1951 Chevy Build

So just a little back story about this truck - My great grandfather bought it new at the dealership in 1951. He passed it down to my grandfather, who passed it down to my dad. Finally the motor blew back in the 80's and it's been (mostly) garage kept ever since. Well finally we are going to get it this weekend and get it back on the road!

Right now the priority is just getting it running again. New motor/wiring/breaks etc. All the cosmetic stuff will be a long way off for now. Just wanted to share the process and have a place to log the journey as well.

 

Sub’d! Bullnose FTW!

 

Throw a bucket of water on it, and maybe wax the paint.

The better it looks, the more likely you'll get the project started.

 

Yeah, that's honestly the thing I'm most excited about right now. It will look like a new truck again just finally getting a bath after all these years.

 

So step #1: Getting the truck! A 4a.m. drive Saturday morning down to Alabama to get the truck out of storage.



Bonus: Got to drive this around the block too!

 

Ah Yeah, Subbed

 

Nice project and the truck looks great.

Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

So not much to really update on right now. Just a lot of scrubbing/sanding down the metal going on right now. The motor that we originally got for it didn't work out so back to the drawing board. Working on a 250 right now that hopefully will do the trick.

 

It's progress

 

Update!

The motor has been rebuilt, painted and put back together. We picked up 4 used wheels for cheap and order 4 new hubcaps to go on them with the Red Chevrolet lettering. All new breaks and tires are next!

 

Just got the seat back! Original seat, new upholstery. Will post more once it's installed.

 

Update time!

Pulled everything out to be pressure washed and cleaned up while it's stripped down. Got the motor running today too!

 

Beauty! Looks like you're doing a fantastic job!

 

Here is mine I had in the mid 80's. No pics of inside, but the previous owner had restored it pretty well. Ran great too. Rode like a tank though.

Out of boredom, one of my buddies and I spent a beer infused Friday night taping off the Harley emblems on both doors. Then the next day, sprayed the whole truck black over the orange the PO had painted on. It was an outdoor paint job on a gravel driveway! I didn't care, I loved it at the time. Kept it for maybe 6 months. Guy who bought it took a spray can and painted over the emblems.

 

Doesn't look too shabby to me! And as long as you have fun with it, that's all that really matters.

Thanks for sharing!

 

Made some big progress today!

 

Update time:

Radiator had a small leak in it. Fortunately, we were able to get it fixed instead of having to replace it. ( $75 vs $450) Clutch and transmission all checked out so we were able to get it out and down the road! Just doing some small drives a few miles here and there to run diagnostics. Will try and post the video later!

 

It's been a little while since my last update but some major progress has been made. Mechanically speaking, I think she is all good to go for now. The next phase will include sanding and prepping the interior for prime and paint, fixing the windshield, rubber seals etc. Down the road will be body work, new exterior paint.

 

Bonus:

My brother-in-law actually customized a hot wheel for us to go with the truck!