The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk where to begin...the ice cream truck

As I mentioned in my new member post, this old truck was spotted by my son (age 13) and he thinks it would be the coolest thing in the parking lot in high school.

It was last registered in '64, I think barely moved since then.

I am not sure even where to start.

If we pursue this, I must admit I am not much of a mechanic, by choice.


Any and all constructive advice is welcome. My intitial questions is what are the best options for either drive train swap if we kept the frame or would we be better off puting body on a newer frame with drive train etc, and if so, what is the easiest fit?

http://s834.photobucket.com/albums/zz266/houndoc/ice%20cream%20truck/

Man, that's the real deal and what a find! It might cost a small fortune to restore it but when you're done it will be a priceless bit of American history.

Anything less would be criminal... IMHO anyway.

As Czechman said..............that would make one KOOL ride !
If you have to pay someone to get it fixed up you could be talking some pretty big $$ tho - I'd say you are starting at maybe 15k and sky's the limit from there.

It would be nice to restore to stock, but I can understand that your son might be looking to hop it up. What teenager didn't?
A latter day frame driveline often used is from an early Chevy
S10. It's not a totally simple swap, but is one of the easiest. If your high school has shop training it could be a good project and lessen the cost. Here's a link for you and your son to look over before making a decision.

http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/s10_frame_swap.htm

As typical of your Southwest area, the body looks to be in very good condition.

What makes you think it needs a driveline swap or a frame swap? Restore it to stock.

Frankly, I have "been there" with several projects and I think you should wait a couple of weeks at least and really consider whether you want to take on such a project. It has limited use in real life. You'd put a lot of money into it. There's a good chance you would never finish it unless you are really motivated or can afford to pay someone to help. You admitted that you are not too mechanical by choice. The truck is worth more now when it is all assembled and than if you try to sell it as an unassembled project. Sell it now before you spend any more time or money on it unless you really can see yourself finishing it. Joe

That would be a really cool truck to restore.How much is the owner asking for it ?


Tim

You have a good go-by. Check out the thread from the eBay/Criagslist forum where there was a 1950 GMC ice cream truck that just ended auction (reserve not met.) Try to make contact with seller and learn what problems he had. See if you can find out where the bidding stopped to find out what the approximate value is. This can be a starting point to find out how much you want to put into it.

The DQ ice cream truck is quite a project. I believe that you'll turn heads if it should complete, but remember that, when you're done, you're going to have an ice cream truck. This is a very specialized ride.

Keeping it stock, you can follow advice in the "How To Restore Your Chevrolet Truck" book. If you go with a modern drive train, you are making a one-off. In my opinion, you're also undoing much of the historical value of the truck. (A scan of the Mona Lisa isn't as valuable as the painting.)

I'm simplifying things, but in the end, it comes down to the depth of your pockets and interest. Hopefully one won't run out before the other.

This restoration will be everything that all Advance Design trucks would require PLUS the ice cream-iness.

Keep us abreast of your efforts!

Bill

Well first of all, that is a really cool truck! The motor has been updated to either a 235 or 261. What I think is really rare is that it is a flat cowl and chassis model meaning that is what GM would have sold it as. I have seen them in the spec sheets but never in the flesh!

As someone mentioned, it would cost a fortune and be of very limited use. Possible it would be good to trade for a more useful truck since it is rare.

I agree! This truck has history and it can be valuable. Unfortunately there is a limited market for it, but there is a market. Let him do a cleanup on it, make sure he wears the proper equipment, especially if there is evidence of mice. Do small things that are important, brakes engine running etc. Clean it up, get it running and you have a great truck to trade. Realistically it would take about $25000 to fix it up and then it would not be for show.

The plus side of this truck is that it looks complete and the body looks great. If you do take on this project, I hope you have a covered space to work on it. Make sure that you stop the rusting by wire brushing and coating it. I would like to see this one cleaned up before you start the work.

This will be a real enjoyable project.

I agree with Woody, Cletis, and George. Why "upgrade" anything? The value to this truck would be that it is a very rare "original".

The original drive-train (and mildly "modified" existing drive-train) would be very easy to maintain and would be very well-suited for non-highway driving (these trucks were not meant for highway driving - an open cab and they drove through the neighborhoods at low speeds.

How much will it cost to buy?

How much sheet-metal rust is there (check the lower inner and outer cowls and all around the floorboard)?

Do you have mechanical experience (brakes and front-end parts)?

Can you weld sheet-metal?

Have you ever painted a vehicle?

It's great to see a young teen guy interested in old trucks! That's cool. If we don't get the next generation interested in our hobby/passion it will die. I applaud him, and you for encouraging him. And that truck is so cool, unique, quirker/weird, unusual. And really a great specimen. He's right: there won't be another one on the school parking lot! But, this one won't be there very often. It's just not practical. It may seem like we're ganging up on you but that's not it. If you want it for a father-son project then buy it, buy some books, buy some tools, do your "homework" and you both can learn something new (about something old) together. (It's more about time with your son than about the truck, right.) Good luck.

Bzrdb8, I've read and agree with what has been said by the guys. It WILL be a task and take some time. If you can put the time into it, whether it be minutes a day or hour per week, then I say GO FOR IT. If not you will always wonder "what if". Try it, if it don't pan out then move on but know you tried.

Fist off your on the Bolt. Lots of good KNOWLEDGEABE folks here. Swap meet for parts, probably some bolters near you. Parts for the "truck" part of it are available even if a lot comes from over the pond.

To avoid the "overwhelmed" syndrome I recommend taking a somewhat different approach...yes, I used it the first time on my panel. That is to work on each piece as you take it OFF. You will always be looking at some kind of progress instead of looking at a pile of parts in the corner. Then, when you get to the end, the nice part of putting it back together is soooo sweet.

I vote DO IT if the price is right. If it was here, I would certainly entertain buying it. I like stuff everyone else didn't, even in high school..... and I can see your soon driving it with one of those "awning type tops" to keep the sun off!!
Good luck.

Thanks for the helpful start. The real question that we can not yet answer is whether or not we are up to taking on the project.

The frame does seem solid from what I could tell trying to crawl around the under side (admittedly I don't fit all that well.)

I am torn on the modernization vs stock options.

Agree that its historical value is higher kept as stock as possible.

However, can see it making a slightly more practical rig with newer drive train etc.

I'm sure I will be back soon with more questions as we try and decide if we want to pursue it or not. If not, then I'll see what else we can do to get it into the hands of someone who will appreciate it.

I had a thought that a person skilled in wood working could make a beautiful woody. That would mean of course scrapping the back rig.

Considering limited mechanical skills/knowledge/motivation,
Nothing would be simpler than rejuvinating the existing running gear, and all the parts are easily available to at least put that thing on the road.
The cosmetics could follow.
What a great father/son project.
So "Dream Big". How much could you lose compared to the priceless time spent problem solving with your son?

That is an option...get it drivable (one way or another) and then tackle the body work down the road.

What's more practical than a 235? Easy to work on and parts are available. One nice thing about this truck for a teenager is that it legally only seats one person and it's a convertible.

If you get this on the road again, that would be the first step in this project. I think you could do this easily without a lot of money. Then you can step back and see if you want to go further or stop. it will be more valuable with these improvement and maybe you can find the perfect trade for your next project. Remember, a project has phases and goals, it would be a good time to sit down with your son and set them.

Good luck!