Feature Truck for Spring 2002

1953 PETERBILT

by Don Hays

Many of our board members and friends have vintage truck collections of their own. I have asked some of these folks to tell me about their favorite. To some of us that would be like asking which of your children is your favorite. Most of the collectors have been quick however, to point with great affection and pride at their favorite. The featured truck in this issue is the pride and joy of Dennis Chan.

You may know Dennis as the new president of the ATHS Central California Chapter. He is also a successful businessman who uses twenty Peterbilt trucks in his garden products company. Redi-Gro Corp serves California, Oregon and Washington with bark, potting soil and compost. They also service Guam and Hawaii with one sea container each week. He is also an active supporter of the museum.

Dennis bought this 1953 two axle, model 280 Peterbilt in 1963. He began hauling tomatoes, pears, grain, fertilizer and other agricultural products in the Courtland California area. The truck was wrecked in a drastic accident in 1970 when it plummeted into the Feather River canyon near Loyalton. The driver was not hurt and still works for Dennis as a mechanic.

The wrecked carcass lay dormant in his yard for over twenty years. In 1992 he took the engine, transmission and suspension from a 1980 Peterbilt and installed them on the 1953 frame. The beautifully restored truck has a 400 C u m m i n s engine and 10 speed Fuller transmission. After the restoration, he operated the truck until it was retired and replaced by a new Peterbilt in 2001.

Darrow Thompson did the restoration as a freelance mechanic for Dennis Chan. Thompson is now the owner of Courtland Truck Works specializing in Peterbilt restorations.

It is obvious, why this is Dennis’s favorite truck. His collection consists of eight Peterbilts and one International.