1971 Chevy C10 – Derek D.

Hi, my name is Charlie. I’m a 1971 Chevrolet C10 Cheyenne. I was assembled in April 1971 in Flint, Michigan. After I was assembled, I was sent to City Chevrolet on South Tryon in Charlotte. A salesman named Steve Welch sold me to my original owner whose name was Charlie Doster. We had a great life together. We did a lot of work at the gas station he owned and camping throughout my life with him.

In 1987, my owner passed away. I was then given to his son, Ralph Doster. Ralph and I had a great life as I helped him haul the tractor and other items around. Due to my age and wear, it became time to look at restoring me or replacing me. Ralph gave his son Derek the option of restoring me and keeping as his own or we would have to sell me. Derek, who was 23 at the time, did not have the funds to restore me. So, they made the painful decision to sell me to an individual who would restore me.

On October the 4th, 1997 they sold me to Charles Keleman. Charles, who lived in Florida, kept me for many years. He then got sick and passed away and I had to be sold to another owner. Although I stayed in Florida for many years, I was not driven much. I spent a lot of my time just sitting and wasting away. Luckily, I was kept in a garage so I wasn’t harmed by the elements. In January 2017, I found a new owner. His name was Anthony George. Anthony took great care of me; he and his friends disassembled me and restored me to look like the truck Anthony’s dad used to own. He turned me into a Chevrolet blue custom 10. He had no idea what I was originally and I was happy to be restored. I didn’t plan on telling him. I was just happy to have an owner love me again.

Anthony finished restoring me the best he could. We spent a lot of time going for long drives and participating in parades and his local car club. I really enjoyed my time because I was able to be used again. Then, on July 12th, 2017, Anthony was contacted by a man from South Carolina. He spoke with the man with hesitation because he thought it was a scam. Why would a strange man we’ve never met contact us out of the blue about me? After Anthony spoke with him, we learned that strange man was not strange at all. He was Charlie’s Doster’s grandson Derek wanting to find out about his old truck. I overheard Derek asking if Anthony would ever consider selling me. Anthony said he would not. He said he has been waiting for a long time to find a truck like me, and now that he has it restored like his dad’s, he is going to keep it for the rest of his life. I was sad because I wanted to be able to go back to South Carolina, but I was in a good home in a good place.
Anthony offered for Derek to come see me in Ocala, Florida. On Wednesday, April 4th 2017, I got to be with my original family again. Derek showed up with his daughters and took a lot of pictures. He even got inside and we drove around the block. It was sad to watch Derek leave. Derek kept in touch with Anthony over the next five years. Then, in early 2022, Anthony got sick. We did not get to spend much time together at all and he kept me in the garage because he didn’t feel well. On April 25th, Anthony texted Derek and asked if he wanted to bring me home. Derek jumped at the chance to bring me home. After working out all the details Derek came to pick me up on June 2nd 2022. I was finally reunited with my original family.

It took a year for Derek to be able to start restoring me back to my original condition. However, after meeting with Ronnie Tucker and getting on his waiting list, we were finally able to start the process in February of 2023. A great friend of Derek’s, Benny Etter, offered to get me ready for Ronnie to do the painting and to help with my motor work. It took them three months to get me back to my original condition. Then, on May 13th they were able to present me to Derek ‘s father Ralph. Whom I had not seen since October 4th, 1997. Ralph was able to enjoy winning a placing in a few car shows with me until he passed away January 11th, 2024. I will continue my journey with Derek and his daughters.