"FREDDIE-BOB" IS BORN
ROBERT
ALLEN’S
1936
CHEVROLET (Model
FB) LOW CAB PICKUP
Last update: 2009-09-08.
This site sponsored by Robert Allen and Company, Professional Land Surveyors.
MY TRUCK IS NOW SOLD.
Stripped down to the
frame, yet again;
with Ian Harding's
1938 Chev parts truck looking on
and my '81
In the spring of
1999, I purchased a Chev 305 cubic inch small block
V-8 engine along with a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. After cleaning
them, I took them and my donor car to Billy
Bob's Rod Shop in Gibsons where Bruce McLennan did a great job of putting
in a new Mustang II front end, new cross members, and the rear end out of my
donor car. The drive shaft was shortened and brake parts were
added. Freddie-Bob was born and I eventually took it home.
The next part of the project is to thoroughly clean the outside of the engine, install a tilt steering column, floor shifter, rework the gauges, install a new wiring system, build the box, finish the oak boards, and put it all together and then keep my fingers crossed that it will run!
(1999-12-22) I managed to find a tilt (and telescoping) steering column that looks like it will work. I have had one bracket made to attach it to the dash but I have yet to buy another one to hold it on the firewall. I am also hoping that with a little luck I can hook up the column shifter and not have to install a floor shifter. I should know that before the end of the millennium, whichever one it may be!
(2000-02-03) I have cleaned the engine and started to repaint it Chevrolet Blue. I have also bought some chrome dress-up kits for the engine and will install those as I put the engine back together. The cab has been sent out to a rod shop for cleaning, painting, etc. and should be back in a month or so. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of spare time so I can only work on it now and again - one of the problems of running a business, having too many hobbies, and finding time for my family.
(2000-03-15)
Freddie-Bob was originally made on
Cleaned and painted with
some dress-up parts
from KenMac II Auto Parts in Sechelt.
Painted and put back on
the frame,
(2000-04-12) The steering column is in place and with two new
u-joints and a connecting shaft from The Old Car Centre in
(2000-05-29) After looking at numerous types and styles of dash
gauges, I finally decided upon a set and have ordered them. I also
ordered a new wiring harness and they are all coming from the Old Car Centre in
(2000-08-09) A lot has happened since my last update. I did finish the box boards with spar varnish, five coats top and bottom with a light sanding between coats. After some anxious moments drilling holes through the newly finished wood, everything seemed to work out as well as can be expected. All the bolts fit as they should and the box is now secured to the frame. The wiring harness and gauges didn't arrive until about the third week of June. I installed them and they all appear to be working. I got "Antique Gauges" made by Classic Instruments through the Old Car Centre as noted above. They have cream faces, red needles, and chrome bezels. The instructions were very well written and very easy to follow - just my style! The wiring harness also came from the Old Car Centre and it also came with easy to read and understand instructions. All the wires were marked every 15 cm with what they were for. The basic wiring layout was already done in groupings and with a few minor changes, the installation was quick and easy. Again, just my style! I have reinstalled the gas tank and put on a new fuel line and a second filter close to the tank. Last weekend, my brother, Greg, was over for a visit and with he being a mechanic, I decided that would be the time to flash up the engine for the first time in a year and one half. We jury rigged a gas line, turned the key, and within a few short moments it actually started. The timing was off but we kept it running for five minutes or so. I didn't want to run it too long as there were only headers on it, no pipes or mufflers. I don't think my neighbours were too impressed with all the noise. Next I have to take the truck to a muffler and brake shop to have the brake work done and mufflers installed and also have it tuned up. With a little luck, I may have it on the road by mid September.
The box
completed.
The start of the dash wiring.
The start of the wiring of the engine compartment.
(2000-09-05) As one of my favourite entertainers, Willie Nelson,
once sung: "I'm on the road again ....".
(2000-09-20) Little did I know that the fact that the brakes
didn't work properly and the fact that the engine was idling too fast were
related to the same thing. The brake power booster I first installed had
a leak in it and that caused both problems. Someone with some mechanical
experience might have known that but not me! I took it back to Rowland's
and they told me what the problem was. So, it was back to the auto
wrecker to find another power booster that would work. Finding one that would
fit was no easy task. While I was at it I decided to change the master
cylinder as the one I had taken from my parts car sat on a slope and it was too
small to hold much brake fluid. I found a much larger rectangular one
that holds lots of fluid and sits level as well. The booster I got was
out of a newer Oldsmobile and it was a workout to get it out because when you
are in your early fifties, 6'2", and 225 pounds, it is a little difficult
crawling in the front floor of a car and reaching up and under the dash to undo
some bolts. When you get that age, you also need glasses and they either
fog up or they don't focus closely enough. I now know what it is like to
be nearly blind! To get the last bolt out, I had to drop the steering
column; so its now laying on top of me, there is
broken glass, nuts and bolts, and other car parts under me left by previous
people stripping the car; its getting close to closing time, and I have to get
myself out of there. Houdini would have been proud of me. I finally
get all the parts home, clean and paint them, and finally install them.
The shaft coming out of the booster and going through the firewall is quite a
bit longer than the old one so now the brake pedal is about 5 inches higher
than it should be. I take it for a test drive and and
down
A Man and his Dream. The Dream
At the Sechelt Golf Course Near "The Shores" My Son, Andrew
(2000-12-14) The cold weather has set in around here and it isn't
too comfortable working in my unheated shop so I probably won't be doing too
much for the next couple of months. My next project is to get the hood
fitting better than it does. I got the hood hinge
from Ian's '38 (see top of this page) and put it in. With a small
modification, it worked (fortunately)! However, the rad
shell is about 3 centimetres too far forward so I have to change it slightly in
order to get the hood to fit better. This will have to wait until the
weather warms up in a couple of months.
