurized overflow that usually uses gravity to return the fluid to the reservoir (gravity doesn't work when the hydroboost is below the pump). My '53 has hydroboost under the floor and I have had no issues with it.

I have it on good authority (famous last words) that the hydroboost works fine without the power steering box.

2.5" is good, the '48 firetruck 1.25". That has caused me grief several times.
 
man oh man.. u ever type something and read it and still not notice you screwed it all up... thats me..

I most definitely meant .... The tank would be in place of the power steering box..

So you suggest teeing the port that would normally run to the power steering box with the barbed low pressure over flow into one line and then running those back to the pump.. that seems nice and simple to me.. can it be that easy???

Are you sure that both the outs are low pressure, my understanding (although minimum) is that the threaded fitting is a high pressure outlet... and the barbed fitting is low pressure. All the schematics I have seen say high pressure out on the line that would run to the steering box.. my concern is if a power steering box is reducing the pressure, and if i don't have something inline to drop the pressure will it cause me problems....???
 
Last edited:
man oh man.. u ever type something and read it and still not notice you screwed it all up... thats me..

I most definitely meant .... The tank would be in place of the power steering box..

So you suggest teeing the port that would normally run to the power steering box with the barbed low pressure over flow into one line and then running those back to the pump.. that seems nice and simple to me.. can it be that easy???

Are you sure that both the outs are low pressure, my understanding (although minimum) is that the threaded fitting is a high pressure outlet... and the barbed fitting is low pressure. All the schematics I have seen say high pressure out on the line that would run to the steering box.. my concern is if a power steering box is reducing the pressure, and if i don't have something inline to drop the pressure will it cause me problems....???

I had the same concern. Where goes the pressure go? However, if you just run a power steering box, one line is high pressure, the other returns to the reservoir - low pressure. Works the same with the hydroboost. There are 2 threaded fittings and one barbed fitting. The barbed fitting is obviously low pressure. The one that would normally go to the box is also low pressure if there is nothing but the reservoir on the other end to create pressure.

Another way to think of it: Consider a pump with a hose connected to the high pressure side and the other end of the same hose connected to the return. How much pressure is the pump producing?

By the way, I haven't actually done it, so I'm not 100% sure - maybe 90%.
 
DJ,

I have been doing some more research, to me it appears that the best way to plumb the system will be to run both the outputs back to the power steering pump separately, this will be a slight problem as I only have the one return line on my pump, but hey needing to modify things hasn't stopped me yet..
 
That's what I did. I just got a PS pump with a reservoir that had 2 return lines. I picked a '98 C3500. Most 3/4 and 1 tons and all diesels have hydroboost.
 
well then.. im glad we are on the same page.. now i just need to make another return line/ fitting in my pump.. I think I will just weld a bushing on with the appropriate threaded ID then carefully drill the center out.. shouldn't be to bad..

thanks for your help, always good to bounce things off someone else!
 
Still moving along, slowly.... Worked on my baffles for my headers, modified my power steering pump (needed another return line) and I finally finished patching the cowl, made these crazy curved pieces... Little weird looking but looks alright...



 
Not weird if they serve the purpose.....

I'm assuming that is for the engine set back? So weird or not....they won't be out in the open anyway....frankly....I don't find them weird at all.... :D
 
Looks good to me. Sometimes it's hard to get the clearance ya need.
Stay after it, your ride needs to be on the road to show people like me how it's done.
 
Thanks guys.. I actually worked on it again this weekend... two weekends in a row... crazy.. No photos..

- wired all the switches to long leads to run to the switch box in the cab... I hooked the tank up to the shop compressor and played with the switches for much longer than I should have. HA
- installed the starter... should have taken 10 min... but of course the inspection cover didnt allow it to fit... so I had to take it off which involved lifting the rear of the transmission about 4".... Who put that cross member there???
- cleaned and rust stabilized the firewall... An older neighbor from down the street stopped by and couldn't understand why I wouldn't want to paint the truck.. :)

I got to get a few more parts.. but next on the agenda is to fire it up and make sure I dont have any engine leaks before I put the cab back on...

Anyway.. I actually think it might get done.. it feels like it is a possibility!
 
wheels

Just wondering about the wheels!! It looks like the original wheels from truck but are they one piece wheels?The adapter from the rotor that I can see is that factory from the truck or did you build/buy that adapter piece.I love that wheel setup and also want to use the exact same setup on my 46 1/2 ton build and just need more info!![P
 
More tinkering...

Got my two sets of gaskets installed so I could run the adapter i made for the staggered pattern valve covers... I made these t handles with brass ends... Then I made my own breathers cause I wanted small ones... And I'm cheap!

I also made my baffles for my headers.. Still need to paint the headers and wrap them...

Hopefully fire it up soon... Check for leaks before I put the cab back on!




 
you can PM me if you have questions


BUT .. not to sound like an A** but read through the thread first...there is 80 pages of what I believe is a well documented build, I would be suprised if I didnt document what you needed... I have stopped responding to PM's and questions that are throughly covered in the build.. things like what axles did I use, and where did I get the front rims and disk brake kit...

all i ask is that you read the thread first, then ask the questions

Good luck
 

Latest posts

Back
Top