I had aquired two half ton Chevy pick ups, a 1942 and a 1951 and each had been restored prior to my ownership. My interest in larger trucks led to purchasing a 1947 Diamond T, Model 509 (GVW 14,700 pounds), also previously restored. On all three trucks, prior restoration activities had issues that annoyed me and that got me to thinking of trying to do a frame off restoration myself. If I was going to do that, I wanted it to be a truck that I really liked, and that happened to be the Chevrolet Advance Design Cab Over Engine (COE) trucks. Now you have to understand I have little mechanical experience, as my day job is a desk jockey (I spend my days peering through a microscope). I have gained experience repairing my other trucks, which gave me the confidence to attempt a complete restoration.
It took awhile to find a suitable candidate, which I finally located in Minnesota, just east of Fargo, North Dakota. Off I went, on a 3600 mile roundtrip journey, starting in Prescott, AZ. Here is a link to a picture of the return trip taken in Colorado Springs.
http://s1116.beta.photobucket.com/u...mp;_suid=1355426301160036770561160092313The truck was pretty complete, an important consideration with these trucks. Many of the cab parts interchange with the ordinary trucks, so reproduction parts are available. Certain things, like the doors, hood, grab handles, floorboards and fenders are unique. You will notice the truck used to be black and I am more partial to blue, so I decided to repaint it in Mariner Blue, a correct color for that year truck. I also restored the bed, using reclaimed telephone poles out of the Arizona desert, which provided very dry and stable wood. It has a hydraulic lift, so this truck could acutally go to work. After four years here is the result.
http://s1116.beta.photobucket.com/u...mp;_suid=1355425333132046279539932922225This truck has already been in the Prescott, AZ, Christmas Parade, but since it has to earn it's keep, I anticipate it will make a few runs to the local dump.
I had alot of help along the way and Stovebolt.com has been a consistent resource.
