My new Big Bolt arrived this past Friday and is everything I hoped it would be. I had a lot of fun driving it around my friend's farm (where it will be stored in a barn and used for work occasionally). This truck was restored but still used for farm work until recently. There was a few pounds of wheat left in the bed that dumped out - my friend's chickens appreciated that.
Last edited by 58limited; 09/11/201712:43 PM.
1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup 1954 Chevy 6400 Grain Truck 1957 Pontiac Transcontinental 1958 Buick Limited 2 Dr 1968 Ford Galaxie 500 1974 Ford F-350 Flat Bed (Dump Bed), former Pioneer Seed Truck.
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin
Very nice truck. Since I restored my 1950 COE (see pictures in the Gallery) I pay more attention to grain beds. Barn red paint on the front and sides is very common, regardless of the color of the cab. Many have white paint at the rear of the box and most feel this is for safety while delivering grain to the elevator in the middle of the night. A working hoist is awesome. When I go to the dump (transfer station) and deposit a load of pine needles you should see the look of envy from the landscape employees emptying their trailers by hand.
Disaster averted. I store this '54 Chevy at a friend's farm in his "barn" which is an old chicken coup. The barn was hit by a tornado this week. The twister missed my friend's house (300 yards away up a hill) and they are OK. It damaged two of the three chicken coup barns and then destroyed a hay barn on his father's property next door - plus dropped a bunch of trees. The photo shows my truck. The roof is partly resting on the wooden grain bed but the truck is OK except for a few scratches from the fan box resting on the driver's door. My friend's '78 Lincoln is behind the truck and is not damaged. None of my friend's trucks, cars, tractors, or other possessions in the barn were damaged.
Update: I've been super busy for the past couple of years and I haven't posted here much - there hasn't been too much to post: The '53 3100 is running fine. The '54 6400 has been stuck under the barn for the past two years. Due to damage from the tornadoes throughout the region (contractors were busy/ heavy equipment was being used elsewhere), and due to COVID-19, we didn't get the damaged building off of the '54 until a month ago.
The tornado did minimal damage to my truck. However, the recent ice storm caused the rest of the building to collapse and it bashed in the hood somewhat and dented the driver's fender. Plus, the driver's side has been exposed to weather for 2 years. No freeze damage to the radiator or engine block thank goodness.
I went to my friend's this past weekend and, after changing the battery, the truck fired right up. The two things I need to troubleshoot and fix before going to a paint and body shop are: the master cylinder was dry, added more fluid but didn't have time to bleed the brakes and find the leak (next visit). Also, the dump bed doesn't work - looks like the hydraulic fluid has leaked. It needs to be able to raise so the shop can paint the back of the cab.Will investigate further next visit. All in all, it could have been much worse. When I take it to the body shop I'll have the correct 1954 hood trim/badging added and I'll replace the windshield which was already cracked when I bought the truck. Here is a video:
Last edited by 58limited; 06/03/20219:54 PM.
1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup 1954 Chevy 6400 Grain Truck 1957 Pontiac Transcontinental 1958 Buick Limited 2 Dr 1968 Ford Galaxie 500 1974 Ford F-350 Flat Bed (Dump Bed), former Pioneer Seed Truck.
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin
