Good to see this thread up again. Good to see your truck coming along. God bless Mr. Sam. That's awesome about the guy remembering rebuilding your starter for him so long ago.
Well....have you ever accidently purchased something? Or more to the point, some things? I can now say I have. Several weeks ago, while on work business, of all things enroute to a jail to speak with a parolee, I sailed past a metal building that had a huge sign "Toadsuck Classic Chevy Parts" hanging on the wall. I'd passed it before many times, but never noticed the sign; however I HAD noticed the many Camaros and late '60s, early '70s C10s. This date, though, there was someone mowing the yard. I couldn't resist. I busted a u-turn and pulled in to the drive. A short conversation later, I discovered the lawn mower was the owner, and while he specialized in Camaros, he could provide me with parts for AD trucks. In fact, he was building an AD Suburban for his wife. It developed that he could 1) match prices with the catalogues/websites and 2) could save me shipping. He said he ordered enough in bulk that he didn't get charged shipping and could help out a fellow car nut. As I'd prefer to buy local anyway, it seemed perfect. I explained to him about Sam and the fact that we needed two rear fenders, a front fender and a bumper. He agreed to call me when he made another order so I could potentially order some parts, took down my number, and that was it. I figured when he called, I'd order a fender here, then next time a fender, and so on.. Then came Petit Jean, and the swap meet. I rounded a corner and there was my new friend. His eyes lit up. "Hey! I meant to call you!" Turned out, he'd placed an order. He had needed a few more items to fill out the load...yep. He ordered Every. Single. Piece I'd mentioned that I wanted. "They'll be here Monday". I immediately wondered how on earth I'd tell my wife. I'd already made an appointment for $250 worth of glass work, stashed some cash back for the swap meet- but not THAT much. He told me he'd sell them to me a piece at a time if I needed, and apologized for not calling. Shoot. I was overjoyed, if a bit overwhelmed. I screwed up my courage and admitted to my wife that I had "accidently" bought $1300 worth of truck parts, fulling expecting that I would be enjoying the comfort of Sam's newly recovered seat for a few nights. Thankful for the foresight to buy extra padding, I prepared for the banishment. My wife....laughed. She scared me. She didn't holler, or get mad. She just laughed and said I did the bills, I needed to figure out how to pay for it. She said I was gonna buy it anyway, might as well get it out of the way. I'm still worried. No telling what this will cost me in the long run... Today, the all important info hit my phone. The order was in. My wife came along with me to pick the parts up. Probably to keep me from accidently ordering something else. A truck load later.....and we headed home. The painted front bumper had came in chrome. I would prefer the painted due to the fact Sam is a Korean War truck; however, given the fact that it might take a bit to get the painted bumper in, we took the chrome one. I figured if my new friend could get a painted bumper, I could always sell the chrome bumper. I couldn't resist a pic of Sam's Christmas in July, aka my accidental purchase...after all, we had to check for damage, right? The next update may take a bit. We shall see. So much to do, and now no excuse that I'm waiting on parts..... Besides, I've gotta be very sweet and loving to my wife. Might even have to send her some flowers. And MAYBE she won't notice that the shop will likely be over budget when it comes in too.....maybe. If not- anyone wanna loan me an air mattress for me to throw in the shop floor? :lol:
Sometime I will tell you about buying the '46 Ford pickup my wife told me to NOT buy. They sure put up with us, don't they! Gary Baughman is a really good guy who just loves old Chevrolets. I am glad you two connected. When I lived in Conway, we lived near the Walmart on Dave Ward Dr and Gary's place was exactly 5 miles from my house. Used to see him pretty regularly at the Advance Auto Parts store on Dave Ward. I remember when he decided to take the plunge and go into the Chevy parts business. He has worked hard and is reaping the benefits.
He's an awesome guy and I can see we will become good friends. My wife liked him too. Way he talks, the business has really been busy lately. Me, I am overjoyed to have a local source that isn't as high as a cat's back.
