The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1951 Chevy Truck - "My Grandpa's Truck and How it Became Mine"

1951 Chevy Truck
"My Grandpa's Truck and How it Became Mine"

In The Beginning

I was first introduced to my Grandpa Carl's 1951 3100 Chevy truck when I was about 8 years old, in early summer of 1968. I went on a cross country family camping trip to visit my Grandma Doris and step-Grandpa Carl (on my Mom's side) in Spokane, WA. I got to ride in the truck that year for the very first time and it was the best ride I could remember at the time. It was at the end of that first ride that I asked him if he would ever consider passing the truck on to me. I seem to recall him looking at me kinda side ways and saying that would be a long way off "IF" he every decided to give it up.

I recall Grandpa Carl telling me the story that he and his brother bought the truck in 1967 from the original owner and it was their hunting and fishing truck. Bright red, with a big wood slat built up "sheep rack" (what he called it) on the cargo bed. The "sheep rack" was fully enclosed (top, sides and back) with the back having a hinged drop down ramp to allow for loading and unloading camping gear and whatever they may have bagged during the hunt. He mentioned several times they had brought home elk and moose in addition to deer in the back of the truck. I would see the truck and get a few more rides during a few more family vacation visits until 1974 when we stopped making the yearly trips. From 1974 until the early 1990's I never did get to see or ride in the truck, much less get to visit him again as I made my way through high school, immediately followed by an almost 22 years long Army career.

Fast forward to 1995 and what is the beginning of the next stage of the story of my Grandpa's truck. At the time (August 1994 - November 1995) I was still on Active duty in the Army and was stationed in Korea on an unaccompanied "short tour". Unknown to me, my dad and mom had been keeping in contact with Carl and asking him about his plans for the truck as he wasn't really up to driving or taking care of it. When my folks found out about my impending return to the States from Korea, they contacted Carl and told him about my upcoming return and he said he was ready to part with the truck if I would promise to keep it in the family.

Well, my Dad made that promise for me without my knowing. Seems I got some of my recollections "wrong" (oops). Based on my spouse's "better" recollection, plus finding a typewritten letter from my Dad (found after I wrote the initial opening of my story) sent to me in late July 1995 while in Korea, it turns out the correct version of this part of the story kinda goes along these lines:

Before ever going to Spokane, my Dad got my Grandpa Carl to mail him the signed over Washington State title for the truck and then took it to the Wisconsin DMV and got the truck retitled and registered in his name on 26 June 1995. During the retitling process, it turns out the WA title still showed the original 216 "engine serial #" as the VIN (the newer 1954 235 # never got updated on the title), so it was initially titled in WI using the old "engine ID #". Dad had to later get the truck inspected by the State Patrol after getting the truck to WI and got the title converted to use the actual Truck serial # (instead of the engine #) as the corrected VIN on the WI title. Anyhow, with new license plates in hand, Dad purchased a one-way bus ticket and traveled to Spokane, WA from 6-8 July to meet with Carl and collect the truck.


So ends the corrected first portion of my story. Stay tuned for future additions as I can get them done. Much more to come.

In the meantime, below are a couple of current pictures of the truck. I'm still trying to find the original pics my better half has stored away somewhere. Aside from my replacing the severely cracked windshield panes and removing the "sheep rack" many years ago, the trucks outward appearance is just about what it was when the truck became mine.

More on how that happened in the next installment.

Hello Dan, nice truck. 👍 Straight, solid and I don't see any serious rust. Looking forward to hearing the rest of your story.

Extra special when it's been passed down from family.

John

Good on you for chronicling your truck story! I started writing our story about a year ago but never finished it. Your story is encouraging me to get on with it.

Thanks John and Gord. Next installment sometime this week, between grandkid care duties and whatnot. Doing my story in bits and pieces helps make it easier and also gives me a chance to relive some great memories.

Looking forward to your story Gord!

Historical Details

Welcome to "Installment # 2" of my trucks story.

Before I get too much farther down the road with the truck transfer story, here are some historical details I've been able to uncover about the truck, plus some of the work Grandpa Carl did or had done on it before my Dad collected it and drove it to Wisconsin.

I received a large envelope with the truck containing about a dozen pieces of paper with original title/registration documents, in addition to the newer Wisconsin title application/registration. Among the pieces of paper provided by my Dad, there was a single sheet of paper with a few notes Grandpa Carl had written to mention recent major work done. His notes were short and sweet - "Mileage 77837, new rings, new valve grind, 1954 motor number 0662669F54Y.” The original 216 had been replaced and was long gone, but according to the many earlier registration documents it was originally BJCA506578.

