The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 50/50 club, who's in?

Cue in Them Changes, by Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix..........

I see people do amazing turnarounds with their vehicles, for example, frontends, bags, monos, perfect paint, etc. and have found that in my 11 years of ownership and nearing 50 K miles in my '49 Chevy half ton, I have done comparitively little........'56 235 w/ '848 head', '62 3sp+od, '57 3.90 rear, stock leafs, 215 85R 16's.

I'm going through a little frustration in that in the time I have owned my truck ....within the first year I was driving it daily by redoing the brakes, electrical, still driving went onto '62 3sp+od, 3.90 rear,....daily driver only vehicle for last 7 years. I see others do frame-offs and such and have showroom stuff. I guess my path lacks endgame clarity, meanwhile I am just living the dream (of daily driving a 60 yo hunk of burnin love). You get the 50/50 club chiming in ...50% say "When you gonna paint it?"..."It would look great with a really good paint job" ........The other 50% (including my wife saying "It's perfect, don't do anything with it!"

Meanwhile, I remain the faithful student to your individual experiences.

I call my '56 a 50/50 truck. That's because it looks great going down the road at 50 mph or standing 50 feet away from it. Any closer than that and the warts start showing up. But I don't care. I'd rather have a truck I can drive than one I have to trailer to shows and watch like a hawk.

Last month I drove her on a 2139 mile round trip to Arizona. In September, it was a 1300 mile trip to Kansas City. In June we went 600 to El Reno. At the show in El Reno, we lowered the tailgate and used it to cut and serve TerryB's birthday cake.I'm having the time of my life.

I'm (slowly) rebuilding a '54 GMC. I'm afraid if I make it too pretty I'll be afraid to get it out. Why have it if you can't use it?

My wife and I are going to leave Ol Yeller just the way she is. As long as she runs and stops our truck is going to remain as close to the era she was built. Someday, if they are all chopped and modified, history will reflect a sad legacy. We've got a 56 year antique that works!
Cosmo, we get the same comments everyday including people who want to paint it for cheap and chop it for fun and the biggie; why don't you drop a 350 with nitrous in it. For us it just wouldn't be right.

You could never spend enough money or make enough changes to satisfy other people. I purchased my 56 in 96 and drove it to work until I retired in 2003. It has been a work in progress since I have owned it. The first thing was an OD followed by disc brakes. It was painted in 98 and I installed a V-8 and PS in 2000. It does everything I need it to do. There are some that question why no IFS or why it isn't a big window. I say let them go out and find a good original and do whatever they want to it. I'm happy with mine the way it is.
Fred

Well Cosmo,
I've had my '52 3600 for 11 years too. Only I've put on about 10 miles! All before I took it apart. Here is a before photo. I am currently doing a frame off, however I will be putting the body back on "as is" on my restored chassis. It's got 35,000 original miles and I hope to run the original 216 and if it ever gives, I've got a '55 235 waiting in the wings.

The only deviations from stock will be a '55 3 speed with Borg Warner overdrive which I plan to run a manual solenoid on. My truck is a factory 3 speed column shift, so it will still look stock in that regard. Also am running '53 Bendix front brakes.

The truck will be used for exactly what it was built for.
I don't plan on painting mine, but will do some touch ups and small body repairs here and there. May even paint the fenders black.

I hope to be driving it this summer sometime. So I guess mine could be a 50/50....half (or close to half)restored/rebuilt and half not.

Mine is more like 45(45MPH) and 75 Feet away.

Ghostrider;
Are you saying you'll put the original unrestored body back on the prettified chassis? That would be cool, but I, myself, can not imagine tearing down a 35K truck and not driving it for (!) 11 years.

hotshoe....yep, that's exactly what I'm going to do!
Well, it wasn't my plan to not drive it for that long, but
some other stuff got in the way, projects, life etc.
I was 27 when I bought it from the original owners wife and I ain't gettin any younger, so it's going back together.
If I ever want to restore the body I figure I can do it in a winter. Even if I did do that I'd still work it like a truck.

I'm A Proud member of the 50/50 club....
Half my vehicles drive...the other half don't....

