1948 Chevy truck ABANDONED 58 years ago, will it run AND drive? 

Man, how does your dad know so much? Just like my own dad God rest his soul... I really can appreciate that

Dude, being able to work on this stuff with your dad is priceless. He clearly knows a lot, and he's funny too. Great video.

When I see a truck like this, it's great to know that somebody like yourself has it. I know that when you're done, it's still gonna be a 1950 Chevy truck, and not a dragster or a low rider, or some modernized monstrosity with everything digital except the hood ornament. There are a lot of butchers and hacks out there with zero love or respect, who commit horrible atrocities on these old vehicles, and it makes me sick to see some of the things they do. Your love and respect for originality is commendable, and you and your dad have done a whole lot of great work so far with the others you've done, so I know this one is in good hands. I'm looking forward to seeing the completion.

When your dad was busting your balls about putting too much anti seize on the radiator hoses...I was smiling before he even said it, because that's what dads do. No matter what the age and skill level. Mine did it to me and I do that to my son whos now 23 AND a mechanic. haha

A nice little trick to see if it's a rod knock, or a main knock. If the knock goes away or gets quieter under engine strain, AKA in gear trying to pull, then it is a main knock, if the knock stays the same or gets louder under strain, it is a rod. Great Video!!! It's amazing how resilient these old engines are.

The desert definitely keeps them from rusting but makes for a whole different set of challenges.

You two have a really special father & son relationship. Well done

Tires so stiff they support the truck without air, amazing lol. Only 10 minutes in and this is already such a high quality video man (them drone shots!). Excited about this truck, I love when they’re mostly original still. Old building is a very cool detail

Love your videos and the fact that you were able to haul that old truck out of the desert where it had been left for dead for decades and revive it. Truly a testament to how things use to be built and your mechanical aptitude. Hats off to you and your Dad.

Cool dad pal. Feel blessed. Im self taught only because i had no choice, mine left at 5 years old never seen him again. Im not bitter about other people's dads, im actually happy to see it. God Bless you both. 🙏

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩🍩☕️☕️👀😎👍. Happy New Year ! This vehicle is part of American 🇺🇸 history ! I hope you get it and keep it as you found it ( Time Machine ) best of luck to you & your dad ! Vehicle is so very cool 😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍

I love the knowledge your dad has. Mine was the same. He's passed now and i miss him. Cherish your time working on old cars because there will come a time and you will realize they were the best times. Great truck. Love how it just drove off clattering away. Back when cars were made to last. Merry Christmas and happy new year

What a score! look at all the spares that thing came with and the overall condition, simply amazing! Thanks for the vid Travis.

omg this brings me so much joy. My mom and I bought a 1950 chevy 3100, long time ago and worked on it for years so glad to see another one working. Thank you for brining a true classic back to life. :)

Mighty impressive Travis. Like always Great video, can’t wait for next one. (PS) can’t get over how your dad sounds just like Sam Elliot. Between you and your dad you guys are very knowledgeable and can fix anything.

Great video from UK fan. I'm doing 1956 Morris Oxford, 1962 Morris minor with my son and he,s learning so he can do his 88 fiat panda. 56 hasn't been on road since 1991. Keep up the good work

That kinda great, supportive buddy relationship with your dad is lovely to see and why I love your channel - I wish I'd had that!

Watched the entire video and Two Thumbs Up... An engine swap will be the right thing to do, once it's all back together with the USAF paint scheme, I can picture it idling by in the local Veterans Day Parade with driver and passenger in period correct uniforms... Look forward to seeing future videos on this resurrection/revival.

you make me want to rebuild a whole truck.. IDK anything about cars or motors but you make it so entertaining i want to learn

How cool was that! That’s exactly what I want to see and you made it happen. How many people looked at that truck and thought they just knew it’d never do what you achieved at the end there. What a triumph that was with the compression. I hope you’re saving that old thermostat on a shelf, I know I would. Nice way to put a cap on 2023 man, that was fun

..216 has the acorn nuts holding down the rocker cover, 235s have set screws around the edges..

I really like that too that's a good candidate for restoration, the truck is probably 70 years old or more and it seems to be very complete congratulations I'll be following

Awsome video! I always learn so much and enjoy seeing you and your Dad. You guys are the best!

Antique light...we called them trouble lights. I have the very first one I bought 30 years ago. Uses an incandescent light bulb.

What an awesome revival, that drone footage at the end was a great touch!

