Hi all, I usually need some advice from time to time on my old trucks and discovered this site a few weeks ago. I’ve been a Chevy NUT since I was just a kid in the 60’s, growing up on a wheat farm in NE Montana. My Dad had some old Chevy pick-ups and trucks for the farm (he never would own a Ford, Dodge, or IHC). He started giving them and the old tractors away to his boys when he retired around 1990.
My Grandpa (on Mom’s side) had a very small Chevrolet dealership in the little town we grew up in. Grandpa closed the doors around 1955, but I can still remember growing up around the small defunct dealership building, with the NOS and used Chevy parts, just collecting dust.
The dark blue 1941 with only 40K miles went to a younger brother. The red 1946 went to an older brother. The 46’ was the first vehicle I ever drove, at the age of about 10 & my dad had to pencil the 4-speed pattern on the dash so I could shift it.
To me he gave his red 1966 C10 long-bed. I remember the night he drove it home from the dealership when I was 7 years old. I was my Dad’s right-hand man since I can remember. It was the pick-up I grew up in. Wow, the memories I have in it! When I got my license at 14 ½, he was still very protective of it for good reasons, so I didn’t get to drive it very often back then.
I’ve been a hot-rodder since I was very young, so I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I just had to re-place the 283 with a ZZ4 350, 700R4, and 4.10 gears – no lack of torque at altitude now. I finally drove it to Bonneville last Summer, and it got 20 MPG.
5 years ago, Dad gave me my deceased Mom’s prize possession with only 35K miles on it. It was the last vehicle Grandpa sold - a blue 1954 4100 grain truck, & he sold it to my Mom & Dad. (Mom always joked that she wanted to be buried in it) It’s still in great condition.
Anyway, I’m happy to be here, and sorry for the long-winded intro, but I like to reminisce about the old days gone by.... Daryl
