FEATURE

The "Old Girl" as Kevin first found her -- in line for the crusher!

The Great Stovebolt Rescue

        It was about to be squished into a million tuna cans. One 'Bolter couldn't stand by and let that happen...    ~ By John Milliman

        Kevin Richards wasn't looking to be a hero. But there it was -- a 1953 Chevrolet 2-ton truck in a junkyard in Winchester, VA. Its years of waiting were over. Its hopes of a new home, a new lease on life, purchased by a 'Bolter to be lavished with a loving restoration had faded to the point of being all but gone. It was slated for termination -- it had a date with destiny.

        Read all about it and the BFW!

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FORUM DOINGS!

The Welcome Centre
A great time to "meet and greet"

        It's been a long time in the making, but we finally have a spot in the forums where the new guys can announce their arrival, say a few words about themselves and their ride (of course their ride!) and get to know a few of the gang already hanging around the virtual garage. The Welcome Centre is the new happening spot! And, we have two very friendly and familiar faces staffing The Centre -- Joy "Joy" Pascarella and Lori "Lori66" Spencer. Joy pulled a tour of duty as our Siren of the Swap Meet for many years. She got some much deserved R & R and was ready to get back in to some action. Lori has been helping out as our Gallery Gal, getting those submissions edited and ready for display. She's really helped to loosen that log-jam we have.

        It's great to have them ~ and what a wonderful first impression they'll be ~ and it's good to finally have THE WELCOME CENTRE up and running. So, go meet and greet the newbies!

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NEW STAFF MEMBER

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TECH TIPS

Tech Tip Page New Look
Some navigation help!

        As our Tech Tip section has grown over the years, we knew we were going to have to do something to organize it a bit better. About five years ago, we broke down the tips into categories (some of you may remember when they were all just alphabetized -- oo-e-vay). Soon after that, we found that it was helpful for some of the other pages, too (like the Lots O' Links).

        As the Tech Tips continue to come in (thanks a lot for these -- on behalf of everyone who benefits from them!), we needed some navigation at the top. While we were at it, we sorted the subcategory submissions into topic listings rather than title.

        WHAT ?

        You know, "How I fixed my brakes" isn't listed with the "H's" ... it's filed with all the other "brake" tips. So, we hope this helps you all find stuff. Hope Peg can figure out where to put stuff!!

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Lots O' Links
And a few testimonies to go with them

• Vintage Projects -- Woogerooo "was bumping around looking for information on how to maybe build a very basic camper top for my truck. Of course, I found crazy insane detail plans instead. This site has plans from old Popular Mechanics articles in pdf format." A wide variety of topics ~ lathes and milling, power tools, welding, metals, general shop projects, tractors, etc. "Worth checking out. Good, fun reading ... some of these ya'll might find useful"
• Vintage Door Art -- Woody " Czechman" Vondracek has "a random collection of photos of vintage painted truck doors." Feel free to contact him if you wish to contribute to this collection. His only stipulation is that the photos "have to be authentic vintage hand painted advertising signs." All of the photos in his Door Art Gallery have been generously contributed by others for your enjoyment.
• Bitchin Products, Inc. -- Manufactures Chevy Truck Parts for 1947 - 1955 1st Series "They take a truck part and fabricate the part so that it fits property -- an exact duplicate of what the original part was. The make sure they have the vehicle in order to do it and they put a lot of research and development into what they do. ~~ Steve, GMR PERFORMANCE (Steve is putting together a Featured Project for our Tech Tips page for his 1962 Chevy)
• Van iN Magazine -- Here's one for you VAN enthusiasts
• Shiny-Hiney -- LED tail lights, carpet and trim
• Rough Country - Suspension systems - lift kits for 1969-72 Chevy / GMC

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The Superstars are shining already

        Stovebolt.com has expenses like anything else and we sincerely appreciate those that help carry this load. Keeping this site moving ahead and FREE for everyone, has been made so by contributions from many and some cold cash by some. We are all grateful to all.

        We were so surprised to see donations coming in so soon after the holiday. Quite handy! We had the mailing of the the IRWIPI prizes, and had some major computer repairs to handle. A special thanks to those who have tossed some coin this way:

1 -- Our Canadian BC Bolters have been getting together on a regular basis for over a year. At their latest GABfest in January , they took up a third collection for the site. They had done it twice last year! What a great group.(Story to follow in the GABfest page)

2 -- Steve has been a regular contributor (14 times last year) to the site. He uses the Swap Meet to sell his parts. He wants to thank everyone for their business in 2007! "Since I sell only good used parts, I have quite a following on the Bolt. A good reputation is everything when you sell stuff." Steve adds that working with Stovebolters has been really great. Looks like many of our gang have a good reputation, too!

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Some highlights from the Mailbag

        Besides a nice stream of comments, holiday greetings, and get well soon (a/k/a as "where have you all been?), we get some regular surprises here at the office. Terry "27Capitol" Kirberger thought we had been working too hard, so he suggested, we need to take a break at the end of the day. This is a "great escape" photo, plus a little refreshment, and this one was my favorite ... would make a great screen saver! All taken on vacation, while many of us Bolters in the US and Canada have been experiencing frigid weather!