Your vids are getting better and better Travis keep it up. Allways look forward to them

Something to consider on these old engines. IF the oil pump is driven off the cam and you might be able to clean out the goo in the engine with a drain and refill of the oil system and a new filter using an adapter after you pull the distributor.

The forward folding back of the seat is original. However there is not much storage room back there due to the gas tank. I grew-up with my older brother driving Chevy 1/2 ton trucks from the mid 50's to mid 70's. Just a note the heaters were optional as I recall and the 6 volt battery is under the R/H floor panel. I can recall learning the trick of heal on the gas pealed and toe on the floor board starter switch left foot for both clutch and brake for starting. Fond memories every time I see an old Chevy Pick-up I have to remember my late brother and dad changing the engine out with a chain hoist hanging from old back yard elm tree. I Think that truck would look good with the original USAF paint scheme. Good luck with your restoration hope ya keep it original. Oh and you are correct on the split rim wheels, my brother often complained about those old rims being dangerous. Happy New Year to you and yours.

Great video. Really cool truck. Interested to see what you do with this one. Love what you’re doing. Keep it up. Oh yeah, throw an LED bulb in that old mechanics light and you’ll be good to go. I’m a fan of those lights. I’ve got my dad’s. God rest his precious soul.

That it ran at all is awesome. Over an hour and 45 minutes. You starred in produced and edited a feature-length film !! Happy New Year Travis.

Awesome work man I woulda never thought this thing would run. You guys have a real knack at getting these old cars running without just firing up the parts cannon, it's impressive and entertaining.

that looks like a 'bellows" thermostat. the bellows when open probably blocks a radiator bypass passage. similar thermostat design on my '53 MG.

Happy New Year! Hope you hit 1m subs bro, you guys have some of coolest projects I've ever seen. Love the patina on this one!

Great shots of the purchase & the first drive at the end...👌

Make it a 5 window is worth a lot more, looks like a 216 bullet proof, clean it throw a clear, brake’s all around, get it running and Cruze all over town. Nice truck!

It's pretty cool that you use that old dodge to tow things home instead of using some $80k+ new truck. Shows how reliable you have it now. Can't wait to see what you do with this truck. I bet it will be amazing when you finish.

That’s cool. It would have been an early Air Force piece of equipment. The Air Force wasn’t established until September 18, 1947.

This truck is a great find Travis, look forward to future video's when you bring this Chevy back to life,

Man, that's still one of my top 5 dream projects. Maybe the 5 window version of that truck, though. There's something about that front end with that grille.

Really enjoyed the extended content. Showing as much as you did without skipping too much is great. Can't wait to see more.

That is the correct seat, it tilts forward so you can access behind it and on top of the gas tank where you stashed your coat and coveralls, etc... It would never fold fully forward like it is in the bed of your truck because it hits the steering wheel first. The bottom portion of the seat lifts up so you can store your toolbox, road flares, etc.. My brothers and I had my grandfather's 1952 as our first vehicle each and me being the youngest I fortunately got to keep it as they were in college when I got my turn. The brake light you said probably goes on the driver's side because it has a license plate light underneath is correct, but it is the ONLY brake/tail light as they only came with one back then. And the "turn signals" you found are not turn signals, they are just marker lights. These trucks did not come with turn signals. Overall you have a great truck and a great project!

I can't wait to see the next installment on this truck. Maybe y'all could do a tear down on the motor for experimentation and understanding..

Other than some connecting rods trying to get out and leaking oil like a sieve she mint! Maybe it began to leak oil badly and was ran out of oil by the previous owner, damaging the rod bearings.. Looks like a very solid old truck! Happy New Year!

It takes oil pressure to bring oil to the top. It takes restriction ( tight bearings) to build oil pressure. If you have a loose bearing, the pressure will puke out right there. Wont get to the top of the valvetrain. Been doing this stuff 60 years. Used to be fun. Oil should be spewing everywhere up top within 60 seconds or less.

That is a really cool truck. You two are awesome when it comes to bringing older vehicles back to life. Happy new year, and I can't wait to see what you have next. Great work.

Great work on getting that engine running 👏 . Would be nice to see more on this , thanks for sharing 👍💨💨

Happy New Year to you both Travis and Rick. Really enjoyed the video!

Many years ago I found a Chevy truck of this era way out in the desert in Southern Nevada. I noted it and a couple of months later I brought out "all" the tools I would need to get most of the parts needed off the truck. The doors showed it was an old Navy truck. Sadly, unoticed by me most of the whole truck fasteners were clutch head. Never experienced that before and didn't get too many parts that day!