Finally had time to do a little bit of playing with Sam. I dug out the headliner and the inside windshield trim. Took 3 trips to the local hardware store to find the right screws, since I was hard-headed and kept grabbing the wrong size. It would've made too much sense to find one, test it, and buy what I needed the first time. Me being hardheaded, I wound up stocking up on screws. And Sam had to fight me, as usual Headliner is in...but if one looked close, all is not well on the passenger side. On the LAST screw, I was using the cordless drill as a screwdriver, knowing better. Just a bit more...blam. It slipped and now I have to replace a cracked passenger side windshield. I wanted to scream and throw a hammer through it. Oh well. That's the way it goes.. On the other hand I've enjoyed driving the old truck a bit, and I found a treasure at my brother in laws machine shop he recently bought.. A 261, tucked under a bench.. We are negotiating prices. I need that to redo for Sam...it'd look grand with my new dual intake and headers on it. And of course some finned aluminum accents, like a valve cover and the like...
Well...kinda Sam related. After months of waiting and a lot of begging and pleading with the wife. I FINALLY got my new shop installed. I still have to wire and insulate it, but at least this winter I have a place in the dry to work on the old trucks in.
What a great thread! Congrats on the new shop, although it has far too much empty space…you’d better get busy.
Well, it's got too much empty space because I've had the keys to it and the installers have been gone, oh, two hours. LOL
Been too busy working on wiring the shop and getting it up to snuff to do much on Sam. But, lest anyone thinks I've neglected and forgotten the old truck- we got a little gift in for him. As is obvious, Sam is a Korean War year truck, which came with little to no chrome. Painted grill, bumpers, hubcaps.... Much to my surprise, there is apparently no one re-popping painted hubcaps. On one of the facebook groups there was a guy buying a new set of chrome repros and wanting to part with his original, slightly battered painted caps. Never mind the fact they have been re-painted white at sometime in the past instead of the factory thistle gray, I spoke up and asked to buy them. The man was a real stand up guy- shipping and $10 got me the set. (Pics are from the seller, and on the bubble wrap package used for his new reproductions, thus the labels you see). I'm thinking they'll look grand on the old guy, and may repaint them. They are no doubt originals- very thick, good metal.
Glad this thread popped back up. I'd read it before but I reread it tonight because it's such a great story. Thanks for sharing. Ain't God good.
Just found the thread this morning. Really enjoyed Sam’s journey so far. Following along. The title of the thread drew me in. All our days are “good days”. Some are just better than others.
Loved reading through your thread! I too have a 52 with a 235/sm420/3.08 rear axle and enjoy the truck. Where did you find the adapter for the speedometer?
Man, I'll have to search my email for that info. Not sure now. And I don't know if it is the adapter, or something with the speedo, it's still off some. So, the shop has had no heat, so Sam's redo has been paused since it has been a cold winter here. So, this week, pretty spring-like weather arrived. After work last night, I pulled the old guy around to the burn pile and emptied his bed of all the detritus that had accumulated over the last several months- oil cans, spare shifter levers, leaves, you name it. Then, since he was out of the shop and running, I couldn't resist a short put to the local lake down the back road of our area. Today, after a quick trip to Harbor Freight for a cheap reciprocating saw (this turned out to be a wise choice), I jacked the old guy up on jack stands, put down the ancient creeper my sister was sweet enough to grab for me at a local flea market, and attacked seven quadrillion rusty, dirty bolts. The fender to running board bolts gave up the ghost fairly easily- those that didn't come loose broke off. The bolts that held the bed to the frame were loose thanks to the wooden blocks originally used to mount the bed to the frame leaving long ago. Kinda reveals why the old truck rattled and the bed didn't look just "right". They quickly let me know they had no interest in leaving, so the reciprocating saw made quick work of them. I pulled Sam out of the shop and prepared to pull the bed with the help of my tiny subcompact Kioti which has became invaluable. I couldn't find my chains, so I improvised with straps and, don't laugh, a nylon rope. It still seemed to be hanging up, and it was then I was reminded of Mr. Sam's love affair with his stick welder. Yep- concealed under a bit of bondo was a beautiful weld holding the driver's rear fender to the running board. Mr. Reciprocating Saw to the rescue. And finally... Now, to wait on a clutch head socket set I've ordered to come in, and off go the old fenders and out comes the sander... Much work to do, and I've had to order a cab corner- after getting a closer look at the driver's rear cab corner, I see it was artfully crafted bondo. But I'm still hoping to complete bodywork and have some paint sprayed by summer's end.
