Andy Hale's 1936 Chevy 1/2-Ton Low Cab -- A great restored old Chevy

Here's my '36 Chevy half ton, low cab. It's a great show and drive truck with Vintage Air, power steering, power brakes, Mustang II front end, new 350 crate motor, Turbo 350, and Nova rear end. It's all original steel -- fenders, running boards and box. The paint colors are PT Cruiser Deep Cranberry Pearl, with Lexus Graphite Metallic fenders and running boards. Bed is white oak.

I live in Woodinville, Washington and own a landscape company. I have been nuts about vintage Chevy trucks since I was a kid. When this baby boomer decided he wanted a vintage Chevy, he considered all the trucks of the '30's and '40's and decided that the '36 low cab was just about perfect. I began my search in 1997 by advertising in Hemmings Motor News. I posted a want-ad in that publication for three years. I did not want a project, but was hoping for a completed rod.

I received numerous offers of '36 Chevy pickups but they were either too radical or poorly done. In November of 2000, I got wind of a '36 Chevy pickup rod in Texas. In speaking with the owner by phone, I was assured that it was a "Honey." The pictures he sent did look good, so I flew with my son to Texas to have a look.

In the driveway of a double-wide I found the truck -- a colossal disappointment. Oh, how photos and owners can lie.

I was not back in Washington State more than a week when I received a phone call about another '36. When I learned that this truck was also in Texas, I thought. "No way am I making another trip to the Lone Star State." I ended up buying Texas truck #2, sight unseen, after having a friend of a friend (who lives in Texas) look the truck over. Purchase price was $15,000.

I had the truck shipped by an auto transport company to my home in Washington State. Shipping cost was $900.

Well, I didn't want a project truck but that was the only way I would eventually get what I wanted. Yes, I did pay a good price for the truck, but the body and sheet metal was completely without rust, and the mechanical work that had already been done was excellent. That is how I explained the $15,000 to my wife.

The previous owner had given up on the project, and although the body and sheet metal looked decent, it was going to take a lot of work and cash to make it perfect. I wanted the truck to retain all the original features that make these trucks interesting -- like the hinged crank-out windshield, the cowl vent, and the Bow Ties on the sides of the hood. I added the hood ornament from a '34 Chevy Master, as the grille shells are identical. To finish off the back end, I had a roll-pan fabricated to hide the frame and make the exhaust tips look tidy.

The license plate is a restored vintage plate that I registered to the truck. Life time registration for the plate is a one-time fee of $84. To make it a nice driver, I added power steering, air conditioning, a '65 Mustang steering column and banjo steering wheel, and several other mechanical improvements. The metal work and paint cost me an arm and a leg -- far more than I ever dreamed.

The project took five years but is exactly what I wanted. And I use my truck. I will not own something I cannot drive. When the weather is nice and the pavement dry, I drive the vehicle in my work, estimating landscape projects in Seattle. The truck is well received in the driveways of multi-million dollar homes, and is quite at home parked next to Lamborghinis and Ferraris. It gets lots of attention, and adds considerable time to estimating jobs, as clients want to ogle the 70 year old truck as if it's a rare classic. Well, maybe it is.

Thanks for such a great site. I am very thrilled to have my truck shown in your famous Gallery. I enjoy looking at all the Stovebolts, even the ones in their raw and rugged condition.