Calgarian turns abandoned truck into showpiece
1951 Chevy truck has many customized features, including air suspension
CALGARY — Passionate about old objects, Jordan Wollman spends time haunting thrift stores such as Value Village and combing online classified sites like Kijiji. The Calgarian finds old tools, vintage luggage and other household items of interest.
A craftsman who can envision putting pieces to work in a manner for which they were never intended, Wollman recently repurposed antique kitchen rolling pins; instead of pressing pastry, they’re now holding coats on a rack in his front hall. His fascination with old items also includes vehicles. When he was 14, Wollman started working with his dad, Steve, on an old pickup truck.
“My dad has always been into cars,” Wollman says. “And I started helping him with a 1957 Chevy half-ton. It was a mild custom, and we’d spend weeknights and weekends in the garage.”
Now a 30-year-old journeyman carpenter, Wollman has rebuilt and restored several vehicles, including a 1968 Mustang fastback. His two-car garage is well equipped with tools of the trade, including welding and paint spraying gear.
“I said I wasn’t going to build another vehicle after the Mustang, because there’s a lot of work, time and money invested in each one,” he says.
However, about two weeks before he put the finishing touches on the Mustang, he found an ad for a 1951 Chevy truck on Kijiji. It was an abandoned project, one that was completely in pieces in the seller’s garage.
“I used to search for stuff quite a bit on Kijiji but I’ve quit doing that to some degree because I always see something I don’t really need,” Wollman explains.
In September 2015, whether he needed it or not, Wollman purchased the truck. He borrowed his mom’s Dodge pickup and dragged home load after load of ’51 Chevy bits and pieces, including the frame.
His initial plan was to put the truck together and spend between $7,000 and $10,000 to give him a daily driver. With the frame on stands, Wollman had to make a decision about suspension. The previous owner had removed and sold the original springs and axles, so Wollman chose a Mustang II front suspension and a heavy-duty 10-bolt rear end from a 1981 Camaro. All of this was to be cushioned by an air-ride system.
Wollman welded all of the brackets to affix the front end, C-notched the frame’s rear to clear the axle, and custom-built a triangulated four-link system.
While working on the frame, Wollman cut and welded on extra plates to fully box the rails — another custom touch only a gearhead could truly appreciate.
“Once I started building it, I knew I’d likely be keeping it forever,” Wollman says. “And at that point, I started spending more money on it, knowing it was better to spend the money on quality parts instead of cheaping out.”
A brand-new GM 350-cubic-inch crate engine was paired with a 700R4 transmission. All new components, including an Edelbrock carburetor, were bolted in place. Atop the carburetor, Wollman installed a vintage Cadillac batwing air cleaner, another Kijiji find.
Meanwhile, Wollman left the time-worn body panels uncovered in his backyard.
“People would ask why I hadn’t covered them up,” Wollman says. “And I’d reply, the truck sat outside for close to 65 years, what’s an extra couple of months?”
Wollman sprayed clearcoat inside and out to help preserve the Chevy’s original finish and found old wood in a back alley to complete the floor of the box. To provide easy access to the air-ride compressor and tanks at the back of the truck, he made a hatch held in place with four latches.
To finish the interior, he had a local upholsterer cover the bench seat in brown leather. Wollman used a bolt of vintage brown plaid material, found at Value Village, to wrap the door cards. With the exception of the front split windows, the rest of the glass came with the project.
Behind the vintage Pontiac Parisienne steel wheels are disc brakes at every corner. Power steering and brakes bring the Chevy into the modern era, and should make the truck a reliable driver.
Wollman’s plans never to rebuild another vehicle are in the dust. He just bought a 1930 Ford roadster from his dad. It was a project that never got started, and the younger Wollman is set to begin work on it early this summer, likely using parts and pieces found locally and brought home in the ’51 Chevy.
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca.