Will it run and drive? 1954 Chevy truck needing some help.
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- A subscriber contacted me about a 1954 Chevy truck that had been sitting for years. The owner wanted to get it going, but where to start (literally)! Come along and let's see if we can get this truck running and driving!
I've always wanted a vehicle that was born same year as me 1953 , maybe when my rich uncle gets outta the poor house.😊
C for cold? Dude, that's the choke.
Ya, not sure what I was thinking.
@@whattherust No worries, mind works or doesn't sometimes when you are talking in front of the camera. :)
Cold WHAT?? 😏🙄
@@ludicrous7044 you know my ex wife ........🤙
Well technically you use the choke when it's cold 😀
Old Chevys never die
One of the coolest trucks you've ever worked on. Restoring this one would be a joy.
I agree!!!!
Thanks! This is a very cool truck that is in great shape for it being un-restored.
@@whattherust 👍👍
Nice truck.
Oh wow, great vid and very cool truck!!!!! 👍👍
Thank you for the support.
@@whattherust 👍🙂
I love those trucks .
Love those old chevy trucks.
That is seriously one of the cleanest domestic straight sixes on the inside that I've ever seen. It was either recently rebuilt, or whoever owned it took really good care of it with frequent oil changes.
I agree. It must have been rebuilt at some point in the past.
The more you do this kind of stuff, the more you will learn, you will get there.
Good old 235 six. Another great old truck!
What a beautiful truck! Nice work! It was especially cool to not only see it running, but to watch it drive up on down the drive. She's a goer!
Right, this truck is going to bring the owner a lot of joy.
I love seeing these ol' Chevy trucks back on the road. Nice job.
It was a great experience riding in it. The owner was very happy.
You lucky son a gun, that was to easy 😆 most of it already worked. Was a lot of fun watching, thank you!
You're welcome Mike! I did get lucky on this one other than the oil filter gasket.
Another great show...thanks.
Thanks for the support! Much appreciated.
She's a runner!
And a super clean truck worthy of a resto. Job well done! Another mission accomplished. The cardboard box creeper on the floor brings back memories LOL
Wix filter, check. Rotella for flat tappet cams, check, dwell at 30, check...and brakes? Super check!
Boom. Cruisin time...Nice job indeed.
Rock on bro
old stovebolts just keep on chuggin along great job
Thanks!
Them was the best filters around in those days. Almost a mini Luberfiner. I never liked that replacement gasket. Back in the day the cartridge came with a cork gasket.
That makes sense. It sure looks like it was made for cork.
I love old trucks like that. I love the tall shifter and the clutch pedal that comes up out of the floor board. That's so cool
Another good one!!
Thank you!
You should have your own TV show. Only 9K subscribers is hard to believe. Great job. Great methodology and infused with good fun. Thanks.
Thank you for the nice comment. Makes my day.
Really enjoyed thanks what a great old truck.
Thank you!
This was fun to watch; brought back memories of when I maintained my vehicle at the time (early 70s) with oil change, grease, points, plugs, you name it. Thank you.
You are welcome Mark.
Nice Job on the gasket, and the’54 Chevy Truck runs great! I Enjoyed Your Video,Take Care, Your Oregon Friend ☮️
Another success story! Great job getting this old Chevy back on the road! 👍😎 Amazing!
Thanks David!
Love the step by step repair method for all of us dummies who are actually learning from your Channel. Thanks so much. If you ever want to learn how to Surf... I am your guy! Cheers Prague Life!
Thanks Tom! Much appreciated.
Man... That that old truck is in super nice shape. Couldn't believe how clean that engine was. Especially under the valve cover. Nice job as usual buddy.
Thanks very much. Yes, under that valve cover is amazing.
Nice job that truck is in very good shape for her age I have a 64 Chevy and they haven't really changed very much under the hood thanks for sharing this experience.
You are welcome!
Richard you do a really great job on getting old cars and trucks running a job well done you should be very proud of yourself i really like the early 1950s Chevrolet Car and trucks
The algorithm hasn't been showing me your vids. I am binge-watching old episodes and saw this. Nice job! I think this had a 235 and a pressurized oiling system instead of the splash system with babbitt bearings of the slightly earlier models. The oil pressure gauge going to 60 psi is the clue.
I hadn't thought of that, but you are correct in that the oil pressure is too high for the older splash oiling system. I am not sure what is going on with the the UA-cam algorithm. It seems that the only way to be sure you are notified is to subscribe.
