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Mark’s 1949 Chevy Find

1949-chevy-truck

It is amazing how many of us car nuts share the dream of one day finding our perfect barn find. While some dream of finding a Ferrari or a Bugatti in the barn, many would be happy to find a Corvette. Like many of us, Reader Mark W dreamed of finding a Corvette barn find someday, but what he ended up finding was anything but, although it is a Chevy. Mark already has the joy of owning a Corvette, so he decided to go on the hunt for something different, something he already had a connection with. For him, the perfect barn find turned out to be a 1949 Chevrolet Advanced Design Truck. Read the rest of Mark’s story of finding this truck and getting it back on the road after the jump.

49-chevy-front

As a boy, a friend’s father owned a 1950 Chevy, while Mark doesn’t remember the exact details he remembers going for rides in it and the brushed on orange paint. The times spent riding around in that old truck have stuck with him through the years, so when he started his hunt he decided to look for a truck. As things go in today’s internet based world, Mark didn’t start his search out on back country roads, but on his personal computer.

Marks-truck

After searching for the phrase “old Chevy trucks”, he found this 1949 Chevrolet 3600 in North Dakota, where it had been parked in the barn since 1980. The price was right, so he bought it. Years of being parked, left it rusty and inoperable. One of Mark’s older brothers used to be a Master Mechanic, so Mark had the truck sent straight to his brother in Chicago. He hadn’t talked to his brother about the truck beforehand, but thankfully his brother volunteered to head up the restoration.

Chevy-on-blocks

Mark comes from a tight knit family, so this truck quickly became a family project. Besides his mechanic brother another one of his older brothers and several nephews signed on to help out. Once the truck arrived, Mark got a phone call from his brother letting him know that the “Beast” had arrived and that he needed to get there to help with the tear down. They all found themselves calling it the Beast, so the name has stuck with it. As soon as Mark could make the 500 mile drive to his brother’s house, he headed out to get the project underway.

1949-chevy-motor

With the help of their family they quickly had the motor pulled and off to the machine shop for rebuilding. They also pulled the brakes and hubs apart for rebuilding. Mark wanted this to be a rolling project, so they focused on fixing the main safety and drivability issues first. Once the engine made it back from the machine shop, they put it back together, installed a new clutch and got it running again.

Mark and his brother were sure to take a video of their first attempt at firing up the motor, which they shared with us. It sounds like it is running great and we are glad that Mark left it as original as possible.

1949-chevy-interior

Making this truck, or any barn find for that matter, safe means more than fixing the motor and brakes. It also means making sure the electronics and gauges all work properly, so Mark has already pulled the old broken gauges and replaced them. He is still working on rewiring any questionable or bad wiring. To make sure the driver and any passengers stay in their seats, he went ahead and added seat belts, a feature you wouldn’t have found on a truck in 1949. Even with seat belts, it wouldn’t have been very safe or fun to ridden around in this truck, as mice had eaten the seat, so one of his nephews redid the bench seat.

Advanced-Design-Truck

Mark and his family have invested a lot of time and energy into getting this truck back on the road and from what he has said, it sounds like they have all enjoyed the experience and the time spent together as a family. It never ceases to amaze us how a rusty old barn find can have such an impact on the lives of those involved in their preservation. We wish Mark and his family the best with this truck. Our special thanks to Mark for sharing his experience and we hope he will keep us updated on his progress!

 

Comments

  1. Avatar Dolphin Member

    After looking at lots of rust-perforated, tough looking vehicles being offered for sale it’s a real pleasure to see one that’s been sitting for a long while but still looks like a pretty straightforward resto. This truck looks good, and that stovebolt 6 should have a good chance of being serviceable.

    Best wishes for the restoration, whether its minimal to be a rat truck, or to the max to be a show truck!

    Like 0
  2. Avatar jim s

    always wanted one of these. i should have bought one back when they were on the back row of used car/truck dealers lots. for $300 you could get a driver! great find

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  3. Avatar Rev Rory

    Good example of the breed but that engine is a long way from original. FYI I have a bunch of little stuff for those, original interior and trim bits too, off the 8 or 9 I had when they were 50-600 dollar drivers.

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    • Avatar bob

      You are correct Rev Rory , that engine appears to be 1954-62 235 c.i. This engine has 4 screw valve cover , short side cover , Rochester carb . w/ automatic choke…..not visible would be insert type rod bearings and full pressure oiling system as opposed to “splash” system w/troughs in the oil pan. Good engine , just not original for this ‘ 49 . I practically cut my teeth on these old stovebolts …..loved them then and still do .

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  4. Avatar Doug

    tears to my eyes, while in college years back my mom called to say my grandad’s “collection”
    of junque was up for auction. I had her buy the ’53 GMC 3/4 ton for $200. A weekend of king/link pin R&R and a 12V coil and battery and I drove it everywhere for several years. I still regret letting a local farmer talk me out of it…..

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  5. Avatar 02chuck

    I learned to drive in a 47. A 13 yrs old starting it on a hill w/o a parking brake was a challenge wit short leg and small feet. Hitting the starter on the floor next to the gas pedal, tapping the gas and holding the brake pedal was a real dance. My grand father would take me out in the field and we would go in a circle, I would get going shift to 2nd, then stop and do it again. It had a 3sp trans with a non syncro 1st gear so you came to a stop to get in gear to go. I really looked forward to those lessons with him.

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  6. Avatar Andrew Minney

    Love it, want it!

    You can’t beat an honest old truck!

    Andrew

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  7. Avatar braktrcr

    Pure Heaven Learned to drive in a 53 Love the sound they MUST be loud Great story of brothers having a blast together.

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  8. Avatar ConservativesDefeated

    Back in the early seventies in the mountains of Colorado these 49-54 Chevies were everywhere…..along with the three window variant whch is my favorite.

    Had a number of them……the crashboxes were a hoot especially if you had been out.um…..imbbing. No seatbelts..no nada.no thoughts of same.

    Funny how we’ve all gotten more careful and worried.especially after having been so not careful.and definitely not worried

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  9. Avatar Mark W

    Thanks for all the positive comments and notes. We are enjoying reading them and the truck is coming along great, if you desired the full story I posted it on Stovebolt.com. We call it “the beast”

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  10. Avatar Wayne Maddox

    I remember my dad putting me on his lap and letting me “drive” his 50 pick up..great memories!

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  11. Avatar Don Andreina

    I know there’s an anti-patina contingent out there, but the metal on this looks sooooooo good. Great shape too. Nice truck, Mark.

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    • Avatar Mark w

      Thank you for all the nice comments. It is a 54 engine that was locked up tight so we had to rebuild it. I was under a lot of pressure to paint it and chrome everything but stuck to my guns. Mechanically everything is rebuilt. The frame is beautiful and I have a used tailgate to match I found at Adler’s antiques. Trust me, I have found the nicest people and so many helpful people in this hobby. I have a hot rod mustang and that world is competitive. Stovebolt people are just nice and helpful

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      • Avatar Brad

        Mark, thanks for sharing the story and additional details here. I absolutely love the Beast – and your decision to leave the character, dented fender and all, absolutely make it what it is. It’s an endearing piece of Americana, and deserves exactly what you’ve given it: a chance to be driven, loved, and to receive an endless stream of “thumbs ups” wherever you go. Enjoy!!

        Like 0
  12. Avatar Charles

    I’d love to see that one get treated to a full resto to original specs.

    Like 0

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