The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1958 Chevrolet 4400 -- "The Book of Thor"

I thought it was about time that I started a DITY on “Thor.” July will be two years that he has been in my care.

Chapter One: Love at First Sight!

I started the morning as I usually do: a cup of coffee and a cruise through the forums on the Bolt. This one particular morning, there was something different in the Swap Meet: a listing for a 1958 Chevrolet 4400 1.5-ton Grain Truck. While I didn’t need another project (do any of us), this truck was different. I have an affection for Task Force trucks, more so for the four eyed versions. There in all his glory was “Thor” a hand painted, four eyed, beastly! LOVE! While I don’t believe in such things (love at first sight and so on), there it was just staring back at me from the screen.

Victor "VEW" Walters had decided it was time to thin his herd a little and “Thor” as he had named him was being offered up for sale. The price wasn’t bad at $3,000 but I just couldn’t justify another project.

Victor laid out his reasoning for letting Thor go: too many projects, too little time. We all know the story, many of us have projects with the same fate looming over them. Victor was different in that he wanted to be sure the truck went to a good owner -- an owner that would continue to use Thor as a truck and not chop it up or slam it to the ground. Someone who would respect the heritage that came with the truck and add to its lineage. Victor had laid out his demands.

Somethings just nag at you, like that itch you can’t reach. I went through the morning, the image of Thor now burned into my brain. I shared the picture (now saved on my phone) with a couple of close friends. Both of these fellows thought I had lost all sense and was in need of therapy. Therapy, yeah that was what I needed! The type of therapy that this hulking truck could bring.

Later at home I shared my excitement with my wife. Showing her the picture was less than magical. She looked at me and said, “So.” She could see the gears had begun to turn. I told her that while I thought the truck was COOL, I didn’t need another project. Looking back, I really don’t think she believed me. And so the week went on. I looked each morning and it was still there.

There was a fateful event one morning, Victor had dropped the price. While $3,000 may not have been enough to coax me into negotiations, $2,500 certainly was.

At home I told the Love of my Life that the price had dropped. "The price of what?" she asked. It was a blow to my ego that the woman I loved had forgotten about the truck. I refreshed her memory; she looked at me and said, “And...” She told me that if I wanted it, I should buy it. It was, after all, my money. The clouds parted and I could hear the angels sing! With that I knew I had to have this truck.

The next morning I sent a private message to Victor, I indeed wanted the truck and was willing to meet his price. I waited not so patiently for his response. It didn’t come that day nor the next. The morning of the third day I had a response and a phone number.

I called Victor and found that he was willing to sell me Thor. Seems that he had done some background investigations on me. He wanted to know just what type of owner I was going to be. Thor deserved a good owner or as I see it caretaker, someone who would treat the truck with care and respect. I suppose I fit the mold. At one point, I even dropped Alvin’s ("Achipmunk") name, not really sure if that helped. But for now the deal was done!

And so it begins! Keep going!

Craig, We're so glad to see you got Thor started in the DITY. When a Stovebolt goes from one Bolter to another, it's a wonderful timeline to follow. And you have more great stuff to add once you get caught up! Don't forget pictures, pictures, pictures!

Be careful throwing my name around tut. Its a wonfet the price didn't go up.....maybe Victor remember me helping him pull an axle at home coming!

You've made lots of progress on thor. I'm just sitting back and enjoying following you along. Let me know what I can do to help.

Great story and nice start to your journal! I’ll be following.

Chapter Two: Road Trip!

With the deal having been completed (verbally anyway), the focus was now on securing my Prize. Victor and I had worked out a pickup time for the following weekend. He was in Virginia and I was in Georgia. To make matters more complicated, I had nothing large enough to haul Thor to his new home.

I ran over the numbers in my head but there was just no way my 1993 1/2-ton 4x4 could handle the weight. I really didn’t have an exact weight, just more of an estimate from on-line research and the pictures Victor had sent me. As luck would have it, I didn’t own a trailer long enough either.

Oppie to the rescue! Zachary Rowe or “Oppie” (as I nicknamed him -- I threw the extra “P” in there just to be different), was a close friend with both a larger truck and a long enough trailer. Oppie is “Oppie” because of his red hair and the fact that he still lives at home with Dad. He is more like one of my kids than just a friend; he’s 30 years younger than me. I have a group of my former “Airmen” that I have taken close in my keep -- Oppie is one of those. Oppie has a fleet of “F@&ds” (and a 1950 3100 Chevrolet), one of which is a 1996 F350 with a 7.3L diesel. He also had a 24-foot 14,000 lbs. trailer.

It took a matter of seconds to convince Oppie to join me on my quest. I merely had to mention a road trip and he was in with both feet. The plan was laid out and a timeline set. We would leave Friday morning and meet Victor on Saturday.

