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Another item off the Bucket List.
When we brought the 1st of six 1936 Chev Maple Leafs home...July 16, 2005, the famous Reynolds museum was putting on "Museum-Quality Vehicle Restoration Workshops" and I asked my spouse if he wanted to attend this once a year event. He said he'd like to wait until he was about to begin the restorations (on the 1936 Maple Leafs and on the 1928 Chev one tons). Fair enough. I am NOT mechanical but even I would agree that a course on how to do something, should be fresh in your toolkit so you can apply what you learn right away.
He's been working on the four post lift (brought home Nov 8, 2017 & inspected April 16, 2024) with it being inside the shop bay (Oct 18, 2024) so he is close...
Bracing myself for the bucket list want of "racing to town in a '36 Maple Leaf or '28 Chev one ton would be nice."
1st 1928 one ton Chev...in the 1989 Canadian WWII movie "Bye Bye Blues."
2nd 1928 one ton Chev...in the shop bay and note the brake job parts in the box thar...never mind it's got new wooden wheels on her; powder coated a lovely matching green.
1928 Chev one ton parts truck we brought up from Southern Alberta on my spouse's birthday. Lookit all those useful bits on this unit!!
Then the six 1936 Chev Maple Leafs in order of acquisitions:
1st July 16, 2005; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
2nd Jan 20, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-31 - 2 ton, wheelbase 131"
3rd Feb 1, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
4th May 9, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
5th Jun 30, 2007; Chevrolet & Maple Leaf model 16-33 - 2 ton, wheelbase 157" - note that wig wag signal arm...we got a whole buncha these with NOS glass pieces for the four trucks we plan on restoring!!
6th Mar 18, 2008; Chevrolet & Maple Leaf model 16-33 - 2 ton, wheelbase 157" owned by the one family since new...this one is MY truck. The man that sold it to us, he is also the one that put the bullet hole in the windshield. Makes me grin...you DO live long enough sometimes to regret the follies of youth.
With a vintage truck for restoration purposes, you really REALLY need about three trucks to make one that is driveable and not everyone can drive an old truck. Many can't drive stick, let alone know anything at all about "double shifting." May as well leave the keys in the ignition, eh?
We have been most fortunate because in 1936, there were several models and that means different wheelbases...never mind that in the middle of the year, they went from a full on Maple Leaf to a Maple Leaf/Chev (did that one other year too...1931 calling the 1.5 ton model 112-114-119) where they borrowed Chevrolet parts for making the big bolt Maple Leafs.
We had to wait for them to get enough orders to cast the seahorse rad emblem for Chev 1936's. Took nine months and came outta Australia.
We so have two original phoenixes but those are for 1935 Chev's.
Thankfully all the engines in the 1936 year were the same for the General Motors big trucks; 206.8 cubic inch...and we have several that have their original cranks. Makes me smile that the windshield wiper works great going down hill but up, not so much...so you would park on a hill to not only ensure you got your truck running, perhaps you'd also have a clean windshield starting out?
My unit, the sixth one...is a Chevrolet & Maple Leaf (as is the 5th) and is a two ton unit that has torque tube, straight front bumper, different rims than the 1936 Maple Leafs have, wheelbase of 157", etc. We have had the rims powder coated to match the paint code 680 and my FIL's metal fabricated box on the back matches this colour as well. While I will be having the silver bits nickeled (not chromed...the seats were leather benches as Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin of Buick fame wanted a very classy ride for Canadians--thank you Sam!!), I want to do a patina restoration on this unit...a truck is only original the once, eh?
3rd, 2nd, 5th, & 6th Maple Leafs
My spouses' unit is a Maple Leaf with a gull wing bumper; so kewl, we brought that bumper to Reynolds years ago, so the fellas doing the resto could measure and fabricate it as the bumpers for the 1936 & the 1935 Maple Leafs were the same.
This poster shows the 1935 M/L they have at the museum with NO bumper and this summer we drove up and I took photos of the 1935 Maple Leaf WITH the bumper they made.
I am immensely glad we did not get 1935 Maple Leafs...nice enough trucks but since vehicles back then were often built like horse carriages, in 1935, the cab is a combination of lots of wood and lots of metal...so getting the two materials to behave can be, difficult.
The 1935 Leaf is gorgeous and very inspiring.
One of the many reasons why I am so thrilled my spouse is there, taking their course on restoration.
I know one of the main reasons we have been drawn to the 1936 Maple Leaf Chevs, besides they are a Canuck truck...reminds me of the unit on the cover of the ZZ Top album...
Anyway, time to get ready to receive a phone call...my spouse says he's gonna call me "at lunch" & update me on how much fun he's having at the museum learning how to restore all these rides of ours. WOOT!
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
Another item off the Bucket List.
