Our long search for a vintage pickup came to an end when Jer found a posting on Craigslist for a 1950 Chevy in Osage City. The gentleman selling this beauty knew some of my family from the area and was just the type of guy we had hoped would be selling our dream truck. He had been taking great care of her - driving it every day to and from work at the parts counter for the local Chevy dealer.We asked dad along to help with the test drive. We were really glad since neither of us knew how to start the thing. It has a starter on the floor next to the gas pedal, a key, and a choke. It might have taken us a little while and we both seemed anxious about proving we would be good caretakers of the truck.
She runs beautifully with an original engine. And, by beautifully, I mean a top speed of 40 miles per hour. It is an interesting contrast to the rest of our lives where we are driven by the clock and have to be places fast.
Once we made the purchase, we drove her home from Osage at the top speed of 40 miles per hour. I followed in the car and we only backed up traffic a few times on Hwy 99. We took a break in Alma for pizza and as soon as she was parked, we got our first compliment!
While she is not perfect, over time, we will begin to restore her. Jer has already installed a new wood bed. We have her at the shop now having the windshield reset with a new seal - still original glass, just a little leaky.By chance, one of my new friends has a 1950's camper she and her boyfriend are restoring. We joked that we need to get our two projects together!
As for the truck, watch for us in parades in a couple of years or maybe at a Farmer's Market stall...or still doing what we are doing now...driving 40 miles an hour to deliver our recyclables to the station in Westmoreland and cruising country roads on our way back home.
