Paul Hite's

1930 Chevy 1.5-Ton Log Truck


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5 June 2006
# 1547

From Paul:

           My most recent find brought me to The Stovebolt Page for the first time. After three months in the dog house, I was finally able to buy my first pre- '60 iron.

           I found this truck on a car lot in Quitman, Louisiana and couldn't stand driving by it any longer. Three weeks ago I trailered it home to Pleasant Plains, Arkansas to give it the love and attention it deserves.

           It is an all-original, one owner 1930 1.5-ton Chevy log truck with 9911 actual miles. It was bought new by the "H.S. Construction and Engineering Company" in 1930 and shipped to "Nabors Trailers" in Mansfield, Louisiana for a custom built fifth wheel trailer and winch.

           The winch is the model "c'' serial #262 5000 lb pto winch by the Automotive Division of Muskogee Iron Works from Muskogee, Oklahoma. They went out of business about 15 years ago. The belt goes on the left side of the winch. It is not an actual drum, like the John Deere tractors. It is just a "u" shaped end similar to a pulley for a fan belt. There are several levers in the floor that operate the different functions. The cable appears to be several hundred feet long.

           The trailer has removable side boards which are stacked on the trailer in the picture. It has a slider rear end on the trailer, with 4 positions. The springs are sideways like on a Corvette and the frame is flexible, perhaps for crossing rough terrain and ditches. There are two layers of wood, with the top layer tongue and groove.

           The truck vin numbers say it is a '30 but the back corners of the cab are squared off like a '29. I was told that it was a '29 leftover and retagged as a '30 to keep from taking a loss from the factory. It also has the downdraft carb under the intake. I`m only guessing, but it sounds logical to me. The '30s that I have seen are rounded at the back corners of the cab.

           Kelly's Auto bought the truck from the original owner with the intention of restoring it. They made the mistake of sanding off the original paint and priming it for new paint. Then they let it sit until it started to surface rust. They broke the bellhousing trying to pry the starter over just enough for the starter teeth to catch a few good teeth on the flywheel. After prepping the truck to crank by hand, I pushed the gas pedal and it broke the accelerator pump off the side of the carb (stuck accelerator pump).

           I haven't found any info on the construction company that owned it but it was used locally on their job sites -- hence the low mileage.

           I knew it was unique the minute I spotted it but it took me about three months to convince my wife to let me buy it. She couldn't see the profit in it, not being my usual muscle car project. She warmed up to it after a closer look and seeing how easy it will be to restore.

           The only rust is surface rust from the attempt to restore it a few months before I bought it. No cancer anywhere. My only rust problem is the cables being rusted in place from moisture and lack of use. As soon as I can take some pictures of it, I will send some pictures from a mid '30s Chevy drill rig "100% complete" and mounted 10 feet up on a sign in front of "Shorty Small's" in Little Rock, Arkansas. It has cancer but all of the water drilling rig is intact and still mounted on the truck.

           Now it is sitting in my front yard waiting for space in my shop to start the restoration. I bought the truck as an investment for my restoration business and I`m still trying to decide the best route to take to bring me the most profit (all original-as-is; restored original; or street rod to the max). I am open to expert advice on this one. Which way will bring me the most money? Feed-back, please. If I restore it original, I will need to find an antique sawmill to go with it since the drum on the side of the winch was used to power their sawmill, with a belt.

           Glad for the help and being a new part of your gang now. Anyone with any information on this truck can feedback, please email me!

Paul Hite
"littledudehotrodding"
Bolter # 11262
Pleasant Plains, Arkansas


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