Restoring an old truck

Shawn Gay's

1957 Chevy 3100 Stepside with a V-8


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26 March 2007
# 1891

From Shawn :

           If you have a look, you can see my 1957 Chevy 3100 Stepside 283 3100. I picked this up from a college buddy in 1993. He purchased it at an auction in 1990 in South Carolina, but it still had the Georgia plates on it.

         After paying some unpaid duties and getting it transferred over to Ontario plates, it became my daily driver for a few years in the early 90's. After storing it until 1996 in Niagara Falls at my Grandpa's place, I found it a new home in Cambridge in my two-car garage. It sat there for a few more years when me and my wife started our family.

         A few years ago, I decided to start the restoration after it had spent 10 year resting and doing nothing! During the tear down process, I found some cancelled cheques behind the seat and learned that it was owned by someone by the name of Boozer Rayle of Elberton, Georgia in 1963-64.

         A funny thing happened the first year I owned the truck. It had its wiring-related problems that needed to be worked out when I first began driving it. I use to park across the road in front of Mom and Dad's when I was still at home. One night I came home, parked the truck and left it in gear as usual. Next morning at 6 am, the neighbour knocked on the door and said "Someone must have tried to steal your truck? It's a few houses down in the ditch!"

         I got dressed quickly and rushed down to where the truck was. It was perfectly placed between two maple trees and the back wheel had caught the culvert in the ditch and that's where it stopped. I could smell battery acid. After popping the hood and investigating, I realized that it was my push button starter wires that had shorted causing the truck to crank in gear and drive down the road under battery and starter motor power only !! (A 50 year old electric truck !)

         It has become a complete frame-off restoration project which is getting near completion soon. I hope to be driving it again and not have it driving off on it's own anymore!

Cheers,

Shawn Gay
"cosmo1957"
Bolter # 14250
Cambridge, Ontario
Canada


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