Very nice job brother. I'm a Ford guy. But!! As far as Chevy goes these trucks are absolutely my favorite hands down. Thanks for sharing 🇺🇸👌🇺🇸👌
Thanks! If only I could find an early 50s Ford to do!
I was going to say it's getting exciting but you beat me to it.😊
good luck on getting the old chevy truck running great job
Thanks very much Gary!
You know your stuff . I have watched 3 of your videos. Sand now have subscribed to your channel. I had a 53 Chevy Bel-Air straight 6 . Thank you we will be watching! ❤️💯👊
That engine was extremely clean for an engine that had been sitting. It couldn't have been sitting for very long. It is a beatiful truck though, and it is in fantastic condition for it's age. The owner is lucky to own such a nice truck. Thanks for the lesson on dwell. Honestly, I didn't completely understand it, and you explained it better than anyone that i have seen.
You're welcome!
Great truck, you brought it back to life , well done, thanks for sharing 👍
You are welcome. Thanks for watching!
You guys are lucky to find old vehicles around like that in Tennessee youll never find a vehicle like that in that good of shape in ny
Very lucky. When I lived up North these trucks rusted away in 10 years or less. The junkyards were full of them.
Thanks for sharing gasket material information 😊
Well that's a very nice 54 Chevy. You can hear from the beginning of the video after you got it running the first time but difference at the end of the video. Running smoother the oil is moving around everything you did helped it. Fantastic! On the dwell. I've got an old 56 3800 it's a one ton dually though kind of reminds me of tow mater. My point is that rod for the external mirror on the driver side is probably original equipment of course the head on it looks like bottom of tin can with a piece of mirror glass put in it. If I remember right it has a gentle slope going back to the pivot point on to the rod that is the back of the mirror casement. I don't think it's 6 in in diameter. Anyway on my 56 it has kind of a tear step design on the back of it. In any case those things rust out and they're probably repop available by now. I haven't gotten to my 56 Chevy truck yet. The 59 I use it on a regular basis bigger truck different mirrors and it has the floor push button starter lever as well. It is really neat until you have to reach up over the fender prime the carburetor a couple of times and climbing up into the cab a couple of times holding down on the clutch pushing the gas pedal and the starter lever all at the same time. Those old boys back then we're very coordinated I guess. In any case I'm actually looking at the remains of the 54 sometime this week. I really like the video the old truck with what 10 ft bed probably. I believe throughout time you could get beds and 2 ft intervals up to 16 ft. I have personally seen a 14-ft bed. Now I know they had flatbeds because I had a 48 GMC that was a flatbed that was put on at the dealer when it was new. Truly a basket case it was all in pieces. A friend of mine I sold it to him and kept the Ford that I bought at the same time NetSpend back in the '90s. He never did anything with it except for yard art and his widow is selling it as well as his 85 or so box body truck. I encourage him about it reads these comments that these trucks are out there if they want one just go and hunt. Not everybody thinks it made of gold either. Some of the owners realize that they're made of rust haha. Look forward to the next video
Thanks for the info Chuck. More videos coming!
With old vehicles like that sometimes you just have to make a gasket for the parts that need a gasket and it is easier than modern day vehicles ty for letting me share Matt AKA DDP be safe out there My friend and friends and everybody yuuuuup
Great job getting it going again
Thanks!
Them old 6 cylinders live forever. I remember in the early 80s my dad bought a 46 Chevy pickup . The engine was stuck. He poured a concoction in the cylinders and every day for a month he would go out and give it a tug. 1 day it broke free. 2 hours later we was taking a ride down the road and back. Motor just purred just like that one did. If I remember correctly he sold it for triple what he had in it.
That is a cool story.
Our oldest sons 55 3100 p.u. was worse than this when he got it from his grandpa ! 6 years & 20 grand later, she's looking good now ! For the money the 2k high build urethane primer you can't beat it !
Richard's The King of Straight Sixes, 235's and all. Not straying away from What The Rust, my next fave has to be Derek from VGG, doing burnout competitions in a Straight Six powered 65 C10. Both these guys know their Sixers. I know, VGG has their thing and so does Richard. Nonetheless, I've grown to love these engines even more. Nostalgic, classic, budget-friendly, and can make some horses if you know your stuff.
Right on. 235, 300, 225, 250, 216, I like them all. Well, maybe not the 216 as much.
That is using your noodle! Good job!
Very impressive. You always get them going. Awesome
I love that blue t shirt you're wearing. Sbc firing order.
yeah good job good mechanic on that smooth straight six
Thanks!
