AD Chevy Trucks

Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. This one is on AD Chevy trucks (1947-1955). Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment for you.

Have you read any other Stovebolt features?

• Go big or not at all -- A story about a 1949 MAGNUM Crew Cab in the making ~ by Rick Metcalfe
• If I knew then what I know now -- a fun tale about a Roy getting a horse (Suburban) for his hobby ... by Roy Vaillancourt
• Not all 'good deals' are easy deals -- but having his Stovebolt hard at work make for a great story by Scott Ward
• Two Boys and a Sawzall -- Making a Mess into Madness and Merriment!
• Stovebolt License Plate Topper -- From the fiery flames of a sand box emerges a new topper, with some personalized touches!
• My old GMC Trucks! and a Chevy -- How many cool truck things can happen to one guy! A great story from Howard Keith
• Old World Pizza Truck -- Jack Flagge gets real creative as he brings pizza to the masses in his 1942 1.5-Ton Chevy truck
• Stovebolt Panel trucks helped the Poles - Joe Smith did an exhaustive search but found much more than he hoped for!
• Supporting Service Members -- Updated May 2008. A salute to our service members and a call to action. What can you do for our troops serving in Iraq? PLENTY!
• Operation BFW -- The Great Stovebolt Rescue Mission -- Five Bolters in an epic journey to Winchester, VA to rescue a '53 Big Bolt from ... THE CRUSHER!! And making its first appearance ever in a Stovebolt feature story -- The Big Frikkin' Wrench!! Stovebolt drama at its BEST! "Two Thumbs way, way Up!" -- Roger Egbert
• The Stovebolt Topper -- Nothing like having a foundry at your home - and the skill to create such a special Stovebolt piece as this.
• Living History Day at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, Oregon sponsored by the Oregon Military Museum and the Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Oregon and reported to us by Rob "The Toonman" Butler, lots of cool pictures!
• Bolt down the hatches, Mate! -- Category 5 cyclone hits Cape York Australia -- "A newspaper headline flashed through my mind: '"STOVEBOLT BREAKS LAND SPEED RECORD OF 320 KM/H!' I wasn’t too confident that old girl was gonna make it...
• Stovebolter plays music under pressure! -- Steam pressure, that is. Irwin Arnstein ('59 1-Ton) regularly plays a 1905 calliope that he restored himself -- we've even got him on video! Talk about stepping back in time!
• A Big Bolt brings you the Big Bar -- Tom and Kathy Truhlar restore a 1953 Chevy Stepvan to use in their incredibly fun business -- taking their homemade Big Bars (ice cream) to car shows, swap meets and the like around southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois
• Motivating the Next Generation -- Destined for a crusher and a future as a soda can, a left-for-dead '52 1-ton becomes the Lil Rascals truck, built on a whim, with little money and lots of good Stovebolt moments!
• Stovebolt Kicks on Route 66 -- A great story of Ned Leuchtner re-building the Cool Springs, a vintage Mobil station, with vintage Stovebolts (two of them!)
• Get your "Toon-up" with Automotive Artist Rob (The ToonMan) Butler
• Restoring BIG TRUCKS
• Veterans' Day

The Africa Safari ... Hatari!!

• The Call of the 'Burb -- The third in the Celt's adventures -- Africa is calling him again, and there's a Burb in the bush!
• Stovebolter Out of Africa -- A sequel to the earlier story "Africa Calling." The Celt gives us another good story but with an agonizing "cry" -- not for help this time.
• Africa Calling -- What started as some information-seeking turned into some really fascinating information-sharing. The Celt tells all about Chevrolet Safari and the land o' plenty o' Bolts. More Stovebolt Stars!

Hollywood Stovebolts

• Classic Trucks and the movies: a great combination! -- By J. A. Ceschin, Editor We Love Old Trucks . com
• Your Bolt "oughtta be in pictures!"-- Moving making in Baltimore.
• Hey Ma!  I'm in the movies -- Stovebolt on location with Clint Eastwood for Flags of our Fathers!

