Will it run? Can we rescue Tow Mater, a 53 Chevy tow truck?

[@robertgassaway6925]

Restore it love to see these old cars and trucks come back to life .

[@JohnSmith-w8u]

My first vehicle was a 47 Chev 1/2 ton. Seeing this brought back lotta memories. It wasn't new, got it in 65. Was super reliable, always ran, tremondous fun to drive. Thanks for the video.

[@MelvinSevik]

Good job Richard and Christine

[@rogerwilliams2042]

Yup I like your idea of bringing it back dose not have to be perfect all the time just make it useable but safe

[@roberteshaw9520]

I have a lot in common with that truck. I'm 71, beat up, I look a wreck, and I'm still running.

[@georgeweisbrod1876]

Boy the smiles on both of your faces tells it all. Great and congrats!!??

[@CarGuy-w3l]

I thought the tire shop fella saying you looked familiar and remembering you from your youtube channel was interesting. Glad you shared that little tidbit. You're a celebrity car guy now because people like what you do. That's awesome. Made me realize a lot of people tune in to your channel besides me. Way cool.

[@possumwerx]

Be careful Richard, folks will be showing up to the house around dinner time with an empty stomach!

[@kypo2674]

Long time viewer and all i ask is KEEPER.

[@raywilson800]

Oh well, the brakes aren't stuck!❤

[@staind288]

The steel rings around the lugs are there In order to reduce breakage and cracks, steel rings are placed inside, close to the bore. Not only does it strengthen the wheel, but when breakage or crscks occurs, it holds the fragments together.

[@JohnReed-c3s]

Love those old wreckers. My dad had a '49 GMC, a '50 Chevy cab forward, a '55 Ford, '69 Chevy, '80 Chevy 4x4 with snow plow and an . '81. All were pro built except for his '55 Ford, which he took the rig off of the '48 GMC and installed it on the Ford. I rode or drove in all of these trucks since I was a mere child! I love your videos. Auto and truck mechanicing was my life and passion, and I appreciate what you go through in your pursuit of old worn out iron. Still have my high school car, 1940 Chevy 2 dr. sedan with, yes, the original 216 six. Still runs. Keep the videos coming, as they keep me motivated!

[@whattherust]

That is a great list of vehicles. The 40 Chevy 2 door is a good looking car!

[@stevecooke9212]

Always a pleasure to watch you guys bring old cars back to life. Restore it back to road worthy & keep it for shows etc, it belongs to both of you.

[@georgeweisbrod1876]

Best find was that hood emblem Good that they put inside out of both the weather and eyes of ",parts borrowers,'. Again super video

[@Heisrisin3]

you have the only car channel that I am subscribed to. And that’s because you both have wonderful personalities and really show us how you enjoy what you’re doing. As far as I’m concerned, you were the number one KZbin channel for me

[@gigfy6010]

Prep work before starting was well worth the time and effort!!

[@SandraOrminski]

got to like those grease fittings on the leaf spring shackles. runs somewhat like a timex watch. hey rich has the gas tank been with you since the begginig. thats quite the good iuck charm. been sitting in the dry air somewere. what a good old gem!

[@stevenmenary2862]

It started almost immediately because of your great prep work. Congratulations.

[@ronbunker5778]

That is amazing that it started that easy after all those years! Great job!

[@ianyates7742]

That truck deserves a sympathetic restoration, put some colour on it sort that fender - Grill- tyres put some lights on it make a nice new shop truck she’s a Bute ❤

[@robertpimpo4698]

Wow a gem richard can't beleive it wasn't froze up nice find that waterpump isn't happy at all

[@royhaught9516]

She's a classic! Didn't think it would run , but the engine sounds great.

[@joeythetruckguy]

The man who painted that logo is very very well known around Dickson TN. He has done a TON of store fronts around town as well as art for people. The sign out in front of Clint's Classic Cars was done by the same artist. He moved away from Dickson a few years ago.

[@richgleadall3884]

you 2 are the cutest couple ever love your revivals.😇

[@ronaldvanhorn9558]

What a blast watching the two of you getting the old towmatter running! Driving it for parades and such is a great idea. I think it is worth putting some money into it and someone might like to do a full restoration on her!

