Our friend and fellow automotive journalist Tim Esterdahl swung by the TFLtruck studios in his 1962 Chevy C10 which he named, “Swede” after his late grandfather-in-law. People called his grandfather-in-law “Swede” – hence the name. The truck sat for years in the family’s barn before Tim pulled it out and began wrenching on it.
Tim and his uncle removed the 235 cu-in straight six and replaced it with a 283 cu-in V8 out of a 1956 Chevy Bel Air that Tim purchased for $300. He kept the majority of the Swede stock including the four-speed manual transmission and nearly all of the body parts – even the rusty ones. He wants to keep the look and feel of the vehicle’s age intact and he’s considering adding a thick coat of clear-coat to keep the patina while preventing additional rust.
Cool – right?
The funny part is: Tim had no prior experience fixing up old trucks. He learned as he progressed, often working with his uncle and seeking advice of other automotive professionals (some automotive journalists don’t know jack about wrenching – so it must have been frustrating at times). Over time, Tim and the Swede learned a lot about each other. Tim learned the idiosyncratic nature of driving an old, proper work-truck on a daily basis, and the truck learned that Tim’s colorful use of adjectives, especially during emergency repairs, had no limit.
Hailing from Western Nebraska, Tim brought the truck down to Denver, Colorado – ironically, for the Ford F-150 Diesel press event. It’s a long drive, especially in a vehicle that is pretty happy when it’s bounding along about 10 mph under the speed limit. During his time in civilization, he brought the truck to us and we had a chance to do a video walk around, interviewing Tim while he gave us the flu story on the Swede.
Enjoy the video and remember: Tim has a great podcast and website @pickuptrucktalk.com