Using information from this Tech Tip Page, Deciphering your Chevrolet VIN:

Full VIN # 6JPD8376 = 6 JP D 8376

Factory Code: 6 = Oakland assembly plant

Model Year and Series: JP = 3100
    Taken from the Series page.

Month of Production: D = April 1951
    Each letter represents a month; A Jan; B Feb; C Mar; D Apr, etc.

Production Order: 8376 = The 7,375th that rolled off the line.
    The order in which it came off the line for that particular plant, starting at 1,001.


Taking the original title/registration documents and notes from Carl, I discovered the following about the engines by researching the GM Vehicle Information Kits):

Original engine # BJCA506578 = BJCA 506578

Model Year & Type Designation: BJCA = Flint assembly plant - 3100 216.5 w/heavy duty clutch (RPO 227)
    Taken from the 1951 Chevrolet Truck Data page.

Unit Number: 506578 = The 505,577 engine built for that Model Year.
    The order in which it came off the line for that particular plant, starting at 1,001.


Replacement engine # 0662669F54Y = 0662669 F 54 Y

Unit Number: 0662669 = The 661,668th engine built for that Model Year.
    The order in which it came off the line for that particular plant, starting at 1,001.

Plant Designation: F = Flint assembly plant

Model year: 54 = 1954

Type Designation: Y = RPO 313 (Powerglide automatic transmission - hydraulic lifters/cam)
    Taken from the 1954 Chevy Passenger Car Data page - A transplant from a passenger car.

It turns out that Grandpa Carl's notes, with the last major work done, left out a bunch of details about the truck. For more about those discovered details and the truck's next stage of transfer from Carl to me, check out my next installment.

Nice to have all that documentation. Saves a lot who, where, when or what. Keep trucking!

The Trip - Part 1

My Dad collected the truck and drove from Spokane, in Northeast Washington State, to Dane County, in the Southern part of Wisconsin. That was July 1995 while I was still in Korea. As with most information from my Dad, he wrote down everything about the truck. He kept a small notebook on every one if his vehicles. For this trip, Dad used the paper Grandpa Carl wrote his notes on as a temporary notebook. He recorded the odometer reading and gas/oil purchases at each stop. After arriving in Wisconsin, he sent me a letter to detail the trip with a "Polaroid" picture of the truck.

Dad's notes showed the odometer reading mileage was 77910 when he picked up the truck. He recorded 19 stops for gas along the way and explained in the letter why he made so many stops. Going through the mileage and gas/oil purchases listed in the note, the Washington to Wisconsin trip showed as 1582 miles. That proved to be just a little bit off.

Here is Dad's detailed letter and the "Polaroid" picture. This will close out this installment of my truck's story. Thanks for letting me share all these details! Hope you enjoy them; there's more coming.

Well I certainly enjoyed reading your Dad's letter. Made me feel almost like I was along for the ride!

Great story, especially the letter from your Dad. That trip must have been grueling. I know I would have been driving on the edge of the seat the whole time. You got my interest so I’ll be following!

Very nice!

It is so cool to have that much detail from your Dads letter. He seemed methodical in his preparation before starting his journey not only by writing so much down but carrying extra oil water etc. Being prepared for just about anything. Great story!👍👍

Wow nice story ,shout out to your dad for documenting the journey while bringing back a 44 yr old truck back that far .Looking forward to the rest of the story.

Thanks you all for the overwhelming comments! As Southern Truck put it, my Dad was "methodical" in everything he did. He was a firm believer in the 5 "P's" - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. There was often another "P" word in there, but Mom didn't allow that one to be said out loud, at least within her hearing range - lol. There are plenty of other stories to tell about Dad, but I will save those for another time. Unfortunately we lost my Dad just before his 92nd birthday in early November 2022, but I'm sure any "shout outs" will still be heard and appreciated.

There is a side story to this last post that I thought I would share, as without a lot of nudges, support, and a little memory help, I wouldn't be as far as I've come. I new this picture of the truck was somewhere in all our family pictures and keepsakes, but for the life of me I couldn't find it. My better half of almost 40 years Cheryl, kept telling me I needed to find my old picture album from Korea as she was sure it was in there. I searched through a good half dozen boxes of family keepsakes before I finally found one that had the majority of the letters, cards and such that I received in Korea. That led to the discovery of Dad's letter which I had forgotten had that much detail, but still no picture or album. Another suggestion from my wife finally led to the missing picture album and the "Polaroid", stuck in a box of more stuff from my Korea tour in a different closet.

I also had a lot of nudges, help and support from many fellow Bolters that got this story rolling too. Without the encouragement of my spouse, friends, fellow Bolters and the Stovebolt Community my story may have yet remained untold. To all of you, a BIG THANK YOU! Catch everyone in "The Trip - Part 2.

