The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Big bolt close to done! (pics)

http://www.mrchevynut.com/croped.png

I hope the picture comes up, if not it is on my website: Mrchevynut.com

There are pictures of restoration and history of the truck. This has been a two year endeavor and is just a couple weeks away from completion, (painting and installing the bedsides). This forum has has helped a lot with its reconstruction. Tires, wheels, brakes, that why it took two years. I have driven it a couple hundred miles with 235 power, it will run at interstate speeds but with no mufflers and home made baffles it starts to get LOUD around 50 mph.

By the way, I don't generally haul the car on the truck on the highway, it goes in enclosed trailer. I had it over 65 a couple times.

Beautiful! My bed looks to be about the same length as yours. How long is the dovetail? How long is the ramps needed to load your car?

Very nice bolt. Great job on the work and love you put into it.

My buddy designed and built the truck in the early '70's. When I got the truck the bed was disassembled but the main part were there, however I did modify his original design somewhat. The dovetail is 4' long. There are 8" I beams for the cross bars that sit on top of the frame, the car does sit high. With the 8" I-beams I was able to cut the centers out to store the 10' ramps I found on Ebay. The dovetail runs from the top of the 8" beams to the lower part of the frame. I had a spare frame that I used to make the frame extensions and fish plates (reinforcements) I think the drop is around 14-15". This makes for neat storage of them. The ramps set on the same angle as the dovetail The one thing I can't tell you is the clearance for the hump since this truck was designed and built to be dedicated for the gasser which sets probably 6" higher than a car that sits normally. I will try to get some pictures posted with the ramps set up.
I was somewhat apprehensive about the overhang but after I started paying attention to ramp trucks and rollbacks, they all have quite an overhang. What little I have hauled the car it seems balanced well meaning it does not seem light in the front end.

Thanks for the information. I want to be able to load a farm tractor on mine, and belly clearance would not be a problem. Maybe a pickup or junk car sometimes.
I was thinking I may need 12 ft. ramps. But now I think 10 ft. would work.
The flat part of my bed is 10 ft. long. I have not made a dovetail yet.

Very nice truck!

That would make a good truck to haul a tractor, the ramps I bought are rated for 5,000# each. It looks like you have John Deere wide front end tractors? Naturally two ramps would work for wide front tractors. My grandson has an old Oliver 66 narrow front, he wants me to get an extra ramp for him! Discount Ramps was the maker of the ones I got. They have a good selection. I had been looking for the original ramps for the truck for over a year. I had been watching Ebay for 6 months or more. It came time to order and they were in stock and shipped to my house in just two days. A week after I got the ramps I got a phone call from the guy who had the original ramps for my truck. Oh, well, I like what I got.

Hey Old GMC Gold, I went to your photo bucket, that is a nice looking GMC there. I also like the color. I updated my pictures. To see them go to my website, on the left side scroll to the 4th from bottom row to: Vans Mr. Chevy truck updated March 2014. All the way to the bottom of the pictures are 6 updated pictures showing the bed/dovetail and the ramps.
That will be an impressive rig when you finish it!

Thanks very much for the detailed photos. I will save them to go by, when I start to modify the rear of my bed. It has to come back off anyway, to finish the paint job. Yes, all my tractors are wide fronts.
Very nice and professional work!!

Welcome to the "Bolt"!! AWESOME truck!! Like the grille! I have a T.F.'55 6500,with a 13' flatbed/hoist. I'm planning on "fabbing" a set of ramps,that could be removed/transported,or leave them attached,with stabilizers,to support a longer vehicle. Does anyone have any pic's/plans,for such an application? I have a 261,with Fenton's and stacks,too! it gets loud,at around 50 M.P.H.,but I LOVE it!!

Cool truck.

Like the '55 2-Dr HT as well.

Bill

No picture of the '59 430-W ??

I've got a '59 435.

Bill

Beautiful truck Chevy55.