Jim,
Thank you for the info. It sets me more at ease... The basket case's cab is
about the worst that I have seen for rust in a task force truck. The top,
dash, and rear of the cab are solid and straight, but the remainder has cancer
-- everywhere. Fortunately, it comes with a spare cab. Between my '57 and
this truck I should -easily- have a solid runner (my '57 is titled but non
opp'd). California has a notorious department of motor vehicles. I won't
hold my breath, but...
Here are some pictures of the '57 "as delivered"
--http://www.humboldt.edu/~ajp1/vehicles/trucks/57chevy3800/ .
My intentions are (will be) thus: Restore my '56 3200 265 (and street rod the
3100 -- more or less this:
http://www.humboldt.edu/~ajp1/vehicles/trucks/mike56.jpg and this:
http://www.humboldt.edu/~ajp1/vehicles/trucks/wayne56new1.jpg -- thank you
Mike and Wayne). Swap the factory suspension on the basket case with the '67
Camaro rear/Front disc kit on the 3100. The basket case comes with a "spare
mount" fender that I will probably place on the 3200. Run the 3100 with the
235 until which time I get bored, have nothing else in the world to do, and
install a SB.
..and yes, I have heard about the road to Hell. :)
Here is my off-list response to a friend (who is also a member of this list)
regarding the VIN search:
..I ran those numbers through an online VIN decoder (at:
http://www.americanclassic.com/paint.htm). You saw the results. However,
somebody else had posted VIN information on their web site
(http://members.flintemc.net/~doodle/truckinfo.html -- Doodle's site). I am
fairly certain that the frame is a '55 (little doubt because of the the way
the number "reads" -- unlike the '56's VIN). According to [Doodle's] web
site, the first character -- an alpha character -- in a '55 VIN specifies the
model (3100, 3200, 3600, etc.). But this VIN doesn't have that character.
>From what I have seen of this generation (see [Doodle's] site too), the 3100
series has between a 114" and 116" WB, the 3200 a 123" WB, the 3600 a 123" WB,
and the 3800 a 135" WB -- so your info. jives with what I have seen. I
measured my trucks (and the '55 frame) and they come out respective of the
list above (I have a 3200 and 3800).
It is worth mentioning that I put an alpha character on the front of the VIN
(corresponding with Doodle's VIN info.) and ran it through the decoder. The
results did not reflect what Doodle's site stated. However, the addition of
the character did effect the series designation...
Thanks again Jim and Pika.
Drew
___________________________
Drew--
The frame VIN does not have model information...so if it's a short
wheelbase frame, it has to be a half ton (3100 series). The 255 in
front says it's a 2nd series 55 vintage. The next character is the
assembly plant, letter O for Oakland. The remaining 6 digits are the
sequential serial number.
The cab was also made in Oakland. It was a V8 equipped 3100 short bed
half ton. Judging by the low sequence nubmers, apparently both cab and
frame are early production trucks.
The VIN is stamped (complete) on the cab in the door pillar on the
stainless tag that's tackwelded in place, and the partial VIN
(year/plant/sequence) is stamped on the frame on top of the drivers side
rail, near the steering box, and under the cab. It does not appear
anywhere else that I know of.
If you don't have a title in good standing, you may have trouble titling
the truck...in AZ, the MVD would probably remove the tag on the cab, and
put on a new "assigned VIN" sticker, because the VINs on the truck don't
match. I've seen this happen to a fellow old car enthusiast in town
here. State laws all vary, so you need to do some research on local
laws, you should be able to find all the applicable laws online.
Jim F
59s in AZ
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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