1953 Chevy Truck - Initial Look

This is a truck we're restoring for the Oklahoma State University's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Class of 1970. The truck will be the basis for a "Museum on Wheels", set up to show what a traveling veterinarian's truck and equipment looked like back in the day.

The first step is to get the truck running and driving reliably. Then it will be time to make it look pretty.

Starting with a fairly solid and original old truck.

Original VIN tag on the door post shows it to be a 1953 model

The famous 'stove bolt' six

The engine before a carb rebuild and cleaning the fuel tank

Side mounting of the spare was a popular method of the period

It will look quite smart with fresh paint and cosmetics

A previous owner had touched up the interior

The business end

Side view

The seat shows some wear but is mostly intact

The fuel tank coming out

Fuel gauge sending unit gives an idea of the varnish and corrosion in the tank

The sludge in the fuel tank filled nearly 2 inches of this gallon can

The plan is to restore the interior to it's original business-like simplicity. So far, we've been unable to even find a truck wearing a 'radio delete' plate to cover the radio spot in the dash. Original radios are available but quite expensive and radio may not have been high on a 1950s veterinarian's list of priorities. We may end up making a radio delete cover plate but it would still be nice to see what one looked like!

At this point a 12 volt alternator has been fitted and most of the electrical system switched over. We've added a second tail light and plan to also add turn signals--a period modification for safety's sake. The engine runs, but not as crisply as it should. The vacuum advance on the distributor is not functioning and there may be other issues, but overall it's quite serviceable.

It was determined transmission fluid was leaking out the rear of the transmission, down the torque tube (enclosed drive shaft), and into the rear axle housing--causing it to be overfilled.