I've posted questions in the past about my unique 1953 Chevy (3100) pickup, but today is the first day that it has actually started and run under its own power in nearly 20 years.
First, a little background. This was a one family car from 1953 - 2016, when my friend purchased it from the widow of its former owner. The former owner had inherited from his father. After it had served as a work truck, it was used for a while as a pusher truck on the Bonneville Salt Flats. At some point, the son decided to a full restoration and make it a period correct hot rod.
He had the cab and bed removed, sandblasted and powder coated the frame, purchased new metal bed sides from Mar-K and made numerous changes to the mechanical. For starters, he installed a 261 cu/in inline 6 engine from a 1959 Chevy school bus, a four-speed transmission from a 1967 Camaro, a Vertex magneto, a supercharger from a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk, and a Hallibrand quick change differential. He never finished his work before he passed away, he had just had the engine re-build with new crank, cam, pistons, etc and reinstalled the drive train but it hadn't ever run.
After he passed away, his widow had the truck and the bed stuffed with boxes of parts, the front fenders and tons of misc things and loaded onto an enclosed trailer that the former owner had purchased. She moved everything from California to here in Texas, where my friend on the lookout for an enclosed trailer for his business ended up buying the trailer and all its contents. He intended to make the truck his 'retirement project" but in six years never touched it. He was aware of my interest in the truck from day one, so he made me a great deal on it.
I've now been working on it for the past 20 months and have swapped out the single leaf spring on the front and back for a lowering set of leaf springs. I've also installed a new wiring harness, Vintage AC, four rotors and calipers and electric hydraulic power brakes, electric power steering, rebuilt the Stromberg carb, McCoulloch super charger, Vertex magneto, and installed a whole new interior.
While I'm not done with it yet, today was the first time that it was backed off the four post lift since I got it and run up and down the street. I had cranked the engine for the first time since its rebuild a few weeks ago and had jacked the wheels up to ensure that the transmission worked, but today it actually started and ran under its own power in a very very long time.
