Just got home with a 53 Chevy 3800 that I bought from a High School Science teacher. He looks somewhat like Doc on Back To the Future. Anyway, here are the pictures I took when I got it out of his old garage and before I got it pulled out of the Ozarks hills. The old 7.3 4x4 pulled it up that very rough and long driveway like a champ!
Don
Last edited by Peggy M; 06/28/20255:30 PM. Reason: added more info to the title
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
Welcome Don! I'm happy to see pics of your "new" Truck. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about your truck!
Ron - - Dusty53 1954 Chevy 3604 In the Gallery Forum "You can't dance with the Devil and then wonder why you're still in Hell." "They will forget what you've said, and they will forget what you have done but they will never forget the way you made them feel."
OK I get the hint to post more about the wife’s new truck. I bought the 53 from a fellow Stovebolter that posted it for sale at a “I want to sell it price”. I have met Tim (bluesman) before when I hauled a 48 2-ton out of his Ozark back hills home to a fellow Stovebolter in Cape Girardeau Mo. several years ago. After getting it out of his old garage and at his new home in Camdenton I made sure he still wanted to sell it. He said yes, as his wife of over 50 years had died just two years ago. Tim was a small home town high school science teacher for many years with several degrees in science and associated majors to get a masters on top of that. To say the least, he is very well educated and just a joy to talk and learn from. I hope to call Tim once in a while just to see how he is doing. Oh,Tm is also a blues musician and has mastered several different instruments
I’m tire of typing now and going to take a break before I tell you more about the 3800. Don
Edit; I forgot to tell you that this is Doctor Bluesman in this picture.
Last edited by 2-Ton; 06/29/20253:36 AM.
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
Congratulations Don! That’s 3800 looks in good shape!
~ Victor 1941 3/4-Ton Pickup (in process). Read about it in the DITY Gallery 1955 Grumman Kurbside "Doughboy" 235/3 on tree w/ OD 1957 3100 - moved on 1959 C4500 Short Bus "Magic Bus" - moved on 1959 G3800 1 Ton Dually "Chief" - moved on 1958 C4400 Viking "Thor" ~ moved on to fellow Bolter
FYI, if you tighten the pivot nut behind the door panel, you won't need the cord to keep it open.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Got the truck unloaded and in the shop yesterday by pulling the spark plugs, a squirt of oil in each cylinder and let it set for a while. Then turned it over by hand some, hit the starter a few times and bumped the starter with it in gear to get it to roll off the trailer into the shop.
Blueman also gave me all the sales receipts from his rebuild, the original title from Illinois when he bought it in 1978 and a thumb drive with all the info of the rebuild with pictures. He also did a total engine rebuild, said the engine only has about 100 miles on it. Today I plan on cleaning the spark plugs, check the gap, install them and check the points gap and hope to start it. It has not been started in about 3 years.
Per a request, here are the pictures I took when I first went to look at it.
Don
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
The cab has no rust I have found yet. One running board has some small rust thru holes and there is a little rot on the edges of the bed. I need to get off my rear and get in the shop some today. We will be on the river the next couple days so it will be put on hold til Friday?
Don
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
WOW! Don you have a great score there. That is a very solid looking Truck, and with all the info (BIG TIME SCORE). I fully expect to see this one at next years SMN. Now I need an AD (please don't tell Linda I said that)
~ Craig 1958 Viking 4400 "The Book of Thor" Read the story in the DITY 1960 Chevrolet C10 "A Family Heirloom" Follow the story in the DITY Gallery '59 Apache 31, 327 V8 (0.030 over), Muncie M20 4 Speed, GM 10 Bolt Rear... long term project (30 years and counting)
Come Bleed or Blister, something has got to give!!! | Living life in the SLOW lane
Chris, there is a good chance of that. It’s on hold for a few days while we are doing a float trip. It will be a 50’ show looker after I get it started and a good soapy bath.
Don
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
I'd a cleaned the mouse houses out of that rig and drove it home! Remarkably little rust-and someone's already done a lot of the hard work of wiring and engine updates. Big score!!
The sticks were too big for mice, maybe some kind of pack rat got it s cluttered up. That is all gone now and I hope to get some more time on it over the holiday.
More pictures will follow. Don
Last edited by 2-Ton; 07/02/202510:57 AM.
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
Update: Cleaned the points today and dumped 5 gallons of fuel in the 53. Primed the carb and it fired right up and sounded solid. I did check the oil before I did that and the oil looked brand new. Headed for a short drive and it was starving for fuel. Looks like a clogged fuel filter. So back to town tomorrow to see if the local FLAPS can match up a filter for the old school glass bowl filter it has.
Don
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
Was not able to find a new filter for the glass bowl, so I just replaced it with a cheap inline filter. I will still be looking for one though. After getting the filter on, it fired right up with just a little prime down the carb and seemed to run good. I was not able to take it down the road yet as my wife is away this weekend and if it does not make it back, I will have a long walk. Here are just a couple pictures of the 46, 54 and the new 53. I have run out of room to park them all inside. One may have to go to a new home?
Don
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
Ron - - Dusty53 1954 Chevy 3604 In the Gallery Forum "You can't dance with the Devil and then wonder why you're still in Hell." "They will forget what you've said, and they will forget what you have done but they will never forget the way you made them feel."
1967 GMC 9500 Fire Ladder Truck "The Flag Pole" In the Stovebolt Gallery '46 2-Ton grain truck | '50 2-ton flatbed | '54 Pontiac Straight Eight | '54 Plymouth Belvidere | '70 American LaFrance pumper fire truck | '76 Triumph TR-6 Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most!
~ Cosmo 1949 Chevy Half Ton Rocinante, like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and engaged in a task beyond his capacities. "...my good horse Rocinante, mine eternal and inseparable companion in all my journeys and courses." ...Don Quixote, Cervantes "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."...Yogi Berra "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." ...Eric Hoffer
@Dusty53 you might want to get some yellow Teflon tape for the threads into that filter housing. Gasoline eventually degrades the white kind, or so I'm told. That's why I started using the yellow flavor.
Tronman, thanks for the tip! I'll check into that.
Ron - - Dusty53 1954 Chevy 3604 In the Gallery Forum "You can't dance with the Devil and then wonder why you're still in Hell." "They will forget what you've said, and they will forget what you have done but they will never forget the way you made them feel."
Thanks for the pics.
Don you have a great score there. That is a very solid looking Truck, and with all the info (BIG TIME SCORE). I fully expect to see this one at next years SMN. Now I need an AD (please don't tell Linda I said that) 