Nice to see you back Travis! Another great video. The truck is a good find. You and your dad did a good job getting it running. Looking forward to another video!

Great job Sir. I was yelling at the TV when it was almost Poppin off, yelled YEAH, when she fired up. Outstanding. Thank you for sharing your videos with all of us .

Great find! Looking forward to the completed project! Thanks for sharing. I have watched all of your videos.Oh, and now I understand why you bought the Cummins: good towing rig!

Great job Travis. No matter how many times i see it, it still amazing u got that truck to run under its own power. Love the video and Happy New Year.

Happy New Year Rick and Travis. This is a very cool find and it even has the driver's side door. This truck would make a terrific addition to any military vehicle enthusiast's collection.

Great to see the last ride of that motor, nice to see it fire it up and for one more run. Keep us up to date with next steps

That '50 is going to be a good truck again. You're lucky to have a dad who is into cars too. You remind me of me back in the early 90s when I got a junked '49 Plymouth running. I kept it a year and straightened out the body, primed it gray and had a nice ride for a while. Keep the videos coming, it's right down my alley!

Not a criticism, love the work you guys are doing! Started WAY back at the near beginning of your RU-vid, wish either of my sons shared my automotive interests. But one of my 'quirks' when I would have to 'resurrect' an engine like that, when the plugs were out, before I dumped in whatever magic 'oilixer' I had mixed up, I took my air-gun nozzle and either used compressor or my air tank to blow out the cylinders. More than once I've thought 'Good Grief! that spider must have weighed 15 lbs to leave THAT much web-silk & dessicated discarded 'meals'! as they blew out past my shoulder. not to mention occasional small mountains of rust, or worse...water.😁 👍🇺🇸😎

That's cool! I work on locomotives, and some are 2 strokes. They have a sprag clutch style clutch used for the turbos. When the exhaust gasses reach a certain speed, the clutch kicks out, and the exhaust does the work. When stopped, you can spin it one way but not the other.

What a blast! 😅 That old Chev just wants to live again.. Great work Travis. You and your Dad are doing great things.

Look forward to seeing more of your work on this truck. See if you can find an engine to swap in there and keep things rolling!!!

Hello from Denmark, love watching you and your dad Working on the Old cars, i am 21 myself and i Own a Ford thunderbird from 66 and just love seeing the old cars get a new life. Keep up the good work

Happy new year! What a great way to start it off! Thanks for always posting great long form content. :) Edited: You also got a sponsor! Ah you're moving up fast dude! Also I love your retro inspired house. Congrats!

Your dad's face at 1:30:31 says alot. lol What a great video... and it's amazing to see you and your dad work so well together!

Love your video, however the half ton pick ups did not come with split rims, the rims that are on it looked to be original, I have had at least 10 of these trucks through my life, so I know that only the three-quarter ton on up had the split rims,Keep up the good work

Sitting that long and you brought it back to life rod knock and all . Great video

I have to say very well done. Really enjoy what your doing , especially the long trips you take. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year from The Isle of Man ( the home of Motor Bike road racing ) .

Awesome videos Man!! And i love the way your dad and you work Together, keep it that way!

Happy New Year! aside from you reviving these amazing treasures what amazed me most are the cool appliances/furnitures you have at home! im a sucker for those kind of design. keep it up!

That was too funny. I laughed out loud when your dad said, "We need to put a can of rod bearing in it. LOL !!!

A great coffee treat for J 1....Happy New year both of you...Your fathers face when you said ..."pro tip"......priceless....

Happy new year guys, way to go Travis on gettin that truck to fire up !👍

I have a 49 chevy 3100 sittin in my backyard that ive been meaning to get to FOREVER.....this gives me inspiration

This is what I came for! Believe it or not, but your videos I watch the way I watch movies in the evening. I don't watch them quick during the day - NO! I make my special time for this!

Happy New year 🎉, just love that vehicle. Well done on getting it to start.

Well done to you both. Not just for getting the engine to run, but also for taking the time (and money) to save this old pickup and allowing us to follow along. Thanks.👍

very similar looking thermostat (in the case of design, it's propably much smaller) can be found in a Skoda 1000MB (1964-69) but they modified it in the next (Skoda 100 1969-77) model, where it does look more normal and "modern". It's principle of working is based on a expandable wax, which it's filled with, and not the bi-metal spring thing. Greetings from Poland!

Greetings from Ukraine! Happy new year!

This was a great video. So fun to watch. I love the fly and drives too!

