squirrel's Original 59 Chevy pickup

[Scott Liggett]

My best was 12.5. Usually around 10 mpg.

[squirrel]

55 gets over 12 on the road with much milder gearing.

[squirrel]

Running a bit warm on the way home. Stopped in casa grande and it spewed some coolant. But this is as hot as it gets.

[squirrel]

I scored a 350 hp 396 intake...it's a high rise dual plane Holley iron manifold, in case you didn't know. I'm going to try the 800 Holley I got from Scott. The Qjet seems to run out of fuel pretty quickly, with it's small float bowl. Although I probably need to upgrade the pump, I just have a stock mechanical on it, with 3/8" line all the way into the tank (I modified the fuel sender with larger tubing).

I also ordered a $200 chinese aluminum radiator, to see if it helps cool on the highway. The aluminum one I put in my 55 works well, so I figured I was worth a try.

[Scott Liggett]

Stock bbc pump should flow enough. If not, try one for a vette. Let me know how the carb works.

[squirrel]

interesting...last updated this thread right before I started working on my Suburban.

Since I sold the Suburban last month, I guess it's time to get up to date on this truck. I pulled a few parts off the Sub before I sold it, such as the cruise control and the GV overdrive. I put them in the 59 pickup. I also removed the trailer hitch, that went on the truck as well.

Seems I'm getting it ready to haul my Chevy II out to Illinois, for Drag Week.

I also thought about the weather, and how the drive will be...it would probably be ok, but there was no heater in the truck since I wrecked it in 2005, and took the heater out to put in my son's 59 pickup. I like to have heat, and defrost. And I also like taking my wife places, and she likes AC. So....I looked at several options for putting AC in the truck. One requirement was that I need heat/defrost, and I'd like to keep it all in one unit. I also want to keep the glovebox. And having some type of modern temp control would be neat, that was an issue in the Suburban, which had an original 57 heater, and a 60s underdash AC unit. It was too cold, or too hot, or the windows fogged up...it was hardly ever "just right". So, modern technology won out, but I decided not to get a specific kit to fit the truck. Instead, i got a universal unit, with heat/defrost, and an adjustable heater control.

It's all in the car, but I don't have pics yet, because I was too busy installing it the past few days. I went for a test drive late tonight, and it seems to work ok. although the weather was mild at the time. But the heat works, the cool works, the defrost works. I can run the AC and add some heat to take the chill off. Or adjust the AC thermostat to the temp I want, and the cycling really isn't very noticeable.

Anyways...I'll try to head to the car show in Bisbee with it tomorrow, and see how it does.

one thing, I have to add a stereo, I removed the flaky stuff I had in it, while installing the AC. I bought a pair of 6x9s to go behind the seat, so I have to make a panel or something to mount them. And add an amp.

[langleylad]

You've been busy as always Jim !

[DanStokes]

Thanks for the post. Hope you get some pics up, too.

Dan

[Dan Barlow]

Oh no ! you sold the suburban ! It was my favorite of all your toys .

[squirrel]

oh well....

I went for a kind of long test drive today. Hitched up the car trailer and loaded the chevy II on it. Went up to Tucson, where it was over 100 degrees out.

The truck got kind of warm....not too warm, but almost. I think it'll be ok for the haul to Drag Week, since we're going up in elevation and north, and it's supposed to be nice next week up there.

[squirrel]

I guess the story here never got told, about frying the transmission in New Mexico? Huh...

Back to the present, I took the truck to the Zip Tie Drags in Tucson this weekend. Made 5 passes, best was 14.09. Fun weekend.

[JOES66FURY]

I guess the story here never got told, about frying the transmission in New Mexico? Huh...

Back to the present, I took the truck to the Zip Tie Drags in Tucson this weekend. Made 5 passes, best was 14.09. Fun weekend.

Still quicker than my Mustang was by about 3/10's.

This truck was and is my favorite out of your stable over the years, I think due to its history.

[STINEY]

I guess the story here never got told, about frying the transmission in New Mexico? Huh...

Back to the present, I took the truck to the Zip Tie Drags in Tucson this weekend. Made 5 passes, best was 14.09. Fun weekend.

Um, nope. Do we have to beg?

[Dan Barlow]

What was the trans a 350 or 400 ?

[squirrel]

It's had a 400 of some sort in it since 1979. The trans quit working somewhere in the middle of New Mexico in Sep 2017, hauling the chevy II to drag week. Dan and I unloaded the race car from the trailer, called a towing company, and they stored the truck and trailer there. We drove to Illinios and went racing, then on the way back, my wife met us where the truck was, we put the trailer behind her truck, and loaded the 59 on the trailer, and she hauled it home. I don't know exactly what went wrong, but the rear thrust washer was melted, and the fluid was burned. The clutches all seemed to be ok. I built another transmission for it, and also cut out the bellhousing crossmember (finally!) so I could replace the trans without pulling the motor.

I'm not real happy with the new trans, it doesn't have a switch pitch converter, and it doesn't shift firmly enough into 2nd. I'll probably pull it out again and combine parts from a couple of them, to see if I can make one that I really like. I wish I'd have kept the first 400 that I had, it ended up in the 57 Suburban, and was still in it when I sold that a couple years ago. Oh well.

Pic from this weekend