Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks
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Hi Everyone,
New Member Here! I'm a 34 year old aircraft mechanic from Udall, KS (about 20 miles SE of wichita). I've always had a soft sport for pre 1930s vehicles and I acquired my first one last weekend. I was hanging out at a friend of a friend's farm and just happened to catch a glimpse of the radiator, fender, and 1928 license plate sticking out from under a dusty tarp in the back of a shed with all manner of boxes and farm tools piled on top. After a few questions and a bit of prying and coaxing (and people wondering why I was interested in some rusty old car) the boxes, tools and tarps were removed and before me sat the neatest little I dont know what other than chevy that I had ever seen. I wiggled the fan and the motor turned, I pulled the dipstick and what was on it wasn't rusty water, after some brief conversation detailing what little the owner knew of her history we shook hands and she was being loaded on a flat bed for the trip home.
So what is she? Best I can tell she's a 1928 National sedan with 35,505 miles showing on the odometer that at some point in her life was converted to a truck. During the truck conversion rather than build a flat wooden cab back the back end of the sedan body was removed and attached to the back of the cab. the sedan body was cut about 6" above the raised molding line and the excessed folded over and in creating a very modern looking cab and bed retaining the original quarter panels and rear fenders. The cab roof is galvanized sheet steel that has been formed over the original wooden roof frames. The hammer work that was done forming the roof and reforming the sides into a truck bed shows a great deal of skill and care, clearly some love was put into this conversion which I would guess dates to the late 40s or 50s (the styling choices when cutting / forming the swept aft endcaps of the bed sides definitely speaks of the 50s). The remnants of red and white striped paint on the roof and cab back also seems to indicate she may have ended her past life as a parade truck. The guy i bought her from said he purchased her from a guy in ponca city oklahoma 10 or 15 years ago and she has sat under a tarp in his shed ever since. prior to that she was under a carport in ponca city for another 5-10 years with the owner prior to the previous owner always intending to get her going but never actually doing it. I am kind of hoping that maybe a fellow member from the oklahoma area may know something about the interesting history of this old truck?
I set about working on and evaluating her as soon as I had her home, the floor is rotten but the door posts and the rest of the wood in the body is in good shape, the wiring is all original and pretty ratty but a bit of probing with a multimeter confirmed continuity in all the right places and no shorts to ground. I opened the tank cap and peered inside and was immediately met with the unmistakable odor of avgas! perfect! 100LL doesnt go bad like auto fuel no mater how long it sits! The I opened up the vacuum tank and found it to be clean and dry so I dumped a cup of gas in it and closed it up. Moving on to the carb (looks like a marvel schebler off a model A) everything looked clean on the outside and a quick rap with a screwdriver handle confirmed the floats weren't stuck (it must be my lucky day!) so I opened the fuel valve and listened to the fuel gurgle down into the bowl, after a few seconds the gurgling stopped, no leaks! Next I cleaned the old hardened grease out of the grease cups on the water pump and distributor and re packed them with a tube of marine grease I had on the shelf, and oiled the oil cups on the starter, generator, and water pump along with giving a healthy dose to the rocker arms, pushrods, valves, and felts. A quick shake of the rocker arms and puling the engine over once by hand confirmed nothing was bound up and the clearances weren't excessive, back on with the valve cover. I grabbed a 6v battery and dropped it in, we're getting close now!
Now my lack of knowledge of old chevys caught up with me, I turned the key on and went to check for power at the coil, nothing! great! wiring issues but I knew the wiring was shot anyway and the key switch did feel weird so i grabbed the multimeter and dove under the dash to check the switch for continuity..... and thats when I saw the toggle switch....... clicked it on and viola! power at the coil! so what is the purpose of the key anyway? I topped up the radiator and oil, since the choke cable is frozen I gave her a sniff of ether, retarded the spark, and hit the starter. Click....whir whir pok pok poketa BRUMMM! She's alive! for the 1st time in 20 years she's alive! what an exciting moment! I quickly confirmed oil pressure and let her idle for a minute or 2 before shutting her off. I was immediately greeted a large stream of oil running out from what I would find was a half dozen holes rusted in the filter underneath te clamping bracket. but still, the sweet sounds of the 20s, and victory!
