I have to admit that I am slowly changing my die-hard "stock or nothing"
position on ole trucks. I happen to be one of the lucky ones who found a
'50 3600 in the dry climate of Arizona, with virtually no rust, and some
really new looking metal in places. A blessing, to say the least. I had
planned to keep everything totally stock (except for the 12 volt system and
the electric wipers), but after about a year of daily driving only on the
back roads, and only on the feeder of the interstate, I installed a high
speed rear end. This came about through my association with this list,
since I wouldn't have known about this modification otherwise.
Incidentally, the member who led me to the 4.10 third member is also
responsible for my purchasing my second ole truck, a '56 3600. Anyway, now
I can cruse at 55-60, and run with the big dogs, to a certain extent.
My questions: What further minor modifications can I make to make my ride
safer, and yes, a little faster? I"ve read about the overdrive
transmission, and would like to go that route. Can I do this without
changing out my 235 for a V-8? And finally, I notice that at about 60 MPH,
the front end starts to shake. Is this a matter of exceeding the speed for
which this old girl was intended, or is there something in the straight axle
that can be adjusted to eliminate this? Obviously I'm still a little new at
this, and appreciate all the help I can get from the experts.
Thanks-
Smokey
'50 3600 5-window (mine) & '56 3600 (hers)
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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