Memorial Day tow - my new treasure! lots o pics!

[jewels.]

my granddad, as long as i can remember, has had this old chevy truck sittin in the back of his yard... he always liked to hide it from view... behind trees or the garages or somethin.... but my grandmother died last year, and he is on a "cleanin frenzy mad-rage".... he finally told my family either come get the truck or he is cuttin it up for scrap iron! (and thats NOT because the price of scrap iron has increased - he could care less! )

so, after much discussion, the family decided i should get the truck since i have already restored one classic (my 68 chevy stepside)... so - free truck! now - keep in mind, i didnt know the condition of this vehicle, or any history or anything about it... i just remember this rusty old truck sittin in his backyard when i was a kid...

well, i had granddad measure the outside perimeter of the old beast.... then josh and i packed up with a trailer, and lots of straight-six parts (cause he said it was a six-cylinder)... and took off for his place over Memorial Day weekend...

wow!!!
WHAT A GEM!!!
lots of really cool things about this truck....
its a 1958 Longbed Stepside.... the rear stepside fenders fell off years ago (he said they were flapping as you drove down the road, and were only attached by the braces underneath).... he replaced them with some homemade versions... he also replaced some sheet metal where the grill rusted off... but he has a lot of the original parts he took off... the original bumpers, original headlight buckets, and he even has the original fuel pump which he switched out recently (lets see - recently means 15 years ago).... when he replaced parts on the truck, he did it right - no bondo, no major cutting - just a little spotwelding here and there....

there are lots of crazy options on the truck that are worth money, i believe... (you guys will have to let me know) one is the wrap-around back window... another is the FACTORY RADIO!!!?!? (not even my 68 came with a radio)... i was floored! and he was gonna cut her up!!! i couldnt believe my eyes...

it has been well taken care of... cause it took less than 15 minutes to pull it right up on the trailer with a chain and my granddad's other truck (its the red one in the background of the pics below)... the wheels must have been well greased... and only one tire was flat (we found the nail hold in it).... they look like the original tires!

oh -and the engine --- its not even been touched.... there are less than 70K miles on the thing... its got the oil bath breather on it, some kind of oil filter where you can "put in a roll of toilet paper" if you wanted (according to my granddad).... and some kind of vent-breathing tube on the side of the engine that acts as what we would call a modern PCV valve these days.... sooooo exciting!

i know he is the second owner of the truck - and he bought it from a business in town that used to use it as a work truck - the business swept out cold-air-coal furnaces, i guess.... and he apparently parked the truck because when he hit a curb, he bent a tie-rod, and it was gonna cost more to fix the tie rod that it was worth.... (altho there is some arguement as to whether he bent an axel here as well, so i'll have to investigate further).... they still drove it around the yard and used it as a work truck after that....

the pics below are kinda crappy (it was just my $20 camera from walmart)... but i'm gonna borrow the camera from work and take some more tonight since it is now off the trailer in my driveway.... i guess i'm gonna become a regular reader of the 55-59 chevy truck board (did i get the years right there?) cause i know practically NOTHING about these trucks...

if you have any questiongs, or suggestions, or things i should look for, let me know!

thanks!
enjoy!
ciao!
jewels.

[jewels.]

more pics..... i kept cutting everything off at the top - stupid cheap camera!

[jewels.]

more pics more pics....

[67ChevyRedneck]

I have a 67 and 58 as well. It's fun trying to start the 58 on a hill while trying to use the clutch/brake/the floor petal starter/and pump the gas to make it run!!! I'm not sure what would have brought about cutting the headlight bezels off the front fenders, but stock fenders are much more appealing These trucks also have a BAD tendency to rust above the windshield on the inside (there is now a patch panel for this) There are not NEARLY as many aftermarket parts as for the 67-72 but they are out there. I've found most of the parts for my truck (grill, doors, and rear fenders) at the Carlisle, PA swap meets. They are considered the "ugly sister" to the 55-57 trucks (same truck, just different single headlight fenders/grill/hood) BUT I like my 58 more than the 55-57. Plus, they look awesome if you could find an original fleetside bed (1958 was the first year for an all-steel "fleetside" bed for ANY truck.) Have fun with her. They are sweet trucks. Rock solid and impossible to kill.

[dubie]

WOW and I thought Shawnas was rusty nice little truck you got there. Be prepared for a lot more expense than you will find in the 67-72's. The fenders are double the price as well as many other parts. So what are the plans for it?

[CHEVYE]

looks like you & josh are havin some fun there. you can't beat a free truck, with family history too. if you find any TN parts you need me to bring to ya just give me a holler. if i find anything around i'll let ya know, tell josh i said hey,
eric.

