Green Machine

[cariboumarkt]

This thread is going to document the work we are doing on a 1969 Chevy K20.

A little backstory...

My father-in-law purchased this truck second hand while living in Wyoming in around 1976. According to him, the 3/4 ton truck had been ordered with many factory HD parts as it was being used as a work truck in the area oil fields. My wife has many fond memories of riding in this truck with her dad on trips to the lumbar yard, fishing hole or other dad/daughter outings.

In 2000, my father-in-law decided to sell this truck. She and I had moved east to Maine for my job and saw little hope of transporting the "Green Machine" that far, even though it was offered to us. It was an easy pragmatic decision but a tough emotional one as the truck was sold to a Montana farmer.

Fast forward 10 years and we've moved (again for my job) back home, to the inland NW, Spokane, Washington. After 10 years away, one of the first things we did was visit family, and within hours of arriving at my wife's childhood home, she and her dad were reminiscing about the Green Machine! I attempted to track down the farmer who purchased it in 2000, but he had sold it on to another and calls to available numbers went un-returned. Strike-out.

The reminiscing continued off and on for a few more years with a few lame attempts to reach the owner when, almost 8 years later, he returned my call! (he was probably sick of me pestering him and decided put an end to it!) Unfortunately, he had sold it on as well to "a guy somewhere north" and couldn't remember the name or number. i.e., "leave me alone!"

Skunked again, I started looking for substitutes. Doppelgangers of the Green Machine that may work as a suitable stand-in. All were roundly rejected until, one morning in the fall of 2018. My brilliant wife had an idea: "have you actually checked CraigsList in Great Falls to see if it's on there?" LOL, no! No way that could ever happen. One-in-a-million! Don't be sill... Holly $h1t! There it is!

Yup, there it was, THE truck. THE Green Machine! She knew immediately "I can see where I used to pick the paint off the glovebox when I was a kid!" We poured over the photos, enlisting her dad to confirm. We were 99% sure it was THE truck.

The CL add had been up for 28 days. My heart sank when I saw this as most "old" adds are just zombies, ghosts of opportunities missed. I made the call...

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello, I'm calling about a CraigsList add? The one about the Chevy truck?"

"Yes, it's still available."

Unbelievable. He confirmed several details provided by my father-in-law, even mentioning a specific drivetrain whine my wife often imitates. We worked out a plan to get the rig to my father-in-laws house for storage and get the guy paid. It all went off without a hitch!

This thread will document our progress (or lack thereof) on the Green Machine! Wish us luck!