Project Canopy Express>>>>>>>

[NORMSCOLORADO]

Hey everyone! Norm Coolidge from jay ny.... i have been a member for some time with my 67 C-30 9' stepper, but haven't been on in a while but thought i would share my next project!

heres the story..... bla bla bla....

well i was wandering through the woods near my great granfathers old place and found an old 49' ish Chevy canopy express! i asked the woman that now owns the house if i could have it and thanfully she said yes! she is rough now but i have a neighbor that has a 1500 2wd chevy chassis with a 6.2 diesel on it im stoked wanna build a diesel hot rod!

this is how she sits now!!! i hope to get her out of her hole very soon!!!!!! thats my gramps old chevy sedan behind it too....

it needs new floors rear fenders, fire wall. and i gotta kick the dent out of the roof where they dragged it over on the roof bef rolling it over the bank.... ugh gramp why...... good thing is i have accross the road an old lumber truck that has a good fire wall and front clip.....

i am gonna fix the rust and **** as much as i can but i am gonna leave her with most of her wounds....




and anyone know the rarity of these trucks i love knowing i have a oddball.....

[GRIMSS]

Great find. Check out NEALS49, he's got one bagged.

[dwcsr]

Looks like a plane crash. Nice find

[NORMSCOLORADO]

Originally Posted by GRIMSS

Great find. Check out NEALS49, he's got one bagged.

sweet i will def have to check that out!!!!!

Originally Posted by dwcsr

Looks like a plane crash. Nice find

yeah it does too! lol my great gramp was brutal when it came to cars lol he'd make em run like stink but dorve em hard to the point the rockers would throw sparks going round corners!!!

[Tchia65]

That is sweet. I somehow have never seen a canopy express before tonight. How come nobody ever told me about these? Damnit, now I want one.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

There's probably an interesting story behind that truck because most of them were bought for specific needs. They're not exactly your DD even back then. What did your grandpa use it for?

[NORMSCOLORADO]

i asked around and nobody seems to remember what it was used for.... it still has the farm plate from 62 on the back.... now what i need to do is figure out the wheelbase....... hoping to go with an s 10 frame.....

[T Hilde]

Looks like a 1/2 ton. S10 will work to get it low. Dakota will keep it a truck.

[Dan Bowles]

Yeah, Todd. Dakota will keep it a truck. Whatever, man!! Check your GVWs either way.

R&P is nicer to deal with, though.

[NORMSCOLORADO]

update....


this is the first piece of the puzzle!!!! lol


here is the truck across the rd that i am getting the fire wall, front floor and the front clip out of.....

[NORMSCOLORADO]

Originally Posted by T Hilde

Looks like a 1/2 ton. S10 will work to get it low. Dakota will keep it a truck.

im gonna get her as low as i can!!!!

[BlueJeep]

I think the wheelbase on those are the same as the 3800 pickups...like 130+ inches. You'd likely either have to lengthen an S10 frame or shorten the body.

[britnjc]

so whats the deal man, you must have an AD grave yard around your neck of the woods. Looks like people just pushed them in ditches when they got tired of them

[NORMSCOLORADO]

Originally Posted by BlueJeep

I think the wheelbase on those are the same as the 3800 pickups...like 130+ inches. You'd likely either have to lengthen an S10 frame or shorten the body.

i was looking at ethe specs of a 46 3100 series and they have a 115" wb it might be the same gm was smart back then kept stuff the same

Originally Posted by britnjc

so whats the deal man, you must have an AD grave yard around your neck of the woods. Looks like people just pushed them in ditches when they got tired of them

yeah we have one junk yard round here but they guy is a total jack wagon he thougt that a rusty fender for my 67 was worth $150 and a hood was $200 totaly over priced and the price on his stuff goes up as the cars get older..... yeah my great gramp used to just put them out to pasture! and accross the rd from the house well most guy would crap himself to see whats over there was an old dump for the lumber company they would buy a car that needed work strip it down for the drivetrain to use in the saw mill then dump the car....

there is a belair 2 dr coupe, a 4 dr belair, 38 chevy sedan with rear suicide doors, an old ford cut in to pieces, studebaker, 40's merc, rambler wagon, willys sedan, apache cab, beetle, 30's chevy car frame & fire wall and a 30's ford frame & fire wall..... plus god knows what else is buried in the bank.... yeah quite the lists of neat ol cars huh?

[dwcsr]

To answer a few question on the truck, Canopy express trucks were usually for delivery or road side vendors like farm produce or beer where it was easier for the driver to grab it from the side rather than climb in the back and drag out what ever he was selling. I suspect that if it had farm plates then it was used for selling farm goods. These are very rare thats why some have never seen them.

HEre are some nice pictures of them
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=160178

If that were mine I'd do a complete restoration. Its a valuable truck.

[NORMSCOLORADO]

thanks alot for the info! found out that my great grandfater did sell produce back in the 50's the floor is gonna be complete custom and i will be in dire need of some rear fenders i think! now where am i gonna find a set............... i wish the frame was with it........

[Dan Bowles]

Rear fenders are the same as the panel/burbs. You could get these in 3100 (115") or 3800 (137.5") wheelbases. Floor and from the openings down are panel trucks. Roof are panel/burbs. Back doors should be panel/burb, too.

I want one. There is supposed to be one in a field in Toledo Ohio but when I went back on Stovebolt looking for the post, it was gone and no one replied to my "wanted" for 6 months. Guess I missed it.

[NEALS49]

Looks like a project allright...But another CE saved is always a good thing...I have been waiting for someone to catch up...

Need some help pm me. Always happy to help...


Neal,

[NORMSCOLORADO]

alright neal! thanks.... the project has been put on hold for a bit tho.... found some skin cancer on the colorado so i gotta get her all painted up befor winter..... im stoked too cuz she is going inferno orange met!!! damn i love that color


but next month i will get her home.... she is rough and i mean rough sat in that spot better part of 40 years........

[72BlckButy]

Nice... that's only the 3rd one I've seen. (Neal's49 was the first, followed by a '39, and now this one)

Can't wait for some further progress.

[tcb-1]

never thought I'd see another after laying my peepers on Neal's wicked canopy.

congrats and treat her right!

[entourageguy]

Very cool. Definetly worth saving.......

[ratty 46]

Kick ass project .... and from what I've seen over my 52 yrs. they are like hens teeth ....

Keep us posted.

Ratty 46

[sweet70beast]

I've seen a few CE on the internet but I've never seen one in person.

[dwcsr]

Is it finished yet?