Gallery Additions in January

• John and Peggy Milliman's 1953 Chevy 2-Ton -- Saved from the crusher, but a lawn ornament for now
• Lynn Ward's 1962 Chevy C-10 Fleetside -- Driving "Miss Gerty" home (250 miles!)
• Chris Harbourt's 1950 Chevy 3800 1-Ton -- "Harbourt" bought this truck from photos, doing engine work first
• Andrew Powter's 1948 Chevrolet 1-Ton Grain Truck -- Oshawa built and in very original condition
• Mike Roache's 1952 Chevy 6400 2-Ton -- An epic tale - these men have too much fun
• Rick Bobowsky's 1949 Chevy Hot Rod -- "1FINE49" has "Rita" home for good
• Ron Brazell's 1933 Yellow Coach Bus Model 709 -- "uncleb" is having fun with this one!
• Dennis Uhrig's Chevy Trucks -- We have pictures of five of them; and he has two others - all really nice!
• Joe Vaverka's 1955 Second Series Chevy 3200 -- A little patience really paid off!
• Roger Kemp's 1951 Chevy 1/2-Ton -- "Kemps" adds another truck to the Gallery -- "Copper"
• Don Nydam's 1959 GMC 860 Single Axle Truck Tractor -- "Mr. Giant" has this one in line for a complete resto
• Dave Outten's 1966 Chevy SWB Stepside -- "HOOKEDUP" just loves this truck
• Jay Bernard's 1962 Chevy C-10 Longbed -- "FanmanJ" in a big fan of the Inline 6
• Dave Sheehan's 1937 Chevy 1-Ton Pickup -- It's a privilege to drive "Old Buck"
• Dave Sheehan's 1948 Chevy Panel Truck -- One of many of Dave's Stovebolts!
• Daniel Jur's 1952 Chevy 6100 2-Ton Grain Truck -- A neat project and some nice thoughts about it all
• Jon Christensen's 1966 Chevy C-20 Update -- "JC" has his Bolt ready for her maiden voyage after 18 months
• Matt Lucas' 1966 Chevy C-60 -- "1945RC60" just got her in November
• Lisa Martin's 1960 Chevy Fleetside Apache 10 -- "Presley Aron" made a good trade for this Bolt
• Bill and Shelli Hummel's 1941 Chevy 1/2-Tons -- Now they have to choose which to drive!
• Mike Clark's 1947 Chevy Thriftmaster 5-window -- "oo8track" is going to rat rod this
• Jay Beard's 1964 Chevy C-10 Short Box -- A lot of work, a lot of years ... and a trophy!
• Mike Allman's 1951 Chevy Pickup Truck -- "drove it up the road in early December with a grin a mile wide"
• Steve Riggio's 1960 Chevy Extended Cab -- "RacerX" says truck started out as a panel
• Kyle Pierce's 1946 Chevy 3/4-Ton Stakebed -- "641Workmaster" been with us since 1988
• Stan Skowronek's 1958 1-Ton Chevy NAPCO -- "Stan 58" got this truck with 10K miles on it
• Gary Cahoo's 1948 GMC 1/2-Ton -- "Mel Swell" says 'I saw more than just an old rusted hunk of junk'
• Brad Baldwin's 1964 Chevy Panel 4 x 4 -- A working Stovebolt
• Tim Kingsbury's 1947 Chevy 1.5-Ton -- "littlekings" is starting a frame off restoration
• Mitch and Cindy La Fortune's 1952 Chevy 1/2-Ton Update -- "tangovino" has a great update on "Ol Yeller"
• Terry Gunter's 1959 Chevrolet Napco -- Finally got Terry's '59 in here!
• Dave Collins' 1958 Chevy Shortbed Fleetside Update -- "1bad58" is finished with this one
• Ron Brazell's 1925 GMC K-101 5-Ton Truck -- "uncleb" has an incredible truck here
• Randy Osborn's 1961 Chevy Fleetside Apache -- "MyBlueChevy's" adds number eight to his Stovebolt collection
• Mark Lyons' 1957 Chevy 3200 -- Me thinks "SB Surfer" has a "double chick magnet" here
• Dave LaPeer's 1941 Chevy 1/2-Ton Short Bed -- "daves41chevy" is ready to do some work
• Robin Black's 1950 Chevy 3100 5-Window -- "Robin B." is putting the puzzle back together - HELP!
• Luther Smith's 1951 Chevy 1.5-Ton Wrecker -- "Little Barrell" was saved from the crusher
• Andy Pearson's 1966 Chevrolet C-10 Fleetside Longbed -- "66oldgreen" has a nice daily driver to work on

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Some Stovebolt Stats
Something fun we found

          Normally, we just report in on the number of hits we got for the month (which we will) but we thought you might get a kick out of something we stumbled across while helping someone get information on the term "stovebolt." Quantcast is a new media measurement service that lets advertisers view audience reports on millions of websites and services. Their data for "stovebolt.com" is sparse so their data is rough estimates. (I don't know much about what they are talking about, anyway.) But they have pie and graphic charts showing demigraphics and traffic. We especially like thier pie chart highlighting the "stovebolt addicts" -- now remember, it's a rough estimate!! Check it out -- it's pretty fun -- if nothing else!

          And for you hard core, straight line guys: here's the data for January from the log:

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