Stovebolt Book Reviews

• Book Review: Tom Brownell's New Edition of How to Restore Your Chevrolet Pickup-- Got some folks you know (Stovebolters) in this one!
• Book Review: Hemmings Motor News

15 June 2013 Update

	Owned by Owned by John and Peggy Milliman Bolters # 1 Oakville, Maryland

1949 Chevy 1-Ton (3800)

"Ole Charlie"

The Stovebolt.com flagship

More pictures of this old truck

From John :

It's about time we updated Ole Charlie's story -- this is the truck you see on every page and discussion posting on Stovebolt.com.

Our story of our involvement in the antique truck hobby is basically that with two exceptions (the fire truck and the 5-ton military surplus dump truck), we have never gone looking for a truck. Starting with the 1939 Chevy half ton, these trucks have found us. The '39, both '49's, the '53, the '59, the '72 and most recently, the '63 Dodge M-37, like orphans dropped off on our front door step, these things have just showed up looking for love and nurture.

Note: No Mas!! No more room at the Inn!!! If you are thinking that Stovebolt HQ would be a good home for your unloved orphan .... PLEASE ... NO!!!

So back to our story ... In 1999, Peggy and I moved from Lexington, KY to Southern Maryland. We moved into a very upscale development (as employees of the developer, not as ritzy homeowners, I must point out). Peggy was hired to be the community manager and I was hired to be the manager of the community's horse boarding stable / horse farm -- the "Center Piece of the Community." The President of the Homeowners' Association was also into horses and just so happened to have just gotten his Father's 1949 Chevy 1-ton pickup that had been in the family since purchased new in August of 1949 (you can read all those details below).

What *doesn't* appear in the happy story below is ... the rest of the story.

Unfortunately, not all stories have happy endings. The nature of Charlie's passing was ... difficult. On anyone who knew him but especially on our friend Mark, his son. The bottom line was that it became very understandably difficult, emotionally, for the truck to remain in Mark's garage. Peggy and I feel honored and blessed to have gotten to meet, and know -- albeit far too briefly -- this wise, sage soul. And we could only imagine our friend Mark's ordeal.

At the time, I was just beginning the restoration of our '49 4400. Mark and Charlie made many visits to the back side of the stable where I had set up shop for my project. It was always a great time when they showed up in the 1-ton and Charlie regaled us both with first hand accounts from when these trucks were brand new. It was a journey back in time and a special way to connect with the history of the trucks. And it was always cool to park them side by side.

I can remember thinking how cool that perfectly preserved 1-ton was, and how neat it was to see such a time capsule -- not to mention how very special it was to hear first hand from the fellow who had purchased it new off the dealer lot, driven it home and 60 years later, could still recount mundane details from it's use and maintenance (um, except for why he had felt it necessary to chop his way into the driver door ...).

So it was a dark, melancholy day when our friend Mark came to call a couple of years later. I'll skip over the details, but Charlie was a victim of that terrible, tragic killer, Alzheimer's Disease. And that's all I need to say. Mark, who was hoping to spend some great Father / Son time with his Dad working on this truck, was robbed of that wonderful time by this cruel and evil and malignant killer. The truck needed a new home and we were the only ones he could think of.

So "Ole Charlie," as we have come to call this magnificent truck, came to live with us as a testimony and memorial to these wonderful old trucks, and the wonderful generation who bought them new.

We knew Charlie and had spent many a pleasant hour listening to his oral history, gaining from his first-hand experiences with the truck and generally growing from his mentorship and wisdom. In some respects, Charlie was filling in for my own Dad who had died from a massive stroke only a couple of years earlier. He was a good guy and I was proud, blessed and honored to have known both him and his son. So when the truck came to live with us ... we feel like we have been entrusted with a family legacy and all we can do is preserve this wonderful bit of Americana.

We *know* the stories and and the history. We know why the dent is in the front passenger side fender. We know when there is a small loop attached to one of the headliner screws (Charlie would hang his suit there when traveling ... ). We know why the bed is in remarkably pristine shape but why the tailgate isn't (because the day he brought the truck home, he removed the bed and stored it -- replacing it with a commercial utility bed. (He had to use his original tailgate with the new body. The utility bed was removed shortly before the truck came North to Maryland and the original bed was removed from storage in the barn and reunited with the truck and its original tailgate -- complete with Charlie's "field expedient" repair ... you have to see it to understand ...)

So we feel Ole Charlie is a special truck that uniquely embodies everything we truly hope Stovebolt.com is about.