I had a '50 Ford Truck and was the same color except the paint was completely blistered/pimpled. A friend of mine and I went in together and bought a '50 Chevy that was near mint and original, '50 Ford Truck and a '66 Ford truck. The same man has a AACA"Senior" Black '49-'50 Ford truck. The '50 Chevy was used in the filming of The Last Ride. As far as BBQ I go to the Shack at the Morgan exit. lol See you guys a Petit Jean.
Great, great story. And what a great day it was for Sam! My grandfather had a '48 Chevy truck and as kids spending our summers with him, he drove it all over Arizona, with a pint of whiskey down on the floorboard and a snuff spit can as well. I have owned my '54 for 30yrs, buying it from the original farmer in Wyoming over the phone, sight unseen. I have driven it all over Colorado and Wyoming with never a problem. These trucks never let you down. Thanks for your story and take care of your legacy. Bob
Absolutely LOVE your '54, especially that color. I really considered painting this one that color since that shade of blue is my favorite, but can't get past painting it back the original green. I've managed to acquire a set of 16 inch rims too, and have a really good set of tires I took off of my motorhome just waiting for them and those painted caps I posted about.
Well. As you can probably tell by the lack of postings, life has been kicking me repeatedly and I haven't had much time to work on Sam. My daughter's OT plastic fantastic is also vying for my time, of which my two jobs leave me very little. So anytime I find a few minutes I run out to do a bit. Removing the passenger side fender was a bit of a fight. The clutch head socket set came in, and I went for the job with enthusiasm, knowing that I'd been liberally dowsing the nuts with WD40. Hah! One twist and the clutch head ATE out the center of the bolts. Clearly this was not working. So, a grinder and some time and finally the fender lay vanquished. I sprayed some spray can primer to keep it from flash rusting... And then the next time I had, off we went to the passenger side. I knew that it had been the recipient of a patch in the past. I started trying the grinder method. And the Sawzall method. And the begging method. And the praying method. And the anger method. Finally a combination of these worked and I was the victor. Wore out like I'd worked a ten hour shift, dirty as can be and slightly ticked- but the fender was tossed through the door of the shop with much glee. Now to sand/strip this side down and begin patching. Still hoping to get this section done and painted so we can move to the cab. I also am going to have to buy another tailgate- this one is too rough to use, but will probably live on as a bench or a wall hanger. Johny Cash built his Caddy one piece at a time. Me, I'm having to build my old truck the same way- minus the whole liberating GM parts thing. LOL
Had a few moments today. I spent a bit of it stripping rust and "patina" from the bedside of Sam, then assessed the damage. Old Mr Sam had previously cut a patch about 6 inches tall by around a foot long or less, and used it to cover a rusted through place on the bed side. His repair, held on by 6 panhead Phillips screws, had worked for him for 40 years. I removed it, and ground the rust away. Since the inside of the bed will be bedlinered, and keeping in mind that this is a budget build with little budget available, I decided I'd do a farmer fix. Besides, the majority of this patch will be behind the fender and will get a coating of bedliner as well. I took cardboard and made a couple of templates. Transferred that to spare steel I had. Then I used the dreaded cut off wheel which I still have fear of, and cut out the patches. I then drilled holes and temporarily affixed them with some of Mr Sam's favorite items, the aforementioned Phillips screws. So here we are now. I'll epoxy/ 3m bond these the next time I get a chance, then grind down the edges. Then the screws come out, and a thin layer of body filler to smooth the transition. Hopefully, once that is done, I can spray some primer on it and move to the next phase. Oh and Sam related- I hauled a load of scrap to the scrap yard today in the 46. Of course the owner struck up a conversation about old trucks. When I told him I was working on Sam, he laughed, and named the name of one of Mr Sam's favorite mechanics. He said that Mr. Sam wouldn't let the mechanic come to the farm because he never wanted Ms Charlene to know how much money he was spending on those old trucks, which she viewed as crusher bait. Told me he'd love to see the old truck when I get it back out and about. The joys of living in a rural area...