I am with the 50/50 deal........although I dont have a truck, it does have a 74 truck motor in it..58 chevy truck brake/clutch pedals ,I hope that counts for something.................

if you guys ever get a chance to see cosmo and his ride , do so..

a great truck and a greater guy..

I bought mine about a year ago, intending to be a daily driver but the engine shelled the second day I had it. Since then, it's been a series of projects, all with the intention of driving it soon. It just doesn't work out that way. You know how it goes. "I really otta update the brakes while the truck is tore down." "Might as well re-wire it cause I can't afford a motor yet." "It's just sitting here. I wonder how it would look lowered a bit."
All the while, my daily driver sits in the shop torn apart. I probably could have had it on the road, but "I" keep on getting in the way. It sure is good therapy, though. Me. In the shop with a worthy project. Maybe a couple of beverages and the Speed channel. Life is good!

i wouldnt worry about what others i drive mine daily now that it is legal its a lil rough but i love it none the less most people that say you need to do this or that should take their own advice and look at what there driving mine will be done when im done how i like it so i guess im 50% done and still have 50% to go you can see mine at www.myspace.com/kentuckymafucky click where it says pics just below the picture in the top left

have 55nd that been driving for 6 years as is. it is pure stock except for alternator and pretty wheels. it was a 25 footer am in the process of cutting and welding patch pannels, hoping to make 10 footer out of it. but it has 235 in it and i love it, easy to work on and realable. all i want is decent looking truck i can drive and enjoy

RIDE EM ~~~ DON'T HIDE EM
They just love copious amounts of sunshine




and the sun's out ... every day

The word "hobby" isn't used much here on the Bolt but that's where I am with mine. I love working on her and would work on her if I never got to drive her. I'm sure the driving is a great experience and I know I'll be ready to turn that key, however when she's finished and I've got her on the road, I'll be heading down to whereversville to pick up another so I can start the adventure over again.

Seems like I'm a 50/50 clubber too...I drive it 50% of the year cause even the simplest repair things take forever with me..that and if it rains for any legnth of time, I have to let the ground dry so I can drive out of the barn ( soupy clay soil )

But I agree that I want to use mine as a truck and not a trailer queen.

Im a proud member of the 50/50 club myself

Todd

Cos, I'm with your wife, shes right (and in my somewhat brief time in married land , I am finding out the wife usually is!). Your truck wouldn't be the same bitchin ride that it is now with a slickery paint job on it. Sure, it may get passed by in a line of fancy, shiney, chromed up rigs but those passing by would miss out on a real piece of internal combustion rolling (70 mph od)art. Joker is right, if you ever get the oportunity, you need to meet man and machine.
As far as my truck, not sure about the 50/50 club, although I would love to start over and redo at least 50% of it over again.

I think I am a student at a similar school, and I have an after class job just struggling for the legal tender!

Brother Bill

sounds like my kinda crowd.bought my 49 in 1994 started listening to friends in the showcar circuit.(biggest mistake)..was headed from a modest driver to something that would make me yawn if i saw it at a show.but thankfuly(i keep trying to make myself believe this)life and livin stalled the project for almost 10 yrs.i'm back to my original plan but with tons of parts.as i never stopped buyin parts for it.good stuff.chassis will be finished this summer. i'll do a few things to the cab shoot it in black primer and drive it as i'm workin on the rest of it.itis an okie truck so i need to do cab corners small patchto the outer cowl on drivers side.and everythin else is pretty much rust free .just dents.this place gives me hope.....dave

Cosmo,

I agree with Bill and the guys -- Your truck is unique (just like everyone else's .... Sorry, couldn't resist that one ) and it has wonderful patina. People who pass by your truck just don't get it, anyway. It's not about bling and speed and chrome doo dads. It's about the feel of old technology, about the stories the cracked naugahyde tells, about the worn, familiar feeling of a cab that talks to you like your favorite pair of boots. Something you just don't get from a frame off.

