@ olezippi - Your truck's original state is exactly what I was looking for! Having said that, your current state is beautiful. I have a lot of respect for anyone who brings these forgotten beauties back to life, and I always respect their decisions. Thank you for sharing your pictures! I always enjoy seeing what everyone has done with theirs. I noticed your handle - Thank you for your service!
@ Ott3r - Whatever I do I'm going to do before we put a motor back in. I'm going to drive him a bit before we make big decisions (upgrades on the brakes, chassis, rims and wheels...) but I want to have him totally ready paint/body-wise before we drop the engine. We live in Southern Indiana and I have a 'real' daily driver so I won't be driving him in bad weather. He will reside in the (fairly climate controlled) pole barn with hubby's '68 Camaro when I'm not driving him. (I threw that in because I know my truck will always be taken care of as long as hubby's high school sweetheart is. 😄). I don't mind a little more rust (I looked patiently until I found him) but I obviously don't want him to deteriorate. We've got two kids in college and we both still work full-time...not a lot of extra time and money to repair what I could have prevented. I'm trying to make educated decisions now to prevent heartache and decay in the future. Thank you for the SPI epoxy tip! I'm adding that to my screenshot album for 'Bruno's' restoration. 👠I appreciate you taking the time to respond, and you definitely bring to light a lot of things to think about.. Thank you!!
@ justhorsenround - While I definitely appreciate their 'beginnings', I really enjoy the current state of these old beauts. I will probably go flat because I've seen some of the glossy and, IMO, the brightness/dark tone that the rust takes on takes away from the eye's ability to 'take the vehicle in' as a whole. (My eyes are always drawn straight to the rust instead of flowing back and forth across the entire vehicle, if that makes sense).
@ DES57 - Thank you! I've actually written to the gentleman whose name was on the title. It's an address in Kansas, and I really hope he replies! The gentleman I bought it from in Illinois said that it was a barn find in Kansas, but for a farm truck, someone has taken excellent care of it over the years. It seems like you and I think a lot alike. 😊
@ Barnfind49 - It seems like we think a lot alike, also. 😊 I love your truck! It too was what I was looking for. I think it's awesome for someone 'your age' to have such an appreciation for the past. We're 45 & 47 (hubby has a '68 Camaro who was his high school sweetheart. He just finished restoring her [after 20 years away in the Air Force] in time for our son to take his girlfriend to prom a few years ago). Our boys are 20 & 21 now and I hope we've instilled in them the importance of preserving history, and taking care of what we've worked hard for. Thank you for sharing! I think you've helped tip the scale in my favor. 😊
I truly appreciate you all taking the time to weigh-in, and share your thoughts. I would much rather make an educated decision than to have regrets down the road. After reading everything I will definitely begin researching the best methods to preserve what I currently have. As was pointed out, I can always paint him down the road but I can never get back what I have right now. Bruno's staying as-is both underneath, and topside. 😊 (I've included a picture we took when I bought him [a few weeks ago]).
1946 Chevy Getting started on Bruno Follow the story in the DITY Gallery You can't buy happiness but you can buy a truck ... and that's pretty much the same thing.