(2001-06-20) I
was able to move the rad shell back a bit but not
enough to make it work properly and unfortunately Ian's hinge didn't work out
as well as I thought it would. I am now on to the next idea and I
purchased a three piece hood latch set from The Old Car Centre and the truck is
back at Billy Bob's Rod Shop having it installed. Bruce did a great job
on installing the two sides of the hood but the top has become a
challenge. The old hood top, when both sides were welded together at the
centre, would not fit properly. It was too warped and bent out of shape.
Today, the truck has gone to a sheet metal shop to have them "create"
a new top. Hopefully this will solve our problem. I did take the
truck on its first "off-coast" drive (without the top) on Saturday,
June 16th, to a car show in Coquitlam. It survived the trip unscathed
back and forth along the freeway.
(2001-07-03)
The hood was made by H L Enterprises welding shop in Gibsons and installed on
the truck but it took some adjusting over the past few days to get the latch
assembly to work properly. It seems okay but I will continue to monitor
it for a while yet. I am quite happy with the progress to date; now there
is just detailing to work on now - chroming various parts, changing tail lights, cleaning, installing seat belts, etc.
(2001-08-03) A short while ago I took the hood to Joe Terry in
Sechelt and he did some body work to fill in the area near the welds and paint
the new hood top. I also had him paint the hood sides as they had got a
bit marked up during the fabricating process over the past few months.
Joe did an excellent job in the filling and painting and the hood is now
installed. I also got some chrome tail lights (with blue dots) from Ian
Harding and installed them so the back end is also now complete. I had to
use my imagination and some ingenuity to get them to work but they seem to
function okay. A week today in Sechelt, the Coasters Car Club 6th Annual
Sleepy Hollow Rod Run starts. I don't expect to win any prizes but the
truck will look a lot better than the last time I had it at Sleepy Hollow when
it was on my trailer, in lots of pieces. This photo shows the completed
truck to date.
(2002-05-16) Well, a lot has happened since my last update of
almost a year ago. Our Sunshine Coast Motorsport weekend of August 10,
11, and 12, 2001 was an overwhelming success. The Sleepy Hollow Rod Run
on Friday and Saturday was the biggest yet and the Drag Races on Sunday were as
well. It is estimated that close to 6,000 people viewed the Sleepy Hollow
Rod Run and Show and Shine and 5,500 people paid to get into the Drag
Races. Nothing else on the
Since my last update, I have done a little more work on my truck. I have put in a radio, upgraded some of the wiring, installed an emergency brake, put on a new chrome air cleaner, changed the transmission oil and filter, installed seat belts, installed a small inside rear view mirror, installed a new windshield wiper motor, installed new window crank handles, installed a transmission gear shift indicator, put a new rubber around the outside of the front window frame, and taken the truck in for a vehicle inspection. The only deficiencies I had to correct were to secure the seat so it wouldn't move and tighten up the steering linkage. My application is in now for a modified collector licence plate and I expect it to be approved within the next week.
About 5 years ago, I had the original emergency brake handle chromed and so I wanted to be able to use it. The brackets I had were designed to fit on the original transmission which of course is no longer in the truck. I had to make some new ones to attach to the new transmission and then rig up a way to attach all of that to the universal e-brake cables that I bought at The Old Car Centre. It took a little ingenuity but I finally figured out a way to do it. Wiring the radio (which is mounted under the seat) and wiring the windshield wiper motor were two other challenges; however such is the life of an old truck hobbyist!
Two weeks ago, The Coasters Car Club held its first run of the year; our annual Food Bank Run. After our barbecue and social, it was time to head home. The weather had held until then and about half way home the skies opened up with torrential rain and HAIL! There was nothing to do but to drive in it. It took about two hours to dry off the truck once I got home. Once done, I figured that the rain did more damage to my pride than it did to my truck. It survived its christening. I won't be looking to take it out in the rain but if I get caught in it, I won't be quite so worried. The first time hurts the most. The Pender Harbour May Day Parade is on this Saturday so I hope the weather is okay for it.
(2002-08-31) The summer cruising season is slowly winding down for
another year. Since my last note, Freddie-Bob and I have been to the
Pender Harbour May Day Parade, July 1st Parade and Show and Shine in Sechelt,
Sea Festival Parade and Show and Shine in Powell River, Sea Cavalcade Parade
and Show and Shine in Gibsons, our biggest yet Sleepy Hollow Rod Run and Show
and Shine, and the first annual Show and Shine at the Peninsula Hotel in
Roberts Creek. The weather co-operated for all the excursions except the
one to
More updates will be
added to this site as I progress with the project. If anyone has any questions
or comments regarding the process I have gone through, please feel free to
e-mail me at Robert Allen. I will
endeavour to get back to you as soon as I can. The whole process of
rebuilding a vehicle is not only time consuming, but COSTLY! It is easy
to "hit the wall" and just leave it, hoping that the whole project
will just go away. You have to persevere and keep on with it
(2007-06-29) This may be my final
update as I have sold my truck. I had it
for 13 years less one week. It has now
gone on to another owner who I hope will enjoy it as much as I did.
Here I am giving it one
last tweak before I sign it over.
Hubert's
Home Page - life before Freddie-Bob.
Coasters Car Club.