That brings us to the end of last saturday, after a days work she was running! and after more work on sunday to patch up the oil system, change the oil, and free up frozen controls she was even driving down to the end of the block and back! since then I have gotten her tagged and put about 5 miles worth of putting around town on her, she has quite a few problems to address and correct, some minor, some not so minor but I will start a new thread or 3 on that in the technical area as I will need plenty of advice. I already have a rather large parts order from the filling station on the way and i'm sure i will be making a few more. Are there any other members in the southern ks, northern oklahoma area? Til next time I'll leave you with a few pics of the old gal, I'm unsure of how much restoration work (other than mechanical) i want to do, She seems to be unique and her story, whatever it may be, is part of how she came to survive these last 96 years.
Chris
Welcome aboard neighbor! You have plenty of folks in the area to call on. I live in Ark City and there are several members in the Wichita area. Toward the top of the page you'll see a button Rosters. Click that then Member Roster. There you can search for members in the area and get their contact information. You can also select the Technical Advisor roster and the Vehicle Roster. FYI I'm putting together a tour of the Wichita area that will take place in October. We'd love to have you participate. Click the Events forum then 20th Southern Fall Tour for information.
7046 old site posts
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet
1938 Master Business Coupe
1953 210 Sedan
Hi Chris
WOW!
What can I say? Welcome for sure!
What a fantastic find.
Right off I would like to make the comment that you have the kind of writing skills we sadly don't see often enough any more. 🙂
And, you are obviously mechanically talented and have shown the old "common knowledge" type of thinking in what you've done so far that isn't seen often enough any more either. (I guess being and aircraft mechanic would necessitate that wouldn't it! 🙂)
I know you are going to do well by this old car/truck, and it couldn't have fallen into better hands. 👍
I have seen a few pretty good truck conversions ,most of them done pre WWII I think, but none better than what you have.
Do you suppose the red and white stripes may have been an early attempt at a "slow moving" sign for the back of the truck? 🙂
Again, welcome!
PS
Actually, when thought about it, I think most of the conversions were either done during the thirties due to lack of money, or actually DURING WWII out of necessity due to lack of available trucks during the war.
Ole S Olson
Saskatoon, Sask, Canada
1139 old site posts
@tiny Hey! I'm in Udall so we are practically neighbors! I found my truck just down the road in a barn east of Oxford.
I would be very interested in going along on that tour or at least a portion of it, just have to get most of her issues sorted by then but it provides some motivation to do so!
Chris
Thanks! I'm also a builder of homebuilt airplanes, pilot, and a sailor. I've written a few articles for aviation and sailing magazines over the years and I love telling a good story. The problem is I get caught up in it and all of a sudden I've spent a good 30 minutes conveying an idea I could have in 5! She is a really neat truck conversion and I will get some better pictures of her tonight someone put a lot of work into doing it tastefully and making it pretty as well as functional.
I am pretty good with the basics of all things mechanical, tore apart the family lawn mower when I was 7 or 8 to see how it worked then surprised everyone by putting it back together again and having it work..... When it comes to vintage vehicles though while I do know the basics i'm very much a neophyte so I am sure i will have a lot of questions about what is normal, what isn't, where to find parts, what the best way to fix something is, etc.....
I think the stripes are left over from someone driving it in parades half a century or more ago, the paint is flaking off like lead base revealing whats left of the original black underneath. I am pretty sure the body was always blue and I am finding burgundy under the black on the fenders but a blue / burgundy car doesnt make sense so i'm not really sure what is going on there.
Chris
@flatlandr
I meant to ask...
Are there separate specialties of aircraft mechanic, like air frame vs engines/propulsion etc?
My uncle was an aircraft mechanic in England during WWII.
Coming from the farm, he worked on engines.