[@Yosemitesamspistols]

Need a merch sweater that says beautiful, beautiful ! That would be beautiful 😂

[@jimhickey2276]

On those trucks, water gets in through that rubber drain hose on the firewall that connects to the cowl vent. I had the same problem on my 52. When it rains hard, it dumps water onto the valve cover and the old seals on the cover bolts are usually dried out and water goes right onto the crank case. Over the years, it adds up. I added a longer section of rubber to it so it went down the firewall and I've never had any more problems. Great job with that truck! You need a tow truck for all the stuff you have anyway, so you may as well put a little time into it and use it.

[@debi6598]

We love your videos! 🇺🇲👍🙏😁

[@whattherust]

Thank you for the support.

[@rogermasse864]

Could watch you all day!! Keep up the good work! ❤

[@whattherust]

Thank you for the support Roger.

[@achecase]

Nice to see you's working on a vehicle that you own. looking forward to future content on this guy.🍻

[@kirk467]

I like the old truck! Restore it as much as yall can afford! It’s a piece of history!

[@floridarusticrepairs]

That's a cool truck. Odd that the body is solid but the floors are weak but it'll be a great restoration.

[@chrispetitto2107]

You two are awesome! The tow truck is a piece of history! Completely restore it and use it in old car shows and parades! You'll see it is worth the work when its all said and done! I would keep it if I were you, it's belongs to you!! It can be used as a mini boom truck and moving other cars and such around the property or garage to get ready for other videos instead of using tow chains. Have fun with your piece of history!!! I would! God bless both of you!

[@MickBurns-ev1nn]

Pretty sure the smile on the front of that old truck just got a bit bigger 😊. Well done 😊😊

[@NileKelly]

Larry The Cable Guy approved: Git 'er done!

[@donniecarrico1028]

It amazes me everything they put the 216 in

[@darrellbaty4127]

I used to have a 52 with a 235, I knew when you started on that 53, you would get her going in a short time. I love it!

[@barrywgoodwin3923]

Who would of thought this relic from the past would be alive today. Great job and I hope you can get her to where you can use it.

[@terryeustice5399]

Richard got to love those 6 cylinder Chevy engines. Sounds great for the 1st start. Congratulations on the old wrecker going. Loved the video guys. 💯👊👍💕

[@locotrucker46]

Richard you are simply amazing. I really enjoy your videos so much.

[@whattherust]

Thank very much. Christina and I appreciate your long-time support.

[@ralphnorris-vk8ff]

A mistake is not a mistake if you can fix it! Then it becomes a learning experience!

[@fredgorthy2843]

You guys are great. Love the old truck.

[@CarGuy-w3l]

Such a cool truck. My fav part of your vids is that moment when the engine first runs again after decades.

[@whattherust]

Mine too.

[@abehall1785]

Restore it back to its glory its deserves it so it can do what it did best nice truck Richard

[@darksideharleygirl3691]

Always good to have a tow truck.

[@dalehartley-vd9qo]

I always enjoy these videos so much great job Richard and Christina on getting the truck started it sounds good

[@Jstme303]

Christina's knowledge has come so far Richard must be a great teacher.

[@CliffRoff]

I suggest keeping it and having fun with it. So nice to see a sweet Chevy six running. I had a small taxi fleet with 6 cylinder Chevy biscaynes made especially as a taxi. They were reliable workhorses. You folks have an awesome channel.

[@edwinbonnelljr1587]

Yeah running and driving❤❤❤❤

[@stephransley4371]

That's brilliant what a super truck, get her on the road.

[@adairwilkinson6916]

This truck looked so sad, that I thought it would never run,BUT, hooray, you got it going!!!. It really deserves to be rescued and with a lot of tlc, it could and should soon be back“on the road”. . I look forward to seeing more videos about it. In the meantime, best wishes to both of you. Roy W. UK

[@JanitBianic]

I ❤the side stories Christine adds to the storyline- check behind the seat, tell the story about...

[@JanitBianic]

Christina

[@buick7476]

Love all your vids you guys ! The longer the better !

[@jesterr7133]

That engine is in fantastic shape. Getting 120psi on all cylinders on a 70 year old engine that has been sitting for God knows how long is beyond lucky. That engine is in good enough condition that you could actually haul something occasionally.

[@whattherust]

Lucky for sure. I am very surprised how good the compression is.

[@possumwerx]

Scrape off all the grease (wire brush as needed) and look for a rebuild tag somewhere on the engine or inside the engine compartment itself although it will most likely be attached to the engine.

[@garyalleccia2793]

The Tow Mater is a runner! Sweet! That truck is just so cool! My youngest boy who is 20 now loves the Cars movie and loved this video. What a great buy! Enjoy it.

