Owned by Rick and Toni Benson "1936only" Bolter # 33867 Deming, Washington

1936 Chevrolet 1.5-ton SWB

"Murtahg"

More pictures of my old truck

Join the discussion about this truck in the DITY Gallery

From Rick :

This is my wife's 1936 Chevrolet 1.5-ton short wheel base truck. We found it under a shed in Bellingham, Washington. I bought it for $650 and we trailered it home.

Toni, my wife, immediately decided it was her truck, and since I love her to death, I agreed.

We took the old truck down to bare frame and started the rebuild.

I replaced the blown 207 with a custom-built 1955 235 full pressure engine from my awesome Brother Dan (Baldybenny on Stovebolt). Using a bell housing from a fellow Bolter, Bobb (3B), I was able to keep the entire driveline original.

Toni can double clutch and shift square gears like a pro. She grew up on 40 acres and drove old tractors. She's a natural and the little 1.5 tonner feels like a half-ton pick-up.

The Chevy can do 55 mph all day long and I know we've gone faster.

It took 3.5 years for the rebuild and Toni wanted the original patina, so no paint or body work was done.

I insulated the entire cab under the interior sheet metal and that makes all the difference when you drive it.

It has a 12 volt system with 1970 alternator and wiring harness.

It is extremely dependable and a blast to drive.

I have a total of about $4K in it but it's invaluable to us.

On a sad note, we lost our little yellow lab in the pictures to cancer recently -- Kobie will be missed, She loved riding in "Murtahg" as the wife calls the truck. It was a memorable character in a novel she read.

I love old trucks and had heard of the Stovebolt site. When I got into it, I must have asked thousands of questions and each one of them has been answered with respect and humor. You all are fantastic individuals and I can't tell you how many times I've been bent over laughing at the replies and just plain good ole humor you folks put out. To all of you at the Stovebolt, this could not have been done so well without your support and thank you all who have helped build my "Wife's Beater."

So, once we finished up the '36, I was able to get back to work on my 1942 GMC CCKW tractor from WWII. We don't see them here very often. I shortened it 36" and added a 1971 Chevy 292 and a 1-ton 4 speed. Quite the challenge on this big beastie. Come join the talk about this one in the Big Bolts forum.

Rick and Toni

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