Well folks I thought I'd start a Project build thread for the 1940 Chevy.
I'm new to the Old Chevy world but not to old vehicles. I've been working on old Willys Jeeps and fixing up trucks since I was 12.
Last year I started offering an automotive class as an elective for the small School down the road. I was looking for a project we could work on.
Talking to a friend of a friend after church one Sunday, I got a lead on this "old truck in a field" down in Maryland. The truck had been sitting out for 5-10 years. The property owner's friend had parked it there years ago. The person recently died, so no info or paper work. I knew I was on a fool's mission.
My first surprise on getting down there was the truck seamed in relatively good shape for sitting out. The driver's door had rust through on the bottom and the windshield frame was shot, but when we hooked a chain up to the truck, it pulled loose from its resting place.
We got the truck loaded and headed back home. Man we got a lot of thumbs up and honks on the way; that was fun!
When we got back home, we started really looking it over. It was nice to see that someone had re-done some of the wiring and it had a 12v battery in it. So it had been taken care of at some point.
The next stoke of incredible luck was after we rolled it of the trailer and popped the clutch -- the engine turned over! I was sure it would have been stuck after all those years but it was free.
We cleaned crap off the truck, put a new battery in it and hit starter button, and it cranked! I popped the cap and sanded the points up, pulled the plugs and inspected them, then added a little fuel to the carb and low and behold the old girl fired!
It was unbelievable! Mice, nuts, and smoke all over the driveway from the tail pipe! We added a temp fuel can and got the pump primed and she even ran for a min or so before the carb started puking gas. Talk about a successful day!
Now for the rest of the story. The entire glove box was filled with a mouse nest. As I pulled it apart, I found three or four chewed up owners cards! Talk about dumb luck!
By putting the pieces together I was able to get the year, make, title and vin # and an owner's address and name!!
The next day I did some sleuthing on the old web and after cold calling some numbers, I hit pay dirt. The guy on the other end of the line said he thought maybe it was his Dad's old truck that had been sold many years ago. By that evening, I was talking to his Father who did remember the truck and had sold it over 25 years prior! It was pretty neat!
I went from a old parts truck in a field without paper work to a pretty solid truck with a good chance of getting a title soon in two days.
The vin # 14KC0148 ... which was painted over but in one piece, and with the info off the owner's cards, I now know this truck is a 1/2 ton Chevy which came out of the Baltimore factory in 1940.
The truck has the name of a moving company on the doors, so with the info I have of the last three owners, it's very possible this truck never left a 60 to 100 mile radius of the factory it was made in! It even has both its original plates on it from 1940! Not bad for a 82 year old truck.
The Engine # is GM with a 20 underneath it and casting # of 3769716. You folks where kind enough to ID the engine as a later 1958-62 235 cid 6 cyl. The past owner did think the engine had been replaced so that adds up.
So that's where we are now. My plan is go get it running, driving and stopping, and get the windshield and door fixed/ replaced and then we'll see where it leads.
Let the games begin!
Last edited by Windyhill; Tue Sep 20 2022 09:49 PM.
Ha, the amount of dirt and crud I've ingested over the years... Like putting my flash light in my mouth while I try and read #'s off this old engine block...which I use for everything...that rides around in my pocket...I was just working on a septic system last week wasn't I ?.... It's just good old mouse dirt.... Here's engine pics.
Last edited by Windyhill; Sat Sep 17 2022 09:26 PM.
Careful about the flashlight in the mouth, I used to do it all the time, but if you've got lithium batteries it's like putting a 44 magnum in your mouth and playing Russian roulette. Not a common thing, but I'd hate to be that guy.
