The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk New member with '64 1002 stepside used to be two-sad story

Just last week I began to restore my '64 and progress has been great.

The truck was my grandfathers, actually he HAD two, a 1964 & 1965, on Saturday I went up to the other ranch to try and collect some parts from the one that I wasn't restoring the '65, not knowing it's condition because I haven't seen it in 15 years..

Well, I arrived at the ranch, got to the truck and was actually mentally traumatized buy what I found.

There was not one body panel that had a space bigger than 2" that does not have a bullet hole in it.

The rear drive line is gone, the hood gone, somebody had shot their names in the doors (about 300 rounds) all fenders and the bed have been shot hundreds of times each.

somebody used a crowbar to pry the valve covers off to expose everything to the environment as well as smashing the carb to pieces, the radiator is full of more lead than copper\brass, all rims are gone,the front fenders had been smashed\jumped on until they deformed and tore... maybe I should tell you what I COULD salvage:

I got an ignition switch, a door lock with three bullet holes in the arm, two window roll-up handles, one interior door handle, a voltage regulator, an amazingly bullet free grill, the tailgate chains, and a top and bottom radiator support bracket, and part of a hood latch and the bumpers are still in good condition (I will go back for these later).

This is all on a vehicle which when left out on the ranch had a rebuilt engine 500 miles previously before parking in the 90's

Just want to say that people make me sick, I don't know what their problem is and why anyone would instill such devastation in a vehicle someone else owns.

Guess this is the end of letting idiot people hunt on the farms\ranches and the end of a beautiful old truck.

I assume some of the engine internals\transmission MIGHT be salvageable but,...I'm guessing that my poor little truck is in it's last resting place, having offered up all it had to give, all because we chose to park it somewhere it was visible from the road\by hunters.

BASTIDS!

sorry for the rant.

Thanks for a good reference site for us old Chevy\GMCfans.

Tal

Tal... hey man, sorry for your loss... and it is truly a loss. i look around and can't explain half the things people do these days. senseless destruction is one of the hardest things to fathom. whatever you believe in, a higher power, karma, etc. i can only hope that they get theirs in the end.

welcome to the 'bolt... hopefully oneday those miscreants will come to realize their bad deeds and make up for them some way.

What disturbs me the most is that they just destroyed the truck, totally annialated it.
The Hood was gone, and I can understand the thought pattern behind someone scavenging the hood and the driveline and while it doesn't make me happy that they took it I at least take some consolation in the thought that someone, somewhere has a happier, more complete truck because of my truck and that it is probably in use today.
What was left,..... is what really disturbs me it seems some people have no respect for history, let alone ownership.
I came home to my '64 and while nowhere near restored, she sure does look sweet compared to what was left of her twin, none the less I will atleast get a nice pair of bumpers off of the fallen '65 unless some ******* gets there before me with a .50 cal.
Thanks for the welcome.
Tal

That sucks.

People are mean.

-W

Maybe we could find fellow old truck lovers with detective/legal/forensics or other related skills who would contribute their abilities to find the "responsible" people and bring them to justice. I'm relatively sure their capture and prosecution could be accomplished,with today's technology and some money,and maybe the right publicity. If this story,including the successful conviction of the shooters,ended up on the national news,maybe people would try just a little harder to keep this kind of destruction from happening.
In my area,just recently,some people left their rural home to vacation for a couple of weeks. They returned to find their home totally destroyed by vandals,much the way Tal's truck was,walls pulled down,well head stolen,generator unit dragged down the road,etc. And it happens everywhere.
Don't know what else to suggest-until vandals are in season. Too bad there's not a good way to cook the ones ya shoot.
Speed

Tal, those weren't hunters. They were just idiot vandals with guns. Real hunters wouldn't do such a thing or associate with those who do. Responsible hunters would be looking out for your property while there.

Thirty years ago, I had a '46 Chevy pickup parked under a tree until I had a chance to come home from the Navy and do something with. When I did get home about 4 years later, a couple of my cousins had shot it up enough that it looked like the Bonnie & Clyde car. I can't prove it was them, but word gets around. Haven't had anything to do with them since.

Man that just bites.Sorry to here to hear about.Got a few ideas fer the punks if ya catch tho.