A 'virtual garage' of antique Chevy & GMC trucks from around the World

1963 Chevrolet C-30 Panel Truck

03 October 2007
# 2075

From Dan :

           Here is my 1963 C-30 Panel formerly belonging to the Folsom County Rescue Squad.

           This truck was sitting on a flatbed truck about to be taken to a wrecking yard and smashed! My friend asked the guy how much he wanted for it. He said $300 for the truck, and the grille was an extra $150! My friend called me and told me that he found an old truck that I'd like ... and it was cheap. I had the guy bring it to my house and gave him $300 in cash and an old Volvo that didn't run for the $150 he wanted for the grille.

           I had no idea what year, type of truck or condition it was in. Man, I can't believe what arrived that day! This truck started its life as the City of Folsom Rescue Squad #09 Apparatus.

           The original motor is gone, but had an sm465 tranny barely hanging on to the crossmember. Otherwise it was complete.

           The body is unbelievably straight, with only light surface rust and the original (but heavily faded) paint.

           The interior has been left nearly as it was when it was in service. It still has checklists on the inside walls with patients info and emergency procedures. It was stuffed full of late model Suburban parts (e.g., underdash and a/c parts, power window regulators, a turbo 400 trans w/ transfer case, plastic fuel tank, wiring) and lots of trash. The gauges still look pretty good!

           The title had come from Oregon, and apparently someone wanted to resto-mod the truck but lost possession of it for whatever reason.

           I'm not getting rid of it, that's for sure. I've been searching for any sort of original photos of this truck, or info about its life of service. I will probably need to pay a visit to the Folsom County Archives.

           I haven't started restoration yet, but plan on keeping it as the Folsom Rescue Squad #09. Here are some more photos in my Fotki picture album.

PS - (October 26) Just wanted to send in a picture I just recieved. It was sent to me from the Folsom Fire Captain who also gave me some history on the truck. Turns out that this is the only one that Folsom ever had like it. It is incredible that it was only hours away from being demolished. The picture is of the day it became part of the fire department. It was donated by Folsom Matriarch Elvie Briggs. What an incredible photo of how this truck looked from the very beginning! ~~ Dan

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