I really enjoyed reading this 👍😁🇺🇸👍

Fun story. It's awesome to have the history!

Great story. I love my old 54. the one thing I miss about it it there is no back story. I have had it 8 years but I would love for it to have been a family truck with a family history. To me, part of the enjoyment of these old trucks is the history. I had one when I was 18 years old back in 1976. I wish I had a crystal ball back then and would have kept the truck all these years.

Great storyline, Thanks for Sharing.🫵🏼💯🆒👍

Your Dad really went out of his way (literally) to get that truck for you. What an adventurous and dedicated Dad and a great story.

The Trip - Part 2

A quick "flash forward" teaser pic of the truck where it is today is below. Current temporary residence is under the gas station awning at Steve "KCMongo's" shop awaiting my return to continue brake and carburetor work we started in mid-May. More on that part of the story in a future installment!

Now where was I in this story from long go??? Oh yeah, Dad got the truck to Wisconsin in July 1995, but I wasn't due to rotate stateside from Korea until the end of November that year. I received a new letter from Dad around my birthday in late August to ask if "I had received my birthday present" from him yet? He couldn't find any original manuals on the truck, so ordered one from Faxon Auto Literature and had it shipped to me in Korea. I still have the manual and order stuff from Faxon showing he got a reproduction 1948-51 Shop Manual with the 1952 Supplement.

His letter actually arrived at the same time as the book. Boy was I excited to have them both! Was a great distraction reading through it while having nothing to do in my off duty time! Dad's August letter was mostly about things other than the truck. He did say he had gone to the library and researched info on the 1954 235 as some specs and settings may have been different than in the shop manual. Dad also mentioned he had spoken with my Grandpa Carl and shared more info on the truck from that conversation. Turns out one of the extra parts that came with the truck was another 4 speed transmission, but Carl said it was an earlier un-synchronized one. More on that "crashbox" transmission in a future post. Carl also said he built the "sheep rack" out of oak. Dad said it was heavy as it also had steel plates and strapping that made up the structure. The rear gate could be lifted out and hooked to the rear of the structure to create a walk up ramp into the back of the bed. Dad suggested the rack could be partly disassembled to leave the sides on for hauling things and lighten the load. For the time being, we decided to leave everything as it was. We discussed plans to get the truck to my next duty station in Kansas City, but that was going to be a while since he didn't want to drive it on salted roads in the dead of winter. Not to mention I was going to be busy settling myself and family into our new home, school and job.

Further talk on the truck didn't come until Dad's next letter in October 1995. He let me know he was making sure the truck was being kept up by starting and driving it a bit at least weekly. In early October he checked the coolant in the radiator and found it a little low, so topped it off and took it for a spin. When he got back and parked it in the pole barn, he noticed a small trail of coolant leading into the barn - OOPS! Further checks showed coolant leaking from the water pump. He purchased a rebuilt water pump and installed to cure that problem. Not too many other truck related things to report on for the next few months while I rotated back stateside and set up at new duty station. More in my next installment.

A Quick Flash Forward - Significant Milestone Achieved

I know this is going to take my story "out of order" as it happened, but this past weekend was a huge milestone for me and the truck so I thought I would share the news!

Here is a link to Dan's Truck posted by my buddy Steve (KCMongo). I posted a couple of screen grabs form one vidoe of first drive below. Several pictures you may have already seen, but there's videos of the truck running and driving for the first time in about 13 years - Woohoo! Needless to say, my "grin meter" has been pegged since the first drive on Saturday. I got to do a second drive on Sunday while me and members of the Genuine Chevy/GMC Truck Club of KC did equipment prep and loading for next weekends 51st Annual Show-N-Shine event.

The truck isn't up to the long drive to make its own way to the Show-N-Shine, but maybe we can find a way to get it there to show it off. Brain cells getting burned up on finding a solution to that idea. The truck currently remains a temporary resident under the gas station awning at Steve "KCMongo's" shop awaiting my return to continue more work to make it road worthy.

I will get back to "original story" in the near future. In the meantime, hope everyone enjoys the pics and videos!

What a great story on your truck Dan it's really cool getting it from your grandfather.love the pictures. I had a 52 3100 when I was a young man and loved it. God bless

Mike

Great story Dan! Loved your dad's letter documenting his trip back to Wisconsin. Such a great back story to your truck.

Thanks Mike and John for the kind words. Also reminds me I am way behind on continuing the story.

I actually fired it up and gave it a weekly exercise run this morning. No driving pics, but a still shot in the driveway and running gauge shot.

More coming soon.

Well, here I am continuing my temporary "Flash Forward" theme. One of these days I will find the time to get back and continue the earlier story/time line.

