Tuesday, June 28, 2011

1991 Chevrolet Silverado

When it comes to legendary workhorses, few have surpassed the overall quality and reliability of the Chevy Silverado. The Silverado has remained essentially the same throughout its production and is the second best-selling light-duty pickup truck, drafting right behind the Ford F-Series.
"Silverado" was a designation used to denote the higher level trim that appeared on Chevy C/K pickups from 1975 - 1999. A close cousin to the GMC Sierra, early models included variations in the engine and equipment, with the introduction of different grilles and interior trim in the 1999 redesign. But, aside from that, the differences in current models are slight.



The 1999 Silverado debuted in 1998 and replaced the time-honored and immensely-popular C/K Series trucks. The Silverado came with a Super Sport "SS" package with special badging and engine options, reflecting Chevrolet's sports-car styling. In recent years, Chevy enthusiasts have started to outfit their rigs with aftermarket parts to get exactly the combination of gear for a price that beats the inflated fees charged by many dealers.
Chief among these upgrades are Chevy grille guards and a Chevy Silverado bull bar because that Silverado chrome ain't cheap and it needs protecting. Forged from heavy-duty steel tubing, most Chevy grille guards bolt directly onto your frame, with no drilling required, and they're custom-tailored to your specific make, model and year. They effectively block damage – often acquired at the hands of a half-size parking post or objects on the trail like boulders and fallen trees – before it knocks out a headlight, dents your bumper or worse. Similarly, a Chevy Silverado bull bar protects the center section of your front end with custom-wrought 3" stainless-steel tubing. It resists corrosion and rust, sealed against the elements with a durable powder coating or polished finish, and comes with pre-drilled holes for mounting a Chevy light bar.



The Silverado is known for its entry into the hybrid landscape. It also comes in a GMT800 standard version and the "Heavy Duty" models with four-wheel-drive and three-door extended cabs or four-door crew cabs. One upgrade that typically accompanies the heavy-duty models is the addition of bigger tires—sometimes MUCH bigger tires. For this, a Silverado leveling kit is used to provide up to 3" of extra height for more ground clearance and more room for skyscraping height. A Silverado leveling kit comes with urethane or aluminum spacers that mount inside your coil springs, so it doesn't take a hacksaw, grinder or welding equipment to install.



Of all its uses, the Silverado has become synonymous with off-roading. And, to keep the mud where it belongs (out of the cab and off the bodyline) many truck owners have found Silverado mats and Chevy Silverado mud guards a worthwhile investment. Chevy mud guards, also known as Chevy mud flaps, are available in a wide range of colors and styles to suit any preference. Plus, some even come with trick add-ons like LED lights. Similarly, Silverado mats preserve the appearance of your vehicle and resale value by blocking muck from mucking up your floorboards. They're designed to provide maximum coverage without blocking your floor controls and come in a wide variety of styles and colors for a seamless match to your interior, including all-weather, carpeted, rubber and official logo designs.



Chevy Silverado parts such as Silverado mats, a Chevy Silverado bull bar and Chevy mud flaps are just a few of the increasing assortment of accessories for the Silverado. Providing style and functionality, they add the finishing touch to this legendary truck.

Monday, June 27, 2011

1955 Ford F-100

The 1955 Ford F100 was a work truck that came in 4 flavors. The standard 6.5 foot pickup truck, a stake and post, the cab and chassis, and a 8 foot panel delivery box. The truck was classified as a 1/2 ton pickup, but its carry capacity , when ordered with the heavy duty springs, was closer to 1 ton, with a maximum vehicle weight of 5000 lbs.

The F-100 could be ordered in 8 colors, with a roof top “showshoe white” two tone roof available as an option. The cab body was beautifully rounded curves with flowing fenders, and an accent white V bar grille, or chrome accent grille. The box on the pick up was a nicely tied to the cab by running boards between the front fenders and the rear fender flares.
The step side out board fenders and wheels of the box gave more space in the cargo area without tubs in the way. The cargo box measured 78 inches long by 49 inches wide by 20.3 inches high, giving 45 cubic feet of space. Heavy gauge steel walls of the box made for tough sides, and a the box floor was seasoned wood with steel skid strips to protect the floor. A low 24 inch load height made for easy cargo loading.


Power was provided by Ford’s “Cost Clipper Six” 223 cid 6 cylinder engine making 118HP@3800 rpm and 195 ft-lbs@1200-2400 rpm torque. A good, solid well tested engine that moved the relatively light truck (2800lbs) easily. An optional V-8 overhead valve 239 cid engine known as the “Power King V-8″. It made 132HP@4200 rpm and torque was rated at 215ft-lbs@1800-2200 rpm. With the V-8 you also got nice V-8 emblems announcing the fact to all on the front grille. Front and rear leaf springs made up the suspension for all models.

