I should be in bed but I am up worrying about my truck...
I have a 59 Chevrolet 3100 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, and I realize
that is redundant... I bought it with a previously rebuilt 235. It
has never run smoothly enough or fast enough for my taste, but was
dependable. Recently it developed a pronounced and undeniable
knocking sound at low revs. Oil was fine and there was only a tiny
amount of leakage from the front main seal. A mobile mechanic I like
came by and diagnosed a crankshaft and bearings situation and read
last rites. He said do not drive it or rev it high unles I wanted it
to throw a rod and complicate things a lot more.
So now I want to get it rebuilt. I would love to do it myself but I
am too busy and I love the truck too much to screw it up. My friend
wants to help me and we were discussing upgrading some of the engine
parts for longer wear and higher performance. I really want the
truck to at least LOOK close to original stock.
My question (aside from any tips anyone has which warm my heart when
I read my emails at work...) is what components should I look for of
higher quality than others? I have this fear that engine rebuilding
kits used by some engine shops come from Taiwan or worse and have
very sloppy tolerances. I want this truck to be as strong and useful
as it is pretty and inspiring.
When I was a little boy, my family criss-crossed the country as my
father went to work in different states. I looked out the back
window of our 1955 Plymouth Plaza wagon as we whizzed through redwood
forests, Badlands of SD and Stuckeys on Route 66, etc, and I learned
to identify everything on wheels from WWII to the Moon Landing..
These trucks represent to me the best of America as I understood it
as a wide-eyed child. I remember all the characters who are now dead
with their electric guitars, their shotguns and their prized
vehicles. Now that we are a mature software-producing nation, these
big beautiful pieces of hardware have even more symbolic
significance. I like holding onto a piece of it, especially one that
I can take to Home Depot when I need to buy a new grill or a big ladder.
Thanks for listening. The next sound you will hear is the musical
hum of my newly-rebuilt 235.
jt
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