1953 1/2 ton Chevy Pickup completely restored ~1990 (frame off restoration)... but still ready to haul refrigerators just like on TV
1959 engine block-- 261cu in. 'straight six' motor (the original '53 had power pressure splash oiling system which Chevy reengineered in the 59 motor which included a proper oil pump. Also worth noting, for years i thought it was the more common 235 block, though in '19 when i had East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Famer (and 2014 DRHoF Inductee), Bob "Thundershifter" Lee rebuild the motor at his Fort Lauderdale shop, including a performance cam... on checking the block serial #s he discovered it was the larger option; here's a bit more on the 261 motor), Fenton headers original equipment piped into custom dual exhaust, uniquely custom Tri power Volvo SU carburetors, all vacuum system dependencies removed... flawlessly integrated and performs well resulting in 145hp (originally 90hp.)
Credit for the original (re)build goes to my longtime friend Warren Lubow out in Seattle; i got to know him while working on the 1st version of Microsoft Exchange Server for several years prior to our shipping the first version. (add'l related historical detail: his mom who i got to meet by virtue of my friendship w/Warren, Miriam Lubow, was Bill Gates' 1st secretary and co mom). Warren's first love was always cars, and in between and in the midst of any tech job he held he always also had several project cars going. When i took this truck off his hands i think he had 5 projects in the works and only 3 bays (2 at his house and 1 at his mom's).
3 speed manual floor shifter with granny gear (it's actually a 4speed capable Saginaw tranny currently configured as 3spd), modernized brakes and custom classic look 15x8 wheels.
completely rewired 12v electrical system (replacing the original 6v system), modern 'Vintage Air' heater box w\defroster and blower (i really need to now add in AC down in Florida ;-) & electric wiper, stainless steel VDO classic instrumentation (Speedometer and Amp/Oil/Water Temperature cluster set), and a modernized stereo including under seat amp and subwoofer along w/BT so i can pickup mobile calls wirelessly and hands free in the cab; i smile every time i do imagining what the original owner would think if he were transported into the future and riding alongside.
Body work and metallic silver grey Dupont Imron paint done by Scandia Motorsport. Full length grey and black interior on door panels and headliner.
Initially on my watch the only visible flaw was the oak bed which had bowed slightly from exposure to the great Northwest liquid sunshine (not that you could tell from the picture). I soon worked with a friend (and MSFT colleague) Bob Gering who had a cabinet shop in his backyard, to acquire a felled Apitong tree which we ripped into custom boards and then planed and installed to replace the oak. That said, it's going on 3 decades under my care, and while i've kept her mechanically sound or better i'm sorry to say the past decade+ oceanside in FLL haven't been as kind to the body which is no longer without rust. For at least the past 5 years, i've been of the mind i'll drive her at least another couple decades and then find a kid who's ready to do the next frame off resto.
More recently (Summer '22), after sitting idle for a several years while we were living over in Beijing—I did an
overhaul to the fuel, air and ignition system upon our return. While most of it was fairly straightforward
including replacing the Carter P4070 inline electric
fuel pump, and all the fuel lines (and oil lines between engine and filter), air filters, and new points and
condenser in the old Delco-Remy model#1112353 distributor along with new plugs (Champion J6C) and silicone
cables/boots, coil
and ballast resistor.
The pièce de résistance in that summer overhaul was in sending the carbs out to Thomas Bryant in Wiscasset,
Maine for a proper rebuild. I then followed his SU carb tuning guide to adjust
and synchronize them.
To complete that assignment, I also acquired a vintage Actron Model612 tach off ebay, after unsuccessfully
attempting to try to measure rpm on a digital meter
via what should have been simple math:
eg. 1500rpm = 60sec x 2 (revs /spark for 4 stroke… or 1 if it’s derived via crankshaft rev per spark) x 12.5Hz.
However, I quickly gave up on that after proving empirically
that attempting to read anything on the digital readout was maddening & futile—the numbers updated continuously
with such variation and frequency that essentially
all LED entries remained illuminated; useless. So I bought the old tach off ebay which worked beautifully.
Tom is a wealth of knowledge and couldn't have been more helpful throughout, other than if he had perhaps flown
down here and adjusted them with me under my FL shade tree-- can’t thank him enough for his insights and
expertise along with his willingness to share them. I had always called the carbs Volvo SUs but as I learned
from him…
Carb#1 (by the radiator) is MGA, and Carbs #2 and #3 (by the firewall) are Volvo B16Bs, both of which are TypeH4 twin-cam models (albeit the Moss diagram is
apparently mislabelled H6).
Further, in order to fit-- 2 float bowls from those original units are swapped given how #3 has to fit up
against the firewall… so #3 (a B16B carb) actually has the MGA float bowl, and #1 (a MGA carb) now has the Volvo
float bowl. And to top them off (pun intended), as i initially sent them to Tom they were utilized internally
vented dampers and #1 had a plastic top (whereas #2 & #3 had superior brass tops), despite the carbs being
spec'ed as calling for unvented dampers. He said that should be just fine to go w/the vented dampers, though
upon return he had refitted MGA#1 carb with a brass topped unvented damper.
Gotta love such an idiosyncratic setup ;-)
Summer '23 i pulled the starter and while spending time in Fort Lauderdale,
had the old man behind Hollywood Starter & Alternator rebuild do
just that. And at my nerd bench, i rewired the fuel
sender which no longer had insulation and was shorting out, so i once again have no need to track
mileage between fill-ups and manually calculate mileage to know i have fuel in the tank! I did also purchase a
Pertronix 1168LS electronic ignition unit which at
some point in the not too distant future I’ll swap into the original Delco-Remy distributor in place of the
points and condenser, and retune again.
To round it all out, since I’ve been using it as a daily driver of late… it’s all now rolling on a new set of
BFGoodrich 235 60/R15 Radial T/A tires.
