Salvaged pickup is crowd pleaser at Main Cruise Classic Car Show-N-Shine
In 2006, Chester resident John Johnson salvaged a 1956 Chevy pick-up that had been mired in mud in the Feather River Canyon at Twain Mill since the deluge of rain unleashed by El Nino in 1983.
Before and after shots taken of John Johnson’s 1956 Chevy.Johnson received a call from a friend asking him to come take a look at the Chevy’s shell and see if he might be interested in rescuing and restoring the beast.
No stranger to restoration, Johnson wasn’t intimidated by the challenge and when a title search came back clean, he embarked on the project along with his wife, Paula.
Amazingly, nearly the entire truck was still usable with just the bottom half of one door requiring replacement.
Johnson shared that the vehicle even has its original 4-speed Muncie transmission that had, of course, been submerged for decades along with the rest of the body.
However, one item requiring replacement were its bench seats and amazingly, Johnson stumbled upon a perfectly preserved set.
While he was at a car show Johnson noticed another restored 1956 truck that had bucket seats, which were not original to the design. Upon inquiring whether the owner of that truck had kept the bench seats which belonged with his 1956 Chevy, he learned that they were wrapped in a dust cover and perfectly preserved. They were also for sale and viola Johnson’s project now boasts all its authentic components.
The transformation now complete, Johnson is the proud owner of a dazzling, emerald green 1956 Chevy that has garnered dozens of awards and trophies and is an eye catching stand-out classic everywhere it goes, including when on display at the 27th Annual Main Cruise Classic Car Show-N-Shine at Memorial Park.