As we all know, "life get's in the way..." sometimes, with the things we like or want to do. Recent events in my family follow along with that, keeping me mostly away from any significant work on my truck, but as the saying goes - "Family Comes First" and I wouldn't do it any other way. As mentioned in my last update, the truck is in its winter storage spot and I have been routinely (at least once a week) firing it up, getting it up to full operating temps and pulling it out for a little basking in sunshine. Those efforts went great, with the truck starting regularly without a need for battery charging (I disconnect it after each weekly run) and only once needing to add "juice" directly to the carb to prime and get past a dried out fuel bowl. Even in our recent sub-zero temps, no problems - Yay! Or so I thought.

During the weekly start up and run in the 2nd week of February, all of a sudden the engine developed a "knock" (deep and slow "thunk - thunk - thunk..."). Only happened during deceleration. No "thunk" at start up or acceleration/idle and steady high idle of around 1200-1400 rpm. At the time I chalked it up to the super cold temps (was in the single digits) and the fact I'm still running Rotella 15W40 and the hydraulic lifters are known for similar sounds until they refill/get warmed up. Then the next weekly startup resulted in the knock happening through any engine speed. Not noticed at initial startup, but then happening regardless of rpm. I've worked on enough vehicles over the years to know a "rod knock", so further weekly startup/runs have been paused until I can do some further inspection. Thinking about dropping the pan with engine still in truck as some fellow Bolters have suggested, to get a better idea of what the potential damage and repairs may be.

Right about the time this is all going on, I get a message from fellow Bolter "bowtietim". He managed to snag a "261" from some guy who bought a truck for the cab and wondered if I'm interested in acquiring it? Well, HECK YEAH!!!. Tim got the engine back to his place noting it's a later low water pump location 261, gave it a good check, and test fired the engine in an "engine dolly" patterned on the Engine Dolly Legacy Tech Tip. Tim also removed the water pump to look at front internal coolant passages (clear) and replaced the block side freeze pugs as one had a pin hole and turned out to be fairly rusted on the inside. He sent me videos of the engine on initial startup and a couple more with it restarted and running smooth as could be after a couple of tuning tweaks. Videos are too large for me to post here (but there are a couple of screen shots from the videos below). Suffice it to say the engine ran great from what I saw!

A little "fast forward" and Tim showed up yesterday morning with the 261 in his daily driver ready for hand off. I had my lift and newly built "Engine Dolly" waiting for delivery. My dolly has a slight modification to the plans, with a 2" narrower front cross beam. The front legs on my lift are just a bit too narrow for the lift arm to reach the engine to drop into or remove from the dolly without the modification. The slightly narrower front cross beam lets the lift arm reach just far enough to resolve that problem, while keep the dolly wide enough to prevent toppling the engine over.

Once we got the engine unloaded and stowed in the garage next to my truck, I took a more detailed look and pictures to help ID the engine which I've included below. No doubt it's definitely a 261! Here are the details I've gleaned so far:

Block Casting# = 3769925 (confirmed as a 1960-62 261 block)

Block Casting Date Code = I 24 2 (I = September / 24 = 24th day of September / 2 = 1962 (Captains Bars visible above the date code)

Engine Serial# = NONE/BLANK (indicates this would be a replacement engine/block)

Head Casting# = 3836850 (confirmed 1956-62 261 head - I still need to pull the valve cover to look for the casting date info there)

There are other thing to explore on this engine, including the external oiler line feeding the head/valve train, pulling the coolant drain plug to look for sediment/blockage in the rear of the water jackets (the normal drain cock was replaced by a pipe plug) and looking closer as I couldn't see any provisions for an oil pressure gauge line with the existing head oiler line.

Before I go any further, I want to give a big "Thank You" to Tim for thinking of me and helping me acquire this engine. He's a great Bolter and glad I can call him a friend!

As to my plans for the 261, I need to do some further investigation and reading of 261 info, including the 261 Rebuild Legacy Tech Tip, but eventual the engine is going to end up in my truck, attached to an already on-hand T-5 and an as yet to be acquired TF series "open drive" differential. Yup - One of these days! Until next time...

NOTE: 1st batch of pictures attached (more in next post)

2nd batch of pictures of my new to me 261. More later all!

Looks like good timing to get this 261.

Looks like you are going to be real busy Dan!

Dan, I have all the tools needed to do a rebuild. Ridge reamer, hone, cam bearing drivers and some other things to do a full rebuild. Even the mics to check all the clearances and wear.
Still planning on going thru your area to pick up a truck in Oklahoma, If the guy is alive and still wants to sell it.

Let me know if you need help!
Don

Thanks for the offer Don! I will reach out when we get to a more reasonable outdoor temperature to get together and come up with a plan. Help with a rebuild and your machinist skills/knowledge is much appreciated.