1962 Chevy Stepside

	Owned by Clay Kirby New Orleans

27 September 2008 Update
# 2118

From Clay :

           Here's an update for my Gallery page.

           I replaced both sides of the exhaust headers. They were leaking so badly my Aunt asked me if the engine was a diesel.

           I've mostly been working on the truck on the weekends with my girlfriend.  She's excellent at body work.  Much more patient than I am.

           I have a new steering wheel. The old one was a tiny one off a Maserati that looked bad and made the truck almost impossible to turn. It will soon reside on Candice's wall.  

           This summer has been fairly slow because of the weather.  I keep the truck in a tin shed and would wheel it out to work on it. All that depends on good weather.

           The project is coming along, slowly but surely. I sandblasted, bondoed and primed the big hole in the roof.

           I fixed a leaking gas tank. Shortly after I got the truck, I tried to gas 'er up. As I'm filling the gas tank up, I look down to see a puddle of gasoline around my feet. Needless to say, this quickly became a top priority to fix.

           The first thing we did was rip out the bench seat. Once we did that, I found the culprit. The fuel hose that connects the tank with the filling cap was dry rotted. Gasoline flowing down the tube would flow around the tank and into the cab. From there, the fix was pretty straightforward. There was also a paint stirring stick in there. Don't ask me why.

           Here's a video of the 350 engine running!

           Another local Stovebolter (Jake Groby) provided me with a couple of new doors. Both of my doors have heavy damage and rust and I needed replacements. We went to work on the new passenger door, bondo-ing a few small holes, scuffing up the paint, and preparing it for primer.

           Because I'm going to have to start deciding about the paint scheme on the door, I'm thinking about interior colors. Back in the 60's, bright, 2-tone colors were all the rage. Red and white and blue and white were popular. Here's an example or two from Paul Toth's truck.

           Recently, I noticed the water pump I installed a few months ago is rusty as hell and has sprung a small leak. I picked up a new, long-nosed water pump from O'Reilly the other day. The long-nosed ones are relatively hard to find. Thanks to that find, I can use my chrome alternator bracket when I install it (more engine chrome ). So I don't make the same mistake twice, I'm priming it and I'm going to paint it. Right now, the color options I'm thinking of are either black or bright blue to match the fan.

           I have more photos on my Flickr Account. Plus I have more details about this "adventure" on my Blogspot.

           Oh yeah, one other thing. It's amazing how much space you have on these old trucks. Also, you need remarkably few tools. All you need is a good socket set, some screwdrivers, and muscle.

Take care,

Clay

12 November 2007
# 2118

From Clay :

           This is my 1962 Chevy Stepside. That's me behind the wheel in the picture. I'm a mechanical engineer, living in New Orleans who was looking around for my first project car when I found this truck on Craigslist. I went and checked the truck out and it was in decent shape. No Katrina damage.

           The truck needs some electrical work. I need to replace the leaky gas tank. It needs some body work. Here's a view from the driver's side.

           The engine isn't original. It's a small block Chevy V8 (350 cid). It also has an automatic transmission. All in all, the engine and transmission seem to be in good shape.

           I bought the truck from a landlord who acquired it from a tenant who was behind on his payments. The truck was used as a dragster by the tenant. The landlord was intending to restore the truck, but never did. His wife finally made him sell it.

           Many weekends shall now be sacrificed on the altar of the '62 Chevy pickup...

Clay

           Ahh ... 'tis the call of the Stovebolt Siren. You get that grease and oil in your blood, and there is no hope for you. Clay, you have Stovebolt Fever -- there is no cure. You'll have to suffer with the rest of us! ~~ Editor

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