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06 September 2016
# 3148

 
  Owned by
Dave Craig
United Kingdom

 

1952 Chevy Truck

 

A whole website devoted to the nine year restoration
of this truck, with lots of pictures

The Truck Menu page has it all!

 

 

From Dave :

I am in the UK and have a 1952 Chevy truck. I bought it nine years ago and all of the ideas and advice are on my 1952 Chevy website. The site covers the nine years restoration work, the history of the truck and lots of pictures! I keep adding to it as we continue to work on the truck. So far, the site includes

  • The truck's history, including getting it from South Carolina to the UK
  • Handling issues, power steering rack alignment
  • High intensity headlights and improved tail lights, reverse lights
  • Engine and carb upgrades
  • Front and rear springs upgrades
  • Cab upgrades -- making space, flat floor (none destructive approach)
  • Making seat brackets, preparing and fitting new seats
  • New front tyres; front anti-sway bar; Bilstein shock absorbers, power brakes
  • Decoupling the bed on engine mounts
  • Under-bed stainless steel fuel tank and tank venting problems
  • Exhausting upgrades
  • Stainless steel bed rails
  • Fitting an underbed spare wheel
  • Fitting a 2-inch receiver tow hitch
  • Front end strip down and restoration (done in 2010 and 11)
  • "Podding the Firewall"
  • Gutter rail remove (to reduce wind noise)
  • Adding speakers and amplifier
  • Restoring running boards with a new improved method of fixing them
  • Big push in 2015: battery box upgrade; new springs; restore front grille; fitting a new performance 4-speed transmission; modifying and restoring the doors; engine performance upgrades; new steering wheel (and it's history); new steering column; new fuse box and wiring loom
  • Improved tail lights and gauges; modifying the original gauges to modern electrical type
  • Painting the truck

In 2016 the truck was painted and the upholstery done. All these "final" areas are to be added to the site soon.

However, the work will not stop there as I have been working on a very high quality hard tonneau cover which would have zero impact on the truck (no holes to drill and it will look fantastic). I hope to have it finished in a couple of months.

About the '52 itself, very little is known about it before 1998 but in that year, it was owned by Terry Cauldwell in Greenville, South Carolina. He bought the truck and restored it that year. He spent significant funds on many new and reconditioned parts but the workmanship of the people he employed was not very high.

It was in 1998 that the original straight 6 engine and manual transmission were replaced with the Chevy small block V8 and automatic transmission. The front suspension was upgraded to the Mustang 2 front clip. The rear suspension is 1992 Chevy Caprice. The interior was re-upholstered and they are still in perfect condition. The whole truck was painted.

In June 2007 I saw it on eBay and flew to South Carolina to check out the truck. We closed the deal. It was transported to Baltimore docks and then shipped to Liverpool. From there I drove it home.

It was registered in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Since then many new parts and much work has been done.

Between 1998 and 2007, the truck had only done about 1000 miles but those bench seats (like many old vehicles) are not very comfortable. In the driving position you tend to slide towards the door. Modern 10-way powered front seats (like the ones in my 2005 MC Yukon Denial) were fitted.

A modern radio was fitted in the dash, and someone cut the metal to fit it in! We took that out and made metal good in such a way that it looked like the panel has never been tampered with.

Hot Rod type gauges were in the dash, too. They were taken out and original gauges re-fitted. The original gauges look great and suite the truck. They are expensive but very worthwhile. The steering wheel was also changed.

Everything is available for a '52 truck from a catalogue and everything is manufactured new today. It is interesting, however, to custom design and make items that have not been thought of before. This was done with the lights. We are still working on an LED front, side light assembly

One example - Mike Bakken (1951 Chevy 3600 Rust Bucket) from your Tech Tips Section ( "Swapping your Ammeter for a Voltmeter in the Advance Design Gauge Cluster ... for $22!" ) shows how to convert an ammeter to a voltmeter and yet maintain the appearance of the original cluster. His notes inspired me to show how all four gauges can by upgraded to modern electrical types without affecting the original appearance.

Hope the site is of interest to your members.

David Craig

 

Check in at Dave's website to see ALL the details of this truck restoration - from it's very beginnings into 2016. He even has a list of al the modifications he's made to the truck, plus a helpful list of links and resources he has used. If that's not enough, it's fun to read an English perspective of American life! Thanks ~ Editor  

 

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