The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk another another 49 in the garage

I could not pass up a 1949 440 with hydraulic dump grain bed for $901 that was all their, ran when parked two years ago and is 3 hours from my house. I am picking it up saturday. Pictures to come-
I now have a 1949 3100, 3600, 3800, and 4400.
The secret to finding these is to keep your eyes open when you drive 55000 miles a year in an area the size of iowa that is more rural than Iowa.
Maybe I will take them to a show and set them up like a 1949 truck showroom.

great find sam
have fun w/ her
Oh yeah, the mrs. too
pics ??? are comin' ?

I presume you'll have one or more at the KC Reunion this year? Hope to see you and maybe a truck or two there,
Scott

That truck entitles you to free membership in the Big Bolt forum. Great find and you have an impressive collection.

My collection has been growing because there have been some diamonds in the rough lately and Even if I do not get to do much work on them now, I can keep them from getting worse, and restore them when I have more time later.

I like the '49's because of the advances in with the insert bearings, It still has the carter w-1 carb. the knee action shocks are fun to work with, and the state of Kansas does not require any modifications to be road worthy(I.E- 2nd tail light, seat belts, etc) not that I want to be dangerous, but I want it as close to original as possible.

I will definately post over in the big bolt forum from time to time.

I have a dilemma about the KC truck show.

My power of the past club has an antique tractor show the same weekend.
It is about an hour away from the truck show-
So maybe I will tractor show friday and sat, the truck show Sun?

So left this morning at 6:30 am and drove up t get the truck. got to the truck at 11:30- put in a battery and the ammeter jumped to life when turning the key. so-
hit starter- nothing- so put spacer between starter pedal linkage and starter and it turned over- Timing was WAY OFF. so fixed that. still could not get spark. so loaded it on the trailer using the winch- then started for home- lunched at 3:00 in tecumseh NE. at pizza hut. then hit the road. south of auburn ne the trailer got a flat. changed it. then went back up to auburn to put air in it(it was low) then headed south again on hwy 75. same spot, same tire- another flat. it is now about 5:00pm
So called dad at his house and asked him to look for emergency tire repair places around.
Found Cunningham Farm service( they have a truck that comes to you to change tires.

all the trailer tires are old- and dry rotted- so I told him to bring me four new tires. after a few calls back and forth he found a set in Nebraska city(where he lives) and he drove down the 30 minutes to where we were.
In 1 hr and 45 minutes or so- he had all four trailer tires changed(dismounting old tires- installing new- and remounting to trailer- as well as checking my truck spare(which will work for the trailer as well(load range E tire.) we paid him $745 for the job and tires(actually most went for piece of mind knowing the teenage trailer tires were gone) made it to the house about 10 minutes ago.
The things you will do to rescue a Big Bolt. Pics tomorrow.

Boy that makes for a looooong day Sam. Man you really got hooked didn't you! I remember when you came to us last year with your inheritance, now just look at you, a whole stable full of trucks, fixin’ tube radios, pullin' all nighters to pickup an old rust bucket, and that’s only in the first year. God help ya son!!!!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Tell me about it, we had a good laugh about that yesterday while waiting for Cunningham tire service to get to us.

cost of truck $901
Fuel $120
Battery for big bolt $60
Lunch and food along the way $40
4 NEW TIRES AND EMERGENCY CALL ON SIDE OF ROAD TO HAVE THEM INSTALLED BECAUSE I COULD NOT DRIVE ANY FURTHER- I wish priceless, but actually $745

So total cost of big bolt that will run today after I put the new harness in
$1746

I plan to take a bunch of pics to post today. there is one dent in the left front fender that can be taken out with a rubber mallet. Other than that the cab is virtually rust free. cab corners look new and still have nice omaha orange paint on them. None of the windows are broken and the interior paint just needs to be wiped down and maybe add a little wax- the seat of course needs mickey evicted- and then recovered(it was parked nightly in a hay barn for 60 years duh!
then engine will get the top end taken down and cleaned- the oil pan will come off for inspection of the bottom end.
Radiator will get rebuilt-
and I will probably repaint the outside of the cab, and of course the wood on the badger-omaha bed will get repainted.
Except for the nice original sign on the back telling me the hoist it was installed with.

So anyways you guys know the rest- pics coming tonight.

Here is what I have learned from the serial numbers-
Truck is a 4400 from July of 1949- built in Kansas City(just like all my other "49's)
The engine is a RPO 225 which I am assuming is the early 235? I am looking into that more. the Badger omaha bed has a HARSH brand hydraulic hoist that what the handles say, and what is on the label on the back of the bed(label will get preserved)
There is a cool "the Real Man's Navy" sticker in the driver's windshield of the cab it to will stay.
More to come

lol found a deal kinda like that myself found a 59 that was only 150.oo thought wow so cool so came time to get it the guy told me he would have it on tires so we could roll it onto the trailer well hired a guy with a trail to haul it for me drove a couple of hours out there to get it and low and behold no tires, so had to pay the hauler for the time he had invested "150 flushed that was just his fee" and go get tires attempt two got the tires changed them out all to the tune of 60 for 4 bald tires got this guy out again and then his wench battery is dead .... so i go and get a battery "was going to need one for this truck anyway" but there was another 65, finally get it loaded and on the way home thankfully the end of the spending was just the 150 i had to pay him so a 150 dollar truck ended up costing me and extra 225 but i can live with it point is nothing is ever as cheap as it seems

I love the stories. My family still laughs as we talk about rescuing my 37 and and the oddessey to get the panel home from Florida.
Memories guys, memories, wouldn't tank nothing for them plus it gets us, and the lady, out of the house for a weekend You can buy a bolt for the price of a dinner, movie and popcorn these days.

Sam, Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the post. I sure do admire you for helping to round up the strays! You got a nice herd started.

Don't worry about the hijack- I think it is right on topic.
There are so many strays out there for god deals- just have to leave the beaten path. . .