[GirlRacer]

I've seen one of those slammed with some nice wheels, solid color paint job, and had the 'hot rod' look to it. It had a fleet side bed though. Good luck!

and is it normal to have christmas trees growing in your yard in KY?

[uncle_handsome]

Originally Posted by GirlRacer

and is it normal to have christmas trees growing in your yard in KY?

Most spruce trees aren't hard to grow north of Little Rock, AR or the mountains of GA or AL. I've seen pictures of a guy who grew Colorado Blue Spruce trees in central South Carolina; the yard he grew them in is (barely?) warm enough for Spanish Moss. He replaced maybe 6-12" of top soil with a mulch to keep the roots cool. They not only grow but they look good and healthy too. With those skills, it might be possible to grow them in northern Louisiana...

[Blue_71]

i did find out that a 235 I6 is a complete different animal then a 250... none of my stuff would work!! i guess everyone was right that i couldnt get it running to drive it onto the trailer Don (granddad) and i got along extremely well from the get go-- always makes it easier when the family apporves of the boyfriend

the 58 loaded extremely easy, after a couple questions of would it fit or not... the fenders were too wide almost, but with the tires aired up it fit perect with just a little room to spare.. at one time i just stood on the chain and pulled it the rest of the way up. the 90 hauled suprisingly well too for a 1/2 ton with a 305.. it was good to 50 mph, but then it statred getting a lil wobbly.

girlracer-- those pics are in indiana

i think thats about all i can really say on the subject have to wait for jewels for any more answers
and im not doing anything to the truck in those pics!!! honest!!!

[jewels.]

ah finally --- more and better pics....
ask all the questions you may want!

jewels.

[jewels.]

more pics 2

[58 Apache]

That's A Cool '58. I've Been Looking For A '58 Fleetside Lwd. I'm Sure I'll Be In The Same Boat As Yourself Real Soon. Trailering Home A Rusted Ol Heap. Good Luck With Your Restoration Endeavor, It'll Be A Blast!!!

[Palf70Step]

Nice ewel in the rough you have aquired Jewel. You and Blue should have that up and running in no time.

Seriously, the truck looks great and the attachment to family makes it even better.

[86swb]

I think that radio is rare. Not for sure. Do not think too many folks ordered with a radio in the trucks back then. Wonder if it works? If not, there are people in Hemmings motor news that can get it working. Good luck with your restoration.

[bigtruck81]

any updates on this? was looking for pics of an Apache to show one of my buddies, and came across this thread. i love seeing people restore old family trucks.

[Dean]

I wonder if we pissed her off or something. She hasn't replied to any of my emails either. Hope she is doing well.

[weasel29gm]

Yea, I was wonderin' about her also. As far as the '58 thats a long term project!!

[jewels.]

ok - yes - i'm still alive.... i'm here.... still kickin....

but you are right - someone pissed me off, so i stopped reading....
in fact, it was about the time the board was reorganized, and to tell you the truth, i cant even find my way around this silly place... it's too big....


it's the feeling you have when you want the old "pre-super-walmart" back to make your shopping trip easier!


but i'm still pretty involved... instead of reading the board myself (cause i keep getting lost in it), i just let josh (blue_71) take care of reading the board, and i get the "nightly board updates" from him...


i haven't posted pics in years... but it looks like i'll have to change that.... and here is why----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


today, blue_71 (josh) and i went down to white house, TN to bryan's house for a nice board meet...
(great meet, bryan! thanks a bunch! )...
everyone there mentioned that the old thread about granddad's truck had been resurrected from the dead....


so i guess i need to make an update on the state of the truck... (the old '58 i towed home over memorial day nearly 2 years ago...)


so i will.... but give me a day (tomorrow) to take some pics, and post here again... will tell you what all we have been doing (Blue_71 helps out a bunch!), and will tell you how much further we "lack" (or "like" as they say in Kentucky )

whew - it's been a tough project so far.... more tomorrow!

ciao!
jewels.

[st1x10]

Aight I am in for some new pics, can't wait until tomorrow.

[Cochise]

Wow, you must have some serious Jack, I couldn't even afford to de-rust the wheel wells.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

i wouldve loved to get ahold of that truck myself but im glad you got it and youre working on it and i cant wait to see the pictures of it now and back to the board and hope you have a better time this go round

[Pl4yboy]

I love those wrap around windows

[passthebuck]

I love the old work truck finds! What is the bucket on that stand in the cab for?

[Dean]

I'd still love to see the updates on this old truck. Waiting on some pics.......