Dad's Truck
My father passed away just before Christmas last year. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma a few weeks before Thanksgiving, was ready to fight, but unfortunately he didin't respond to chemotherapy like we had hoped. If you'd like to learn more about Dad's life there is a memorial video here: https://youtu.be/gLDteqVNcL4
Dad had an old 1950 Chevy 3100 Pickup that he bought in the early 1990s, just after I got out of the Navy. I was out in Arizona then, just before I moved there permanently to go to college at Arizona State. He found the truck in the "Pennysaver," which was one of those newspapers full of free classified ads they gave away at Circle K and the like in the pre-internet era. Dad and I went to go look at the truck. It was mostly original, but the engine had been replaced with a mid 50's 235 stovebolt engine. This was common for these trucks as a 1950 Chevy 235 stovebolt wouldn't have been what they called a "full pressure oiler," In other words, the engine didin't have the same higher oil pressure that more modern engines had. Aside from the engine, aftermarket wheels, a 12-volt electrical conversion, the radiator, and a goofy hot rod looking steering wheel...it was pretty much original. It was a survivor. I believe the guy wanted $2000 for it. After some haggling, Dad and the seller settled on $1800 as a fair sales price and Dad drove the truck home.
Dad drove the truck around the neighborhood, mostly....giving people rides and letting kids ride in the back, etc. Not long after he got the truck, Dad and Eleana, my step-mother, bought a new house that was less than a mile away in Mesa, Arizona. The new house had a three car garage, so the truck was moved inside...and there it sat.....for years.
Dad tinkered with the truck off and on over the years. He liked to go to swap meets with friends in the neighborhood and collect parts. He found running boards for it, and had upgraded the transmission from a 3 speed on the column to a period correct 4-speed floor shift. When I went out to Arizona in April of 2023 to retrieve the truck, there were all kinds of spare parts: an extra engine, 2 extra transmissions, heater core, and old period correct radiator and frame, rear end with 3.91 ratio, the proper steering wheel, etc. But between traveling for work, raising my teenage sister, and other demands of life, Dad never really had time to devote to the truck that he would have liked. Over time the truck became unroadworthy. I believe Dad still enjoyed having the truck as a conversation piece and as an excuse to frequent swap meets on the weekends with his friends. Despite the fact that the truck couldn't be driven, he always kept the registration up to date!
In April of 2023 I towed Dad's truck from Mesa Arizona to my home in North Carolina. I'm slowly getting her back on the road, as I have my own demands of work, career, and life.
In May I got the engine running. I had to replace the entire fuel system, including fabricating all new fuel lines, new tank, and fuel pump. There is a video of her first start in 20+ years here:
My goal for Dad's truck is to get her back on the road and drive her as a survivor. This will not be a restoration. So many of these trucks are not original. In fact, if you see today what they call a "Chevy Advanced Design" (1947-1955) truck on the road, there is a higher likelihood than not that it's actually a Chevy S10 chassis underneath. Many of them have been hot-rodded and restomodded. My father's goal for his truck was to keep her original (or at least period-correct) and he was making steps in that direction, based on the parts he had collected over the years and discussions I had with him. I will accomplish that goal for him and plan on taking her to car shows, parades, etc. in his honor.