Well, I'm retired and at same time helping with a co-owned farm / ranch. The cars & trucks most are working on now, are ones we drove when young. And, we rebuilt more engines, rebuilt a lot of cars, made mods, etc. on more 50-60's car then most could imagine. I was driving tractors and all kinds of things from 8 yrs old on. By the time I was 12 I was driving grain truck into the COOP loaded with wheat. So, I became the "fix-it" guy on most of the farm equipment and other equipment as well. My older brother was good at breaking things, I was good at fixing them.
I learned a lot of 'old ' tricks from my grandfather. I was also spending a lot of time around a guy who Managed a motorcycle company service dept, and spent his spare time rebuilding 30's & 40's motorcycles... mainly BMW's and Indians. I learned a lot from him too, and worked with him a lot of times.
The first time I learned to drive a manual truck was in a 1948 Chevrolet 3100. He took me over 1/2 mile from the house into a pasture and got out and started walking. I asked him what he was doing. .... he said, you learn to drive that thing to the house and get there by 6:00 o'clock, you'll get to eat. If you aren't there, you are on your own for dinner. Well, that is a not a smooth road and all as easy as it sounds, because it involved some hills and crossing branches along the way.... deep in ... steep out. I was small .... so I had sit on the edge of the seat to touch the pedals with my toes, and hit a big bump ... I'ld hit my head on the roof. I had a good headache ... did a lot of bouncing, but I got down how to manage everything and keep it all in control ... that I got to the house about 5:55 p.m, and got dinner. I never stopped driving that truck after that...... until I was about 17 yrs old. He died, and my father would not let me buy the truck from my grandfather's estate. I always worked so I had money. He sold it to a guy who refused my offer of paying him twice what he paid for it.
Have rebuilt many cars... or worked on them from 60 Vette, one favorite complete redo .. 63 SS Impala , foreign sports cars of friends, Fords, Porsche, ... you name it. I also rebuilt motorcycles.
I have a 28 Chevy not completely done, a 54 Chevy 150 Sedan , 69 Chevy truck, and now ..... I found my special one to me ... 1949 Chevy 3600 .... very similar to that old 1948 Chevy 3100 I drove. I've been keeping an eye out and may be crazy to get this one , but I did. It is a complete overhaul, bottom up.... there are some good things, but .... a lot of work ahead of me. I can't imagine any part that won't be touched and something done to it. And one thing I rarely touched as far as working on them , was 46-54 year trucks. So hoping I can offer help on things I know, but also getting a lot of advice on this truck as well.
