Will Stoner's 1941 Chevy 1.5-Ton Dump Truck

"Little Buddy"

07 August 2006
# 1616

From Will :

           The story of Little Buddy ~~ My friend and I were out driving around near my home one winter day, (no leaves on the trees then to hide “junk”) looking for any thing with an engine, when we spotted the glint of sun off a windshield across a field. Being the type that cannot continue on with life without finding out what make, model, and year is creating this mysterious glint that ripped our attention from the road, of course we had to investigate!

           To our dismay it was nothing more than a big late ‘70s box truck. But wait! There are more trucks! An IH KB model dump truck and some other rusty metal around. We decided to stop in and say hi.

           We started talking to the owner of the property, who didn’t seem to mind at all that we showed up to look at his “junk.” There were trucks and cars every where, F@#d, White, Chevy, IH, Buick, Studebaker. This was awesome and conveniently close to home.

           He walked us around telling stories of every one of them and letting us know what he would and would not sell. A couple days later my Dad, brother, and a couple other friends joined us for another visit. This is when I took a good look at my future project.

           It seemed very complete. I opened the hood and got worried though -- there were no plugs in the engine! He said it “ran when it was parked” here about five years ago (probably 10) and could not remember taking them out. I reached in and grabbed the fan and could not believe it was still loose.

           We talked about a price and I said I’ll take it. He bought it in 1949 and used it to build roads and haul coal. He called it his "little buddy."

           When we changed the title, it took a while because the guy at the notary had not seen a title that old for a long time and it had no year for the truck. So we guessed ’46.

           The tow home was also fun with those square tires. They all had air though! Within an hour of arriving at home, it was running! I threw some plugs and a battery in, sanded the points, and got it some good gas. That was it! All the gauges, the dump, the wiper, and even some lights work! I even drove it into my barn, with no brakes.

           Since then we have purchased a trailer and two IH big trucks from our new friend!

           Thanks for the awesome site!

Will Stoner
"rust & grease"
Bolter # 11510
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania