The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Worst Offense by a Previous Owner?

I'm in the "disassembly" phase.
So far, the worst I've found is the passenger side inner fender welded to the firewall, because it was easier than patching the rust.

But it got me thinking...

What did the "previous owner" do to your truck, that left you shaking your head when you found it?

Cheers,
mark.
'51 KY 3100
http://home.alltel.net/hd99fxst/pickuphome.html

The things the P/O s did that cause me to spend a lot of money are only things done because the truck was used as a truck.

A couple of examples...

The grain chute installed in the tail gate...not good for a show truck, but great for a North Dakota Farm truck...

The wood grain rack caused some cracking in the bed walls...again, not good for perfect truck, but then...that's what the truck was purchased for.

One reason I bought my truck was that it did not have a whole lot of surprises or "gifts" from the P/O.

My 41 had a 1/4 plate of steel in the bed that held water...the water level came up and rusted the bed walls at a height of about 6 inches...power company was the P/O on that truck...and then a long stay in the woods...

On my 1964 Chevy C60 the previous owner removed the stock 292 CID and replaced it with a 327 CID. Well, rather that get the correct motor mount he torched the mounting horn on the passenger side and re-welded it to make it work for the different engine configuration. I found several other minor issues...but luckily nothing too serious. He did take a hacksaw to the dash to fit a modern radio, but Chevy Duty makes the replacement panel (cut out old and weld in new...kinda like doing a cab corner).

Wasn't a bolt, but my son's '74 Nova hot rod project. The primaries and secondaries on the 4-BBL carb did not have a metal linkage...


...they had kite string, swear to God.

The worst thing done to my '59 Viking was cutting and lengthening the wheel base. The body tag and title says it has 132" wheel base, but it is more like 160". Because it looks like it was done professionally, and it sits and drives straight. I believe that it was done by the same company that installed the grain bed and hoist.
It's kind of ironic, that big bed and hoist is what I like best about the truck. So, in that sense, the worst thing is cancelled out, because it is also the best thing.
Even though it is not original in that manner, it truly represents a truck of that period, where a truck would be modified to improve its working capacity. That says a lot about the older vehicles, and the people that worked on them.

'65 C20:
PO bolted a stereo from a popular asian car to the bottom of the dash and cut speaker holes in the doors.
Replaced original 4-speed with a Muncie box.
The door weather strips were replaced -- they put the left weatherstrip on the right, and the right weather strip on the left.
Cheesy headers and bailing wire exhaust hangers.
Other than that, not too "Customized." At least they kept the original 292 and didn't drop a V-8 in it.

one of these days i will be the P/O and i put a pacer IFS nova rearend and a T-5 trans and lowered it. just a thought. btw i am not done yet. suicide doors and who knows what else if i live long and prosper. RON

The same thing... and he poked holes in the running boards so water wouldnt build up. Other than that, I'll also be the answer to this question.

My '49 was almost stock, so I suppose that I will become a PO that will have done offensiveness over time.

The grandson of the original owner called me a few years after I had purchsed my truck and wanted to buy it. I told him I'd like to see him have it and just to find me a replacement in similar condition and vintage, that I needed a driver and not a handful of cash.

Over time he offered me a somewhat rusted Ford with utility box and other vehicles that were nothing like what I have.

Finally I found a vehicle that I would settle for just to get him into his grandpas truck. I offered to let him buy it and then swap. Nope, it cost too much to suit him.

I told him that was his last chance and that I had been holding off on making modifications as long as I could, and that if there was no deal that I would proceed with them. He declined so I proceeded to modify the truck like I wanted to.

The 10 foot grain bed was shorted to 8 feet, and a steel floor was added istead of wood. I have however kept the removed section should he ever buy the truck and wish to go back to original. How long I'll keep the section is anyones guess.

Before long I expect to replace the original 216 with a 235 from a 1960. In my opinion an improvement, but not if you are wanting to keep the truck original. His loss, my gain.

While I hesitate to make anything but minor changes I am toying with making my truck legal with clearance lamps on the cab. I'm sure that everyone will cringe with the thought of holes in the cab roof. Me too, or I would have already done it.

Had a '68 C-10 that the PO had said he replaced the left engine mount and the trans mount with new ones. Well, he did, sort of. The tranny mount was the old mount, removed and painted pretty, then replaced. The driver's mount was not bolted in. It was just sitting there with the engine weight holding it in place. It was new, just not installed right. The same truck looked like a tornado rearranged the underdash wiring. When you turned on the stock AM radio, the radio and the wipers came on. So, a buddy had a wrecked '68 that we pulled the entire harness from and fixed the problem in my truck.

The previous, original owner of my truck used it for his plumbing business, He then drilled a bunch of holes in the bed to install a home made, canvas camper and took the truck to remote fishing areas where he wasn't shy about hitting trees or denting the roof and fenders. After he died, his wife let the truck sit under some deciduous trees which dropped leaves into the door drain holes, causing rust.

When I picked up my '47 panel I was told it had a 350 from a '73 in it. It didn't run very well, but I figured it could use a good tune-up. As I got to know the truck, it leaked oil just about everywhere on that engine, and the block numbers said it was a 267 V8 from a '79 or '80 Malibu or Camaro. The carb and distributor, though, are older styles than what that engine should have. My guess is, that it really was a '73 350, and when it died the PO picked up the cheapest thing he could find, cobbled it together with parts fom both engines and didn't waste any money on new gaskets. To top it off, there are holes torched in the inner fenders and frame to get the A/C (now defunct) and exhaust plumbed in.

Bad enough I couldn't have the original 6, but the SBC was a cobbled up mess anyway.

The PO of the 54 1/2 ton I used to own had riveted new patch panels on and bondoed over to smooth. They looked like homemade patch panels too. The fabrication work of the sheetmetal patch panels looked great but I guess the guy couldn't weld. :rolleyes:

Last summer I went to replace the radiator hoses in my '47. The upper hose in this one is a real small diameter--maybe 1 5/8" or something -I forget right now. Anyhow they had taken a larger hose, maybe a 2", and put small pieces of hose inside it (sleeved it) to make it work on the smaller radiator end and thermostat housing! In all the hoses I've changed over the years, I have never seen anything like this!

The bad thing that I love is how people sell these old trucks just loaded with junk. They never bother to clean it up. They look like such a pile to them that they get very little for them. I love finding a pile with all kinds of junk in them.

I bought a 48 1/2 ton that had junk in the back and mud 2" thick on the cab floor. I cleaned out the mud and junk in the back. I found a tounue (spelling) cover in the back that looked new when cleaned up and when I pulled the seat cover off, it had a velour apolstered seat. The rear bumper was a custom bumper that was made for pulling a trailer. I found a picture of the truck with a stock car and trailer behind it. The rims were rusty, so I blasted them and painted them just like in the picture and got some good used tires for it. The truck had really chaulky paint and I buffed it out and the paint was enamel with an epoxy hardener in it. It looked great after a coat of wax. I think I turned it around and profited $3600 when I sold it. I pretty much cleaned it up and painted the wheels. Only the profit cancelled out because my girlfriend really liked that truck.

Rich:

This is typical "Farmer Repair" stuff. I see it all the time; my grandpa is guilty of much worse than that. Just ask my dad!

My 53 had 5 coats of paint on it, blue,yellow,black,and grey over the original primer. Solid old truck no rusted out panels anywhere.

My truck had grey house carpet on the floor, door panels, and headliner. The mice seemed to like the carpet. He also spray painted all of the interior panels black and did a half [censored] job.

Someone butchered the front cross member in my '54 GMC to put in a (gag) Chevy motor. If you want a Chevy motor buy a Chevy. Don't butcher a GMC.

Where to begin?

Just on my 66 K-20:

The original motor was removed with a cutting torch. Cut through the metal motor stands.

Another motor (I think a big block and automatic) was welded into place, and the top part of the frame was cut away for header clearance on both sides. There was a bracket welded on the side of the frame for a pivot for an auto shifter. After running it this way for a couple of years, they put the old motor back in - by tack welding the old motor stands back together.

The front springs were broken - then welded back together (really stupid). The spring clamps that hold the springs together - welded onto the spring.

The rear cab mounts were the rubber shear type mounts that fail rapidly. This was replaced by a 2x4 between the cab and the frame.

The truck had been worked hard - hard enough that the cab was cracked in several places. After pulling it apart enough, I determined that the cab could not be saved. One of the cracks went between the drivers side A-pillar and the hole for the transmission hump - you could see the ground. There was no connection between the top and bottom of the cab on the drivers side - on the front half of the cab.

The drivers side A-pillar had been ripped off the body - then reattached with pop-rivets. The door - which is attached to the a-pillar - wouldn't close unless you physically lifted it into position to latch.

The cab floor pans had been ripped from its connection to the cab, so it was reattached with angle iron.

It looked as if someone tried to take the top of the cab off at some point - with a crowbar. When I took the cab to a friend of mine at the junkyard for him to crush, he couldn't stop laughing. Only one short piece of sheetmetal held the top and bottom of the cab together.