Nice, hot day in Arkansas. After the day of work in my cushy air conditioned office, I came home and proceeded to torture myself by heading to the shop. The shop that, when I planned it, was going to be well insulated and climate controlled. But then inflation and family needs happened, and, well, now I have a absolutely beautiful 24x30 foot oven. But, even with the torture of 90 degree plus heat, I enjoyed my bit of time with the old truck. The hands-on work with no one yelling at me, or giving me a gazillion problems to solve, gives me time to commune with the Lord a bit and just generally unwind. I removed and painted a taillight bracket, painted the old tailgate chains,spread another coat of body filler over the patch repair on the driver's side bedside ( I panel bonded it and spread the first coat of body filler since my last post) and then decided it was time to test fit the new aftermarket rear fender on the passenger side. Not bad. I took my trusty carpenters pencil and carefully traced the inside radius and the outside. My plans, hopefully no later than next week, are to spray a coat of primer on the bedside. On the inner part of the bedside, in the fenderwell, I plan to liberally apply some rubberized bed liner. That should protect the bedside and the somewhat thinner aftermarket fenders a bit. All in all, not a big step forward- but a step forward nonetheless. Life is grand.
Opened the garage doors wide and sprayed about 5 minutes worth of primer on the repaired driver's side bedside tonight. Being a hypochondriac I always worry about fumes, etc and limit the time I actually spray,even with protective equipment. Still need some primer on the front panel of the bed and passenger side top of the bed, but I had sprayed about 5 to 10 minutes and that's my limit. Long way from perfect, but definitely an improvement. Now to test fit the driver's fender and mark it, and roll some bedliner in that bed..
Got a little good news to report, although it'll be a bit before we enjoy it.. A few posts ago, I referred to a 261 my brother in law had. We had been negotiating price, but to be honest Sam's other costs were draining the hobby budget and the 261 was placed on the back burner. My brother in law texted me a few days ago, after I'd gifted him some tires I didn't need. "Come get the 261. It's yours. Don't worry about money, I don't need it" After making sure he was serious, I fired up Rusty and went to pick it up. Yep....pretty Captain's bars... I got it home and called one of my close friends, Robert, who is a bit of a Chevrolet straight six guru. He was happy to come over and look, since I had some roller wheels he needed to borrow for his project '47 sedan. He gets here and begins to look. No doubt 261, casting numbers seem to indicate a 1961 manufacturer date. But the serial number.. " That should start with an F. Not a W9" He pointed some other oddities out as well. He laughed and said sarcastically "Probably a Canadian Pontiac 261". We laughed at the absurdity of a Canadian engine being in rural Arkansas. I'd never heard of Pontiac using them and Robert filled me in. I begin to try my google-fu. Shortly on a chevy talk site, I find a thread where a now deceased member who was evidently very knowledgeable had posted this " The Canadian Pontiac 261 had serial numbers beginning with W, and W9 in the case of a power glide equipped car " Ladies and gents- We couldn't help but laugh. Ole Sammy has to be unique, down to having what is likely the only remaining Canadian Pontiac 261 in Arkansas..
Did you make Petit Jean??? I've never seen it so Dead. I thought for sure Saturday would go well. WRONG. I do better in the September swap meet.
Been a busy holiday weekend. But even between family time and working on the 20x21 carport for my daily driver and my daughter's off topic tiny convertible, I manage to work a bit more on Sam's drivers cab corner replacement. Still have some sanding and a bit more work to do, but at least I won't lose the can of brake fluid or spare can of oil that has always been stashed there. Lol Little by little...
Like a few others, I just found this thread. What a joy. And blessing. Horror of horrors, I was so engrossed, reading the "Whole enchilada" my coffee is now cold! Keep up the good work. God IS good. Ben
The Jalopy Journal