He wanted to fly, but he found out he was color blind. 🙂
Also should have asked, how's the sailing in Kansas? 🙂 Actually there is sailing up here in Sask too, funny as it sounds.
Ole S Olson
Saskatoon, Sask, Canada
1139 old site posts
@flatlandr
Okay, I just did a web search...
Your car/truck is obviously in GREAT hands!
Really glad to have you here.
Ole S Olson
Saskatoon, Sask, Canada
1139 old site posts
I would be very interested in going along on that tour or at least a portion of it, just have to get most of her issues sorted by then but it provides some motivation to do so!
Chris
The host hotel is in Derby and the vehicles are all '54 and older so you'll fit right in. My son will be driving my 38 (which I pulled out of a barn East of Ark City in 2004).
7046 old site posts
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet
1938 Master Business Coupe
1953 210 Sedan
I'll add my welcome to the VCCA Forum as well as owning an old Chevrolet. I have three 1928s but live ~ 500 miles away. As Tiny wrote there are several knowledgeable 4 cylinder Chevy guys in the Wichita area. Others in central to northern OK.
The photos look like a modified Coach body.
If you have not already joined the VCCA it is an organization that has members with the knowledge of old Chevys nowhere else in the world. Most are very willing to assist other owners. Several are regular participants here. Many of us have spare parts we just couldn't bear to see become Chinese junk.
How sweet the roar of a Chevy four
Participant on Chatter since 11/22/2001
19758 posts on the former Chatter site
Hi Chris, Wow you have such a great gift of writing and even more so being a great mechanic. Your story would be perfect in the G & D magazine the VCCA puts out once a month. Your knowledge of aviation fuel is remarkable. I was a jet engine mechanic in the service but never followed up with it. My father was always obsessed with airplanes and ended up with the largest collection of antique aircraft in the Midwest. We have part of his collection here In Greenfield, Iowa. The Iowa Aviation Museum along with the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame are something I think would interest you. We also have my late uncles collection of Chevrolets that has been viewed by many of our members of the VCCA. I have a 1938 Chevy Cabriolet that my wife calls the "Money Pit" that some day this year, I hope, will be finished. Again I welcome you to the VCCA family
Southwest Iowa
Chris, Welcome aboard.
Your 1928 "El Camino" is a welcome addition to the group too.
Mike
Many Miles of Happy Motoring
3469 Posts on Old VCCA Chat
Hi Chris,
What a wonderful vehicle! These old Chevys are a blast to work on and show off at car shows.
I love taking my original '28 Canopy Express to Concours shows and helping the trailer queens look better. 😉 The old survivors fascinate everyone!
If you want some insight to the innards of the engine, here's a thread that I created to document an engine rebuild that I did in 2017: https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/386451/resurrecting-a-28-4-banger.html . This is located on the old VCCA website.
Cheers, Dean
Dean "Rustoholic" Meltz
San Leandro, CA
3511 posts on vccachat.org
1927 LM one ton truck - tinyurl.com/Lurch-VCCACHAT-Gallery
1928 AB Canopy Express (1/2 ton truck) - tinyurl.com/Justin-Stovebolt-Gallery
Thanks for the kind words everyone!
@rustoholic I read that thread beginning to end earlier this week! Very informative and neat to see the inner workings of the little 4 banger.
As promised, I took her on a mile "grocery run" to the local dollar general last night so if I can figure out how to upload them from my phone there will be a bunch of photos attached to this reply! It's a bit of a long 6 or 8deg incline coming back from the store and I learned pretty quick she's no hill climber! Just puttered up it in 2nd, tried to accelerate to 3rd but after up shifting she wasn't having any of it.
Chris
Not knowing the incline I would think the need for 2nd gear would suggest the need to investigate, might only be easy things like a basic tune (plugs, points, timing) but a compression test during that process may well tell a different story.
Tony
Agreed. It should be able to pull that climb. A complete general tune-up including a valve adjustment is likely in order. I did the first valve adjustment on my 38 after the engine rebuild and that fixed a lot of things.
7046 old site posts
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet
1938 Master Business Coupe
1953 210 Sedan
