mid 40's chevy truck

[Mike S.]

The '40 Chevy that I started had clutch head screws and man, were they a pain. I noticed your RB Blaster in your pictures and that brought back memories of that truck. I used a lot of Blaster, a heat gun and I did like Lucky did and cut slots in the heads to back 'em out with a slotted screw driver. You can also slightly file down a #2 square drive bit and it will work as a clutch head driver. It's kinda odd, my '40 GMC was put together with slotted screws. Still a pain but a lot easier. The contraption in the picture really works too. It's a version of one somebody posted on here a long time ago. It's a 1/4" socket welded to air chisel bit with a side handle welded to that. You put the appropriate bit in the socket, put the chisel bit in the air chisel, set your psi really low and as you run the air chisel you turn the side handle counter clockwise as the screw hopefully backs out. Soak the screw with PB beforehand. Good luck!

 

[bob w]

I used a wire feed welder and built up a ""tit" on the head of the screws. Large enough to grip with a Vice-Grips. The combination of heat from welding and the force of turning made it easy to get them out.

 

[sneakysnake]

I used a wire feed welder and built up a ""tit" on the head of the screws. Large enough to grip with a Vice-Grips. The combination of heat from welding and the force of turning made it easy to get them out.

That worrks on the broke off ones too.

 

[cprince09]

that is a really good idea ^ I will give that a try.

 

[cprince09]

sorry it's been a while since I got to work on the truck. It's the end of the semester so all my professors feel like they all need to cram test and projects at the last minute. I'm going on Tuesday to pick up a 14 bolt cab and chassis dually rear end. I've been working on getting the windshield frame out right now. I have a question though. My frame looks bent in the middle where it comes together. It's not supposed to be split like this right?

 

[LUCKY DEVIL 13]

sorry it's been a while since I got to work on the truck. It's the end of the semester so all my professors feel like they all need to cram test and projects at the last minute. I'm going on Tuesday to pick up a 14 bolt cab and chassis dually rear end. I've been working on getting the windshield frame out right now. I have a question though. My frame looks bent in the middle where it comes together. It's not supposed to be split like this right?

Your frame looks like my original did They are usually pretty beat up I have had to get 2 different frames and piece them together to make one good one

 

[biGshiz79]

it's a 3 piece window frame, but it is rotting out.

ran into the same issue on mine.

 

[cprince09]

I'll have to wait on the windshield frame. People like them way to much for my wallet right now. I'm going to get my narrow dually rear end with 3.73 tomorrow. Need to get some parts together to convert it to disk. Finals will be over May 4th so hopefully I can really get rolling on the chop and frame mock up in May. I think I'm going to go with a tube front axle also, so once I get that I can start making a frame out of wood 2x4's first.

 

[ReoRatRod]

id say that's a 46 my brother has the same truck but green his is a 46 the interior is the exact same as his everything is identical

 

[sneakysnake]

id say that's a 46 my brother has the same truck but green his is a 46 the interior is the exact same as his everything is identical

There are little differences between the 41-46 cabs and from the outside other than hood and grill 39-40 cabs look alike.39-40's have screw in back glass and on the firewall the raised bars are up and down.because of the war 41-46 have some differences.41's had the key in the pass handle and the others are below the handle.1/2 tons wasn't produced(43-44)but iirc the big trucks were.42's had leather around gas filler because of the shortage of rubber.Here is some good info
http://www.brads41-46chevys.com/id37.html

 

[hotrodbill]

Measure the interior and make sure you will fit in it.

This is probably the best advise you could get.

I always recommend people start from the ground up, have your basic frame mocked up. Sit the body on the frame, mock up your seating arrangement, and actually sit in it.

Measure the distance between the top of your head and the roof.

It's also a PITA to build you steering, brakes, and wiring while crawling in and out of a tiny cab.

When I built mine, I channeled the body 7", cut 5" off the bottom, and built my own floor. That leaves about 5" between the roof and my head, so I will only chop it 3".

The chop should be one of the last things you do. You will regret it if you cut the top only to find, your seats don't fit, you don't fit, and you can't see out of the darned thing.

 

[cprince09]

I hadn't thought about how much easier it would be to do all the interior work with a full size cab. Thats why I love this site. Thanks, I guess I'll go ahead and pull the engine and tranny out of my other truck and start a frame mock up.

 

[hillbillie hotrods]

Sound like you are gettin some good advice , your build looks good [P

 

[cprince09]

Ok got a little done today. I started cleaning the 14 bolt cab and chassis dually rear end I picked up Tuesday. I got the spring perches and shock mounts off real fast thanks to a good ol' plasma cutter [cl gotta love those things. Then I spent about 4 hours with grinding disk, flap disk, and wire wheels. I also started looking at different wheelbases. I think I'm liking around 121" Ignore the drivers side on the paint editing lol I'm not very good with it but it kind of gives you an idea on around how much the chop will be

 

[cprince09]

I'm trying to add some pics of the rear end let me try it again. The drums are coming off to make room for some disk brakes too

 

[Tango88]

Hey Cprince --- Great start! Are you gonna keep the duallies? Seen a few that were really badazz rigs with the twin tires on the rear.

And I have to ask...what's your plan on the rear end? Are you swapping the gears or center section? If so, I might be interested. I'm looking for a 5.43 ring & pinion set from any '41 to 52 Chevy 1.5 Ton and if they are the right gears, I will be happy to contribute some cash to your rod project in return for them.

Meanwhile, keep up the good work and keep the pix coming. Gonna' be fun to follow.

 

[andyspinstriping]

this is a cool looking project so far!

 

[Dirtyrat]

Looking like a good start to a cool project!