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Tim Gottfried's

1963 Chevy Fleetside


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15 March 2001 Update

Hi guys,

     Since Ken was complaining about certain lurkers not showing pics :) I thought I would ask you to add these, if possible, to the picture of my, um....bbeeeuutttiiffuull truck.

     One of these years I will have to get a better camera, until then this is the best I can do. I have a picture of my 'filled' back bumper - no bumper bolts showing, but there is nothing to see, it's just white. I guess that is why I did it, eh! And what self-respecting '60's greaser wouldn't have a hula-girl (chick) on his dash.

     Actually I'm only three years older than my truck, but I HAD to have a hula-girl. Thanks a bunch in advance. Please keep up the good work and the patience to deal with the likes of those of us with a thing for old trucks.

Freedo
(Tim Gottfried)


01 February 01

From Tim

     Boy am I glad I found your site. It's great! However, I haven't been able to get much done since I discovered it.

     Rick Rickard (a winner in this year's It Ran When I Parked It Contest, btw -- Editor!) suggested I send you a picture of my truck, a twin of the truck he found through you guys.

     I bought this truck for $250 about six months ago after driving by it nearly everyday for a couple of months. It was sold to me as a '64 and is still registered as a '64. Since I had never owned an old Chevy before, I started doing some research and have learned a ton of things like the difference between a '63 and '64.

     I'm actually very happy that it isn't a '64 as I like the '63's better. As money IS an object around here and I needed to get this beast on the road quickly, I spent a couple of weeks taking out all the pine needles that were everywhere in it, making sure everything worked the way it was supposed to and taking out the screwed in pieces of sheet metal on the floor, cleaning up the rust and sandwiching the floor boards with fibreglass.

     The 230 'Turbo-Thrift' runs alright, but leaks and burns about a litre of oil everyweek or so. Compression right now has 4 cyl. at 125 pounds and 2 at 40 pounds. No wonder I go through as much oil as gas and can't spin the rears even in the rain!

     With the 3 on the tree and the low rear-end the truck doesn't like to go much past 60 on the hiway. Late for work one day. I almost got it up to 70, but it nearly shook my fillings loose and it took a while to get color back into my knuckles.

     The truck seems to have been a real base model as there is only one sunvisor, no gauges except gas, no cigarette lighter and no arm rests. I have been promised a 250 6cyl. out of a mid-70's pick-up that apparently doesn't leak or burn blue.

     I'm so excited! I don't expect the truck to ever look much different than it does now, except sitting a bit lower, but you never know. :-)

Keep up the great work,
Tim Gottfried
Victoria, B.C.


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