Out Baw Baw Way In the 28 Chevy

Gidday,

Today I rang a mate, Gerry lives about 12 kms away, he has a 1928 Chevy ute and I felt like a coffee and chat on this slightly overcast Saturday morning so a destination and time at one of the local cafes was decided.. Well the coffee done the trick and we solved the worlds problems as always under an hour.
To good of a day to just roll ole Monty back down the driveway, it was decided so I pulled up at our front gate, had a quick bite of lunch, grabbed my good camera and a warm beanie for the head and I headed back down the street towards Mount Baw Baw which you can generally see from Trafalgar on a sunny day, just not today.

Willow Grove is about 19kms north of Trafalgar, then I veered left once in the town and took the Hill End road, quiet good with nice views on your right of the Blue Rock Dam for a few kms then the road becomes tight and twisty in places. We went straight past the farm gate where in the late 1960s dad found ole Monty siting under a tree in the paddock, a few words were quietly spoken today and as I rounded the bend and ran up along side the row of trees beside this paddock, I'm a sentimental aging prick.
A little further along and the bitumen is occasional rough and bumpy due to amount of logging trucks that use it through the week, but hey, we are riding in a 1928 Chevy and not breaking any speed records with ground clearance a plenty.

I was soon at the turn off to Noojee, Now a right turn would take me up to the top of Mount Baw Baw to Victoria's only Ski Resort, its a drive I have wanted to do in the Chevy but not today as time and the weather is unfortunately against me this time.

A left turn was made for the 10 km leisurely run into Noojee, the road was very steep here with 2nd gear selected and 20mph showing on the speedo, we climbed awhile and then in was downhill, along the flatter twisty section and soon we were sailing past the pub and out the other side for the sign posted turnoff left and up the dirt track to the Trestle Bridge visitors parking area. Always a busy spot over the weekends and each time it looks just as impressive as the last..

A quick pic or two was taken then for the Neerim South I headed, actually it was the Neerim South Pub smack bang in the middle of town to say gidday to my cousin who owns the place and pours the beers. Nope he's not there today, so my cold beer was downed fast and tasted very nice to help wash the bugs down then a quick visit to the rest room .
I'm back in the seat and turning left onto Bloomfields Road then over Old Sale Road to take me down onto the Princes Hwy and the 25 minute run home back to Trafalgar.

Approx 72miles (115kms) in 2 hours

Ole Monty did not miss a beat, today made me smile!!..

Cheers
Grant Fowler

Oh, one last thing, Monty rolled past 14,000 miles today..

Out to Rokeby In The Chev

Gidday,

Misty rain mixed with a strong east wind today but still surprisingly warmish so I flipped open the bonnet, checked the oil and then rolled the Chevy out the driveway and headed off down the Princes Hwy towards Warragul and then out across to Rokeby to catch up with a friend, have a coffee and chat and also to have a look at a few of his early 19th century vintage cars and motorbikes which are all just lovely, rare and all very much road going and drive able.

I lost my hat on the way out there due to the wind from a passing log truck, so I had to stop on the way back and grab it, and while I'm there on the side of the road grab another photo of the Chevy which is always a must do to and add to the collection, you can never have to many :)

Old Monty ran very well again, the little 4 cylinder is not a big fan of the strong head wind but always just keeps plodding along and gets me home at a steady 45mph, although this time it was a little damp on anything that sticks up above the top on the windscreen..

Out along Bloomfield Road, just north of Nilma.

1928 Chevrolet Ute

Gidday,

My good friend of 25 years Gerry rings me the other day, "I brought an old 28 Chev ute and its coming down on the weekend etc"... Well it arrived on the trailer from northern Victoria and yes it is all complete and very original, the engine starts and runs smoothly with most things in the right place including the rear old wooden tray, I love it and can just see it getting around town after a good tidy up of the running gear etc, then a few cans of WD40 thrown over the top of it and a quick rub down with a scouring pad so the patina can shine through..

 

More Spares Than We Can Use

Gidday,

Don't quite know what we are going to do with all these 1928 Chevrolet spare parts that we picked up off a bloke rather cheap who was moving interstate, but over the coming years no-doubt they will come in very handy between Ray and myself as things are only getting harder to find when you need them quickly or even just for a general repair...Cheers

More pix and info below on this link

My 1928 Chevrolet: Day 43 - 28 Chev Ute Restoration (19th September 2...

