1961 Chevy C-60 Wrecker

[RoninUtah]

I actually finished this build a few weeks ago (before the Argosy) but I was waiting to post it until I got the decals from ModelTruckers. They came over the weekend, so here it is! The story:

Late in 1960, Leroy Hewett, proprietor of the biggest (and only) auto repair facility in the small Hill Country town of Dent, Texas, decided to expand his business to include towing services when two local residents broke down in the same week on the same gravel road leading out of town. He consulted with the local Chevrolet dealership, owned by his cousin Henry, who advised him to order a new 1961 Chevrolet C-60. The truck was fitted with a Holmes 525 wrecker on a custom body, as Leroy wanted more space to carry tools, spare tires, batteries, and the like. Since this was his first wrecker, he numbered it #1, optimistically hoping that others were to come. They never did, but “Old Number 1,” as he came to call it, endured for many years pulling local cars and pickups out of ditches or from the side of the road, steam billowing from their radiators. This build represents Old Number 1 when it first came out of the Hewett Chevrolet paint booth in 1961, ready for work.

This build is almost entirely 3-D printed; the C-60 file is by Andrey Bezrodny; I’ve seen several eBay sellers offering printed versions. The wrecker is a design by Shadetreemodeling, and it’s actually a Holmes 500. However, since those didn’t come out until late in 1962, I’m calling this one a 525, its predecessor, as they look superficially similar. The truck bed is Andrey’s, and I made the side panels from sheet styrene; the rear is adapted from an AMT Peterbilt wrecker. Decals are custom ordered from Modeltruckers. Enjoy!
 

    

[BERT100]

 Great looking  old timer is its youth.  Must have pulled a ton of local vehicles.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Nice work on an unusual subject! Excellent pictures too!

[Swamp Dog]

Outstanding Job..

[Jim B]

Great looking Chevy.  Very well done.

[Biggu]

Another awesome build ,Ron ! I love those old Chevy’s !  I’m missing your build threads buddy …. What a cool subject and another unique unit on the shelf.  I love your thought process. Building units that no one else is makes interesting and exciting projects.  Can't wait to see what you come up with next.  

[stavanzer]

Great Build.

My Dad had a 1961 1/2 Ton Long bed.

Yours looks like a real workhorse.

 

Good Show.

[PappyD340]

Great looking wrecker!

[Jürgen M.]

Nice work Ron! You're finishing one after another. The argosy, now this one! And in a perfect quality! 

It's always fun to see your builds! Keep going! 

[ChrisR]

Very nice.

[leafsprings2]

Nice to see one of these recent medium duty offerings built, looks very sharp, very popular vehicle back in the day. Great fabrication work to pull it all together, like the Texaco paint scheme and decals.