The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Betsy

Hi, I've been browsing for a week and thought I'd try to hit the ground running.
I bought Betsy http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad179/OEM54/ in the summer of 76 (freshman yr. h.s.)from a farmer outside of Alvord Tx. My then girlfriend now wife named her, so I knew then that I would do my damnest to keep them both. I kept her org. for 10yr. and then started modifying her when parts got hard to find or had to be rebuilt. I could swap out trans in 30 min. Can't do that anymore. She has been clip, chopped, shaved, french, rode hard and put up wet several times. She's been every color under the rainbow, and striped a few times too, stolen once, and the pic.show the results of an attempted thief. (Grill & trams damaged). She has a 74 camaro running gear. At one time she had the seats, wiring, column, pedals and gas tank from said vehicle. (waste not want not) At present time she has dakota gauges, Old Air a/c heating unit (hated to remove the oe heater, it was a blast furnace and I loved it, ok I enjoyed it) Bare Claw latches w/suicide locks (long story). Speaking of which the has become one, I'll step off my soap box for now. Drive Friendly!
P.S. Those are my real initials.

let me start by saying WOW! those initials made me think I was going to look at a stock truck, big surprise.

Welcome to Stovebolt!

Welcome oem54. Looks like you have been a busy guy. Nice pickup. Say, whats the plans for the 54 chev car sitting in the garage

Welcome oem54, sounds like you keep changing it to suit your taste. Hope she doesn't get stolen again, just keep your dog on guard and you should be fine.

Thanks, I kept Betsy org. for the first 10yrs. She was with me when I was stationed in Yuma Az. in the early 80's. I was a founding member of the Yuma Sidewinders Rugby Club, so she saw a lot of Az.& southern Ca. and little bit of Mexico, all in org. trim. The grill, running boards, bummpers and frt splash panel, and spare tire brackets were all chrome at that time. (20min to wash, 2hrs to polish the chrome) In 86' the camaro was offered to me so I thought if I did the work it would still be O.E.M. and it did have a 6cyl in it. (drove it two blocks when I moved house and garage so they could put a school there and knew she didn't have enought power, she wanted an V8, A bodyman friend always called me chopper so when he passed I thought, what the hell, I'll chop it, 3 1/2" front 4" in back. While I was at it why not swap the jambs and make suicide doors. (No kits to purchase at that time). WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY. Did you notice the step at the back, the 3/8" steel bummper used to be there with a strap the went up to the top of the stake channel and a humongous bolt through the fender I removed it and cut a piece of the fender, moved it back, cut & welded a piece of a 5gal. thinner can to fill the voids. Must have looked good G.M. did it to there beds two years later in 88'. As for the 54 4-door I stumbled onto it in 87, redid the uphoistery and located some missing chrome. (there proud of that stuff) Was driving it once a year to take the kid's to the lake for a while, there grown now so she just sits there gathering dust. She get's a wash & waxed now and then. Not hurting yet with the economy the way it is so I'll hang on to her awhile.

My first truck was 53' chev panel, baby blue, with 2x2 louvered glass windows cut into the side panels ugly but mine. Small 1" crack in the block, small water leak put some powder with a red pyramid on the package in the rad. stopped that. Also had a bumper sticker that read "Don't laff mister! You're daughter might be in here." That alone was worth the 15 dollars I gave for the truck. Did I mention I was 12 at the time. Never did get to drive her, my dad sold it or stole it your choice, and I never did get my 15 dollars back.