Retired Wisconsin Musician in Search of Old Chevy Pickup
Owner of 1958 Chevrolet pickup makes classic mistake of letting it go, needs help finding it to give to his grandson.
For a few Chevy fans, there comes a time where a special Chevy pickup comes into our lives. Whether it’s a brand-new Silverado, or a classic K5 Blazer, the owner unknowingly develops a bond as strong as a rock with their truck, only to realize what they’ve got when the owner moves on to another Chevy.
One such owner is experiencing such remorse in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Green Bay Press Gazette says Dave Barton, a retired country musician originally from Franklin, Kentucky, is looking for the 1958 Chevrolet he sold to his late friend decades ago.
“I’d love to find that damn thing and bring it back down here,” Barton said. “My son’s 43 and would love to get it back and try to restore it and give it to my grandson.”
Barton’s story begins in the 1970s, when he purchased the Task Force “for $1,750 from a guy in Arkansas,” according to the Press Gazette. At the time, he was getting out of the rock ‘n’ roll scene for country, making the move to Nashville when he was 35. Barton says trucks like his had a flathead-six, but his had 327 V8 swapped in before Barton became its owner.
“I had the bumpers all chromed, and the headlights,” Barton said of the restoration, which took $5,000 and five years to complete. “We had mag wheels, we replaced the radio and the spare tire on the side, and the wood bed with the cover. It was IROC blue, like an IROC Camaro — a real, pretty blue color.”
The Chevy pickup stayed with Barton’s family for quite a while, eventually being passed on to his son, Derrick, who had stenciled his name on one of the side windows. Alas, the mileage wasn’t great, so Barton bought his son a more a fuel-efficient ride when he went off to college.
Then, for reasons Barton can’t ever justify in his mind, he sold the ’58 Chevy “to a buddy from Green Bay” for $3,500. His friend had the truck for around two decades when he sold it to its next owner. Sadly, Barton’s friend passed some time ago, and with little else to go on, he lost track of his beloved Chevy.
“I suppose it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Barton said. “But I’d really like to find it. I do have an attachment to it. It’d probably cost more than it’s worth, but I’d really like to find it.”
If you can help reunite Barton with his blue classic Chevy truck, the Press Gazette asks that you send tips to writer Paul Srubas at psrubas@gannett.com. Who knows? Maybe this story will have a happy ending after all.
