Post by Mike B on Dec 20, 2008 12:40:01 GMT -4
’65 Chevy truck is an HEIRLOOM
New paint job was done by hand, with roller, brush and Rustoleum
My Favorite Ride: by Laura Lane H-T columnist | lane@heraldt.com
February 10, 2008
BLOOMINGTON — When Dale Shields’ stepfather died, his mother took over the wheel of the man’s 1965 Chevrolet pickup truck. The couple had bought it together brand new, for $2,222.
“She’d drive it to work at the Laundromat by the old CVS. She drove it for years — all over,” Shields recalled. “She’d pick up my wife and they would load the poles into the back of the old pickup and head down to the lake fishing.”
He remembers waiting at home for his mom, Aola Shields, to bring his daughters back from town.
“The truck has a flat floorboard, and I can remember her coming down the road and I’d see both of my little girls standing there looking over the dash.”
Those little girls, Patricia Lynn and Amy, are now 33 and 34 years old. The truck is a family heirloom of sorts, and will be passed along to his granddaughter McKenzie when she is old enough to drive.
“I think it’s really cool that when I get older I can drive it to high school,” the 9-year-old said. She admitted to already having some driving experience. “Sometimes we drive it up and down the sidewalk — wait, not the sidewalk, but through the addition. I sit on his lap and help him drive.”
Shields is a practical man. And instead of buying new, he makes do with what he has.
After his mother passed the truck along to him, Shields parked it inside his barn for a few years. “One day, I thought, I’ll get that old truck out. And when I did, I noticed it needed painting real bad.”
And he figured spending a few thousand dollars to paint an old truck just wasn‘t worth the money. So he did the job himself — with a paint brush, a roller and a few gallons of paint. A friend helped him out. “I think he thought I was crazy when I told him what I was going to do.”
But they got to work.
“It only cost me fifty bucks, and it’s Rustoleum paint,” he said. “It’ll stay on there forever. If you stand two feet away and look at it, you’d never know I painted it with a roller. And when it rains, the water rolls right off. I’ve just waxed it once.”
Advice for anyone who wants to try roller-and-brush truck painting: sand the car’s finish before you start, and use a smooth roller. Shields initially bought a nappy roller from Big Lots, then realized he needed one with less fluff.
“When people see my truck, they are amazed. When you see it, you won’t believe it.””
And I didn’t. There’s not a brush mark visible, not even on the bumpers, which he painted with silver paint once he realized how successful the body paint job had been.
The truck is two tone, blue and white. The blue is a deep turquoise, and the white is bright white. Shields even detailed the letters “C-H-E-V-R-O-L-E-T” on the back, and kept the white paint right on the letters.
The 67-year-old handyman keeps the old Chevy truck inside a garage at the Sherwood Green condominium complex, where he oversees maintenance duties. Whenever he needs to haul wood, brush or anything else, he gets his truck out. Everyone, he says, recognizes it. “They wave at me going down the road.”
Shields also owns a 1971 Chevelle. It’s in the shop now, awaiting a professional paint job.
“I’ve done paid the guy $1,000 and he’s not got much done yet,” Shields said. “If he doesn’t hurry up, I’m going to buy me another gallon of Rustoleum and paint it myself.”
With a brush and a roller.
Got a story to tell about a car or truck? Call 812-331-4362, send an e-mail to lane@heraldt.com or a letter to My Favorite Ride, P.O. Box 909, Bloomington, IN 47402.
Dale Shields rests his foot on the running board of the 1965 Chevy pickup that his mother and stepfather bought new. Shields painted the truck with Rustoleum, using brushes and a roller. laura lane | Hoosier Times
Shields hand-lettered the text, and painted the bumper with silver paint. His careful job looks great. laura lane | Hoosier Times
Dale Shields’ 1965 Chevy pickup, with its Rustoleum paint job, sure repels raindrops. Laura Lane | Hoosier Times
Chrome? Who needs chrome when you've got silver Rustoleum paint? Dale Shields carefully painted his 1965 Chevy pickup with brushes and a roller to produce a durable, water-resistant protective coating on the truck that has been in his family since it was new. Laura Lane | Hoosier Times
New paint job was done by hand, with roller, brush and Rustoleum
My Favorite Ride: by Laura Lane H-T columnist | lane@heraldt.com
February 10, 2008
BLOOMINGTON — When Dale Shields’ stepfather died, his mother took over the wheel of the man’s 1965 Chevrolet pickup truck. The couple had bought it together brand new, for $2,222.
