Ivy Partridge's

1965 Chevy 1/2-Ton Short Fleetside


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13 April 2007 Update

From Ivy :

          It has been a few years since I have visited the site. Boy! What a lot of changes. No whining? Boo Hoo! [Big Grin] I guess I kinda lost interest after I finished my project. I realize I never sent a "final" picture after I got those fancy schmancy wheels.  Here it is.

          But, I have sold the truck and then I really lost interest. I kinda miss it, but it spent too much time sitting in the garage anyhow.

          Right after I sold it, I moved from Salem to Lafayette, supposedly to be closer to the kids. I live in a brand new cookie cutter development, but I managed to get them to move the house over far enough to make room for an RV pad next to the garage.

          I'm still traveling when I can afford it, but had a set back with a '97 DeVille last summer. So I have had to tighten the belt. I'm just about ready to take off again next fall in addition to the monthly short treks with the local Good Sam Chapter. Blackdog still travels with me. She is nearly 14 years old!

          Hey! If that guy from Vancouver who bought the red truck is on here, let me know how it's doing.

Ivy Partridge
"janeyiv"
Stovebolter # 579
Lafayette, Oregon

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15 October2001

From Ivy :

          OK, everybody! It is finished! Finally! Well, I still want to find some better wheels, but this is what it looks like today.

          To update the story a bit, my brothers and I started out about a year ago to do a body and paint redo. We disassembled it down to frame, cab and running gear. Then stripped all body parts.

          There was quite a bit more repair work needed than expected. Some sheet metal was welded into the cab floor on the passenger side where there was quite a bit of cancer. The doors needed inside lower patch panels welded in. One rocker panel had to be replaced. The fenders needed quite a little patching. Some of this patch material came from a 1979 GMC fender which had been replaced on my brother's crew cab.

          Finally, everything was patched, straightened, and yes, some light filler work done. About April 2001, we started on primer work, etc. We were delayed some this spring when our Mother decided to check out. So I did not make progress for several months while we took care of her affairs. Three applications of primer later, we started with jamming the bed parts, then assembled the bed. Then color on cab and doors, inside and out.

           It took some effort to replace all of the weather strips, glass, etc. Even broke the used windshield I was trying to get the seal on, so I had to rush to Classic Auto and order a new one. Whew! The freight cost was almost as much as the glass! Then the front sheet metal was painted and assembled. The dash components installed, seat recovered with red naugahyde and installed, bed mounted, new floor mat, mirrors, etc.

          Finally, it is ready to come home!

Ivy Partridge
"janeyiv"
Stovebolter # 579
Lafayette, Oregon


13 March 2001

From Ivy :

          Here is a pretty good picture of the way my truck looked right after we brought it home August 15, 1998. I actually picked it up Capitol Chevrolet's budget lot. They were asking $1895 for it.

           I spied it from the bus on the way home from work. On Saturday, I took my son down and we looked it over and drove it. It actually rained that day. Rain in Oregon in August? The heater didn't work. It got all fogged up, but I was pretty impressed with the way it ran.

          We really thought it was overpriced for the amount of body filler we could tell was in the bedsides and fenders, and rust in doors and rocker panels. The wood bed was full of holes and they had laid some old pieces of conveyor belt over it. We started to walk off the lot. The salesman said, "We can come down on the price." I said "How much?" He said "What would you give me to take it home today?" I picked a number out of the air. "A thousand dollars" (should have said $850). He says "You just bought a truck."

           Since my son hates to drive the Lumina which we went there in, I let him drive the truck home for me. (Also, it had been many years since I had driven a stick.) When he arrived at my house, Blackdog put up a real fuss. "What is that old noisy thing coming in my driveway?" But once I had a few practice runs around the WalMart parking lot, and started taking her to the shop in the truck, she loved it.

          We started disassembly and striping this last fall, and are now getting pretty far along on the road to recovery.

          Here is a pic when that GMC was still hogging the shop and we barely had room to move. This is a shot of the cab, chassis and running gear as it sits today. One of the bedsides is waiting for a little more rough out (the other one is in prime, as is the right door, hood and tailgate). They are stored in another building, so no pictures yet.

          On both inner wheel well covers, the rough out got finished on them, and most of the paint removed, and a light coat of filler to cover that "bag of walnuts" look.

          Above is Blackdog and her "Boss." Boss loves to pose. He is just a baby about 10 months old. Not sure if he has his full growth yet!

Ivy Partridge
"janeyiv"
Stovebolter # 579
Lafayette, Oregon


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