My sons and I are in the process of a slow restoration of a 1946 2 ton bigbolt with a flatbed dump. We are limited in our budget, but would like to finish this correctly the first time so it will last. We have a farm and vineyard in Maryland; and along with using the truck for various parades, we would like to make use of the dump bed for various tasks along our several driveways and perhaps hauling grapes to the wineries at harvest.
At the risk of offending purists on true restorations, I have expressed that I am interested in making truck look as original as possble, but would very much like to make it as user friendly as possible as well so that we can use it semi-regularly. Responding to that, the gentleman guiding us in our restoration process suggested the possibility of replacing the tranny (w/ PTO) with a newer one that would be synchronized and allow us to use the truck without the struggle of double clutching and grinding gears. I am interested in any thoughts from those with more years of Bigbolt wisdom than I.
