Posted by Damon Gentile on August 22, 1999 at 17:14:56:
Hey all - just got a peek at a '59 WM300 in a bunch of pieces.
Engine-tranny-tcase-frame-axles were one piece, the 230
was removed and a "chrysler industrial" 251 was dropped in.
The grill/cowl/radiator were not modified and the owner said
that the 2" difference in length was made up for by moving
the fenders forward 2" leaving a gap between the cab.
What's the proper way to fix this? I'd rather not go for
an electric fan.
The 251 also had a GM 12V alternator in place.
Front fenders were okay- best I've seen but still had some
soft spots but there was enough meat there left to work with.
Hood was in the same shape. Rear fenders had seen better
days, one was a little munched but knowing the price I'd
spend a couple days hammering this one out. No bed (was
flatbed with OEM fenders). With headlights (dented) and
cowl side lights as well.
The cab... had some patches added, needs a little fine
tuning and cleaning of the weld seams. Some small dents
(like someone parked it under an apple tree, etc..) Gauges
are good, no seat at all. Most of the glass is broken.
Doors appeared ok. Package included a 2nd set of doors
and second firewall.
PTO & winch with about 25' of cable. Everything else
was in boxes. All the trim & stuff.
Owner says he drove it in and the 251 was strong so he
wanted to do a body-only resto. Rubber is good, 9x16,
and it has one(!) locking hub - a selectro. Are hubs
available or is this an oddball that would best be replaced
by a driveflange or a more conventional hub?
My goals- a rig that I can drive and have some fun with.
Not looking for a show winner nor nightmare. Try to get
the dents smaller than an inch and get it all the same color.
So what's a fair offer for this ? He's also promised a set
of 3 factory manuals on how it goes together...
11-leaf rears- is that a 4.8x rear end ?? What's the
trick to fitting the radiatior and 251? Any chance I could
homebrew a bed that looked kinda OEM ?
Also the VIN plate on the door is gone, the VIN is on
the title though. Any availability on VIN plates ? ?
Thanks much
-Damon ( near-empty garage, long winter coming, PW hungry!)