Since 2003, Peggy and I have lived on a choose and cut Christmas tree farm. Ole Charlie came to live with us in 2004 and has been living the good life and working occasionally since. He is a big hit at Christmas with our customers and throughout the year, goes to truck shows like the Tri-State Show in Winchester, VA, the ATCA National in Macungie, PA and weekly to our local cruisie-in. He also pulls duty on the farm, cruising to the feed mill or hauling stuff home from the local produce / plant auctions. Sometimes it's been down and dirty as he hauls our trash and recycling to the dump.

About our proudest moment with this old truck has been our participation in the production and filming of the Clint Eastwood movie, "Flags of Our Fathers." We have that story told in our Features Section.

Just recently, Ole Charlie served our local volunteer fire department by carrying "Little Miss Fire Prevention 2013" in the annual Southern Maryland fire parade. Wow, that was a real treat as Little Miss's Daddy cleaned and shined him up real good! Mike (the Dad) is one of our Old Dominion Stovebolters and he was pretty pumped to use Ole Charlie in the parade.

Stovebolt Flagship ... Little Miss Fire Prevention ... Clint Eastwood movies ... Not too shabby for an unrestored 64-year old truck ... I hope Charlie is smiling.

John

Yes, John does have a collection of trucks (but not as many as some of you all!). He has the all original 1949 Chevy 3800 1-Ton, "Charlie." He use to have another 1949 Chevy 4400 1.5-Ton (with more details on it in the Project Trucks in the Tech Tips Section) -- but we had to pass that one along after he picked up the 1972 GMC 9500, "Gort" in January 2010. Then there is the 1965 GMC 4400 Fire Engine Tanker with the Darley pump -- the "Firebolt" which kicked off the Stovebolt Volunteer Fire Department. Lastly, although not a Stovebolt, we added a 1971 M-817 5-Ton Dump WO/W "Smedley D." to the fleet. We have a 1972 International 3800 Loader/Backhoe -- plus other trucks, tractors, Gators, wagons... "for use on the farm" Someday, we'll write a fitting tale about the old Farmdawg, too. ~~ Editor

15 May 2006

Here's a story below about the truck that John wrote for the Naval Air Station Patuxent River (MD) station newspaper, the Tester, in 2006 just before the 2006 ATHS National Show. Ole Charlie was one of the featured trucks on the show poster.

We know you've seen enough of our truck here and there throughout the site, but we thought you might enjoy some of the truck's history. Especially since John had to write this up anyway!

The former pictures on our page were the engine and a shot of the interior. (You know the story about the cobbler's son having no shoes ... Not that there aren't a million pictures of John's assorted vehicles, both on the computer and in a shoe box!)

Besides the story below, generally "Ole Charlie" still works around our Christmas Tree farm, moving and a-hauling stuff, people and dogs!

Yes, John does have a collection of trucks (but not as many as some of you all!). He has the all original 1949 Chevy 3800 1-Ton, "Charlie." He use to have another 1949 Chevy 4400 1.5-Ton (with more details on it in the Project Trucks in the Tech Tips Section) -- but we had to pass that one along after he picked up the 1972 GMC 9500, "Gort" in January 2010. Then there is the 1965 GMC 4400 Fire Engine Tanker with the Darley pump -- the "Firebolt" which kicked off the Stovebolt Volunteer Fire Department. Lastly, although not a Stovebolt, we added a 1971 M-817 5-Ton Dump WO/W "Smedley D." to the fleet. We have a 1972 International 3800 Loader/Backhoe -- plus other trucks, tractors, Gators, wagons... "for use on the farm" Someday, we'll write a fitting tale about the old Farmdawg, too. ~~ Editor

NAVAIR truck featured in national truck show

By John Milliman
Presidential Helicopters Program Public Affairs
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command

NAVAIR, Patuxent River, MD -- The American Truck Historical Society is holding its annual National Convention and Truck Show in Baltimore, May 25-27, and bringing approximately 1,000 antique trucks to the city’s Carroll Park.

           Among them will be the truck selected to represent light commercial trucks on the show’s poster and advertising – a truck with surprising ties to NAVAIR.

           Charlie Dady, father of Mark Dady, the deputy program manager for the Presidential Helicopters Program (PMA-274) here, bought the red and black 1949 Chevrolet 1-ton pickup new in Dickson, Tenn. It wasn’t his first choice for a light-duty truck to serve his appliance and radio repair business.

