1952 Chevy 3100 – Wayne H.

My wife and I saw an ad for an old panel truck in our local paper, so we went to look at it and found it sitting in a shed with a tarp over it and chickens squatting on its roof and hood. The seller told us it was his brother’s panel and that he went off to Vietnam but didn’t come back. It was being sold as long as we kept it in the same general condition/looks out of respect for his brother. It had been sitting ever since. It had a locked up 1959 283 CI engine and 350 transmission in it, floors were okay and no dents. We bought it for $600. I installed a new 350 and had the transmission rebuilt. The 12-bolt rear was good. I added disc brakes up front, new leaf springs/shocks, radiator, rewired her, and new glass up front. Some spray could paint where it was needed and I used the Cragar’s that were on it. I did some research with the numbers/title info and found the 2nd owner out west in Kansas by the name of Hugh Billhimer (deceased) who used it as a tv/radio repair truck in 1960. He sent me a pic with his daughter in the passenger seat. He sold the panel in 1965. I recently added a 6th bar to the grill and modified the bumpers to my liking, but the general theme of the truck has stayed within the seller’s request. I think his brother wouldn’t mind one bit. It’s driven on our backroads locally to fetch small grocery items (beer) and visit our friends. It drives pretty good considering original front axle and steering box. My daughter has layed claim to it when it’s time and she will be tooling around in the ole panel for years to come.