Bob Jacobsen's 1951 Chevy 3600

"The Nancy Jo"

21 February 2007
# 1843

From Bob :

           I'm a new Stovebolter and thought I would share the story of how I acquired my new '51 Chevy 3600, 216 c.i.

           My wife and I travel west from Chicago on a country road fairly often. We travel on this particular road so frequently that I know all of the old cars and trucks that sit on the farms along the way. For years I had seen an old truck sitting in a barn and had always wondered what it was. One weekend last fall we were driving by the farm and saw that it had been put out in the driveway with a for sale sign. I had to stop and check it out.

           It was a beautiful old truck with a lot of surface rust. The interior was home to a family of mice and the bed was almost disintegrated. My wife was very patient with me as I looked under the hood. It was rough under there but it appeared that all of the parts were in the right place.

           The farmer wasn't home to answer some of the questions I had so my wife and I got back in our car and continued our drive. This is when I started "suggesting" that the truck would be a great project for me. My wife is an easy sell on these things and understands that boys need their toys (I have a '67 Firebird, too). I have limited experience working on cars but know enough to get started in the right direction. My wife didn't say "no" to the idea and we tabled our conversation until I was able to get in touch with the owner over the phone.

           When I did reach the owner, he answered all of my questions and gave me the price. I discussed it with my wife that evening and we again got distracted and never finished the conversation. About a week later, I asked her if we could talk about the truck again. She said there was nothing to discuss and that I should go get it if I really wanted to.

           I called the farmer immediately and was told that the truck had been sold. I was really disappointed but vowed to find another old truck by spring. Two weeks later, on my 50th birthday, I opened an odd-shaped package from my wife. Inside was a die cast model of a '51 Chevy truck. As I dug deeper into the package there were old manuals and finally a small box that held an original Chevy key (Briggs and Stratton logo). I could hardly believe it ... she had bought the truck from the farmer before I could get to it! What a wife!

           My truck is sitting in a friend's body shop for now. I'll start my frame-off restoration of the "Nancy Jo" soon. I'm going to need a lot of help and advice and appreciate the great web site you have put together. I'm pretty sure I'll be spending a lot of time on the short bus!

Bob Jacobsen
Bolter # 13599
Naperville, Illinois