1957 Chevy 3800 1-Ton Flatbed

	Matt Droege "tri5trucking" Bolter # 6585 Creswell, Oregon

From Matt :

           I always wanted a 1 ton truck with the dual rears. I found this 1957 Chevy 3800 Task Force on Craigslist. It was in Walla Walla, Washington -- the same place as my 1957 6500 Chevy Dump Truck.

           The listing was pretty cheap but the fellow didn't have any pictures. When he finally emailed me some, I told him, "I'll be right over." Of course, it was 500 miles away!

           So off we went, me and my wife. She had a pretty good time (although it was late when we got back). The second leg of the trip was 750 miles because I stopped to pick up a 261 for a fellow Bolter.

           There were quite a few old trucks out in that area. Because I had two flat tires on the diesel, and we were late, my wife didn't want to stop to look around! I'd love to go check them out later ... but with the price of gas ... don't think so. (Diesel has gone up about 80 cents a gallon since that trip.)

           And on the trip home, I had to fix a blown hose on the turbo.

           The truck has the factory 283 as a bonus. When we got home and unloaded [ pix ] , I just changed the spark plugs and it runs perfectly. I'm already driving it around town.

           The bed was almost all wood and it was rotted. So I cut it into pieces. I found a 10 foot steel bed that's got a headache rack. I'm going to put new decking on it. It'll look pretty good when it's finished.

           This truck fits right in with the rest of them [ barn line-up ] and makes my third 1957 -- a half-ton, this one-ton and a two-ton big truck! I'll try to get them all lined up one day and take a "group photo."

           More pictures in my Webshot shoebox.

Matt

Matt has had quite a few Bolts. Added to the Gallery in 2016: a 1953 GMC 450 Pumper Tender; a 1957 Chevy 10500 Fire Engine; a 1957 Chevy 10700 Tandem Short Logger. In his collection: a 1955 Second Series Chevy 1/2-Ton Short Box; a 1955 3100 Second Series Stepside; a 1955 Chevy 6500; a 1956 Chevy 6500; a 1957 Chevy 3100 Shortbox; a 1957 Chevy 6500 Dump Truck; a 1957 Chevy 3800 1-ton and "lots of part trucks." A few he has let go (but they are still in our Gallery): a 1955 Chevy 3100 4 x 4 (sold to a good friend); a 1955 Chevy 4400 (sold and dismantled); a 1956 Chevy 3100 Shortbox (sold); a 1956 Chevy 4400 1.5-Ton Napco (sold)

Matt is 6'7" and wants to "fit comfortably in the cab." Matt says "They each have their own personalities. Even the worn out '55 6500 just keeps plugging along. I guess that's why I enjoy collecting them. I like a truck with a little history, and I know most of these trucks histories. It would be hard to call any my favorite" .~~ Editor

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