Owned by Nick Cavallaro "NJC" Bolter # 32521 Maryland

1948 Chevrolet 3100 1/2-Ton

From Nick :

My old truck is a 1948 Chevrolet 3100 1/2-ton. It was parked in a fellow's yard in front of his house in Joppa, Maryland.

I am originally from New Jersey and was working in MD at the time. I had garage space at my Mother's place in NJ. So, in 1992 I bought the truck and took it up there. I would head "home" on weekends to work on it with my cousin

We got the truck running in 1993. In 1994 we started a frame off restoration. We had the cab off and had it dipped at a place in Southern Pennsylvania. Being an East Coast-truck, there was a lot of rust on it. We welded on the patch panels and primered it.

I had to stop in 1995 when other priorities came into play. Essentially, the truck was left in pieces in my Mother's garage for 16 years. There were a few naysayers who said I would never finish the truck.

In 2009, I went to a truck show and met a guy with a 1953 Chevy 1/2-ton. It was good inspiration. Plus, my kids were now older and out of diapers. My one son even likes to "help." I had more time to work on the truck.

So by late 2009, I re-started the project moving pieces of the truck to my garage in Bel Air, Maryland.

When I got the pieces back, we evaluated the frame and it had some holes in it. I found another frame that would be better than what I had. We started chipping away on the project.

I'm glad I decided to do a frame off since we detected so much rust. The floor board was a mess. The metal needed a lot of attention.

I got the truck registered and put on the road in December 2011. I have only put 1,000 miles on it. The first show I went to was the ATHS Tri-State Show in Winchester, Virginia in 2012. The trip was good and the truck held up well. I was only there for a day but it was good to meet up with the Old Dominion Stovebolt Society gang.

All the patch panels and welding were done by myself, warts and all. I ended up mounting the cab on a 1953 frame.

Also the rear, drivetrain, and engine are different, allowing me to cruise the interstates.

This classic truck has a 1956 235 Stovebolt engine in it. It's been converted to 12 volt. Front disc brakes, safety belts, and turn signals were added. I added the dual master cylinders for the brakes.

I spray-painted the truck using Rustoleum Hunter Green.

I am happy with how the truck has turned out for my first restoration job. All told, I spent about $8,000 on the truck from my original investment of $1,000 for a rusty, holes-in-the-floors, non-running pickup truck. I had absolutely no experience when I took on this project and the Stovebolt site is a true gift from God. I work a part time job to fund this. It's the bane of this hobby: money vs time.

I like old trucks and liked the challenge of restoring it. It's a great hobby. Been at it for 20 years and still feel the same. Must have since in 2011, I got myself a 1952 Chevy Suburban. I am doing things a little different on the Suburban than I did on my this truck.

My half ton is in the garage now. When the Suburban comes back, it'll have a car cover on it. Get it in the spring and try to get the guy to work slow so he'll have it all winter in a shop. It will be long project.

Nick

Nick has been in the truck restoration process for over 20 years! He's got one done: a 1948 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100; and he's got one that's a real restoration work -- a 1952 Chevy Suburban.

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