My 1950 Chevrolet 5400 COE flatbed truck
I found this one on ebay, and after bidding on it, I didn’t win it as my internet stalled as I was putting in one last bid. I was frustrated I didn’t win it. I decided to contact the seller, and let him know that if anything fell through with the winning bidder, that I was still interested in it. Lo and behold, the winning bidder didn’t have the cash, so he and I were able to work out a deal that was good for both of us, and I was the proud new owner!!
Now to get it home to the shop in South Dakota, as I was and still am, living in China, and the truck was in Californina I went onto Uship, posted my job, and after some negotiation, was able to work out a deal. It wasn’t cheap to get it home, but well worth it.
It has the short wheelbase (134”), which I verified from the VIN number using the resources at http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/VIN.htm
The bed is a combination of wood and steel, with rounded corners, and is 13.5’x8’.
It has the original 216 straight 6 engine, with the 4-speed transmission, and a 2-speed rear end from an “older” International 2 ton truck (info from the seller).
Here’s some pictures of what were on Ebay:
Here’s some pictures of when it arrived:
It does not currently run, but that’s one of the things I’m working on a bit at a time. I intent to get it running, and keep it pretty much all original. It was missing the front seat springs, so I kept an eye on Craigslist, and found a set for $75. They’ll need to be completely redone, but at least I have something to work with now.
Some more pictures of it out in the sun while shuffling some vehicles around for other projects:
The motor was stuck when I got it, that was one of the reasons the other guy was selling it. The guy he had bought it from said the engine was fine, but then it was stuck. He was hoping for a quick flip, but that didn’t happen. After getting it, I pulled the spark plugs and poured a mixture of acetone and ATF into each cylinder hole, and then left it to sit.
2+ years later, after trying periodically with various wimpy tools to turn the flywheel, with no success.
Finally, I made a massive lever arm that bolts onto the flywheel/clutch bolts, and lo and behold, I got the motor to turn!!!