The original bed - a long stepside - was long gone. In its place was a fleetside bed. The bed rails were literally beaten down several inches all along each side of the bed. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to each bedrail. It was apparently also used by a painting contractor at some time, because of all of the different color drips of paint. The clearance for the rear tires was accomplished by using a cutting torch to "radius" the rear wheel wells. There wasn't a single usable panel on that whole bed. The whole thing was cut up and sent to the dump. Oh by the way - there was no bedwood left. At all.

The tailgate looked like a potato chip - it must have been run over by dumptrucks a lot. All the spot welds that held it together were broken, so the maniac with the welder went to work on it again. He blew several holes through the sheetmetal, and never bothered to paint over his work - so each weld rusted away.

The motor barely ran. It had several collapsed lifters and burnt valves. It usually took 20 minutes of gas, starter fluid and a large battery charger to get it to finally run. It only ran on 5 cylinders when it would run, and looked like a mosquito fogger from all the smoke it put out.

The only reason I bought it was for the axles, transfercase and frame. The axles ended up being in such bad shape that I had to replace them completely. So I ended up buying - essentially - a frame and a transfercase. The rest of it I had to haul to the dump. I still have the motor, but I don't know why.

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Ever hear the phrase, "less than nothing"?

Cheers,
mark.
'51 KY 3100

It's bad enough to butcher any truck but we restored a 57 CAMEO that had a 383 mopar engine whose right exhaust manifold wouldn't clear the firewall so they just cut a foot square clearance area out and left it open. On the inside the floor shift lever was a right angle lug wrench welded to the stub of the original and to do a tidy radio installation they cut the whole center out of the dash and welded in the same size piece out of some ford but, we had to admit the radio exactly fit the hole. Best of all--we took pictures before and after.

So far Vaughn gets my vote for the mostest worstest.

My entry into the "adding insult to injury class" was the '73 VW taillights fiberglassed to the rear fenders (ton duallie panel, so extra wide fenders) and VW park lamp/turn signals perched on top of the front fenders. I would enter it into a car show if I could find one with a "laughing stock" class.

P.O used the wrong u-joints.(too small) So he welded them to the drive shaft then welded the other end to the rear yoke.

So far I found the PO got a good deal on body putty, I took the bed of my 46 1/2 ton apart to fix the rust and replace the floor, I found areas on the wheel wells up to 1/4 inch thick with the stuff and found nothing wrong with the metal under it. I can't wait until I take the front apart to see what is waiting.
Ed

The PO of my truck tack welded motor mounts to the frame for a SBC. One of them was broken and the motor was secured with a chain. No crossmember, no frame box. The frame was also cut and bent by the motor mounts, I believe so they could install the motor with the exhaust still attached. The inner fender wells were completley hacked. I'm not sure why. Maybe the motor was installed with all of the sheet metal still on the truck???

The dash was cut out entirely around the glove box. I'm not sure why...

I can't complain though, nobody forced me to buy it...

On my '63 one ton,the PO built a headache rack from 1-1/2" pipe,complete with threaded ends,and welded it to the flatbed,which was then welded to the frame,along with the huge heavy rear bumper-all one part now. If I ever have to replace the rear window I'll have to either cut a hole in the rack or remove the cab. PO also installed an auxiliary gas tank on the right frame rail,but it was long enough to rub a hole in the front against the cab,and in the rear,against the spring hanger. Also,the vwood in the flatbed had a couple of fairly big holes in it,so the PO welded a patchwork of 1/8th" diamond plate pieces over most of it,leaving about 4" uncovered,right across the back,right where you'd slide freight onto the truck,if it wasn't for that big jagged edge sticking up. There was also a big hole in the passenger side floor from the tow chains that were riding there. I didn't know about that hole until I was driving the truck home and heard this jingling sound;got out to see what it was and found about 6 feet of tow chain hanging through the floor and dragging on the road. I also found the stoplights wired through a momentary toggle switch in one of the radio holes. The truck was also equipped with a softball sized hole in the windshield,right in the middle of the passenger side. Other than that,it wasn't too bad.
Speed

PO took the coil spring suspension out leaving the mounting brackets. They mounted leafsprings and used a rearend off a chevelle 4 link, lobes and all. The left shock is mounted at a 45% angle to the rear. they cut a section out of the axle housing to weld in a shock mount. The drive shaft was spliced? or something the welds look like a 2 year old did them. Welded in a diamond plate bed with a box welded in the front, no drain holes of course. Converted to power disc brakes and ran the brake lines about 2" from the fan. The trans mount is flat 2"x 1/4" steel bolted to the bottem of the frame. The drive shaft cleared the bottom of the loop by a 1/4" at rest.

I'm feeling lucky! Like 46 in progress, my truck only had a grain dump hole cut through the tailgate of my '54 with a modified dumper door. I was too poor to buy a proper repro tailgate with the Chevrolet lettering, so I settled for the $100 letterless version.