The Gallery
 

1964 Chevy Shortbed Stepside


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  Owned by Steve St. Louis
"Saint1957"
Bolter # 18049
Kent, Washington
01 June 2008
# 2332

From Steve :

          Cars come and move through our lives like old flames ... some classy and collectible, some ... well... ummm ... part of the scrap heap of memory.  Though having the mechanical aptitude of a jellyfish, and the spatial reasoning skills of a walnut, I've always liked older collectible cars and trucks.  I think it started with my Dad's 1957 Apache Stepside that we used for dump runs, and farming activities. 

          Like girls, I've left a litany of good rides in my wake .... the favorites.  My first college car in 1978, a 1967 Fairlaine GT, FFFfffast and quite cool looking. From there, sanity and starting a family kicked in, and I didn't own another collectible car until my 1971 Opel GT that I purchased from the original owner in 1990.  Drove the hell out of it, and sold it upon the news of the imminent arrival of our first and only child.  About four years ago, I picked up a cute little 1969 Datsun 1600 Roadster, perhaps the funnest car to drive of the bunch -- both peppy and reliable.  It is going to a 16 year old boy (not mine) as his first car next Sunday, and thus the end of another era.

          Now, the story of the 1967 International Harvester cornbinder ("Binder" for short) 1300B 4X4 longbed.  I own a small high-end jewelry store in the Seattle area. Last summer, I spotted an ad on Craigslist for lapidary (stone cutting and polishing) equipment being offered at an estate sale. 

          I drove out to the country and checked out the equipment. As I was paying for it, I asked the fellow if there was anything else of interest being offered. He looked around and said "It ALL goes ... everything ... make me an offer." 

          I spotted the Binder parked under a tree. The Beastie was gray primered with surface rust, yet still had the original canopy on it -- so the bed was immaculate, though filled with the assorted detritus of a dump run in the making! 

          I asked if it ran, and then test drove it. It drove and felt like a frickin' tank ... but it ran well ... and only 68K original miles on it! 

          I asked him what he wanted for it. "Make me an offer" he said. Okay, "How about $200 and I'll take it to the dump for you?" Quite to my amazement, he agreed to the offer.

          Well now, did I mention that my wife was out of town on vacation when I pulled the hammer down on this deal?  Ummm ... yeh ... oopsie!  Big gray beast in the driveway upon her return three days later -- boy I caught some serious flackll!  Undaunted (to a degree mind you) by her fury, I sold the canopy on CL for $175 and proceeded to transform the Beast into a surf truck. I wasn't going for pretty; I was going for the non-detailed Surfer Dude Wheels.

          There was minimal rust on the floor boards (weekend of bondo and rust bullet), and the cowl was totally eaten away. I figured I'd get to that this summer. 

          I did some study on the Net on paint jobs, and decided to hand roll a Rustoleum safety yellow with black trim paint job.  My neighbors thought me a goof (yet again), but were amazed at how well it turned out.  A black bedliner painted in, and some old surf, petrol, and political stickers ... and voila! Surftruck! 

          My wife thought it pretty cool looking, and it garnered lottsa looks.

          So then, I decide to list it on CL for sale or trade and got overwhelmed with assorted different offers (some pretty silly) and denigrations ("It's not worth what you're asking for it"), and finally this fellow offers to trade his 1964 Chevy Short bed Stepside for the Beast straight up. 

          Wow ... really? 

          Turns out he hauled motorcycles and such around town and wanted the larger bed, and he had experience w/ IH.  So, we made the trade!  Now, here I sit with a really cool soon to be Surf Truck II!  The '64 Chevy has a 350 crate engine and auto tranny. It runs and drives so much nicer than the Beastie Binder.

          It's not perfect, and has the usual cancer proned areas ... which I've started to address the past few days.  I've got the surf stickers in place, and plan on building a tonneau cover with an authentic Sixties surfboard attached to it.

          And my wife LOVES it!  She's driven it around town and too work a few times ... cooool.Trust me, the Lass ain't dainty on the gas pedal ... at 4.00+ per gallon ... grunt uh! [ Driver's side / Interior ]

          So, here I am with my first Stovebolt (with reflections of Dad's Apache not far from my mind) and it cost me all of 200 or so!  Theoretically $25.00 after the canopy sale, but then  paint supplies, etc. about $200!

          Feelin' pretty good about this "purchase" ... ya' think?



Steve St. Louis

-30-


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