Knowing your "stuff" in any field can be a powerful resource, especially if you deal with vintage General Motors iron and all of the goodies that can be had at the right price. Guys like Mike Ramos of Whittier, California, and the proprietor of The Old Car Parts Store is just one such individual. His expertise and knowledge of antique autos, Chevy and non-Chevy, is without question. Mike's clean green 1954 Chevy 3100 1/2-ton pickup attests to his status.
The VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America) award-winning truck has been in Mike's possession for some time, but let him tell us how he came across the ride. "It was around late '89 or early '90 that I was contacted by an old friend of mine, Jim Knaub, a professional wheelchair racer who's won the Boston Marathon as well as several major marathons," Mike remembers. "He was on the hunt for a '48 to '53 pickup, but Chevrolet didn't make an automatic during those years, but he needed it to be automatic for the driving (hand) controls."
Mike then suggested to him that in 1954 there was an option of an automatic truck, though a rare one at that. "It looked almost the same except for the one-piece windshield, different grille and a deeper truck bed," Mike explains. "This was the last year that Chevy trucks had that OG-look that the homies like to fix up. It was also a first for GM to have the 235-c.i.d. and Hydromatic (automatic) transmission package."
With that said, the hunt was on! So Mike was hired to track down a truck, and restore it to look new, but with the flavor of a reliable farm-style pickup. "You see, Jim is a cool gabacho who lives in the Belmont Shores area of Long Beach, California, and hueros don't really drive homie-style trucks," quips Mike. So a few years passed and Jim decided on a '54 Chevy Bel Air convertible in an automatic and was ready to part with the truck. He offered the truck to Mike with the option to do it on the "easy payment plan," and Mike took him up on the deal.
"Jim jokes periodically that I screwed it up by adding all of the accessories, but then you be the judge on that move," asks Mike. With the state that it was in, perfect condition, it was a natural impulse for Mike to do it up and put some of "himself" into the Chevy with all of the accessories, thus providing the moniker of "Accessory Mike" to his status of doing the vintage car thing.
"This car is very special to me because, number one, of my friendship with Jim Knaub. He's a remarkable guy from whom I've learned a lot over the years," Mike admits. "It's funny how some cars and projects can bring joy, happiness and fond memories! The second reason is that my dad had a green '54 truck at one time and I helped a little with the restoration at the time. I was 14 years old and it was going to be mine when I became old enough to drive it. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I never got a chance to drive it, but I always told myself that I'd get one. It's funny how some things work out, huh? Well, now it's time to pass the torch to my son and share fond memories with him."