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Bill Frey's1958 Chevy Apache 3100 |
19 June 2006
# 1574
From Bill:
I would like to submit these pictures of my truck to be included in the Gallery. Thanks for consideration of the submission, and for your time and effort keeping Stovebolt.com operational.
Unlike most in the Stovebolt community, I don’t have a lifelong affiliation with Chevy and Stovebolt pickups. As a result of a certain hurricane that hit the New Orleans area in 2005, I moved back to Texas and found myself in need of a pickup. I could have bought a newer truck, but I don’t care for how they all look the same, year after year. I also don’t care for how they continue to depreciate, year after year. It was an easy decision to choose an older truck that has some personality. My wife encouraged me to get an old truck, knowing that it would be a good hobby for me. I wanted a truck with replacement part availability, reliability, and simplicity. I looked at brand F and D. I even looked at Studes and IHs. None of them was what I was looking for. It seems each time I’d look, I always came back to the old Chevies because they had the whole package.
Originally, I was focusing on a later Advance Design. I was attracted to the fat fenders and the availability of parts and help. I looked in the north Texas area at several that were for sale (and a few that weren’t!) but I couldn’t come to writing the check. There always seemed to be some little snag keeping me from knowing inside that “this is the one.”
Meanwhile, not more than two miles from my home on this little road out in the country, I saw this gorgeous 1958 truck appear in a man’s yard, and it had a "For Sale" sign on it. It looked “too pretty” to fit my budget, but after a couple of months, the seller and I came to agree on a price. I felt like a teenager driving it home. Who would have thought that my first Chevy would be about the same age as me?
The man I bought this truck from bought it from the supposed original owner in Amarillo. It was well-used and maintained during its farm-life, and was then retired to the Barn Rest-Home for Tired Trucks. It was eventually restored for the seller’s son, who was going to Wichita Falls for college. After one semester, he realized that the truck was not well-suited for college life, so it sat until it went up for sale. I’ve returned it to a more quiet life, but it is still used for weekend chores and hardware store runs.
The truck is equipped with a 235 six mated to a 4-speed transmission. Top speed is around 50 mph, but along the country roads where I live, that is not a problem. For the most part, it is all stock down to the narrow blackwall tires. The interior has been updated with seat belts, carpet, and velour inserts in the vinyl seat to take some of the sizzle out of summer. The black head-liner matches the seat-insert diamond stitch pattern. The bottom of the floor wells and the sides of the bed have been treated with undercoating, giving them a thick flat-black appearance. The color is original, as is the radio delete blanking plate.
Even though it looks great and drives around just fine, there always seem to be things that need work. The areas that could use attention are the doors (fit and glass,) heater controls, and wiper motor. I want to get highway gears and turn signals someday but this is not a high priority. These projects are not seen as troublesome. In fact, I welcome the chance to fix these areas to make the truck even better. This ‘Bolt has been wonderful at washing away some of Katrina’s after-effects.
Thanks to the Stovebolt community for helping me keep this lovely truck running. I look forward to seeing other Stovebolts in the Ft. Worth/Weatherford area, and meeting the owners to share stories. “Cletis” lives in my county, as well as "Tony N Weatherford." I have plans to get with them, and others. There is a swap meet in Fort Worth this weekend, so I think I’ll have a chance to meet up with folks in the region. I think a T-shirt is in order!
Bill Frey
“TxLaTx”
Bolter # 11235
Fort Worth, Texas
