Hey y'all; thanks for adding me. Scheduled to receive tomorrow my new-to-me '34 Chevy Truck. It claims to be all original, and a driver (with a new battery and gas).
I'm excited, as this truck has some sentimental value to us.
Attached Photo #1 is my father-in-law (the tall guy). This was circa '44, and was just before he shipped off to fight the Nazi's, eventually getting his purple heart at the Battle of the Bulge.
Photo #2 is my Grandfather, circa '40, with his first delivery truck for his furniture business.
So of course we needed one.
Photo #3 is the truck on it's way to me as I type this.
I'm excited. Plans for it are not restoration, nor hot-rod. We want a useable farm-truck. We moved in June to a small agriculture town. Sold my Ferrari and bought a 1910 Victorian Farmhouse with enough room for a few animals, etc. This truck will hopefully be our "run to tractor supply for some hay" truck. Maybe drive it in the hometown parade, etc etc.
I've never owned anything quite this old. (In the '80's I owned a '41 Ford p-up, which was on it's way to a street-rod, when I sold it.) On my list of things I need to investigate, and which I'd appreciate the group's knowledge on: - Brakes. If working correctly, are these brakes okay and up-to-the-task? If no, then what's the common solution? - 6v vs 12v. It's still 6v right now. Should I change to 12v? Considerations? - Climate controls - is the heater / defroster (if working correctly) up to the requirements of a cold Northern-Utah winter?
Thank you all, in advance, for your shared enthusiasm and assistance! New Adventures are the BEST! haha.
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Welcome to VCCA chat. Nice starting point for a project. Most times vehicles of that era are not good every day drivers because of the slow speeds they drive. An occasional trip to the COOP or being in a parade it should handle with ease. I'm not knowledgeable enough about the trucks to be of much help but rest assured there are folks here that will be able to answer all your questions. Please put technical questions in the proper technical forum(s) below to get the widest audience. Hopefully you consider joining the club and participating in one or more of the various tours and club functions around the country when you get her on the road. Welcome again.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
Welcome to Chat. The history of the truck is as interesting as the truck. I dont know about the regulations in Utah but here in Australia you arent allowed out the gate like that, you would have some extensive work first. Like most on this forum I prefer the safe as close to original as possible if not full restoration, that includes 6volt electrics and yes the brakes work well when properly serviced (as does the rest of the truck). Tony
Welcome! Great story on the truck. I think the first thing I would do while you are waiting for your truck is order all of the factory owners and service manuals for your truck. I got mine at The Filling Station and Ebay. If it is running with fresh gas you are a step ahead but if the oil pan has not been removed and cleaned in many decades I would pull that to clean it and the screen before doing much running around.
I always stick as close to original as possible so I don't have to re engineer what the excellent Chevrolet engineers developed years ago. Six volt works fine when the connections are clean and the cable is the proper size.
There should be lots of threads on similar subjects so you can search past posts but everyone here is very helpful answering your questions.
Excellent! Now edit your profile to display the club logo under your name. That way everyone knows you support the club. I hope to see you and your truck on future tours.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
Maytag, If your truck runs well and stops as designed, you will find it very useful around your farm. It will be suitable for trips to the farm supply if it's not too far and you are in a rural setting with light traffic and patient motorists. My 1936 1-1/2 ton Chevy runs comfortably at 40 MPH. I just made a trip to town to return some lumber and drop off something at my brother in law's house. Get it working, mechanically, get lights working and enjoy it. I sold my stash of '34/'35 truck stuff but I can help you find some of the things you will need. Welcome aboard. Look for posts, here, by "Leapin". He has a '35 farm truck that he uses daily. If you would like to see the story of my truck, scroll back a couple of pages in the truck section and look for 1936 Low Roof semi truck.
Excellent! Now edit your profile to display the club logo under your name. That way everyone knows you support the club. I hope to see you and your truck on future tours.
Tiny, I must be doing it wrong. My details on the left of my posts still say "user" not "member". I added my member number successfully, but I didn't see an option to select a change to the "member" tag.
The 59549 is your chat member number not your VCCA member number. If you've joined the club and paid your dues but not received your membership info you'll need to call member services to get the mistake straightened out. Click The VCCA Home link at the top of the page then scroll down to the Contact US link. I checked your info and it's not showing you are a member yet.
Last edited by Tiny; 11/30/2205:40 PM.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
The 59549 is your chat member number not your VCCA member number. If you've joined the club and paid your dues but not received your membership info you'll need to call member services to get the mistake straightened out. Click The VCCA Home link at the top of the page then scroll down to the Contact US link. I checked your info and it's not showing you are a member yet.
Thanks. I've got a receipt in my email inbox showing they processed the membership dues, but I don't see anything with a member number on it. I'll give them a ring tomorrow if I can find a few minutes.
Check again and see if you have it now. I did a search by the number and it is indeed your VCCA number after all. I "think" (I sometimes get in trouble doing that ) I have enabled it for you. I'm kind of new to the global mod thing here and I'm still learning what I can and can't do.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
Also, you can now search the membership database for folks who have similar vehicles and strike up a conversation with them. Go to the main website (vcca,org), sign in (BTW it is a separate sign on from the Chat forums), move your mouse over to the Members drop down menu, and click on Member Search. You can search for 1934 truck, for example. When you get a list of members, look at their profile. That's where their vehicles are listed.
Have fun and keep us in the loop with your new beloved, Dean
Dean 'Rustoholic' Meltz old and ugly is beautiful!