Thank you for all the work you put into your videoes and into rescuing these old cars and trucks. Loved this one. I *think* I saw a bent pushrod (nr. 5 from the back of the motor) at around 1:30:00 ish. It seems to be swiveling in the bore going up and down instead of going straight up and down when your combined exellent skills made it run. With uncle Rodney being there, the Exxon Valdes situation and all, it probably will not make a difference, but checking the pushrods, adjusting the valves to spec and clearing out the oil channels to the top might give a better starting point to decide if you want to rebuild or just change it. Happy New Year to you all from Norway!

I bet that used oil you put in is substantially better than the best new oil when that truck was new.

It amazes me that folks has forgotten about the best fuel mix to start an old engine after sitting years and rings are stuck, mix gas and trans fluid about 60/40 to boost compression at start up, may smoke for a little while but it always worked. And it lubes the upper end so you dont hurt the old rings.

Just think of the stories that old truck could tell, setting out there in the desert all those years. If any old vehicle deserves a motor transplant, there she is. Happy new year.

Bro! Awesome vid. Especially with the breakdown on the carburetor. It helped…i was having issues with mine. I realized I had my floater on the wrong way also noticed I must have lost a metal ball in the process. Thanks again

Awesome channel , absolutely love the content you and your dad create

Hey Travis and Family , happy new year , and man have you got a really nice truck , i am still watching the video right now , but have to tell you i wished i was there when you got it ( no impossible 😂) Greetings from The Netherlands , André

That was great great job. I had a Chevrolet one time will the six cylinder and it was the wrist pin making that noise. I drove that thing like for 3 years it just kept going.

Hey Travis, Great video on the 48 chevy pickup. Sorry that the 216 is not ending up to it's full potential but a 235 will be the right fit in that time line. The 1980 Dodge Ram W200 is looking good on the inside lots of major cleaning. Best wishes in the New Year for you and your family.

What a great way to start the new year with a great truck like this. I loved the 46 International videos but this could turn out to be an even better build. A Chevy 3100 is an absolute classic! Keep posting about this truck.

I bought a 1999 Dodge intrepid with a 2.7 V motor in it cheap. It had that same noise and the former owner said it was just bad rockers. He lied of course to dump the car. The car made the same knocking noise as your Chevy truck. It turned out that the car had overheated until it seized completely. The former owner poured transmission oil down the throttle body and unstuck the engine but when he got it to run again, it made a knocking noise. The neighbor was a mechanic and offered to work on it. It turned out the crank shaft had warped due to the heat. What the knocking noise turned out to be was "piston slap" due to a warped crank. He bought the car from me, tore the engine apart and made it into a year's project.

It looks like Santa brought you some luck for Christmas. He gave your dad a knock sencer haha. Happy new year to you and yours.

Love your dad such a legend. No wonder you feel confident stripping these motors when dads just behind you for assistance 😊

Thanks for sharing your experience with this cool old Chevy 216.

Great job, Bro! I'm older than your dad, and I really enjoy watching you guys work together! 👍👍

Congratulations Travis it’s alive again. You men know your stuff. Need that oil coming up. Think that noise is lifters and some value noise. Don’t know what your plans are for it. Will be looking forward to your next one. Happy New Years! Travis and Richard.great way to start the New Year. Thanks for sharing! 💯👍👊

Happy New year to you and your Kin Travis. Another great video, a new year treat. Thanks. In the UK that ex military truck would be worth a small Fortune. Haven’t see your old dog in a video for a while (Boo?) I wondered at one point whether he would get his own RU-vid channel!

Fantastic! Happy new year 😊

Travis, i am from Mexicali Baja California, my dad had the same truck when i was a little girl, l learn to drive in that truck at 5 yeras old, because him, he use to tell me, I want u to learn to drive so you don't have to ask no one to take you out😊😊😊❤❤❤, he was the sweetest and the best father in the whole world, i couldn't reach the truck pedal but he sat me in his lap so i can drive while he was pushing the pedal, believe me, was a cranck truck❤❤❤❤my brother son still have the truck but my dad is in heaven watching on me😢❤

Hey, Travis. Those appear to be the original wheels. I have two of these trucks, the same year, and they both have the exact same wheels. Love your videos!

Awesome video! If that engine really is “worthless” just drive it until it blows up and have some fun! You’re really giving me some motivation to finish working on my stuff and to put out more videos myself.

That old girl just needs to be rebuilt and given a lot of love. Bring her back to where she was close to original condition. God bless you all.

Your dad is hilarious. "It didn't sound bad other than that noise". So funny.