I'll be starting a new project soon. I'm picking up a barn-fresh 1946 2-ton Chevy farm truck for basically couch change. While it runs and drives, the original 216.5 ci in-line 6 gasser is anemic at best. Heck, brand new it was only rated at (max brake horsepower:90 - rated horsepower: 29.4!).
Here's the thing. I'm buying the truck off of a good friend of mine's 90-year-old cousin, who happens to be a Massey Ferguson fanatic. He has several cool old MF tractors sitting at the farm, some completely restored. He's a really nice old dude who has seen and done more things in his 90 years than 3 or 4 people could do in their entire lifetimes combined.

I was thinking, as a tribute to the old guy, of restoring the old truck in a MF theme. Painting the cab, wheels and grain body MF red with the fenders, running boards and bed stakes MF gray.

Seeing as this is dieselbombers.com, I'm thinking this gem should ultimately have a diesel powering it. For the ultimate in MF-themed restorations, I have access to a 1975 Perkins 354ci in line 6 diesel (Perkins 6.354) out of my Dad's old Massey 510 combine. If the rest of the machine ran as good as this utterly simplistic diesel, he'd be able to sell it for $100,000!

It's comparable in size and weight to the 5.9L 12-valve Cummins. The bore and stroke measure 3.875 in. / 5.00 in. respectively. It's non-turbocharged (for now) and is rated at about 112hp. Oh... did I mention it's also FREE?

I've read that it was a fairly popular to swap these into pick-ups back in the late 70's-early 80's and there were conversion kits available back then, but I'm not finding much available now. Anybody here tinker with these engines any or know somebody who has? What transmissions would be the easiest to adapt to it? I'm not above running an automatic. Anything's better than the un-syncronized 4-speed there now.

Rumor is guys were able to coax 20 mpg's out of their old Ford and Chevy pick-ups back in the day, even with non-overdrive transmissions! I believe it too. We can run that combine for 2 days at WOT on a single 40 gallon tank of fuel.


Oh. Here's the old Chevy in all it's barn-fresh glory (grain-body sides are in the other barn). Notice the seat ain't even ripped? Along with one of the old MF tractors he has. A 35 with Multi-Power!:

 

Thats gona be awesome

 

sounds like a fun project if you need perkins parts let me know

 

Great Combo!!
I put a 345 perkins in a 1974 3/4T 2wd GMC and it was a breeze!

It had a 4 core radiator and it was too close to put a fan on, so I never did! I hauled a 20 ft trailer loaded down with logging shtuff all over Oregon and it never overheated! I used a standard 4 spd in it with tons of torque!

If you need extra gears slip a brownie in between the tranny and rearend!
It will be a "SWEAT Build" for sure.

SUBSCRIBED to this one for sure!

 

This thread brings a tear to my eyes. I want one. Love my Massey's. My butt has occupied the seats of many a tractors through the years and pound for pound the best tractor ever built was the old MF165 Diesel with the smaller Perkins planted in it.

Be sure to take lots a pictures and detailed instructions so you can make a step by step tech thread for the rest of us.

 

There was a guy in texas I think selling pick-ups with perkins in them.Try to find the video.

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Here is one hope it works

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I that handle on top of the dash to crank open the windshield?

 

according to the Chilton's manual that I bought for my old '73 Power Wagon, way-back-when, Dodge used to use Perkins, but, as mine had a 360 (back before we named'em by liters), I wasn't interested in those pages.

 

Yeah. I'm really looking forward to working on this. We're kinda in a holding pattern as of now though. Ohio is a real pain in the butt as far as getting a replacement title for a truck that hasn't been registered since 1985. Gotta get a court order for the DMV to make a title for the truck and since there's no VIN number (only serial numbers back then), the court says a lawyer has to document the old guy has possession of said truck before the court order will be made! Stinking bureaucratic B.S.

Anyway, we're up to the lawyer part of the process but being as it's harvest season, the old dude and my buddy have more important issues at hand. That's OK. I'm in no hurry and the truck ain't going anywhere.

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I that handle on top of the dash to crank open the windshield?[/QUOTE]

Yep! (I know. It's pretty cool ain't it?) It cranks out about 6 inches or so. Guess that was air conditioning back in '46.

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I may need to pick your brain as far as finding a suitable transmission. The Perkins is still in the 510 and I can't see the bell housing bolt pattern for the life of me. I know the gas version of the 510 used a Chevy 327 small-block V-8. Could I be lucky enough that the Perkins have a Chevy bolt pattern?! That would be sweet as I just happen to have both a TH-400 and a SM-465 sitting in the garage!

 

OK. Figgured I'd give you guys who subscribed to this thread an update. Fact is, there is no update! Still waiting on the lawyer to draw up is paperwork to present to the judge so he can write up his paperwork to the DMV to issue the title to a 65 year old truck with a missing title!

It's still mine and the project is still going to happen (if i'm still alive by then!), just everything is in limbo as of the moment.

A word to the wise: Don't ever buy an old vehicle with a missing title in Ohio. You wouldn't believe the B.S. involved in getting a replacement!

 

i applied for a title in Alabama one time for a 37 olds. It only cost me 175 dollars and i had title in 3 weeks. Then i had to transfer Alabama title into PA title. The only thing they needed was a serial number tracing.