“She’d drive it to work at the Laundromat by the old CVS. She drove it for years — all over,” Shields recalled. “She’d pick up my wife and they would load the poles into the back of the old pickup and head down to the lake fishing.”
He remembers waiting at home for his mom, Aola Shields, to bring his daughters back from town.
“The truck has a flat floorboard, and I can remember her coming down the road and I’d see both of my little girls standing there looking over the dash.”
Those little girls, Patricia Lynn and Amy, are now 33 and 34 years old. The truck is a family heirloom of sorts, and will be passed along to his granddaughter McKenzie when she is old enough to drive.
“I think it’s really cool that when I get older I can drive it to high school,” the 9-year-old said. She admitted to already having some driving experience. “Sometimes we drive it up and down the sidewalk — wait, not the sidewalk, but through the addition. I sit on his lap and help him drive.”
Shields is a practical man. And instead of buying new, he makes do with what he has.
After his mother passed the truck along to him, Shields parked it inside his barn for a few years. “One day, I thought, I’ll get that old truck out. And when I did, I noticed it needed painting real bad.”
And he figured spending a few thousand dollars to paint an old truck just wasn‘t worth the money. So he did the job himself — with a paint brush, a roller and a few gallons of paint. A friend helped him out. “I think he thought I was crazy when I told him what I was going to do.”
But they got to work.
“It only cost me fifty bucks, and it’s Rustoleum paint,” he said. “It’ll stay on there forever. If you stand two feet away and look at it, you’d never know I painted it with a roller. And when it rains, the water rolls right off. I’ve just waxed it once.”
Advice for anyone who wants to try roller-and-brush truck painting: sand the car’s finish before you start, and use a smooth roller. Shields initially bought a nappy roller from Big Lots, then realized he needed one with less fluff.
“When people see my truck, they are amazed. When you see it, you won’t believe it.””
And I didn’t. There’s not a brush mark visible, not even on the bumpers, which he painted with silver paint once he realized how successful the body paint job had been.
The truck is two tone, blue and white. The blue is a deep turquoise, and the white is bright white. Shields even detailed the letters “C-H-E-V-R-O-L-E-T” on the back, and kept the white paint right on the letters.
The 67-year-old handyman keeps the old Chevy truck inside a garage at the Sherwood Green condominium complex, where he oversees maintenance duties. Whenever he needs to haul wood, brush or anything else, he gets his truck out. Everyone, he says, recognizes it. “They wave at me going down the road.”
Shields also owns a 1971 Chevelle. It’s in the shop now, awaiting a professional paint job.
“I’ve done paid the guy $1,000 and he’s not got much done yet,” Shields said. “If he doesn’t hurry up, I’m going to buy me another gallon of Rustoleum and paint it myself.”
With a brush and a roller.
Got a story to tell about a car or truck? Call 812-331-4362, send an e-mail to lane@heraldt.com or a letter to My Favorite Ride, P.O. Box 909, Bloomington, IN 47402.
Dale Shields rests his foot on the running board of the 1965 Chevy pickup that his mother and stepfather bought new. Shields painted the truck with Rustoleum, using brushes and a roller. laura lane | Hoosier Times
Shields hand-lettered the text, and painted the bumper with silver paint. His careful job looks great. laura lane | Hoosier Times
Dale Shields’ 1965 Chevy pickup, with its Rustoleum paint job, sure repels raindrops. Laura Lane | Hoosier Times
Chrome? Who needs chrome when you've got silver Rustoleum paint? Dale Shields carefully painted his 1965 Chevy pickup with brushes and a roller to produce a durable, water-resistant protective coating on the truck that has been in his family since it was new. Laura Lane | Hoosier Times