I brought home a 1952 F1 this week that I think is in pretty good shape and I hope to get on the road with a little bit of work. The prior owner made a few mods but the truck looks mostly stock with the engine & trans having been swapped out. The PO passed away 12 years ago and the truck was stored in a shed out of the weather. The wife finally got to the point that she could part with it but has no knowledge of anything done to the truck. "That was his thing". I think it's a small block chevy motor but have no idea how to identify accurately. Any place I can look on the block for a clue? It had a spin on oil filter but that is missing and I need to replace it and the top radiator hose. A new battery, replacing a few hoses, changing fluids, etc, and I think it would be ready to crank. Any suggestions on how to better identify what's in the engine bay would be much appreciated. I tried to load a couple of pics but was not successful.

 

Email the pictures to me at modelking2000 at hotmail dot com and I'll get them posted for you.

 

Can't wait to see the pic's. Congrats.

 

My SBC knowledge is fairly limited, but I believe there should be a 7 digit casting number on the upper rear of the block, behind the intake manifold by the firewall, that when decoded should give you the info you ask.

 

Congratulations on your new aquistion.Cant wait to see it.

 

Congrats! Even if it does have a SBC in it!

 

Congrats on you purchase! If your distributor is in the back of the motor it is possible its a chevy. Small blocks chevs were done to death back in the day. matter of fact I am using one in my51 project. Happy motoring!
PS
There should be some numbers (if it is a chevy) on the pad just below the heads either in front or side. Then you can call a chevy dealer (Sevice Dept.) and they can tell you what size, year and what it was installed in. ( If my memory serves me correctly. )
Ron

 

If I understand correctly, the engine was left sitting with no oil filter on it? You will want to carefully inspect this area before installing a new filter. I had a Chevy small block rebuilt for a 71 C-10 that I was unfortunate enough to own a few years ago. I left the rebuilt engine sitting for about a month before I could install it. Before starting it I pulled the plugs and cranked the motor with the starter to get some oil pressure. No pressure ever built up. Come to find out a wasp had built a nest in the oil hole I had left exposed. Good thing I didn't start the motor up!

 

Thanks guys. I'll check it out this morning and see what I can find. Yes, the distributor is in the back and the block/valve covers are painted orange. I don't know anything about the chevys as I have never owned one. As such, I probably put a flathead and tranny in the not too distant future. It just looks like a little TLC and the truck should fire as is. That's why I want to determine what's in it so I can crank it. Again the PO is long since dead and his knowledge of the mods with him but I hope I can bring the truck back to life.

Thanks Panelman - pics are on the way.

 

Here are the pics. Appears to be in good solid shape and mostly original.

 

Here's the latest update...

1) - It did have an oil filter, I just couldn't see it until I got under it far enough. It's a NAPA 1069. I figure I can cross reference and might get some hints about the motor. I drained the oil (a fair amount) and will change it once I get back from the parts store with a new filter. Doesn't have a dipstick so I'll need to get one but need to figure out what I have so I get the right size.

2) - Some of the rubber fuel line had deteriorated so I will replace that and a couple of inline filters he had in place. I think he has an electric fuel pump in place but since I've not see one of those I'm assuming that's what it is.

3) - I did not see any casting numbers on the lower portion of the block with the exception of "24" stamped on the underside of the block, pass side, toward the front. Not sure the place above it is where the regular fuel pump would have gone, but again, not sure.

4) - I think the gas tank is empty (does fuel eventually evaporate after a period of years? ) so once I replace the rubber lines & filters I plan to put a little fuel in it so we can give it a try.

5) - The top radiator hose is missing so until I figure out what will fit there I won't be ready to try and fire. It's 1 3/4 diameter at the radiator and 1 1/2 at the water outlet.

6) - A closer inspection of the underside reveals a few motor/ trans mods but most of the original brackets and such remain although they have been altered slightly. Should be able to reuse when the times comes.

7) - Overall, looks like a good platform to start from and I don't intend on big changes. Just want to see it going down the road.

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

Looks like a SBC to me. I have an SBC 350 and a TH375 trans that I'm selling with my 48 F1 project. Take a look at the pictures and compare to yours. The valve covers look the same. Check for numbers on the intake manifold. You should be able to google the number for reference. I have someone coming over right now to look at my F1 for sale and can snap a few more photos for reference.



Fuel does evaporate and also turns into varnish. Try sticking a wire coat hanger inside the tank to scrape and see if you can pull up any varnish. You can tell if a tank is varnished with old gas just by smelling it. It has a very pungent smell.

 

The guys had a locking gas cap on it and the keys are long gone. It has some play in it but is still latched so that will need to be addressed before I can move ahead. I don't want to cut it or drill it out at the risk of getting any debris particles in the tank. Any suggestions?

Just got back from the parts house with most of what I need. They didn't have the air filter and looks like I'm gonna have to modify a radiator hose to fit. I've got a molded one that I need to make a little longer on the vertical and on the horizontal so span the gap and fit correctly. Planning to cut it and insert a piece of pipe and clamp it back together. Is this kosher or is there a better way to tackle that?

 

You can remove the entire filler neck by unscrewing the clamp holding it at the rubber hose near the tank. Once the filler neck is removed, you can drill out the lock without risking it falling into the tank.

As for the upper hose, you can use a pipe as a section between two rubber hoses. I have the same set up in my Airflow as I couldn't find a hose to fit. I've been running it like that for a few years and haven't had any issues. Just be careful around the metal part of the hose after the truck has been in use. The pipe will be hot.

Here are a few pictures of the SBC 350 that I have. The casting number is on the back towards the bellhousing attachment. The intake is also stamped on top towards the rear. Your engine does look like a Chevy motor, just need to figure out what type. Once you have the numbers, you can search them in Google and find out what type and year the engine is.

 

Hey Mike,
If you remove the alternator the pad with number stamp on the block is just below it in front of the head and just above the water pump. give this information to you local Service dept at a chevy dealer near you and they can give you the year and size of the motor. I included some pics to help you. You will have to scrap away some of the gunk but it is stamp there. Good luck Ron