Mick's 1927 Chevrolet

Gidday,

On the weekend a friend from up East Gippsland way in Bairnsdale, Mick brought this fathers 1927 Chevrolet down for a little tune up, click on the link below from Ray Deans "The Red Chev'' blog and read a more detailed write up of what was done to this lovely little 1927.... Cheers


My 1928 Chevrolet: Something different - Working on a 1927 Chev

The Thorpdale Hills

Gidday,

Well the dull wet winter weather cleared for a little the other Saturday morning so I pushed the old Chevy outside the shed, fired him up and took it for a run up the back of Trafalgar South and over the hills towards Thorpdale, always great views looking straight down the valley and you can see Trafalgar in the middle of the photos .... Cheers

Early Photo of Monty The Chev

Gidday,

Mum handed me a few old family photos the other day that she had found to my surprise there were two coloured pix of the old Chevy that I had not seen before.
Taken in the late 1960's outside the workshop of Fowler & Sons in Kitchener Street Trafalgar, they are of dad driving with my older brother Stuart in the passenger seat and there is a small child running behind the car in one of the photos well that would be me..
These photos do show the Chevy without any "red lead" primer painted along this left hand side of the bodywork and also the screen is off it to, so I would say that dad must of started to do some "preservation" work on it soon after these were taken and as a child all I remember is the Chevy sitting in this shed for many years gathering dust under a pile of canvas truck tarpaulins..

 

Another Australian 1928 Chevrolet - This ones a Roadster!!

Gidday,

Well a lovely email landed on my desk today from another Australian 1928 Chevrolet owner who acquired the old car from his father, this happen a bit from time to time and the email read like this - 

"Hi Grant , i just came across you blog about your 28 Chev.

Thank you so much, it brought back so many memories of my dad and I doing our 28 Chev Roadster. Same colour as yours !! So many similarities as well.

My Dad has passed, nearly 14 years now, but I still feel him with me everyday as i work on my toys. Our 28 is due for a redo soon and I sincerely hope my son XXXX will be interested in helping me.

We are from WA but moved to Hobart 8 years ago and I made sure i shipped our 28 out with us.

Again thanks for the blog, thanks for the inspiration boost. A few tears shed while reading it and in such a nice way.

My Dad was a motor engineer of the finest sort, started his apprenticeship in 1936 and worked his way up to director of Sydney Atkinson Motors the state distributor for Holden and GM. His passion was Buick but he loved his 28 Chevs "last of the fours, first of the four wheel brakes" he would comment ad nauseum.

Again all the best

Hope to catch up one day, maybe.

Mike"

Mike also added this about his Chev

"PS; Mine is a commercial roadster, no dickie seat. Found it in Bedfordale, once an orchard, now a suburb in the Perth hills. All that was missing was the trunk lid, it had not been cut down like so many. The old Italian orchardist had simply plonked a water pump in the boot. we made a very basic boot lid for it and I must try and get some pics of an original."

"That's my Dad in the Dust coat. I still have those meters in my workshop and still use them."

Nice story and its a great car Mike, good luck with the resto and I will be in touch soon.

Cheers Grant Fowler

A 28 Chev from Horsham arrived in Trafalgar

Gidday,

Darrell from Horsham in Western Victoria made the trip over on the weekend and showed up at our signshop for a BBQ lunch along with a bunch of others.

"Nat" as Darrell calls his 1928 Chevrolet has been in their family since the mid 1960's and had been a locally owned Hamilton "daily driven" car for many years before that and it is so very original in every aspect when you stand and run your eyes over it, really fantastic to see in this condition.

Original weathered, soft and rather cool looking upholstery still is attached, all the timbers are intact, it is still running the 6 volt system and the reliable old vacuum fuel tank and the spoke wheels really set it off.
It is just lovely to see a car like this in this condition still out and about and still being driven, I loved it and it certainly looked the part parked up beside ole Monty.

Many thanks Darrell for making the trip across to Gippsland and one day I will return the favor and head over west for a visit.

Cheers Grant

Car Club Run out to the Trafalgar Holden Museum

Gidday


The link below takes you to Ray Deans Chevy blog which has a good write up and heaps of pix on their car clubs run out to the Trafalgar Holden Museum and then a BBQ lunch at our signshop just up the road

http://my28chev.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/car-club-run-to-trafagar-holden-museum.html

The last head count was about 75 in for lunch and the weather was great!!

Cheers Grant