The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Thinking About Restoring My '53 3100 5-window

I have a 1953 3100 5-window that my Dad purchased new. He hauled produce to the market in Houston with it. He also had wood side boards on it so he could haul one cow in the bed and haul a second cow in a small bumper pull trailer. It was his primary farm truck from 1953 until 1968.

After that, my older brother drove it to high school from 1969 to 1972. Then my uncle (my Dad's younger brother) used it as his "weekend farm" truck until 1981. It was last registered and inspected in 1980...still has the expires in 11/81 inspection sticker on the windshield.

My older brother got it back in the summer of 1981 and it was not in running condition. It wasn't until February of 1988 that he finally got it running. I rode with him for the first and only test drive down the county road. Everything was going well until we went down a hill that had a sharp right curve at the bottom. He applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. Luckily there was an open gate straight ahead and we coasted off into a pasture. We discovered one of the new wheel cylinders had leaked and we lost all the brake fluid.

The truck went back into the barn for a wheel cylinder replacement that never happened. My brother became ill a few weeks later and passed away in June 1988.

The old '53 has been sitting, right where he parked it, in my barn ever since. No one has touched it except for the times when kids jump in an pretend they are driving.

I am now where I have the time and funds to perhaps do something with it. I'd like to be able to enjoy it, take it on weekend trips, maybe drive in a few local parades, take it to the local small town car shows.

In some ways I would like to restore it to original...but in other ways I would like to modernize it a bit, make it more comfortable to drive (A/C), add some safety features (Disc Brakes, Upgrade Lights, Seat Belts) and make it a more reliable driver (Newer Engine). Also, I have some knee issues and I have difficulty (pain) with a clutch...so an automatic transmission might be needed.

Anyway, just thought I would share to see if anyone had any comments, ideas or advice.

Thank You
Tim H

Tim, its your truck so do what you will. You have to drive. If it is a truly nice original then most would love to see it kept that way as "originals" are getting hard to find. But still, its up to you.
My brother passed away just before I got my 37 on the road and I each time I drive it I always think of him and the time we built the engine.
You'll find any help you need here in the Stovebolt forums to get it going. Good luck and thanks for sharing your story.

Welcome to the Bolt!
Keeping it original would be cool, especially if it's not all rusted out or beat up. But as Alvin mentioned, it's yours--do with it what you will.
I might suggest though, that you get it running first and drive it as is for a while. As time goes on you'll decide what modifications, if any, you might want to pursue.
Good luck, and keep us posted.

Welcome to the Forum and to the addiction of these old trucks. What took you so long? We have been waiting to answer all your questions. Around here , the only stupid question is the one that's not asked. We all started knowing very little about these trucks but learn something new every time we sign into the Stovebolt.

Thank you for the welcome and comments.

My first thought is to keep it all original, but then again I would really like to make some reliability, safety and comfort upgrades.

I am leaning towards doing the upgrades and keeping all the original parts I remove in the process. I have a big barn, so safe storage of the parts would be no problem. Later, if my grandkids want to restore it back to original, all the original parts will be there for them.

I want to drive it and enjoy it...but still not certain which direction to go on it.

Thank You
TimH

Tim, both of my vehicles were in terrible shape when I got them. While I did what your talking about. I made them safe and reliable for some road trips with some level of comfort. While I don't have an original, I certainly do not have a rat rod or even a hot rod. While I've encountered some that don't like the phrase/term "resto-mod" it suits me just fine. I've got some creature comforts but I did at least keep the look of being original in tack meaning folks can certainly tell what it is. The main thing is to enjoy your truck. Its yours, fix it the way you want it.... and enjoy it.