This Old Truck. 
one man's efforts 
to deny the ravages of time 
the disintegration of one seventy-nine chevy

update

May 15th, 1998

Phase 1: Keep 'er running 'n talking. Catch me on 37! If you look carefully, you can see that the score is Nature 2 me 0. There is collision damage on the Rt front; look at the end of the bumper, grilleand Right Fender, moulding and lamp.I am sure the suspension is none the better for the two impacts that did it. The first was during the blizzard of '96, at the very beginning. I was hauling a load of wood from my in-laws in Mechanicsville to my house in South Richmond. The snow had begun to fall as we were finishing the loading portion of hauling. When we left there was a light dusting on the drive, but a crusty ice surface on the road from the afternoon trafic. As we rounded a curve on a hill, someone had stopped in the middle of the road to check on someone who had slid off. Not to surprisingly, Amy was able to stop our '89 Bonneville but I had considerable difficulty doing the same in a 3600 lb truck with about 1750 lb of firewood in it. I chose (admittedly with few other options) to allow the truck slide into the ditch on the right. My hope was that it would hit the steep bank and come to a stop without bumping my other car. It worked, and the damage was not too bad, pretty much the way you see it above. The second incident was again in icy weather, the very following year. I was proceeding down Rt 10 in Chesterfield County. It had been sleeting the night before, most places were only wet, but I found a patch of ice, the truck began to fish-tail at about 40 Mph. This time I had no control, and was simply along for the ride. The truck swerved into the center median, when it started to head into the ditch, I did encourage the spin, hoping to come to rest in the middle. Thanks none too little to the soft mud in the median, this too worked, and I did not go flying into oncoming traffic! That is when the bumper guard (the pair of vertical pieces on the front bumper) was damaged. As far as I know, that was the only damage from that accident.

At least this side doesn't have any major damage.... yet
Throughout all of this, and despite my relative lack of expertiese at mechanical repairs (I'm an estimator, not a repair technician), the truck has provided almost continious service, reliable and strong. I recently had to replace the engine in it, which is what started me on this path. I had to make a decision when the previous engine (it's had at least 4 before the one I just put in it). Should I invest in a new engine, or junk the truck? With a dead motor the truck was not worth much in a cash sale, let alone as a trade. I decided obviously to keep the truck. The very day I picked the truck up with the new motor, the transmission died. Again I was fortunate, the gentleman that sold me a rebuilt motor for "what he had in it" (about $350.00) and gave me a brand new carbourator (Edlebrock) for $75.00, also had a transmission that would fit the long drive-shaft in this truck. For another $250.00 I had a running transmission. Now the truck has a pretty reliable drive-train. It's time to start work on the cosmetics.

Oft called upon for public service, Callsigns are displayed proudly!
One of the challenges of this project is going to be the almost constant use of the truck. It's my daily driver, and my public service vehicle. I participate in ARES, am active member of MPARC, and commute from beautyful Glocester County to Newport News every day. It is often difficult to find enough time when I can have it off the road long enough to complete any major work.

In place for public service and mobile QSOing
is a 2m/70cm dual bander
Look for me on 145.37 mornings and evenings!



March 17th, 1999

Here's the update!  My friend across the street has helped me a great deal.  He removed the old headers, taped the new (used) exhaust manifolds and put them on.  The front steering linkage has been replaced, also by Van.  I took it in to a local shop and have had a new free flowing catalytic converter put on and except for the cherry-bomb muffler, basically stock exhaust.  I liked the duals but it was just too much hassle, the EPA & VDOT didn't think it was such a good idea, and it required an inordinate amount of maintenance.

Now the body is receiving some much needed TLC.  The dents & rust are being removed, mostly replaced with fiberglass, and a fresh coat of paint is getting ready to be applied.






March 29th, 1999

 

Well the paint is on, and the mechanical final touches are being completed today and tomorrow.  The word is the old truck will be back in the driveway tomorrow night.  We'll see!  Here's the latest photos from today.
 

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