[@kevinfiebelkorn4715]

This brings back fond memories of the 48 Chevy my father had when I was a kid. When it died, he bought a 63 GMC that I didn't like as much as the old Chevy. I remember how my little heart just broke when the 48 was hauled away. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this one. Btw, I believe that the second extra grill you showed is for a GMC.

[@andrewfoote322]

Greetings from the UK! We have a problem over here in as much as vehicles of this era and in this condition are almost impossible to find. If your truck turned up here, we would be fighting over the chance to carry out a full and sympathetic restoration - no expense spared. As a consultant engineer I've travelled all around the US with my work, and I've lost count of the number of vehicles I would have loved to get my hands on, so given how good the engine is on this truck, I hope that you at least get it back to a road-legal condition, and a second chance to live again. Andy (Warwickshire, England.)

[@whattherust]

Right on Andy. I'd love to get this truck roadworthy.

[@zeeelander]

Wow. You're right, that is insane. You got blessed with the amazing compression that motor has. It's almost like it never sat for a long time.

[@whattherust]

Right on.

[@Gary-hi5xr]

The old girl runs well. Keep going on it with whatever you think you should do. Good luck with it. Waiting for next video. 😊

[@edwinbonnelljr1587]

Wow it actually runs that's worth more because it's running❤❤❤❤❤

[@dlyall26]

You mater run yeehaw. I love it.

[@jesterr7133]

"Mistakes are made." That's so true. I taught myself to work on cars and small engines just by digging in and getting my hands dirty. I've made bone headed mistakes more than once, but I have learned from them each time. Sometimes that is just how it has to be.

[@PaloDuro1021]

First vehicle I ever owned was a 1951 five window Chevy truck that I paid $230 dollars for in the mid 70’s. They are super easy to work on.

[@bigbill709]

Heck yeah get it running and driving and the tow truck parts going if possible .!!

[@armondoborjas2442]

Great find. 👍🏻 not many like that around . Its a keeper 👍🏻 get it in service again 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😎

[@WadeKoschney-t4p]

Right On! That was hardly no trouble at all for a seasond veteran such as yourself! Great job!

[@whattherust]

Thanks very much.

[@clementthurn1992]

Love your channel !! ALL Chevrolet vehicles are NEGATIVE ground, someone must have changed this awhile back.

[@whattherust]

Right, it seems so. Perhaps the tow yard also had GMCs (positive ground), and wanted this one to be the same.

[@clementthurn1992]

@@whattherust Quite possible !!

[@terryeustice5399]

Thanks!

[@whattherust]

Thank you Terry!

[@johnmcdowell9059]

wow richard and christina what a find that will be worth restoring great job

[@ronaldgebo7233]

I just love both of you,I look forward to your videos!!

[@whattherust]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@KennethMason-j6i]

That being said I'm happy to see you save any of them

[@robertlynch7622]

My first tow truck was a 1953 with a starter driven winch. I up graded it to a 307 v8. It kept breaking motor mounts. Thanks for the memories.Porsche Tech 53 years 😁

[@lisafarris1102]

Awesome 😎!

[@danobrien3109]

It’s a beauty guys. Can’t believe how simply it started. Christina was right though, she said you did a lot of prep work. Even at that I’m surprised that it started that easily. I think you get some tires on it and get the brakes working then park it in front of the tire store.👍🇨🇦

[@Returnofthecomet64]

What can I say one cool old truck✌️👍

[@jacobcousin9766]

I think I remember seeing that truck it’s good to see that it went to a good home. Take that rig to some car shows

[@TheJohndeere212]

Great looking truck!! Ole' Mater.

[@jasonjones5213]

Nice truck, Can't believe how good it runs.

[@sdbrestorationrepairs6873]

The small key with the 2 little prongs at the end is for a forklift.

[@mattshoemaker207]

Greetings from Charleston SC area

[@robert4005]

Love that yall got an AD truck! I’m a huge fan, I have 5 of them. I’m in central Arkansas I hope we meet some day.

[@jesterr7133]

I think it would make an interesting center piece for the channel. Who else has one? I think it would be cool to haul a car with it every once in a while when you have one close by. I think you guys should keep it. It would be something you could use to make your channel stand out. I think it would be cool.

[@whattherust]

I agree with you. This is something we are discussing.

[@howardkoster4026]

NOOOOO!! It's NOT a Christina error. It's an old truck thing!!

