Jeff Bourdon's 1951 Chevrolet 1300

20 July 2006
# 1588

From Jeff:

           Here are some pictures of my 1951 Chevrolet 1300 -- one beside Parksville Beach on Vancouver Island B.C. I bought it in January of 2006 and spent six months getting her roadworthy . I have a ways to go but I sure am having fun driving it.

           When I first got it, I had been freezing my butt off trying to work on her. I asked and got lotsa help from this site and from a few friends. My wife did the upholstery in the interior. I took out a one day insurance testing permit when I thought it was ready. I couldn't sleep so I got up at 5:30 am and fired her up and drove to the Shell for gas. I didn't know what to expect from the 216 and the 4 speed. I sure got the looks, the smiles, and the biggest reward was the fact that this baby is mine and I'm driving it!

           I also put a used set of LT 215 / 85 R16 BRIDGESTONES on my the truck. I am using the original 16" wheels and had to install new radial tubes. I picked the four up and had them installed and balanced and they seem to work fine. The big problem was finding a modern radial truck tire that was narrow.

           I wanted to share this. too. I purchased new gray door panels for the truck. They didn't come with the holes for the arm rests or marked in any way. I took 2 1/4 -20 nc bolts and sawed off the caps then pro ceded to grind the cap side to a cone shape leaving about a 1/16 flat round spot on the end. Boy they get hot fast! Then I screwed them into the door leaving them out about 1/4 inch. Then I fitted the new panel on and, using my hand, I applied pressure to make an indent. Remove the panel again and there will be 2 nice indents on the inside ready to drill. The fit was very precise. The drilled hole was a bit raggy but the arm rest covered it. Next time I would try a 3/8 leather punch for a cleaner hole.

           My body work has a way to go but the mechanics are the most important things for me. This is going to be a TRUCK! Thanks to all the Stovebolters, this site, my supportive wife and a few good pals for all the help and great advice.

Jeff Bourdon
"coolchevy"
Bolter # 9972
Parksville, British Columbia
Canada