1949 Chevy 3100 3-Window

Owned by Sam Johnson "Yelostn78" Bolter # 17967 Gardner, Kansas

From Sam :

       The Mrs. and I were out for a drive in Central Kansas. We drove through one of our favorite little towns that has a neat museum. Sitting out front of the entrance was a 1949 3100, 3 window cab. It was in great original shape. Green, of course. It still had all the hub caps.

       The truck has a "For Sale" sign on it. So without thinking, I whip the car up the street it is parked on and pull a U-turn to park behind it.

       We jump out and look it over. All original. In great shape. One small rust spot on the right front fender where mud would sit on the fender support.

       The seat had been recovered with the correct seat cover. The shifter knob was broken, but that is fixable. There was a phone number on the sign, but I went into the museum to ask first.

       The man working inside was the owner. That's right "was." So we look it over with the owner there. He had all the original documentation, all the maintenance records. He popped the hood and we checked out the 216 with a three on the tree. Everything under the hood was original except a replacement fuel pump and new exhaust.

       The stickers on the air cleaner and oil filter were quite legible and in good shape. Everything looked clean. So I got the guy's number. We said good bye and then jumped in the car.

       We sat there for a few minutes talking about it. You know the conversation:

       Me: This truck would be a great investment
       Wife: are you crazy?
       Me: It is all original, in great shape
       Wife: We already have an old truck
       Me: I know, but you could drive this one
       Wife: ha ha ha ha ha ha (laughter)
       Me: This truck is in such great shape, with everything original, and would be a great investment. If we had to sell it, we could easily get the money out of it.

       So we headed back to the house and discussed it further. We ran numbers and looked up other trucks on-line to see how they compared.

       So I called the guy around 7 pm and set up a test drive. We drive out to meet him. I drove it. It ran great, brakes a little grabby. The engine ran very smoothly. All electrical components worked except the heater switch / fan, and the dome light. All easy things to repair. The engine weeped a little oil as well as the trans underneath (hey, that means it has oil) and the speedo needs a new needle, but works.

       I bought it. Now the our 1949 Chevy 3600 has a little brother. [ Bringing her home ]

       What a great weekend. I did go ahead and ask if he had any other similar vehicles hiding around his place that I needed to know about so that I could avoid that town if needed.

Thanks,

Sam

       It was good to see Sam at the 4th Annual Stovebolt Reunion in Kansas City. Did the Mrs. not get an idea of how crazy all this stuff is? Guess, she'll be catching on pretty quickly now! Good score! ~ Editor



Sam has a nice collection of 1949 Chevy trucks: a 1949 Chevy 3800 Ranchmaster, a 1949 Chevy 3600, and a 1949 Chevy 3100 3-Window.

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