[@Burnside1905]

@39:34 I believe those are called clamp rings, they are so you can use tapered lug nuts on a wheel with straight non-tapered holes. These were actually standard on 73-87/91 Chevy 1 tons

[@whattherust]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@thomas-i5o7h]

Ya just gotta love these old six cylinder engines, they're so easy to bring back to life !!!

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. This should be fun ! Morning guys !

[@robertclark813]

I would contact the original owner and let them know that the truck still runs and works

[@whattherust]

Right on. We will be doing that.

[@johnmcdowell9059]

i've never in my whole life heard a 216 turn over as fast as that 1 does amazing sounds sweet

[@wynottgivemore9274]

Very cool. You got me as a new subscriber as a lover of good clean entertainment a family can sit down and watch, and enjoy... bigger lover of old trucks and all things old really, but old vehicles the most... this truck reminds me of several of my brothers old trucks, he bought one as well that had been used as a company sign , it was a flooring company, and the signage was wide wood side boards that had the company's name routered into it...was a Chevy 3/4 ton or one ton it also had a working hoist ,my brother was in renovations and had used their company for years, and when they decided to sell the truck ,he was fortunate enough to get it for $300 , they weren't sure if it would even run ,it was a 6 volt he showed up with a battery ,turn the key and it fired up . He added gas to the tank and drove it home. He ended up using it for 10 years hauling water and picking dragging rocks on his farm. We even used it for building his house , I built a three tier scaffolding on the back out of 2x4s wow I was young and we didn't have a gennie lift 😕 well no one got hurt, good times.😀

[@whattherust]

That is a great story. Thank you for sharing, and welcome to the channel.

[@lancepearson4035]

That was a great will-it-start - well done to both of you - will look forward to see it rolling down a road sometime. Thanks for sharing

[@robertpimpo4698]

Good your getting it running and driving again shes a survivor which seems to be a million down there

[@fraserobrien3828]

nice keep it and drive it o ya...

[@johnnomacleod8855]

You two are a great team,love your videos 😃

[@jamessmith7691]

A good coating of boiled linseed oil to save the lettering and patina it'll look good for quite a while. Good you were able to bring it home.

[@DonaldLBolen]

I used to drive a 1953 Chevy 1500 pick-up in college. fun old truck. i put a v8 in mine with a three speed transmission. Have fun with your good old girl

[@frankpetrone2966]

Richard restore it as a working wrecker. Then use it to rescue vehicles, have it lettered with your logo.

[@trucker447]

Very cool old truck!! You guys were lucky the hotrod gods blessed you with a non stuck engine!! I was waiting to hear the horn. Looking forward to seeing the progress of towmater lol. Wait for the next vids ty for the content i really enjoy the channel.

[@turtlekoff1]

Get 'er road worthy ! Love your videos !!

[@billywird]

Yes sir, those front wheels are from a later C30 series truck (the bolt pattern for most of those wheels are interchangeable from one make to another). What we have here is that type of wheel which is hub piloted is a flat surface because the wheels for the duals face each other and of course the surface needs to be flat. But the lug nuts are of a taper and of course the wheel stud hole have to be tapered, hence the round plate which you would notice have the recessed taper for the lug nuts to set in for tightening. If you had that style of wheel for the rears, there would be plates for those as well. As you can see on this truck the rear wheels look original, and the lug nuts may be just a flat nut on the backside (I have a 69 C30 that is that way) or the lug nuts may have attached washers behind them that set against the wheel. The carburetor on that engine is also a later model Rochester 1bbl carb. The base on those carburetors are the same. Might want to replace that valve cover gasket and before you install the cover make sure you are getting oiling up to and through the rockers. Old truck seems pretty solid except for the usual rust areas (the usual suspects) in the cab but amazingly the door alignments are pretty good, and the doors shut good. My memory may be off, but I believe the GM vehicles have always been negative ground. Those clamp style battery terminals are OK for in a pinch but there are some good quality ones and of course there are some pretty shoddy ones as well. I had one in my stash that had a receiver with an internal clamp that is pulled in with a nut and stud arraignment and I put it on my C30 and I really like that style. When I get around to it I'll try to find a source for that style. Got to get that truck squared away and drive it around the yard, maybe even get the wrecker boom working. That wrecker winch is chain driven off of the PTO.🥸👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@heidiayers2124]

Very cool tow truck! It's a keeper.

[@darrenhawken9766]

Great teamwork, you were lucky with that engine, surprised you never cleaned out the oil filter too .Will be looking forward to next installment with proper wheels and brakes, thanks for sharing your adventures 👍💨💨