I am rapidly finishing up on the frame off of my '49 Big Bolt and I have to admit that, as cool as it is to have a frame off truck, somewhere along the line I have lost the truck's personality. I guess it will develop a new one in time, but still ... I have lost something intangible. I still have it, though, on the '49 1-ton. That truck's first owner told us to "Never restore that truck." and by golly, the man knew what he was talking about. You know what he's talking about, too.

Granted, for a variety of perfectly legitimate reasons, some trucks need restoration (Billy Marlow's, for example -- you couldn't have just slapped a battery in that thing and driven to Winchester -- it NEEDED a resurrection)

Your truck has a marvelous personality (probably 50 percent Cosmo and 50 percent its own distinct, history-produced sense of who it is). I agree -- don't mess with it. Repair as you go, fix what needs fixin' and enjoy as is.

Anyone who comes up to you at a show to ask, "That truck would look good with a paint job," ... well, they just don't get it and probably never will. The loss is theirs.

In my opinion, you have one of the coolest trucks on the 'Bolt because of it's patina and use. That truck is living the dream.

Keep on trucking, Brother!


Brother John

Guess you could call my trucks 50/50,although they both look pretty much stock,they are not.From the outside my 55 looks stock with the exception of sitting quite low and the wheels and tires. But underneath lies an M2 frontend with power rack and pinion steering,a 1974 350 truck engine and a built 700R4 trans. The 65 has a 500cu.in. Caddy engine,with a 400 turbo Hydramatic,and also lowered quite a bit. The 65 also has power steering,and dual master cyl.with disc brakes up front. Both of them drive and handle very well,just the way I like them.

As Cosmo and anyone else who has observed BillyBob close up knows, I am a card-carrying member of the 50/50 club too, and proud of it.

My original goal was to keep my 54 truck as stock looking as possible. Everything back to original just like it was showroom fresh. She really looked good, even though I jumped ship on the stock blue or green color. However, this is where I started to notice that as a daily driver (my original intention) that I was in trouble. Geographically, I was surrounded with 4 lanes, a population that had little respect of a lumbering ole girl who was putzing along at a breakneck 55 mph! Lot's of thumbs up but a lot more horns and middle fingers. Didn't take long to recognize that my presence on the modern highway was posing a danger to myself, my vehicle and the other folks who were navigating around me. Driving and stopping was not FUN anymore.

So it was back to the drawing board. The easy route would have been to drop in a modern IFS and a small block with automatic transmission. But to me personally, the 6 cylinder, straight axle and stick transmission are the heart and soul of our old trucks. I needed to improve on what I had originally.....keep the look and feel of the old iron and just make some improvements that would make her safe on the modern highway and restore the "fun" of driving her every day.

1500+ hours plus a few bucks later (you can't take it with you) my plan came through. Granted, she's not a rocket ship, nor is she a show truck with "please look but don't touch" signs, but she's a top shelf driver, will hold her own in traffic and the tweaked 235 will turn a head or two every time. During the week she's a worker and on the weekends she takes her share of "people' choice" awards. Didn't really plan it this way but it just happens. I would venture to guess, that the folks that stop by and look her over, share stories of their adventures in an "old bolt just like this", ask to hear the sound of the engine and offer a big "thanks" for sharing a few minutes time, make all my efforts pay tenfold.

Some of you folks are lucky enought to have the open spaces to safely drive your "original" trucks but some of us are forced to "adapt, improvise and overcome. My hat is off to any person who shares their love for these old trucks with others, be it on a dusty back road or at a gathering of automotive enthusiasts.

Dave

"Meanwhile, I remain the faithful student to your individual experiences."

Well said brothers and sisters...