The base transmission was a 3 speed “Syncro-Silent” column shift manual type. A heavy duty version of the same 3 speed optional as well as a 3 speed with overdrive manual. A 4 speed manual with floor shift was also available or the “Ford-o-matic” 3 speed automatic transmission could be chosen. The standard clutch was 10″ diameter, but an heavy duty 11″ clutch could be ordered.

High rear end gears could be chosen for the hypoid-semi-floating axle. Standard gears were 3.92:1, and optional gears were 4.27:1. 11″x2″ front brakes and 11″x1.75″ rear brakes manual brakes were standard. Vacuum booster assist power brakes were available. Both the pickups and panel trucks sat on a 110 inch wheel base.Interiors were two tone bench seat with vinyl and cloth and the bench could seat three in the pickup, and a single driver seat for the panel van but a second seat was optional. Standard gauges were water temperature, oil pressure, fuel,and charge indicator. Options were plentiful to customize your F-100. Rear bumper for the pickup, spare tire carrier side mounted, directional turn signals, heater and defroster, heavy duty radiator, stop lamp, tinted glass, tow hooks, windshield washer, radio, and heavy duty springs to name a few.
The Ford F-100 was a popular pickup truck choice, selling 124,842 units. The panel truck sold 11,198 units. Survivors today are still being found in “barn” finds and these trucks are popular hot rodding trucks. Keeping them original is possible due to many re-manufactured parts out there to replace rusted panels.


If you do keep it original, and do a full restoration, you can expect to get between $28,000 to a high of $51,700 as seen by recent auction sites for these trucks. Customized versions with items such as high performance V-8, disc brake conversion, 12 volt conversion, etc fetch $50,000 or even higher depending on the extent of the customizing.
At the lower end, you can find good condition trucks for $4,000 to $10,000 or so that are good starting points for full restoration. Panel trucks are rare, and mildly customized panel trucks can sell for as much as $36,000.


As mentioned above, plenty of parts are available for these old trucks, so it can be fun to own and operate one of Fords best built trucks of the 1950’s. Go out and get truckin’. Happy hunting

Sunday, June 26, 2011

1959 Chevrolet Apache

The Chevrolet light-duty Apaches offered a new appearance for 1959 including new interiors and 5 different exterior colors to choose from. The featured a husky parallel-design frame, tubeless tires, dual headlamps, high-level interior ventilation, and options and accessories for your every need.




1959 Chevrolet Truck Features

  • Easy Ball-Gear steering, standard in all models.
  • High capacity front axles with capacity ranging from 2,200 lbs. to 4,000 lbs. available in Series 30 axles with capacities of 4,000 lbs. to as high as 9,000 lbs. available in medium and heavy duty trucks.
  • Might Triple-Torque Tandems in Series 80 and 100; Three speed auxiliary transmission combines with axle power divider to give wide choice of gear ratios with single or dual axle drive.
  • Series 80: G.V.W up to 28,000 lbs.; G.C.W. up to 45,000 lbs.
  • Series 100: B.V.W. up to 36,000 lbs.; G.C.W. up to 50,000 lbs.
  • Big Brakes for every model: Torque Action brakes (light duty) Durable Twin Action brakes (medium and heavy duty) with two cylinders to actuate brake shoes smoothly and efficiently. Hydrovac brakes are standard in Series 50 through 100 models. Rugged Air Hydraulic brakes are optional at extra cost in Series 50 through 100 and extra large Full Air brakes are optional in Series 70, 80, 90 and 100 models.
  • Cast spoke or disc wheels
    Extra Durable Drive Line

    • Long-lasting diaphragm spring clutch provided with Thriftmaster 6 engine.
    • High capacity coil spring clutches provided with Jobmaster 6 and the V8 engines.
    • 11 inch coil spring clutch is standard in Series 50 60 70 and 80 with Jobmaster 6 or HD Taskmaster V8.
    • 13 inch coil spring clutch is standard in Series 90 and 100.
    • Wide choice of transmissions - Synchro-Mesh - Selection ranges from standard 3 speed and Hydra-Matic transmissions in light duty models to Spicer 5 speed and 6 speed Powermatic transmissions in heavier trucks.
    • Rugged Rear Axles rated up to 7,200 lbs. in light duty models