Chevy Straight-Six: It Lives!

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you might remember almost exactly a year ago, a post about Andy Davis coming to town. The story is, Ando and Friends were spending a night in Portland, and we had pulled together a group of friends to head north for a big night out.

Well, I was behind the wheel of what’s become fondly known as the Pug, and some might say that I was pushing the envelope of speed just a little… To make a long story short, after 42 years of service, that old Chevy straight-six decided it was time to call it quits.

Little by little, we explored options for a replacement engine, but with little money to throw at it, we had no option but to park it for the foreseeable future. Believe it or not, we even had it flat-bedded to a local surf event that we were committed to being at, just for its curbside appeal.

One cold winter day a few months ago, we decided that we might as well pull the engine out of the truck. At least we’d be making moves in the right direction. The rest of the story is entirely thanks to two local surfers and good friends of ours, Mike C. and Tom B. These guys have really gone the distance for us. Mike has spent countless hours helping us around the shop, and came through again when it was time to yank the engine. Once it was out, Tom B. a Home Grown Kit builder and sod farmer, took it on to have the original engine re-built, top to bottom. We really cannot thank them enough.

So as you read this, we’ll be putting the final touches on the re-install, hooking up the radiator, re-wiring the ignition, and hopefully firing it up. Keep an eye out this summer, we’ll be out there, cruising the coast, spreading the word, and keeping it under 55.