Nice little truck Mr Prague
Nice truck !!
i like the 50s model gm and mopar trucks, great job enjoyed seeing this old truck brought to life
Thanks. That style is unique.
great job to bring the truck back to life
Thanks! It is a great truck.
I finish a 56 chevy 3100 series pickup with a 235 engine this summer. I did an off frame restoration which took about 7 yrs. But I did a relocation from Ga to Tn which took about 3 yrs of that time.
I hear that. Nothing like a move to slow things down.
Thats a good start! Those old Chevy pickups are real work horses and easy to work on too.
Yes, a pleasure to work on for sure.
Someone just installed that cylinder head, it's pretty obvious.
It's super clean under the valve cover and fresh coolant. Good video anyway.👌
Hi bro from west Alabama
Great...nice truck !!
My 62 C10 has the 235 with the same oil filter. That gasket is indeed the correct one. My new filter had it and the same gasket was in there already. You have to center it and tighten the cap down slow for a correct fit. ;)
Looks like it had the old Eaton rearend in it. My 62 has it as well.
Last year before the 12 bolt.
Actually, that gasket should fit in the groove that is in the filter cap. All one has to do is to center that cap on that gasket using a flat surface and trace the outside of the cap with a pen and trim it just on the inside of the line with a sharp pair of scissors. I had a 56 Chevrolet that did not come with and oil filter (oil filters were optional back then) we added an external oil filter (got it from a junkyard) and probably there were variations on the outside diameter of the filter can and unless you had the actual part number that came on the side of the can you could get the wrong size gasket. We would just simply trim the outside diameter of the gasket to just fit inside the groove on the lid and it would seal just fine or as Richard did, just make a gasket out of cork. The filter itself was pretty much the same just the filter housing could be different.
Man we need to get all of the current cars back to the basic. No more headache and just simple engine to work on.😊
Right on.
I had a 1950 GMC 1/2 ton. All original. 6v, 235, 4speed compound low, short bed. Couldn't kill that old girl.
They are great trucks.
Other great video, great job getting it going.
Thank you!
that is a awesome truck love the old chevys another great job well done keep up the great work mate love your videos content is great all the best be safe
Thanks for the support Paul. Glad you liked the video.
Hi Prague! I'm not really a pickup guy, but I really love this truck. This is such a solid vehicle!
Hello to you sir,
Great work on the old buggy.
Be well
Thanks very much Kevin.
Another old vehicle saved from scrap good job Team Rust.
Thanks very much. We just picked up a couple of other heading for scrap. Videos coming soon.
I'm thinkin' the C stands for CHOKE
Yes sir it does and some of those old vehicles had not only a choke knob but a throttle knob as well (might be over on the right side it looks as though there might have been a throttle knob as well. I noticed on that carburetor that there is a linkage arraignment that opens up the throttle some what when the engine is choked. I have one of those Rochester carburetors for a six cylinder Chevrolet engine that is set up that way.
Got that points dwell set? Now adjust the timing. You'll see a spot on the bellhousing that has a window on the starter side of the engine and the pointer is aligned with the ball on the flywheel. Dwell affects ignition timing, but ignition timing does not affect dwell. And you are right dwell is the number of distributor degrees the points are closed allowing the coil to saturate and give proper secondary voltage to the plugs. Most people do not understand that.
Chicky: happy.
Howdy from Scotland. Great video!. What a nice truck. It sounded real smooth when it started up.
It’s in remarkable condition for its age, and should clean up really well.
Another great job from yourself and Christina.
On to the next one !.
John
Thanks as always John! We have a couple of tough ones coming up. Outside, sitting forever, just the way we like it.
A gorgeous truck. 👍
Good looking and super heavy duty.
I just love Chevy's ❤❤❤
Beast of a truck
Beast is a good word to describe it.
Good job very much enjoyed..... Cheers 🥂
Glad you like it Paul.
I’d love to see you pressure wash/clean these beautiful cars.
Your Wright brother, 55 was a transition year for Chevy p.u. ! They made the 55 first series with all the extra parts, then the 2nd series as my son has ! Depends on when it was built in 55 if its that body style or like my sons ! 👍🏻
Right on!
What if "C" is for chock... I enjoy your videos 🙂😺
Christina said the same, and I think you are both right.
Y'all uhh must be around Sparta or Montery today? Thank you both so much for everything you do to entertain. ❤🐘🇺🇸
You are welcome Ray. Not us in Sparta today.
