I have been a fan of classic Chevy
trucks, especially the
1947-1954 Advanced Design series
History
of Chevy Trucks, ever since I spotted a 1950
1/2 ton put out to pasture near my family's home
in
Round Rock,
Texas. I purchased that truck for $180 during my freshman
year at
The University of Texas.
A year and a half later, it was on the road looking good with a fresh
coat of '87 Corvette yellow. The truck was built on a budget of
less than
$1000. Most of that was spent on important things like chrome
wheels. The engine (250 ci straight six),
transmission, and rear-end came from a '71 Nova that was given to me
by a lady at my church (
Holy
Word Lutheran). All the work was done by myself with a lot of
help from my step-dad. The truck was a lot of fun to drive.
You just had to remember to pump the brakes a few times before you
wanted to stop. The steering wasn't much better. The
lack of seat belts and a solid steel steering shaft pointed directly at
my chest were also worrisome. I drove the truck like that for
three years until I
finished college and had money to buy something safer. My next
plan for the truck was to
install an independent front suspension, power disc brakes, power
steering, and a V8 engine. Somehow, I found time to dismantle the
truck but I never had the time to put it back together. So, after
sitting in pieces in my garage for 4
years, I sold it.
I found some old pictures of my first Chevy truck. Check them out
here
Old Chevy Truck - Act 2
Almost as soon as I sold the '50, I was wishing I hadn't. I even
tried to buy it back but to no
avail. So, I set out to find a replacement from the
internet. I wanted a 5 window deluxe cab this time. I
wanted something that still needed work but I was hoping to find one
that already had an updated drivetrain and suspension. After 3
months of searching and a couple of unsuccessful bids, I found what
appeared to be exactly what I was looking for on E-Bay. A 1953 5
window with a 350 SBC, automatic transmission, and a Camaro sub frame
with power steering and disc brakes. See picture at the
top. After speaking with the seller a couple of times, I decided
to bid and wound up buying it.
Buyer's Remorse
After getting the truck shipped 1100 miles from Traveler's Rest, South
Carolina to Round Rock, I quickly realized that the truck wasn't the
"turn key project" it was advertised to be. The Chevy 350 turned
out to be a 305 which ran good but smoked and was in need of a
rebuild. The Camaro frontend is actually from a Chevelle.
Wiring was a rat's nest. But, the biggest surprise was the amount
of
rust. The floorboard and all four lower corners of the cab will
need to be replaced. Looks like I have a bigger project on my
hands than I bargained for.
The Goal
I am not looking to build a show truck. Just want something
dependable, safe, and fun to take to
Texas Longhorns Football
tail-gating or on a trip to Home Depot. I also want modern
conveniences like power steering, power brakes, and
air-conditioning. Other than a street rod stance, I want the
appearance to be mostly stock. Something like
this but in a nice
shade of burnt orange. My girls and I want to enter Round Rock's
4th of July Frontier
Days parade some year. So far, we have missed 2005, 2006, and
2007. Maybe 2008? You bet!
Please sign my
Guestbook
Progress