We prepped the truck and trailer for the journey ahead, secured the necessary tools, jack, impact, chains and binders. It was at this point that I discovered there was no spare tire for the truck. Oppie never had a spare tire and didn’t believe he needed one (foolish child). I would see to that. I asked around and no one seemed to have a spare that would work. Most 1-tons in our area are dual wheeled or not the correct bolt pattern. A spare tire was an absolute must for this trip. I’d figure out something.

Friday morning came. It was sunny and warm and smelled of adventure. I love a good road trip. I suppose it’s in my blood, handed down from Grandpa to dad to Me. My Dad was born under a wandering star. As a kid, we never stayed in one place too long. there are stories that family passes down of Dad’s exploits and how we came to be where we were. But I stray ... this is not one of those stories, though they should be told here as well.

We pulled out a little after 7:00am, I could almost hear Willie singing “On the Road Again.” A quick stop to top off the tank, coffee and a biscuit and we were north bound on I-95.

I had located a spare tire at LKQ in Savannah so that would be our first stop, or so I thought. About 20 miles from the house, we were stopped dead on I-95. Seems a south-bound trucker decided to make an immediate left turn. He crossed two lanes of traffic, the center median, three more lanes of north-bound traffic, all before coming to a stop in the Weigh Station. Sideways, I might add, as he just missed the scale tower. So, we sat there for three hours. Linda, my Loving Bride, called just to see how we were doing. She got an ear full, bless her. The Good lord had been watching over everyone that morning, as no one was seriously injured.

We were rolling once again. We made a short detour off I-95 into Garden City, and LKQ. The counter man was sure he had a tire and wheel that would fit. We just needed to find it. We headed off into the abyss that was the wrecking yard. There was row after row of trucks, most with the newer bolt pattern wheels. I managed to locate an 80’s – 90’s 1-ton van. The tires were fair at the least, but I was holding out for better. Just as I was ready to settle for something that at least held air, I found a tire in the rear of another van that still had the manufacturing labels stuck on it. The date code was less than a year old. It was the next size down from what we had been looking for, but it was newer and held air. A mere $85, in the back of the truck it went, and we were on our way again.

We crossed the state line at 1:00pm and just left Georgia. Virginia was still 8 hours away and we had all of I-95 to contend with. I discussed taking I-77 and going through Charlotte, Oppie was firm to on stay with I-95, so we did. We stopped for a quick lunch in Walterboro SC, topped off the tank and back on the road.

The trip up 95 was without event and we seemed to be making better time. The closer we got to the Richmond VA area the thicker the traffic became. We were now in the middle lane on Friday afternoon traffic. I was all for getting off the Interstate and using the surface roads. We stayed the course. We headed to Leesburg VA in the upper portion of the state. There was no way I wanted to deal with traffic on the Beltway, especially on a Friday evening.

Once through Richmond, we stopped for fuel, and I changed our route. I explained to Oppie about the Beltway and afternoon and evening traffic. After driving through Richmond, he seemed a little more flexible.

We said goodbye to the Interstate and headed off just below Fredericksburg. There were a few tense moments with Oppie as I used a paper towel to clean his passenger side mirror. Seems he doesn’t like them clean. Says it cuts down on the glare. The widow tent is so dark on this truck, you can’t see through it anyway.

We made it to within 10 miles of Victor and Thor. We were beat and still had tomorrow ahead of us. I found a motel that had enough area to park the truck and trailer. A room for the night, a quick call home to Linda, a shower and “GOOD NIGHT”

I understand. Felt the same about Stella. Cousin and his trailer joined me on a journey from Illinois to New Mexico to get her. All went well until the 4wd module went wonky.
Stay safe and enjoy the ride.

I love having another four eyed bolt on the site! This is an ongoing project, I'm playing catch up on the posting of events so bare with me. The sequence of dates and projects on "Thor" is thankfully stored on my phone. I have hundreds of pictures that will be shared on the site.

Chapter Three: We Meet at Last!

We woke early and stepped out into a beautiful morning. It was 50 degrees, bright and Sunny. It had been a balmy 80 degrees just 24 hours early, there was no hint of the humidity we left in Georgia.
The hotel offered what they referred to as Breakfast, I passed on that and had a cup of coffee. I suppose it was the excitement of finally getting to see “Thor”, but I just wasn’t that hungry. Oppie was insistent on eating something, I told him we would stop for a Biscuit.

We made a quick check of the Truck and Trailer. I cleaned the windows and mirrors, checked the fluids and kicked the tires. Yep, we were good to go. We pulled out of the parking lot; the GPS was barking orders as we ignored them and found a biscuit.

I had agreed to meet Victor around 9 AM, Oppie wanted to proceed over and get started. I told him that we would stick with the plan as I was sure Victor had things to do as well that morning. He ate his Biscuit.