I bought my 60 Apache 10 stepside about 15 months ago and it was pretty much done. It's not stock, it has a mildly built 350, which I have to admit is fun to drive. I feel like I'm driving a muscle car or truck I should say. It's automatic which is fine with the manual steering,drop spindles and disc brakes. I might convert it to power steering though, it's kind of a pain turning on sharper turns. I'm kind of glad I bought mine in the shape it was in, because I couldn't have restored one for what I paid for it. The other positive was I could drive it right away. I've done some minor things to it,including some cosmetics, and mechanical work, but I still want to be able to use it as a truck if needed.
Joe

I'm in the process of trying to pull off an almost full restoration in less than 60 days. I'm trying to keep a lot of my truck original, but it seems as though the drivetrain is the one major thing that I'm changing. The 216 that was in her was seized, so it's getting replaced with a 350, turbo 400, and a (sorry to say this) f*rd 9". I want her to remain looking stock, but be able to keep up with the rest of traffic since she will be a daily driver for as long as possible. I'm leaving the original straight axel, keeping her at stock height (she stands 6'2"), and keeping the drum brakes (unless I have problems with them later on). Due to her sitting outside for the last 30 years, I have to replace a lot of the metal. I'm not going crazy with upgrades or customizing. I've always wanted one of these trucks and now I have one. What's the point in changing everything?? If I would do that, I might as well go out and buy a new truck, because that's what I would have after modifying/upgrading./customizing.

Jenny, the only point I see in changing everything is for safety, or someone wants to be able to drive the shell of the old truck and have comforts of a modern truck. Everyone has personal preference. I for one like original and can never get into a old hacked up hot rod. But some people have very good reasons not to go original. If you look at it, you're modifying/upgrading/customizing but that's only because the original was dead. But if someone just goes out, buys an original/good condition truck and takes the sheet metal off, sticks it on a newer frame with all of the new do-dads just to joyride around and show-off, it's just wrong.

I'm hoping to turn my 41 3/4 ton into a 50/50, and use it as much as possible during the dry weather - which we do get in Scotland occasionaly

Have all the brakes/bearings removed and stripped the bed down over the weekend. Once I get all the bits - now ordered - delivered across the pond it will be back on the road in as un-restored a condition as possible.

I think it's important to have a few 'as new' condition trucks to keep the dream alive, but it's very important to have used ones on the road doing what they were built for.

Lose the chrome wheels and obtain the stock wheels and she's perfect IMHO!!!

I agree

I've 2 original wheels, with tyres, to be picked up from a guy in England, and 2 new ones from Jim Carter which are part of a large order from a group of enthusiasts so postage is shared. I also have 4 original (used) hub caps as well. The spare is an original - but needs a hub cap as well.

I'm hoping to get 3 new 600*16 crossply tyres to complete the look.

I have 4 10" crome hub caps to go with the wide steelies that are on it - will need to find a good home for them.

All very true
My truck in going through a frame-off-rebuild, not restoration.
I've been under a lot of pressure from hotrod friends for not doing every part exactly by the book. "do it now or regret it later" they all say.

My goals are to have a better working truck then before, without making it uglier then before I started.

Plus, it has to be a working truck that Im not afaid to abuse, otherwise I don't have a use for it.

Hi,

You certainly have your work cut-out, and it'll be great to get your Grandfathers truck back on the road

My kids are now all older, and even willing to give a hand, so I can devote a reasonable amount of time to it.

In Scotland we tend to give our vehicles female names, not named mine yet so will need to think about that - and suggestions on 1940s American stars?

How about Betty "Grable"?

I'm also one of these guys who lacks the time, equipment, or the ability to do a full restoration. Although I wish I could. My hat is off to all you guys who are doing this! I also don't think I could stand to spend 10 years without being able to drive it.
I was fortunate to find one in fairly decent shape, which already ran, and only needed some minor stuff. I did some things to it, and my mechanic did the rest. It still needs a few things, but we can jump in and go anytime we want. We took it on a cruise a couple years ago, and usually do a parade or two each year. I can also haul a load of gravel, or pick rocks out of the field. It's certainly not perfect, but it looks pretty good from across the street!!
It's also pretty cool everytime someone comes up and says, "We used to have one just like that!"

I've only had the truck for 4 weeks and I already look thoughtfully on the Advance Design trucks and the bigger 1 1/2 tonners.

Another truck would be handy while one is being restored. I could use it to collect stuff, makes sense to me - although I've not mentioned this to the wife yet

On a name for the truck my favourite film was launched in 1941 - Citizen Kane - so I'm settling on 'Rosebud'. It seems to suit a truck in its youth - well it's only 67.