Rusty Fifty One

Hey XXXXX (Previous owner),
Did you or your kids have a name for the truck? Or do you remember the original owner’s name?

Best,
XXXXX (Me)

I think the guy that owned it originally was named Tom, my son called it Bessie.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

XXXXX (Previous owner)

Seems fitting. Bessie it is!

The drive home didn’t go so well… The shifter jammed and when I pulled over to try and fix it I found oil splattered all over the firewall, valve cover and air cleaner. Never having owned a vehicle of this vintage, I called the owner a tad miffed as he had sworn there were no issues and it ran fine. I later discovered that the oil misting is typical because of the vented valve cover and that the description, “Running fine”, isn’t what most would consider it to be when you’re dealing with a 60 year old piece of farm equipment. So, with it stuck in first gear allowing a max speed of +/-10mph, I slowly made my way home across the city.

Pulled up outside the seller’s house and saw the ol’ girl sitting at the curb. Gave it a once over, took a spin around the neighborhood, did a bit of haggling, settled on a price and cut him a deposit check that day (03/06/2011).

It’s gonna need some work… the bed wood is gone, the front bed side is completely rotted at the base as are the cab corners, inner and outer cowls and parts of the floor.

I’ve always had a thing old pickup trucks, especially those from the early to mid 50’s.
Found this one on Craig’s List one morning. It was located a couple miles from my house and the price was reasonable so I went to check it out.

Good afternoon.

I am writing to inquire about the 1951 Chevy pickup you have currently listed on Craigslist. First and foremost, is it still available?

If so, would you be able to tell me if it is in running condition? I would also be interested in knowing if there is any rust on the body/bed and in what shape is the interior.

Thank you for your time.
XXXXX

Hello,

Yes it runs well and has current plates on it. the bed is wooden and needs to be replaced, theere is a place in MO that makes them off of the orig GM dyes. It is still available but a guy looked at it today and liked it. There is some rust yes, but I also have some replacement metal parts that I will give whoever buys it cowels, cab corners, etc, you just need to know a welder.

I will send you some pictures if you like.

Regards,
XXXXX

I’m using this blog to document the build on my 1951 Chevrolet 3100 1/2 ton pickup, lovingly named Bessie by the previous owners children.