The economy went sour about 10 years ago and I was into Volkswagens. 1962 and 1966 Busses and a 62 Beetle. Luckily, I sold them for a profit and kept my head above water. I used the money for bills, kids and food since I was out of work.
I have always wanted an old pickup so I was scouring Craigslist and found a 48 Dodge pickup about 60 miles from L.A. in October in 2010. It used to be farm country out there and the truck was used hauling around farm gear for years. This truck was purchased for the sole purpose of getting dirt under it's fingernails. Hey, it needed work and wasnt a show car. Of course, I asked a million questions.
The owner wanted $2,500 but I had to pass. The truck wasn't a priority since I still wasnt working. I kept checking back and the price was then $2,000. I called a few times and the price kept getting lower. I had to tell the owner that I'm just not ready even though the price was a good deal.
Then, just before Christmas, the owner called me and said that he needed money to finish his 36 Chevy so he would let go of the Dodge for $800. Well, I couldn't pass that up and headed out there. Since I couldnt take it on the LA freeways since it was geared so low, I had it towed back to L.A. and stood outside trying to get a mental image on what I needed to do.
It had the OG motor and was pretty barebone stock. I needed new bed wood and hardware, the rear fenders needed new hardware and were just hanging off the bed. The running boards were almost bent down to the ground and needed new hardware to connect to the fender. Plus, it was painted primer gray and even that was sloppy.
I stared at the truck not knowing where to start. Well, the running boards looked like a good spot. I had the bright idea to but some 2 x 4's on my floor jack and bend them back up into place by force. It worked perfectly. Everything came along and then I had it painted. I wanted the suede primer paintjob since it looked like a shop truck. I replaced the bed wood and the rails along with some minor adjustments. It drove like a charm. Then, a friend handpainted the logos on the side and it looked straight out of the late 40's. I learned alot about the truck and did most of the tinkering myself to save money and learn a little something.
Since it was a farm truck, it has double leaf springs, a 3 speed transmission and a kick start on the floor. It's rough! I've replaced the intake and exhaust manifolds, welded a straight pipe all the way out the back with no muffler, rebuilt the carb, replaced the back window, replaced the usual plugs, points, belts etc and have so much fun wrenching and showing it off. The local saturday morning classic car hangout has every car you can imagine. The 48 gets alot of attention because it looks original without all the Billet crap, 20 inch rims and electronic dashes. We all appreciate good, American made quality.
What's left? I'm replacing the oil pan and next will be an emergency brake and door rubber so the windows dont rattle. The interior will have to wait as will the powder coated wheels.