Thank you to LMC Truck for making available the restoration necessities for my ’64 Chevy Fleetside (or “Longbed”) C-10 pickup preservation project and for encouraging the restoration of 1960 to ‘66 Chevy pickups.
Having learned at the age of 13 (farm permit!) to drive our father’s ’62 Chevy, when the time came to locate a pickup to restore, naturally the 60’s series was my target. Offering bounties to UPS drivers in Virginia and Texas and to my brother in Texas to locate the right pickup paid off. The UPS driver in Texas spotted a ’64 parked behind a barn just outside Lubbock, Texas. My brother drove over to take a look, and called, saying, “how are you going to decide to buy an old truck if you are not here?” I replied, “take a picture of the inside of the tailgate and send it to me.” Turned out the tailgate had no dents in it, so I said, “Buy it – I will FedEx the check.” And the deal was done.
It turned out to be a better deal than I expected: The pickup was not used on the farm. It had spent most of its life on the road with a vacation camper on its bed. Thus, though it had high mileage, it had very little rust or dents. The original engine was shot, but the farmer had turned the pickup over to his high school aged grandson who had installed a 1985 350 cu in engine, 4 barrel Carb, headers and duel exhausts before wanting a more modern vehicle.
After using an LMC kit to move the gas tank from behind the seat to the spare tire area under the bed, my brother and Dad drove the pickup (with no seatbelts or radio) to me here in Virginia and what a treasure I received – it is what can be considered a limited edition “Custom” Cab with a special steering wheel, factory installed in-dash air conditioner that still worked and power steering.
I worked on the truck to maintain and restore as much as I could, assisted by my local mechanic, Rudy Flores, including disc brakes and new LED lighting before a friend, John Fisher, hauled it down to Dreadnaught Rod Shop in Roxboro, North Carolina where Chris Lewis did his magic repairing the rust spots, replacing all wiring and installing a new electronic instrument panel before having both the exterior and interior painted the original colors. A note about Chris: though located in a very small town, when we could not locate a replacement for the center air conditioner vent that was broken, he came up with a process of using a 3D printer to make the part – it looks factory original, but I still don’t understand how that works.
BUT –The family feels the restoration/preservation project was a success. It is not for car shows – the pickup has to earn its living hauling things for my Interior Designer wife, busy daughter, and home restoration son. Plus, I was motivated to preserve the pickup for our son, daughter, and the grandchildren.
OH, one complaint – it now takes me much longer to go to Home Depot or Lowes. When I come out with what I had hoped was a quick purchase, there is always a small crowd standing around the pickup ready with their questions and their stories of old trucks. Small price to pay. And a bit of trivia to pass on: most Chevy pickups you see restored have natural color wood beds – but the original Chevy pickup beds were pine and black with black rails. Despite this, I couldn’t resist the look of oak painted with four coats of black deck stain and seven coats of Marine Spar Vanish and stainless steel rails.
Thank you, LMC Truck, for making the parts available through an easy-to-use catalog – both hard copy and online, and for encouraging the preservation of the Chevy pickups from the ‘60s!

-Larry Meyer
Alexandria, Virginia
202 255 4365