a really Kewl story

[Iroczlover]

Grandson, Grandpa rebuild 1950 pickup Pickup builds bondSTEVE MAYNARD; steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com Published: August 24th, 2008 01:00 AMKyle Haslam was 13 when he spotted a rusted-out 1950 Chevy pickup from a collection of old vehicles for sale in Gig Harbor.
He noticed the unusual back windows, wrapping around the corners of the cab.

“It looked more rounded,” he recalled. “It had more personality.”

It was the truck Kyle decided he and his grandfather, Don Haslam, would rebuild.

Over the past nine years, Kyle and his granddad worked weekends and after school to tear apart and rebuild the pickup.

“It was a rust bucket,” Don Haslam said. “It was just a mess.”

The finished truck, with its unique “five-window” design, is now sleek and shiny, repainted in its original color – mariner blue.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Don Haslam said.

The truck will be on display today at Rods, Dogs & Hogs, a classic-car show in Lacey.

The Haslams say their hard labor not only restored a pickup, it also deepened the bond between a grandfather and his only grandchild.

“It definitely brought us a lot closer,” said Kyle Haslam, now 22.

“I learned that nothing couldn’t be solved when two people wanted to solve a problem,” said Don Haslam, 69.

Starting in 1999, Kyle Haslam worked on the half-ton pickup with his grandfather while going through middle school and high school in Gig Harbor and while at Tacoma Community College.

Kyle bought the pickup by making around $1,500 in payments from his earnings at Gig Harbor Boatworks.

A recent graduate in forestry from the University of Washington, he now does ground-water sampling for a company in Seattle, where he lives.

“He was amazing through it all,” Don Haslam said. “There was never an excuse why he couldn’t work on the truck.”

After the project started, Kyle knew what to expect from his granddad, grandma Carol and his mom, Stephanie, for birthdays and Christmas.

“For eight Christmases all I got basically was truck parts,” he said.

Fenders were hard to disguise in wrapping paper.

But that’s what Kyle wanted and needed.

Restoring the pickup was expensive and time-consuming. The Haslams worked all day Sundays and most Saturdays. Don Haslam had time since he’d retired several years earlier from the Air Force.

The work tapered off when the grandson’s college studies increased.

Don Haslam estimated the total cost of the rebuild at $20,000, including the many gifts of parts.

Dave Robertson, owner of Gig Harbor Boatworks, also was instrumental. He provided advice and allowed the Haslams to work on the truck adjacent to his shop in Gig Harbor, near the elder Haslam’s house.

Don Haslam also got tips and even donated parts from online forums for rebuilding vehicles.

The rebuild took many stages.

The grandson and grandfather tore apart the truck to its frame. They cut out panels, and Kyle Haslam welded on new metal to the body. He refurbished a Chevy V-8 engine, larger than the original six-cylinder. The two added a four-speed transmission after reconditioning it.

They installed new gray carpet and upholstery and added new door panels and arm rests. They restored the metal visor that wraps around the front of the cab. They replaced the original, scratched corner windows with two new ones.

They improved the safety of the truck with new power brakes and rear suspension. The pickup now has seat belts for the first time.

With the exception of the paint job, the Haslams did all the work. They still need to install a radio.

The pickup is kept in Don Haslam’s garage in Lacey, where he now lives. Kyle doesn’t have a garage in Seattle.

The truck runs and looks great, the Haslams say. They’ve displayed it at a few car shows and take it for short drives on weekends.

The grandfather and grandson keep in touch. Kyle Haslam calls his granddad every day.

“I learned it’s sometimes difficult to see you can get something done,” the younger Haslam said. “You just have to keep trying.”



Kyle Haslam was 13 when the project started in 1999. He and his grandfather stripped the pickup of detachable parts to evaluate the rust.


Kyle Haslam and his grandfather, Don Haslam, spent nine years rebuilding a 1950 Chevrolet pickup that will be featured today in the Rods, Dogs & Hogs classic car show in Lacey. The project “definitely brought us a lot closer,” says Kyle Haslam.

[MerF]

The word cool spelled "kewl" is not really "cool"...lol

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by MerF

The word cool spelled "kewl" is not really "cool"...lol

Way to blow the wind out of his sails, dude. :\

[Camaro Lives On]

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

Way to blow the wind out of his sails, dude. :\

her sails...

That was a pretty cool read.

[The_Blur]

I love those trucks. That was a great read.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by Camaro Lives On

her sails...

That was a pretty cool read.

Thanks, my bad.

[Iroczlover]

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

Way to blow the wind out of his sails, dude. :\

Man I really hate looking down my own shirt, I rather let my husband do it lol.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by Iroczlover

Man I really hate looking down my own shirt, I rather let my husband do it lol.

She's a keeper for sure.