"Re-build thread for 1939 Alabama custom"

Hello all,

I got this truck in Oct. 2012 at the estate Auction of Micheal Steve Davis around Birmingham, Al. The widow and surviving family have been a big help with info and history.The truck was customized in the 50's in Birmingham, Al. Kb-cookout has posted a thresd looking for info on who orginally owned the truck during the chop, section, and channel were orginally completed with Steve Davis's help. Steve Davis fell in love with the the truck when it rolled into the shop where he was working in the 50's. He also vowed to own the truck someday. Years later after moving to California and hearing the truck was for sale he bought it and towed from Alabama. Steve ultimatly got hooked up with Disney where he worked in the Imagineering Department. If you go to the Sci Fi dinner at MGM Studios in Florida, you can find a car with Steve's intials and birthdate for the license tag. With this trucks history and great lines I am not changing alot and with info from the family, I am trying to stay close to Steve's orginal plans for the truck.


K-boy

 

Here's some pics.

These 2 pictures the PO owner carried in his wallet for 45 years




And these 2 are when it was stored in Ca, at Bruce Ruge shop (if anyone has info on him let us know) he made fiberglass 32 bodies and work on bonneville stream liners




This were taken when Oct 2012 when it was still in AL

 

Love the old truck,,worth saving as it was intended. HRP

 

These were taken when we got it back to Indiana






later kb

 

Great story and picture's. Thank's fellow.

 

These were taken Oct-27 2012..... I'll be adding more for K-boy and I have most of the pic or check out his album in his profile

later kb

 

Good post, Kyle---hope you guys can get going on it soon. Sweet little truck.

 

Looks like most of the paint is weathered off but I can't see any seams or previous body work, this must have been built by real craftsmen. And also beautiful proportions on the chop and section. Glad to see it's in the hands of someone who appreciates what it is and wants to put it back the way it was built.

What was the drivetrain in it when it was first built? What does/will it have now?

 

Here's some more pics..
The top was not cut in sections for the chop they reworked the area of the door jams to make up for the roof taper. It wasn't beat up just the elements made for alot of lower rust and pin holes above the windsheild and rear window were the moisture collected.

The cab, running board and the bed were all welded to the frame, and the front fenders were welded to the cab and leaded in at the top edge, it also came with a 39 deluxe grill and hood


It may have had a Olds in it at one time, ( there was a Olds with 6x2 on it in the garage but we didn't bid on it ) the motor was missing but had a 39 ford trans and banjo rear end, someone was hard on it, we have alot parts to replace in the drive line

It was a online auction (Not Ebay) you could preview the cars and parts ,one day and bid online that night and had to pay and pick them up the next day,

Very strange auction
I went to buy the fiberglass molds and to see what else was there and there was a bunch


later kb

 

bed was shorten and rivet back together






283 sbc off to the machine shop

 

clean parts to work with.





boxing plates made and welded in the rear frame sections

 

KB looks like ya'll are making progress...It was good to meet you in Birmingham when when you hauled the center x-member parts down for me to pick up...

 

Damn.... That's a cool old truck. It must have been a show stopper back in the day, especially around here.

How did it end up back in Alabama, after being in California?

It looks like it's in good hands and glad to see you are returning it to it's former glory.

Keep us posted with the progress.

 

Hi; Wooster, we couldn't have planned the meeting any better .

We are alot farther along, I'll have to post the rest of the pics, We got a good deal on powder coating and had the frame and all chassie parts done. Picking up the frame tomarrow, and Kyle had a 283 motor rebuilt and it's ready, It took 3 banjo rearends to find enough good parts to build one for the truck.

later kb

 

The Davis's towed it back to Alabama when they moved from Cal to retire in AL,

The tow bar was in the truck, It's made from a model A ford front wishbone and bolted to tabs on the front of the frame

Later kb

 

first load back from the powder coaters

 

Here's some more

later kb











beefed up the rear x member

 

We picked the frame and the rest of the chassie parts up from the powder coaters yesterday 1-5-2013

and started putting it back together

later kb















Hi temp coating on the exhaust manifolds

 

progress?

 

Keep posting progress pics, looking great so far.

 

Any idea what the steering wheel was off originally? I have the same in my32

 

HI; I think the steering wheel it is off a EZ-GO golf cart or a boat

I'll take some more pics an add updates later today

We have all the powder coating done, motor is done , rework the dash to fit all the SW gauge that came with it and done alot of rust repair, still have to finish the front inner panels and mock up the grill,front fender and cab so we can section the hood, PO had the parts stashed in the garage but they never got finished

later kb

 

Proportions on this truck are perfect. Cant wait to se this done. Great job.

 

Here's acouple new pics,

We made and plates to lower the mount postion of the running board in the org build they were welded to the frame with angle iron, this way we can bolt them on.




dash reworked to take a full set of old SW gauges that came with it.




one of the wheels painted purple, that will be the finished color, We did find purple as one of the colors it had been painted



later kb

 

Don't know how I missed this. I bought several things at that auction and saw that truck as well. Way cool truck.

There was a lot of stuff in that garage that was not in the auction and when I went back later to try to make a deal was gone.

 

This is one of those things that comes up here now and then, a real piece of history, I love seeing this stuff. The truck was built like they were in those days, not so perfect as we try to build them today, but done to high standards for the time, and a lot of thought went into the final "look". Still looks right today! Looks like it has a good home, the work looks great. Cant wait to see it on the road again.Great find.

 

Do a good job, I am watching. Love the purple.

 

Looks great, can't wait to see more progress, loving everything I've seen so far.

 

Hey guys,

We had to take a break for Swap meets, other builds and to get more parts. Found a hood in New Mexico that's already sectioned.Getting started again soon I hope. Been putting new supports in the bed and cutting out the bad at the tail gate. Got the fuel tank in. Doors ready for new patch panel.We'll put more as we go.

 

good to see you back at it.