Garry’s Chase Truck Here is Garry Pardini’s story about his ’52 Chevy. “This 1952 Chevy Truck 1/2 ton was sold new by Chase Chevrolet to Stephens Marine, Stockton, California. Stephens gave it to an employee after it had been used as a parts truck. It was then passed to other employees a few times. In 1974, I bought the ’52 Chevy. I was inspired to buy a truck of this vintage by a photo of my dad’s ’48 Chevy 1/2 ton that he used to deliver toys to his Toy Box retail store in Stockton. Although it was black and white, my father told me that the truck was dark green.
Joe and Don Pierano from Peirano’s Garage suggested that I swap my original 216 engine for a 235-inch one in 1975. It has been an excellent engine, requiring only oil changes and tune ups over the years.
We opened a new Toy Box in 1977. Lightning was taken to Joe Genecco’s American Body Shop in Stockton. His men took care of the body and repaired the grille before spraying Seacrest Green on the truck. It was then taken to Scott Bros. Sign Company, where it received the new Toy Box logos and original pinstitching. Lightning became the official Toy Box delivery vehicle. It wasn’t the original, but it was good enough to remind locals of the good times and ask if it was the 1952 Chevy Truck. It continued TODDS MOTORCYCLES to deliver toys to children all over the town for many more years. The paint started to scratch and the body developed some dents.
The Toy Box was closed down in 1990. Lightning sat in my garage. I then went on to become a 1952 Chevy Truck and car salesman at Chase Chevrolet, where it all started. Hot August Nights was one of the perks I received from Chevrolet. As I was wandering around the swap meet, I came across and bought a pair of Chase Chevrolet vintage ’50s license plates frames. This brought back memories of a time when my cousin took my to visit my uncle’s out-of-business construction company office when I was 12 years old.
Around the year 2000, with the introduction of the PC to the world, I began surfing the internet. It returned a lot of interesting websites when I searched for a 1952 Chevy Truck. One of them was Chevy Duty, which is now Classic Parts. I found replacement floorboards, among other cool parts, that were available from Lightning. I ordered the floorboards as well as other parts needed to restore the interior.