 |
1775
Old 6 Road |
|
|||
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Hollis Emerson |
|
|
|
|
|
After
Wendling quarries purchased Vulcan quarries of Iowa in 1995, a
1952 Chevrolet 1 ½-ton cab and chassis was found in the old
barn at Robins Quarry. The truck had no box, no windows, lights
broken out, mice had destroyed the interior, and it was
basically left to die!
B.L. Anderson, which was later bought out by Vulcan quarries, purchased the truck new in 1952. According to Dick Eyman and John Edgerton, former Vulcan employees, the truck was used to haul a portable water pump around. A cleanup of the barn in Robins brought about a trip for the old truck. Tony had it brought to DeWitt, where it was stored in an old storage shed. Several years later, we started a construction crew, which meant the truck needed to be moved again. This time it ended up stored outside with a blue tarp over it. One day, Tony Manatt was looking out his office window and he had a thought that would bring life back to this old forgotten truck. He went to the shop and had an informal meeting with Roger Kremer, our shop foreman, to determine if the truck had any hope for the future. Once it was determined there was hope, a plan was put into motion. The first thing was to get the engine running. New seals, bearings, and gaskets were installed. The carburetor was sent out to be rebuilt. New brakes were installed and a search for a box started. One was pulled off an old unit in our yard, but after looking at it, everyone decided it didn’t look right so a new platform was built from scratch in our shop. Now, big, big changes were on the way! The platform box was sent out to McDevitt wood products for a new oak floor and sideboards. They were stained and varnished to accent our desert tan paint. Brian Simonson, who works in our DeWitt shop, enjoys restoring old vehicles. He gave Tony a quote for the remaining work to finish the truck. At that point, Brian completely disassembled the truck to the bare frame. After cutting, welding, grinding, and pounding, he started the assembly work. At this point, special thanks go to Roger, Dave, Rob, Kevin, and Brian in our shop. Ron and Paul in our parts department were also very helpful. After a very long project, Wendling quarries has a truck we can all be very proud of. The planned usage of the truck is car shows and parades. The truck has already been in parades in DeWitt, Preston, Center Point and Vinton. The rest of this year is booked up with employees taking the truck to local parades. P.S.-
This truck only had 9300 miles |
|
 |
|