When we brought the 1st of six 1936 Chev Maple Leafs home...July 16, 2005, the famous Reynolds museum was putting on "Museum-Quality Vehicle Restoration Workshops" and I asked my spouse if he wanted to attend this once a year event. He said he'd like to wait until he was about to begin the restorations (on the 1936 Maple Leafs and on the 1928 Chev one tons). Fair enough. I am NOT mechanical but even I would agree that a course on how to do something, should be fresh in your toolkit so you can apply what you learn right away.
He's been working on the four post lift (brought home Nov 8, 2017 & inspected April 16, 2024) with it being inside the shop bay (Oct 18, 2024) so he is close...
Bracing myself for the bucket list want of "racing to town in a '36 Maple Leaf or '28 Chev one ton would be nice."
1st 1928 one ton Chev...in the 1989 Canadian WWII movie "Bye Bye Blues."
2nd 1928 one ton Chev...in the shop bay and note the brake job parts in the box thar...never mind it's got new wooden wheels on her; powder coated a lovely matching green.
1928 Chev one ton parts truck we brought up from Southern Alberta on my spouse's birthday. Lookit all those useful bits on this unit!!
Then the six 1936 Chev Maple Leafs in order of acquisitions:
1st July 16, 2005; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
2nd Jan 20, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-31 - 2 ton, wheelbase 131"
3rd Feb 1, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
4th May 9, 2007; Maple Leaf model 16-48 - 2-2.5 ton, wheelbase 165"
5th Jun 30, 2007; Chevrolet & Maple Leaf model 16-33 - 2 ton, wheelbase 157" - note that wig wag signal arm...we got a whole buncha these with NOS glass pieces for the four trucks we plan on restoring!!
6th Mar 18, 2008; Chevrolet & Maple Leaf model 16-33 - 2 ton, wheelbase 157" owned by the one family since new...this one is MY truck. The man that sold it to us, he is also the one that put the bullet hole in the windshield. Makes me grin...you DO live long enough sometimes to regret the follies of youth.
With a vintage truck for restoration purposes, you really REALLY need about three trucks to make one that is driveable and not everyone can drive an old truck. Many can't drive stick, let alone know anything at all about "double shifting." May as well leave the keys in the ignition, eh?
We have been most fortunate because in 1936, there were several models and that means different wheelbases...never mind that in the middle of the year, they went from a full on Maple Leaf to a Maple Leaf/Chev (did that one other year too...1931 calling the 1.5 ton model 112-114-119) where they borrowed Chevrolet parts for making the big bolt Maple Leafs.
We had to wait for them to get enough orders to cast the seahorse rad emblem for Chev 1936's. Took nine months and came outta Australia.
We so have two original phoenixes but those are for 1935 Chev's.
Thankfully all the engines in the 1936 year were the same for the General Motors big trucks; 206.8 cubic inch...and we have several that have their original cranks. Makes me smile that the windshield wiper works great going down hill but up, not so much...so you would park on a hill to not only ensure you got your truck running, perhaps you'd also have a clean windshield starting out?
My unit, the sixth one...is a Chevrolet & Maple Leaf (as is the 5th) and is a two ton unit that has torque tube, straight front bumper, different rims than the 1936 Maple Leafs have, wheelbase of 157", etc. We have had the rims powder coated to match the paint code 680 and my FIL's metal fabricated box on the back matches this colour as well. While I will be having the silver bits nickeled (not chromed...the seats were leather benches as Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin of Buick fame wanted a very classy ride for Canadians--thank you Sam!!), I want to do a patina restoration on this unit...a truck is only original the once, eh?
3rd, 2nd, 5th, & 6th Maple Leafs
My spouses' unit is a Maple Leaf with a gull wing bumper; so kewl, we brought that bumper to Reynolds years ago, so the fellas doing the resto could measure and fabricate it as the bumpers for the 1936 & the 1935 Maple Leafs were the same.
This poster shows the 1935 M/L they have at the museum with NO bumper and this summer we drove up and I took photos of the 1935 Maple Leaf WITH the bumper they made.
I am immensely glad we did not get 1935 Maple Leafs...nice enough trucks but since vehicles back then were often built like horse carriages, in 1935, the cab is a combination of lots of wood and lots of metal...so getting the two materials to behave can be, difficult.
The 1935 Leaf is gorgeous and very inspiring.
One of the many reasons why I am so thrilled my spouse is there, taking their course on restoration.
I know one of the main reasons we have been drawn to the 1936 Maple Leaf Chevs, besides they are a Canuck truck...reminds me of the unit on the cover of the ZZ Top album...
Anyway, time to get ready to receive a phone call...my spouse says he's gonna call me "at lunch" & update me on how much fun he's having at the museum learning how to restore all these rides of ours. WOOT!
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
