John Larson's

1935 Chevrolet 1.5-Ton Flatbed


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28 March 2007 Update

From John :

        This photo shows what I guess is some small progress since the last ones I emailed a couple years ago. The fan, generator, starter, crankcase vent, and a few other items are on the motor.

        I thought I ought to write to update my page letting folks know that I now have the "elusive" sixth dually rim I've been looking for for the past four years. A visitor to the Stovebolt site saw the picture of what I needed and wound up giving me two! With new tires! Anyway, I had a 20" 1936 rim that he needed which made me feel a little better about being able to reciprocate with a little generosity.

        So, then I was prowling around the site after I sent my update, and saw that the "visitor" I mentioned above is a member -- Rick "Clutchheadstew" Benson from Deming, Washington. I also see in a past submission of his that he paid me a bit of credit for convincing him not to butcher his '36. I am rather glad about that.

        Thanks for keeping up the great web site and for giving so many folks the opportunity to show our old trucks. I hope to give more updates in the coming year or two but I bought a house that I've spent ALL my time working on in the past year and a half. Needless to say, the truck is sitting high and dry in its new garage without any new work being done to it. So it goes....

John Larson
"jblarson"
Bolter # 3107
Hoquiam, Washington

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14 October 2005 Update

From John:

        Attached are some photographs showing recent progress I've made to my 1935 Chevrolet 1.5-ton truck which was first shown in the gallery in June of 2003.

        As noted in my first submission, I had plans that summer to fully restore the chassis. I completed that task on time and have since made steady, albeit SLOW, progress on the rest of the truck. As of this writing, I've got the motor, transmission, and other related accessories in place and should have the thing fired up within the next few months. At that point, the truck will be little more than an oversized go-kart. With luck and a little time, I should be getting to more of the body in the next few years.

        As was the case before, I am still looking for the correct sixth rim for this truck. I bought one that will work that's close (it has the "widow-maker" solid one-piece lock ring) from a fellow Bolter but would love to find one with the 1/4" recess and a good split one-piece lock ring. The photo on the right details the shallow-dished center section of the wheel I'm looking for. (Here's a bigger image of it.)

        The motor (above) I've put in the truck is a good runner from a 1933 coupe which I finished painting this summer. While the head is somewhat different from the '35 motor, it sure looks close to original and for what I paid for it is a heck of a lot cheaper than rebuilding!

        I'll be sending more photos of the progress as it comes together.

John Larson
"jblarson"
Bolter #3107
Hoquiam, Washington


22 June 2003

From John:

        This truck originally belonged to my uncle's Father who used it to haul grain on his Eastern Washington farm. While I'm not sure if it was bought new by my uncle's family, I know it was used at least through 1950 and in its later years was used as a fuel truck for the farm's equipment. Its 1950 registration card was still attached around the steering column -- right next to keys which were still hanging in the ignition.

        I fondly recall playing on the truck as a kid with my cousin in the late '70s and early '80s. While I had largely forgotten about the truck, I took the opportunity to show it to my wife while on our road trip honeymoon in August of 1999. On our next visit in April 2000, I took a closer look at the truck and realized that this vehicle was complete and in excellent condition despite a few farm-truck dents. I asked my uncle if he'd part with it and he generously gave the truck to me that summer. (Thankfully, I didn't wait any longer as a mobile crusher operation was in the area the next year which took about everything else in my uncle's back field).

        The truck is the 157" wheelbase model with its stock 207 motor, non-syncho 4-speed transmission, mechanical brakes, and 5.43:1 rear end. While it'll be several years before it's driven, I'm intending to restore it to as close to original condition as possible. Note the vintage flares mounted to the cowl section. I'm planning to put them back in place when its all finished.

        The picture on the left is the truck as it looked the day I started dismantling it in the summer of 2000. My cousin and I played on this truck as kids -- little did I know then I'd one day be trying to make it run for real. I've managed to disassemble virtually everything on the truck and have thus far made good progress in de-rusting and painting various cab parts. My wife's uncle (who is a skilled boat builder) has finished fabricating several of the cab's wood pieces.

        With new 6:00 x 20 tires mounted on restored rims in July of 2001 (picture on the right), I was able to move the truck out of the field for its first time in over 40 years (the mechanical brakes still stopped it too!). I'm still hunting for an elusive sixth rim for the dually if anyone's got leads on 20" 10-lug wheels (one which as a recessed center section).

        In November 2002, I removed the cab and then towed the chassis to the shop where I removed the motor and transmission. I'll be painting the chassis during the summer of 2003.

John Larson
"jblarson"
Bolter #3107
Hoquiam, Washington

        Good to see that old truck getting some attention - and glad to see so many Chevys still working on the farm.  Keep us posted on your progress! -- Curator


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