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Jeff Zimmerman's 1938 Chevy 1/2-Ton

30 April 2002 Update

From Jeff

      We are in central Wisconsin. We had an unusual amount of wind and storm damage last summer. There are many carpenters and woodworkers around here that took advantage of the fallen trees.

   This truck and lumber just happened to be in the owners back yard. I am not related to too many Zimmerman's in this country. I am the family historian and know them all in America from 1881 to present.

   Please enter me in your It Ran contest. It ran when they parked it in and its running now. The 1938 was last licensed to drive on the road in 1967. It was stored in a barn until about 4 years ago and move outside and left under a plastic tarp. The tarp weathered and blew away after a year or so. On March 28, 2002 the old 216 stovebolt has returned to life. Even though the muffler is broken off right behind the cab, the engine was quiet and smooth running. Not before the plugs were gapped, a few spark plug wires replaced, oil change, replacement of the leaky gas tank, a little gas in the carb. All the credit goes to Rick, a cracker jack mechanic, who can make anything run. We were not able to shift the truck into gear until the transmission thawed out. The crack in the seal for the front windshield leaked and the icy rain and snow ran down the inside to the gear shift and froze up the lever.

   Now that we got the truck to move we have to get it to stop. I am now the proud owner of a mobile mouse house.

   What a great classic!

1 March 2002

From Jeff:

     My neighbor was over to my house one evening to see some old pictures of our town that I had collected. While he was there, he had seen some of my models of old trucks. He asked me, "What's with all the trucks?" I told him I like the way the old '30's style looked. I told him one day I would own one. The rounded dome cab, and the tear drop fenders of a 1937 pickup truck I found most appealing.

     He said that was funny because he knew of an old truck that a guy has for sale right now. He thought is was a Chevy and was even a '37. I got a few more details from him and we set up a date to go see the truck.

     Later when we talked to owner, he said he had remembered his grandfather using it to go to pull the thrash machine and to go out into the woods to cut wood. While woodcutting in tight spots, the fenders got a little banged up.

     It ran when they parked it in the barn and sat for 20+ years.

     Although the truck had been outside the last couple of years, it is a beautiful starting point for a restoration. He told me if I paid the $250.00 he was offered for it last year, I would be the new owner. I took some photos and made the purchase. It would be a week or so before we would be able to get a trailer to haul the truck home.

     That evening I punched up "classic pickup trucks" on the Internet and found Stovebolt. I went into the gallery and studied all the photos I could find. Three days later when I got my pictures back of the old truck I knew something was not right about the '37. The grill was horizontal and there was a notch in the grill for the headlight, which meant the truck we thought was a '37 Chevy, was actually a 1938. My wife has already dubbed it "mouse house." I lie awake at night and wonder what I will do to it next.