What might have been -- Charlie Dady's first post-war truck -- the '47 that burned more oil than gas...

           The elder Dady had made his mark in Dickson County by figuring out a niche market (electronics) and going into it.  And when World War Two ended, Dady couldn’t get enough appliances and radios to sell – so he bought a 2-ton Chevrolet box truck to bring in appliances from Nashville.  He also bought a ½-ton ’46 Chevrolet pickup to use for deliveries and repair calls.

           “That truck burned more oil than it did gas,” Mark, recalls, “so Dad eventually took it back to Dickson Chevrolet.  They just happened to have a weird truck on the lot that nobody wanted – it was a brand new 1949 Chevrolet 1-ton with a 9-foot step side box on it.”

           Dady bought it, took it home and removed the step side body and carefully stored it in the back of the garage.

           “The whole time I was growing up, that box was at the back of the garage under a tarp,” Mark Dady remembers.

           With a utility body installed (using the step side box’s tailgate), the truck went to work about the same time Dady received the first of what would become an American icon – the television.

           “We got into stock one of the first three TV’s in the state of Tennessee,” Mark relates, “And the first in Dickson.  This truck delivered it and the antenna that went up on the house.”

           Despite being a delivery truck for a thriving electronics business, the truck didn’t accumulate very many miles.

Charlie Dady (left) tends his business in 1948. Many of the appliances shown in the photo were delivered by the Stovebolt Page Flagship.

           “Delivering TVs and installing antennae isn’t something you did in the winter back then,” Mark explains.  “Or in the bad weather.  So the truck sat in the garage for nine months out of the year.  Also, that was when they were first paving the roads in Dickson County, so when the truck did go out, it usually picked up a good undercoating of thick Tennessee asphalt!”

           The truck’s original engine – a low-pressure, babbitted 235 CID straight six – fell victim to the winter freeze the truck’s first winter in the Volunteer State.

           “Dad got sick in December 1949 and the truck wasn’t properly stored.  The freeze came and the block cracked.”

           The Dadys took the truck to Bates Machine Shop in Centerville for a new crate motor.  That motor lasted until 1996.  When they returned to Bates 47 years later, a surprise was in store.

           “They had rebuilt the original motor and that’s what got put back in the truck in ’96 and is in it now!” Dady says.

           Mark has many fond memories of growing up with his dad’s truck.

The Dady Boys -- Charlie Dady (left) and son Mark with the truck shortly before it became the Stovebolt Page flagship. Since the photo was taken, the truck has been reunited with its original running boards and mirror.

           “I learned how to drive in that truck,” he says.  “I even went on my first date in that truck.”

           It wasn’t that romantic, however…

           “My Mom rode with us.”

           Eventually, the truck got taken out of service (Dady closed his business for health reasons in the 1960’s and went to work as a design engineer for Redcap where he has several patents still in his name) but not out of the family.  The step side bed was taken out of its nearly half-century of dry storage and was reunited with the truck.

           Except for an additional tail light (the truck came off the assembly line with only one), the truck remains completely original.

           “The coat hanger loop my dad installed in the truck for his trips out to Arizona (he had sinus problems and occasionally went out west for relief) is still there
behind the passenger’s head,” Mark explains.  “Even the inspector’s grease pen mark remains on the firewall from the assembly line.”

           Dady’s truck rolled off the GM truck line at Norwood, Ohio in August, 1949.

           While long retired from being the flagship for “Charlie’s Radio Repair” and appliance shop, the Dady truck has entered into its second half century as the flagship for a new medium – a 30,000-member internet web site for antique GM trucks, the Stovebolt Page (located online at www.stovebolt.com).  Fitting for a truck that delivered the first television set in Western Tennessee – TV being the “new media” of the late ‘40’s.

           “I think Dad would be proud,” Mark says.

           Charlie Dady passed away in 2006, but his truck lives on as a testimony to his industry and thrift.  Its preservation is dedicated to his memory.

           “He told me not to restore it,” says Mark.  “It doesn’t need it.”

           See this truck, and other antique trucks – ranging from pickups to tractor-trailer rigs – at Baltimore’s Carroll Park.

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