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Bob Whitaker’s red truck
20 years to find it, 10 years to fix it
Bob Whitaker truck after
By Steve Prestegard
Editor, The Platteville Journal
Published: Aug 7, 2019, 3:53 PM

Bob Whitaker first became fascinated with his father’s toolshed when Bob was 5 years old.

The story goes that Whitaker would take whatever he could find that wasn’t in use — nuts, bolts, washers, soup cans and so on — and weld them together to create miniature farm equipment. As he got older, Bob was allowed to help his father with farm machinery repair.

Then, one day, Whitaker’s father purchased a 1955 Chevrolet pickup. Shortly after that, Whitaker’s neighbor purchased one.

Those two pickup trucks started Whitaker on a 20-year quest to find a truck like those, followed by a 10-year quest to restore the pickup truck he found.

The result is Whitaker’s red and black 1955 Chevy 3100 pickup, restored from rusting in a field to showroom condition, though with some improvements not found in 1955 pickup trucks.

Chevrolet manufactured two separate models of 1955 pickups. The first design had been built since 1947 as General Motors’ first post-World War II vehicle design. The second ’55, introduced in March, emulated the ’55 Chevy cars as a response to new pickup designs by Ford in 1953 and Dodge in 1954.

The truck was equipped like most pickup trucks of the day — for work. It had Chevy’s 230-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine and a three-speed manual transmission, the shifter for which was on the steering column. 

It took Whitaker, an ASE-certified mechanic who owns Whitaker Repair LLC on North Oak Street in Platteville, 20 years of watching farm fields, searching through junkyards and watching vehicle auctions to find a first-series ’55. The one Whitaker found was in a barnyard. He purchased it at a farm sale in June 2009.

“It ran, but not very well,” he said. The engine had oil pressure, but it “missed like crazy.” On the other hand, “all the front end parts were in perfect shape.”

Whitaker said the project was “pretty much a frame-off” restoration, meaning most of the body was taken off the frame to repair or replace parts. 

Whitaker does not consider it a “restomod,” where the engine, transmission and other parts are replaced with more modern equipment. The engine — which he will remind visitors was also in the first Chevrolet Corvette — was rebuilt and now produces about 30 horsepower more than stock. An overdrive unit was added to the transmission, controlled through what used to be the floor-mounted starter switch next to the accelerator pedal. The truck has radial tires, as opposed to original bias-ply tires. He also upgraded to a 12-volt electrical system from the original six-volt system.

“I can drive it down the road at 70 mph and it isn’t screaming at you,” he said.

While Whitaker had to work on the existing parts, and found parts that came from other Chevy pickups in junkyards and swap meets, in many cases he also had to work on the new parts he purchased to replace the existing parts. 

“They’re aftermarket; they don’t fit very well,” he said. 

Whitaker also added air conditioning and an aftermarket radio, mounted in the glove box. The power bucket seats are from a 2002 GMC Envoy SUV and are much more comfortable than the original vinyl-covered bench seat. He also installed modern halogen headlights and larger taillights.

One part of the truck he didn’t touch was the bed, because he intended to use it to haul items. 

Ten years later, the truck starts immediately like a modern fuel-injected car. It isn’t designed to be driven hard, but Whitaker drives it to the monthly car shows at A&W in Lancaster and to Dubuque. Last weekend he drove it to and from a car show in Elkhorn.

Whitaker also owns a 1957 Chevy Bel Air sedan with the original 283 Power Pack V8 engine, though he updated it with a modern automatic overdrive transmission. He purchased the Bel Air, which like the truck was assembled at the former Chevrolet assembly plant in Janesville, on Independence Day 1968, and decided to restore it seven years ago after it sat for 42 years.

Bob Whitaker truck

Bob Whitaker took 10 years to restore this 1955 Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck.

