The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1950 Chevy 3100 - A story of my Daily driver and a good friend

Well heres my story about how my old chevy which was suppose to be in my shop with heat while I work on restoring the interior became a daily driver.

About a month ago my 1994 K1500 with 328,784 miles decided it wanted to implode the front axle. No big deal we still have our 2001 Suburban 4x4 and my wifes 1996 grand prix well haha heres where it gets good the grand prix came from the south where the original owner didn't order a block heater well come -20 below weather it won't even think about starting of course it will if i jump it but then your stuck at work 12 hours later with a car that needs a jump.

Well the wifey claimed the suburban with heated mirrors heated leather am,fm,cd big ol V8 4 wheel drive OHHHH wooooh i'm almost sounded jealous there ahhh heck no i'm the lucky one yeah because I decided heck that the fifty handled winters 50 years ago and with all this global warming heck she should handle this winter. So I wander over to her hop on in turn key on check, pull choke check,stomp gas pedal then release once check hit starter HOLY SMOKES it started heck no block heater and it fired right up a 96 pontiac can't even do that hmmph technology sooo great yeah I'm sure.

So I started putting on the miles well found when its 20 below with a fresh air heater and a cab that breaths its more like a cab that freezes and yes my heater works I guess i can say it warms my feet above freezing at least. The ol' girl is really been put to work this winter I almost feel bad for her. Early this week I couldn't get my John Deere 60 started so I had to use the fifty to pull my hay wagen to feed the horses and use for all my daily driving which I do alot of. P.S. the sixty had a pinhole in the float she's all better now.

As bad as I feel for using her so much and for tough work she seems to like being worked she hasn't run this good and strong in a long time kinda like a old tractor when you put a plow behind it. Built to work I guess. I get a lot of looks when I putt around town in the ole girl. By becoming my daily driver I really created a bond with the ol' girl and a unspoken trust that I can count on her whenever I need her. I know I sound crazy but I'm From North Dakota and all this cold gets to my brain or maybe the fumes from the tractor is getting to me. Either way my 94 is almost fixed and its above zero so the grand prix starts on its own now. I guess I let the ol' girl rest, but I think she will get snuck out of the shop twice a week just because I'll miss her. And now I know that I can trust her for anything whatever the need is. Man I almost started tearing up writing this. For anybody that says a old truck or tractor is bunch of steel no they are more than that they are a best friend that you can call on no matter what the need they will always be there for you ready to go at a moments notice ready to work harder than you or me ever could without a complaint. God Bless the USA, all of the soldiers and their familys.

Josh S.

Truer words were never spoken!

Good read

Good story Josh, love reading about the ol iron doing as good today as 50 years ago.

These old trucks are solid and very dependable, Wouldnt be afraid to drive mine cross country

Darin

I hear ya. My '54 3100 and my '52 Oliver 77 are the same way. They got soul!

Good read!!

We're plannin' a convoy of antique fire trucks from St. Louis to Indianapolis in July. I can't wait. The way I see it, these trucks were built in a time when life was slower, maybe a bit more "wholesome", people lived closer to the land, and each other, and trucks weren't built with a "lifespan" or obsolescence in mind.

These are things that will be goin' through my mind in July, as my '41 1.5 ton and I toodle down the road to Indy.

If, on the other hand, I find myself stuck on the side of the road, I will of course be cursing and cussing anything and anyone who is 68 years old, and wishin' to He!! I had my Toyota with me!!! (did I mention that people were probably less fickle in the '40s as well?!)

Keep up the daily drivin' . . . I think we ALL do better when we're "taken out" every day!!! (somebody tell my wife . . . )

-Michael