For many years it has languished in Isleton while I was busy with other things. Over the years, the bed and stake sides have rotted away, and the generator quit working.
I rebuilt the bed last year while the truck was in Isleton, before my marriage to Melina and my move to our new home in Mariposa. This included using pressure treated wood for the 3x cross beams (green PT) and the 2x6 bed itself (brown PT). Stainless screws secure the bed. I also replaced the dead generator with a new alternator, but didn't have the time to make sure it was really working
I rented a big U-Haul car carrier to bring the truck to Mariposa, but it turned out to be a couple feet too short for the wheelbase - I got most of the truck on, but the rear wheels only made it halfway up the ramps. Yeah, I know, I should have measured somewhere along the way...but I was so sure!
We wound up using the rented carrier to haul the 1954 Chrysler to its buyer Stockton. The gentleman who bought it is a roving junkman and, as fortune would have it, he had a long bed tow truck. Hhe offered to haul the flatbed to Mariposa. That cost me a few hundred bucks, but was worth it to get the truck there in one piece.
It sat here for a while, but just lately, before the last rain, I put a coat of sealer on the bed.
I also read up on the alternator conversion and finally got that working. No, that isn't the original flathead V8 engine. I had that one rebuilt soon after I bought the truck, but was quite disappointed in its power...it was OK on the flats, but pretty gutless on grades. Well, it is a heavy truck. Back in early seventies I swapped that for a 1957 283 CID Chevy engine and Hurst bell housing adapter - shoe-horned it in without having to cut a thing. It's a little klugey and ugly, but has run just fine all these years (it got me to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and back in '74) and has hauled satellite dishes, chicken manure and all manner of household goods around CA since then).
I got some 2 x 4 lumber for the stakes and the 1 x 4 lumber for the sides, and sealed them wit a nice translucent yellow stain. I've just started to get the sides attached and will probably finish it next weekend (we've got another trip to Isleton planned for the next few days - the house is in escrow and I've finally got to get all my stuff (omg!) out of there)
For now, I'm just happy it is getting back together. Can't wait to drive it into town and see if.anyone remembers it from the old days (we lived in Mariposa from about 1984 to 1994).
For fun, I drove Melina and Zane around our 6 acres. Zane took a real liking to the cab and enjoying just sitting and taking in the view. Melina had to coax him out.
I also read up on the alternator conversion and finally got that working. No, that isn't the original flathead V8 engine. I had that one rebuilt soon after I bought the truck, but was quite disappointed in its power...it was OK on the flats, but pretty gutless on grades. Well, it is a heavy truck. Back in early seventies I swapped that for a 1957 283 CID Chevy engine and Hurst bell housing adapter - shoe-horned it in without having to cut a thing. It's a little klugey and ugly, but has run just fine all these years (it got me to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and back in '74) and has hauled satellite dishes, chicken manure and all manner of household goods around CA since then).
I got some 2 x 4 lumber for the stakes and the 1 x 4 lumber for the sides, and sealed them wit a nice translucent yellow stain. I've just started to get the sides attached and will probably finish it next weekend (we've got another trip to Isleton planned for the next few days - the house is in escrow and I've finally got to get all my stuff (omg!) out of there)
For now, I'm just happy it is getting back together. Can't wait to drive it into town and see if.anyone remembers it from the old days (we lived in Mariposa from about 1984 to 1994).
Still “Demon Hauling”?
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