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Independent-Scout, 2024 Year in Review
January through July
2024 Year in Review
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Published: Jan 9, 2025, 3:50 PM

JANUARY

Historic low flows turned the Mississippi River into a construction area in 2023, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged huge quantities of sand to keep the channel open for barge traffic. Massive machines like the Dredge Goetz, a 225-foot-long vessel with a suction pipe nearly two feet wide, were moving through the river constantly to keep it clear… A Connect Communities proposal to apply for a grant to study constructing a pavilion over the current plaza area, located east of the Gays Mills Mercantile Center, was presented to the board by Martha Querin-Schultz. Querin-Schultz explained the proposal for a Mercantile-pavilion area came out of discussions last year, where dreams and projects were discussed among members of the group. She noted that Connect Communities was recognized by the Wisconsin development Corporation… Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) staff attended a meeting in Viroqua on Thursday, Jan. 11, to update local zoning and emergency management staff about the project to re-map the Kickapoo River Watershed floodplain. The reaches of the river to be re-mapped are from Ontario to Wauzeka… New owners and residents of Gays Mills, Arthur and Sarah Winsor with their children, Austin and Vayla, took ownership of Strang’s Plumbing, Heating, and Electric on the company’s 120th year. In 1904, Strang’s got its start in Richland County, and now 120 years later, Strang’s has found new ownership. Arthur and Sarah Winsor, residents of Gays Mills have taken on the century old company with plans to keep the same locally friendly service while improving on the latest in home mechanicals.

 

 

 

FEBRUARY

Multiple charges have been levied against a 37-year-old man for a physical altercation that took place on Dec. 9, 2023 at the Boondocks Sports Bar and Grill in Wauzeka. James Scherer, Wauzeka, has been charged with Disorderly Conduct and Physical Abuse of an Elderly Person-Intentionally Causing Bodily Harm, after he engaged in two fights on the bar’s property… In the Seneca Area School District, five candidates have registered to run for two open board seats. One of those running is incumbent Charles Clark. The other incumbent, Tyler Aspenson, decided to not run again. The other four candidates running are Eric Grimsled, Jennifer Aspenson, Kyle Berger and Sara Wall. Only Grimsled has run for the board previously. Because five candidates are running for two open seats, a primary election must be held on Tuesday, February 20, only the top four voter getters will appear on the spring ballot… North Crawford Playhouse is thrilled to present William Shakespeare’s timeless comedy, ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ With plenty of humor, a good dose of romance, and a hefty portion of mischief, this delightful production will leave audiences feeling happy and uplifted… Quick reaction by the Gays Mills Fire Department may have prevented more massive damage from a fire at an apartment building located on Watermelon Way early Monday morning. At approximately 3 a.m., Gays Mills Fire Chief Earl Winsor and firefighter Adam McCarn arrived at the scene of the fire at 205 Watermelon Way, the residence of Sarah Boardman… Did you receive an ‘Emergency Call’ at 3:33 p.m. on Sunday? We did. The recorded voice of a Crawford County 911 Dispatcher told us the Black Hawk Bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa would be closed to traffic shortly because of safety concerns.

 

MARCH

Crawford County Health and Human Services and the Driftless Region Mental Health Coalition have partnered with ‘CredibleMind’ to provide residents with a digital health and well-being platform… The platform, available free of charge, offers confidential and anonymous access 24/7, allows users to explore, understand, and enhance their mental health… There’s good news for those that have had their lives turned upside down by the closure of the Lansing Bridge. Plans are moving ahead to begin to provide a water taxi service over the navigation channel, running from Lansing to the Will Dilg Boat Landing on the Lansing Dike… It was another good year for the Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout at the annual newspaper awards banquet in Madison. The Independent-Scout won 16 awards in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association ‘Better Newspaper Contest.’ “It’s always nice to have your work recognized by your peers,” Independent-Scout editor Charley Preusser said. “However, the real judges are the people reading our paper every week.”… At their March 12 meeting, members of the Crawford County Land Conservation Committee tackled a variety of issues. Ongoing efforts to bring county septic systems into compliance with state law were discussed, as well as potential changes to county ordinances, a well water quality and geology study, and a tire clean up event… The North Crawford School Board reveled in the success of the district’s winter athletic teams at their meeting on March 20. The boys basketball team tied for first place in the Ridge & Valley Conference, the North Crawford-Seneca Wrestling co-op team sent two girls and one boy to the state tournament, and the girls basketball team enjoyed a successful year building for the future.

