Pictures of Interest

These pictures were taken in Texas before Socrates retirement to FL.

Dashboard. Shift knob is the Virgin Guadalupe.

Socrates after a hard day of work

Interior with Miss Trinidad and Tobago dash icon

Two old trucks and a dog

The "Duppy Conquerer", my '76 BMW R90/6

Waiting for the Mail

Well friends I am waiting on the delivery of my new floor pans, cab supports and toe boards; these are expected to arrive first of next week. The last blogstallment saw the dregs of the disassembly. The nasty rust-encrusted floor boards. With a freshly updated tetanus booster, I begin the rebuild.

My garage is full of little parts and bolts in labeled ziploc bags, I have truck "centerfolds" to urge me forward and my secret bat cave storage area is full of body parts (no not those kind of parts). In the mean time, here is a brief history of Socrates...

"Sox", as he is called on a little piece of paper on the inside jacket of his owners manual, is a 1950 Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck. 3100 is the designation for 1/2 ton pickup truck. 1/2 ton refers to the load capacity. He was manufactured in Kansas City, MO, according to his VIN plate, in June of 1949 and was the 20,201st to come off the line.

According to the previous owner, he was originally bought and used as a site dig vehicle for an archaeology department college/ university in Ohio. Though I never found out what college, this is when he was christened "Socrates". The subsequent owner put a 1955 model 235 ci engine in with a four speed transmission, a vast improvement over the original 216. The inline six cylinder 216 was introduced in 1937 and in the 1950 model year prodcued 92hp. It was phased out and replaced by the 235 with hydraulic lifters and a full pressure oil system. Most old chevy trucks have undergone this replacement as it is a superior design because of these basic imnprovements. He was originally Mariner Blue. This blue is visible on the firewall and in various nooks and crannies that were not painted over.

Fast forward...I traded my 1976 BMW R90/6 motorcycle for Socrates in Austin, Texas in 2000. My dear friend "Carlos" loved the old truck, but lusted more for my motorcycle. Carlos had painted the truck with green latex house paint. Initially I was dumbfounded, but have since appreciated the step as it protected the truck well and kept it sound. It is hard to believe it has been that long since Socrates came to live with me.

I brought Sox to FL in 2001 on a trailer with the help of my dear ol' Dad. Sox ran for a few years before I parked him in the garage with the intention of replacing the wiring and radiator. We were driving on the highway to pick up a used washer/ dryer set from some friends. "FIRE! FIRE!", says the wife. I exchange my beatific driving face (driving this truck is sublime, you understand) for one of horror. Behind the dash, right between my legs is an electrical fire. Keep in mind we are cruising 55 down the road and the gas tank in these ol' things is directly behind the seat INSIDE the cab.

The fire quickly extinguished itself. Miraculously we survived and even still, the truck kept chugging along. Not suprisingly that was the last time the wife rode in Sox. Hence, pulling him into the garage.

One thing led to another, we bought a house, a picket fence, yada-yada and the trucks insurance and registration lapsed. I dared drive it on a few occassions with a plate from my other truck, though I am older and wiser now and would now never do such a thing.

As it stands, Socrates is undergoing a full do-over. He will not be "chopped", "sectioned", or "dropped". The truck will remain stock with minor exceptions, all of which will be unnoticable to all except the most astute truck wackos. I am sorry that I did not take more full pictures before he began his transformation.

"The Last Bolt"

interior floor pan and parking brake

exterior assembly

Today's session was cut short by my 2 year old assistant, but tomorrow I hope to remove the cab and place it on a rolling dolly. The last thing to take off the cab is the parking brake pedal assembly. Of course this is the rusty cab floor area that will be replaced with new sheet metal. So I am contending with 56 year old crusty bolts and layers of 'glass patched rust. I think a good title for today's chapter could also be "The Last Bolt". Often it seems to be "The Last Bolt" that is the most stubborn. Thanks heavens for PB Blaster and cheater pipe.

Trucks Helping Trucks.

After pondering how I was going to move "Sox" from the garage without needing to call up friends and neighbors I had a "duh" moment. Why not rig a tow bar and use "Whitey" (my '02 GMC) so that I could move Sox at will? In this image you can see the rig that I will be using to move Sox as needed. Soon I will be towing the chassis to be sandblasted and painted.

http://www.stovebolt.com/

The ultimate resource for old Chevy truck knuckle skinners everywhere.

Seeing the Light of Day

After a long slumber in the garage my 1950 Chevrolet 3100 truck took a deep breath of steamy Florida sunshine.

A Brief and Most Recent History of the Socrates Saga

"Socrates", is finally beginning an extreme makeover from the frame up. I drove it into the garage three years ago and was subsequently swept away by the water under the bridge. A new job teaching high school provided free weekends and vacation time, not to mention steady funds previously unheard of in the life of this former starving artist. Alas the many rigors of the classroom sapped energy and motivation. Then there's the part about family, commitment and fatherhood.

The cumulative longing to drive him again, overwhelming guilt at seeing my prized possession turned into a 50 year old storage shelf and the not so subtle prodding (encouragement) from my better half ("what happens when we have another hurricane and we can't fit the lawnmower and the grill in the garage?") have given impetus to a long overdue all out, knock- down-drag-out get-after-it a-thon.

I will be documenting and posting pictures and truck-related ephemera as I proceed with this revival.