I would really like to see this thing back on the road with a first Gen '51-'58 FirePower 331 Hemi with the dual carbs and that same 4 speed manual, but like my pap used to say, "you can wish in one hand and crap in the other, and see which one fills first." Those 331 Hemis only made 180 HP, but it's a REAL cool factor to open that hood and see that beautiful red valve cover Hemi staring back at you with the bronze colored air cleaners (like in the '57 300C). The straight six that's in this thing should be saved on, because it's definitely one of the cleanest engines I've ever seen.
Edited due to autocorrect on my new phone...
thats great that it s working again lol wow ,,, ok thanks
Thanks Fraser!
As a kid, we had a light duty 54. It wasn't original, though. Collectively, it was a 54 Chevy, straight 6, but with a 5-window cab and a GMC tailgate. The front bumper may have come from a 49. It was kinda a hodge-podge of Bowtie and GMC. Colors? Front half was primer flat red, back half was primer grey and light blue. Still, was a cool farm truck. Ugly and beautiful at the same time.
Beautiful truck👍👌♥️🇺🇲😎
Great job!
Thanks Jeff!
Wish you could send some of that rain south. It’s rained all around me but it’s like a 5 mile block around my house it hasn’t rained since early June other than a sprinkle. My yard has huge cracks in the ground.
It has been a while here since we have had steady rain too. Storms come through and an hour later they are gone.
At the beginning of the video, the knob next to the key with the "C" on it should have been for the manual choke.
Get yourself a fly wheel turn tool. It grips between the teeth making it easier to turn. I just subscribed. Thanks
Thanks for the support! I do need to get one of those tools.
another great video
Thanks Ed!
Watching here Philippines
That sounds like a good old truck. Give it a tune up,clean it up,and use it daily. You can probably depend on that truck more than these new ones!
Right, once the starter is fixed that truck could be driven daily. It is super low geared, but around town it would be fine,
I just purchased a 1950 GMC 450 dump truck. Found papers dating 1951 when a Sargeant had did the check off sheet for safety and it had like 217 miles onit at that point. It is extremely solid. Bo rust through floor board cab corners look great. Currently unabke to get it to pump fuel. Think cam lobe is wore out not pulsing the pump. But i seen truck and just had to have it
That sounds like a nice Truck. My Dad had a 1951 GMC 900 back in the 70s. It was outdated by then, but still a good-looking rig. My Dad only bought GMCs, never Chevrolet.
Cool old truck
sometimes you can use a long screw driver under the hood and press the button on the starter to start. wedge it either to bell housing or firewall
Great tip!
It’s like an O ring but with a slit in it to overlap the filter body and then the top is lightly bolted down.
The initial ignition timing sounds a bit too advanced to me. The slow initial cranking makes me think that. Plus, you could hear detonation a couple times when it was doing the slow-crank thing. Great job getting her going again, my friend! Now for some fine tuning and fluid changes for the trans and differential. That stuff and some fresh leaded gas, she's good to go!
Right, I think the dwell being off has the timing also off. The starter is going bad, so I was unable to finish tuning it. The owner is getting a starter rebuild, so I'll be able to get it tuned correctly soon.
My Dad had a 3/4 ton 1951 Chevy. No turn signals but this looks really familiar. His had also been converted to 12 volt.
The knob with the C is the choke.
You have to put the gasket in the cover it will work.
C is for the manual choke on the carburetor
Yes, not sure what I was thinking there.
That's a 235 engine. Much better than the old 216.
Right, the side valve cover bolts give it away. It is quite a bit more advanced than the 216. Thanks for watching.
I like the feathered audience. Chickens are better than TV!
They were all over the place. Very curious as to what was going on.
@Prague Life: I'd say your people with the truck like fresh eggs. My wife used to keep a few chickens, and if I could arrange the right coopage, I might again.
BTW, I'm now in possession of two books titled Truck. One is by John Jerome about him getting his old abandoned Dodge pickup going. The newer more recent book by Michael Perry is about his life while restoring his 1948 International pickup to running order. Quite different books and both worth reading!I
I'm pretty sure the book by Jerome with the blue Dodge on the cover is the one we both read years ago.
@@vilstef6988 Yes, the John Jerome book is the one I read.
That looks more like a mouse mansion than a house 🏠.😊
I know this is not what this video is all about but thar is motorcycle by the red tank in the background......
Yeah that see button bro on the dash is for choke they didn't have automatic chokes in those days you use that for cold starts this truck and a 54 that's back in the day.
Yes, I don't know what I was thinking.