It was decided that we should get fuel while we had time. We made our way through the downtown area, stopping at a Mom and Pop station. Next to the station was an Auto Shop, there in front of the shop was a well patinaed AD. The badging on the Truck proclaimed it to be a 4400, the lowered stance and 20 inch wheels said otherwise. I took a couple of pictures, after all it was a Stovebolt. I took this to be a good omen, seeing a Truck while going to get a Truck, and only a few miles away. It had to be a sign.

We fueled up. Across the road was a small-town Yard sale, I wished we had the time to check it out, I said as much to Oppie. Apparently, Yard Sales are not his thing, the look on his face told me that much. There was a COOL old vintage “Radio Flyer” wagon just setting there, ripe for the picking. But it wasn’t meant to be.

It was only a few miles to Victor’s place, the GPS led us right past it. There was a driveway, but the wrong street number. We kept on, in a matter of minutes had actually crossed the state line and were now in Delaware. A quick U-turn put us back on course. This time Victor was standing in the road, he had seen us pass and was now blocking traffic.

We missed the turn on the first go round because there was a second driveway, one to the back property. Victor guided us in off the road. He had been pruning back a few of the trees and shrubs to have better access, he had seen us go by.

We made our introductions, Victor is a long lean gentleman, soft spoken and quick to smile. Of course I liked him right off. I introduced Oppie as “ Zachary” to avoid confusion. I’m not sure that really helped as I found myself calling him “Oppie” on more than one occasion while there.

We planned our assault. As it turned out the truck and trailer were pointed in the wrong direction. A quick 19 point turn corrected that. We backed up a short rise to a flat area that seemed more suitable. That was my first glimpse of “Thor’. Victor had positioned “Thor” pointing out to help with loading. “Thor’ sat there in the morning sun, dew still on the windows, it was as if he were waiting on me. I left Oppie to tend to the ramps while I made my way around “Thor”. The Truck was just as described, rust in the usual place, dents and bang from years of work on the farm. I opened the door and was greeted by the smell of an old truck, that stale musty gear oiled aroma that us Truck guys love. I climbed in and took the steering wheel in my hands, yep this was exactly what I needed in my life.

Victor led me through the doings of the old truck. There was a small lawnmower-style gas tank under the hood that served as the fuel source. The seat tank was rusted inside and would plug the filter with debris and sediment. The carburetor leaked and would need to be primed. The brakes were nonexistent. The tires held air, for now. “Thor had been painter in house paint with a brush and roller, a shade of pale blue green. He was beautiful!

“Thor” came with all the trimmings. The original steel grain bedside panels, an extra set of wheels and tires a shop cart full of small parts and pieces. We had to move the bed panels from the side to Victors shop, through a garden gate and on to the back of Thor. The panels weighed in excess of 400 lbs each. The front panel was already mounted on Thor. We loaded the panels and placed the extra wheels and tires on top of those.
Turning our attention to getting Thor on the trailer, I realized that the rear was too wide. Off came the outer duals, those made there way on to the bed as well. We secured everything to the bed. I loaded the front passenger side seat and floorboard with all the small parts and pieces.

The time had come to load Thor. I mapped it all out in my head, getting it centered up on the trailer and ramps, making sure to get the balance just right. Just do it. Victor connected the battery terminal and gave the carb a shot of gas. Here we go, I pulled out he choke, turned the key switch checked the transmission for neutral, pushed in the clutch (being safe here) and hit the floor starter. Thor fired right up, the engine caught first try. I patted the accelerator and soon had it idling. He knew he was going home!

I slipped the transmission into low gear and eased the clutch out, Thor moved forward ever so slightly. So the clutch worked. I aimed the wheels at the trailer ramps and let out on the clutch again. Oppie was standing on the trailer directing me on, I moved up the ramps and gave Thor a little more gas and he climbed up as pretty as you please. I stopped a couple of time to let Oppie reposition so I could see him better, he was standing on the toolbox across the bed of his truck now. I eased Thor forward a little more until it seemed right. I shut it down and climbed out.

To my shear surprise I had it on in one shot. Thor was centered on the trailer and the balance looked good. I checked the overload springs on Oppie’s truck, and they were just kissing on the back. Perfect.

A few minutes more and Thor was chained down, ready for his piggyback to Georgia. Victor gave me a manila folder with all the necessary paperwork and records he had created. He had owned Thor for 11 years, in that time he had put 350 miles on the truck. I handed victor the envelop with the payment and a little extra for the part he had included. It was time to go.

Our goodbye’s said and handshakes given and thank you’ s said we climbed in Oppie’s truck and headed out the driveway. I waved back to Victor as we pulled out, my next project in tow behind us. It was a beautiful morning.

Nice story. Thanks for posting. I enjoyed reading it.

John

I enjoyed it, too. You are going a great job with the story. Sure hope you can round up those photos! You know how we are about photos.

Yes, me too. You paint a good picture.

Quite the storyteller indeed! What are your plans for Thor?