The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts BIG BOLT ACQUISITION ADVENTURE

Well fellow BIG BOLTERS , I dunn did it ,I bought my 1948 fire truck with 12,000 miles on it in St. Louis drove it 250 miles too KCMONGO's lot in Kansas City ,steve and I removed all the fire truck accessories and put on a flatbed.
Then drove it back to Knoxville TN 721 miles, a grand total of 1121 miles!!Stock 235 at 52 mph ,didn't miss a beat,
Problems none except for no gas gage and a couple of oil leaks .
Did I just escape from an insane asylum ,nope ,Hey it's a CHEVY with only 12,000 miles .It's still new!!!!
"Ye who have little Faith" .
I'm putting this truck to work ,as a Classic Motor Cycle mag.says"Don't Hide Them Ride Them".I'm starting a motor cycle and small frieght transport company.
What is the better of 2 evils I put this truck to work or some butcher get this truck and chops it up into a rat rod,(I can't believe I said that word RAT ROD please excuse my foul mouth)
Next mods strech the frame for a a 48" peterbuilt sleeper cut down to fit the truck and a canvas cover for the flat bed a liftgate and winch.Then for now will be a subercharged 250 6 (not running to much boost) for a bit more grunt and and a A-833 4 speed OD trans , will switch to a 292 and proper 5 speed od truck trans later .
Why a Stove Bolt,The answer is simplicty and reliabilty ,also I can look for classic truck and car shows on the weekends .
Will keep you'all posted on my progress.
Here I have to give Steve (KCMONGO)and his family a big thanks for putting up with me for 2 weeks( a lot more work than we expected ) ,they are realy great people people !!!!!
Also a big thanks to Don King and Mike Taylor for offers of help when I had my wreck before Christmas 2011.
As we bow our heads for moment of silence for my 1947 2ton 6400 that was tragically killed in a wreck just before Christmas 2011

TooMany..try telling her that the next time she wants a new refrigerator. HA

Ya my wife is still living in Austria (shes austrian) she knows I bought a retired low mile fire truck to start this company .But I kind of forgot to tell her exactly what year it is.The plan is for her to come over here and help me drive.So when I have to pick her up at the airport I think it's best to have a couple bolters wifes (open minded ones) with me to help explain to her how much fun it is with a bolt and how these old trucks are well acepted here in the US .
Once she get's over that initial shock and with proper counseling she should be ok .
Hey maybe you could write up a fake will saying such and such person left you a truck .Would she by that.
Paul

That is quite the drive for an untested truck. Good on you! The longest drive I have ever undertaken in a newly purchased bolt was in the 70's when I bought a '32 Chev 1 1/2 ton from Port Townsend, Washington and drove it to Vancouver, Canada, less than 200 miles in total. I have just bought a 57 GMC, ex-firetruck in Missouri and was about to make arrangements to drive it back myself but my shipping company has finally got someone to transport it for me. That is an 1800 mile trip and I wasn't really looking forward to driving all that way in an old untested truck.
How many days did the trip take you Paul?
Bill aka greengrass

Paul
Glad everything is working out alright and wish I could have helped you out more.

Joe
If my wife said to chose between another old truck or loose body parts, I would have to ask, "what body parts are we talking about?"
then I would make up my mind. There are some body parts she would miss also. At least I like to think so.

Don

Being a fire truck it looked like it had been serviced well and having only 12,000 miles plus it had been used in parades a few years before.also you don't drive it like a modern truck and push it to hard .Tires have been the pain this one had 6 square tires 30-40 mph was a sweet spot then at 50mph no vibs .I was worried that the mirrors were going to vibrate off.
2 days it took to make the trip left KC around 11:00 am got here in Knoxville at 5:30 pm next day .I tried to sleep in the truck at a friends drivway in IL.just outside St.Louis layed down at 8:30 but by 3:00 am I was just to cold and started driving again .also in the 48 you push down on the door handle and the door opens.I almost fell out once.Can't wait to get the sleeper on this .
At 56 I'm to old to be sleeping on front seats.Also I drove it from St.Louis to KC 250 miles first.

Hi, Paul!
My firebolt is a little newer, a 1961 GMC with a 351 V-6 and a Clark 5 speed transmission with direct drive in 5th. gear. I'm also planning to remove the fire bed and pump, and install a 3-speed Brownie trans to get an overdrive gear. It's going to get a commercial 5th. wheel, plus a gooseneck trailer hitch. I'm going to look for a vintage lowboy trailer to pull behind it, a fairly short one to haul a farm tractor, etc. I'm about 200 miles southwest of you, near Huntsville Alabama.
Jerry

JERRY MINE HAS A CLARKE 5 SPEED ALSO IN THE 50 SOMETHING GMC SERVICE MANUAL IN THE BACK IS A supplement WITH THE CLARKE INFO PM KCMONGO AND HE CAN TELL YOU THE YEAR OF THAT SERVICE MANUAL .I HATE THIS TRANS IT'S REALLY A PAIN .I KNOW THE A-833 4 SPEED O/D IS A BIT SMALL 4 THIS TRUCK BUT I WON'T HAVE IN THERE THAT LONG ,I'LL BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR A TRUE TRUCK 5 SPEED O/D TRANS .I MIGHT BE LOOKING FOR A DODGE DIESEL TRANS TO COMPENSATE FOR THR REAR DIF LOW GEARING MINE IS A SINGLE SPEED.
PAUL

Do a search on Ebay for "Laycock Overdrive". There are 5 of them listed today at ridiculously low prices, and they're the same unit Gear Vendors uses for their horrendously overpriced divorced overdrive. It's EASY to adapt one to the center carrier position of your big bolt.
Jerry