 

APRIL

After record-setting high temperatures experienced in the winter of 2023-24, and ongoing drought conditions, local farmers are facing a variety of challenges as the growing season approaches. Those challenges include planting decisions and forage production issues, as well as the timing and selection of inputs. The National Weather Service La Crosse recently reported that from April 1, 2023, through March 26, 2024, precipitation departures range from near-normal to 11 inches below normal north of Interstate 90, and from eight to just over 20 inches below normal across the remainder of the area to the south of I-90… A local contractor, Tug Sprosty, was awarded the contract to build the ag projects shed for the Seneca Area School District at the board meeting held Monday, March 18. Sprosty’s bid of $32,000 was significantly lower than Clary Building’s bid of $44,200, and some other local bids around $43,000. There was some concern that the bids were for constructing the same structure to requirements as laid out… Ever wonder who to turn to if you find an injured or ailing raptor? Wonder no more. Dr. Laura Johnson, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine has the answers for you. Dr. Johnson works part-time for Tender Care Animal Hospital in Prairie du Chien. This leaves her plenty of time for her other practice – raptor rescue. “I’m the only vet in the tri-state area that specializes in and sees birds as patients,” Johnson told the Independent-Scout… Iowa DOT has some great news when it comes to repairing the existing Blackhawk Bridge at Lansing. The two new piers are done, and all four bridge deck spans are back in place. “In February and March, we removed four sections of the bridge deck in order to repair the damaged piers,” Iowa DOT’s Clayton Burke told a group assembled for a ‘Bridge Update’ at the Meehan Memorial Library in Lansing on April 10… When the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center hosted a Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) Hearing on the evening of April 8, Patrick Short, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) fisheries biologist, presented reports on wildlife disease, water contaminants and budget deficits to the public.

 

MAY

The time is approaching for the La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon county boards to make a final decision about the USDA-NRCS proposal to decommission flood control dams in the West Fork Kickapoo and Coon Creek watersheds. It is anticipated that the Land Conservation Committees in each county will make a recommendation to their county boards in May, and then each of the three Boards of Supervisors will vote on the proposal at their June meetings… Last week, a coalition of environmental groups, The Iowa Environmental Coalition (IEC), filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the state isn’t doing enough to protect drinking water supplies from nitrate pollution. The group states the problem is particularly severe in the northeast region of the state, with its underlying karst geology. The carbonate bedrock typical in regions with karst geology is cracked and fissured limestone or sandstone that quickly conducts contaminants from the surface into the aquifers below…  Get ready for an evening of dazzling performances and toe tapping tunes as the North Crawford Playhouse presents their latest production. Aptly titled ‘One Night Only,’ the showcase will run for just one performance on Wednesday, May 22. The show will feature a dynamic lineup of songs from a variety of beloved musicals, exhibiting the talents of the North Crawford performing arts students. From classic Broadway hits to contemporary favorites, there’s something for all ages in this exciting performance… The Seneca Area School District announced the Seneca High School Valedictorian is Kylie Stluka and the Salutatorian is Nadia Jo Klema… After a dry year in 2024, with welcome rains once again falling in our area, it seems timely for our communities to think about the possibility of flooding. During times of flooding, local citizens have identified reliable sources of information that can help them in planning for and responding to flooding events, especially those available from the National Weather Service… North Crawford High School’s Class of 2024 Valedictorian is Sarah Bransky and the 2024 North Crawford Salutatorian is Nathan Zirk… Crawford County has been selected to host the 78th Alice in Dairyland Finals in May 2025. An announcement will be made by Carol Roth and Stephanie Binversie, Alice in Dairyland Finals Co-Chairs, along with Ashley Hagenow, the reigning Alice in Dairyland, at the Crawford County Dairy Breakfast on Saturday, June 1, at 8 a.m. The Dairy Breakfast will take place at the Crawford County Fairgrounds this year, with breakfast served from 6 to 10 a.m.

 

JUNE

After a brief discussion at their meeting on Monday, May 20, the Seneca School Board approved open enrollment for 10 students coming into the district and denied the open enrollment applications of two others seeking to come into the district.  The board also approved ‘outbound’ open enrollment applications for five other students seeking to enroll in other districts… About 15 members of the Ferryville, Soldiers Grove, and Gays Mills fire departments and emergency rescue teams gathered on Saturday, June 8, for a Grain Bin Rescue Training. The training had a classroom component in the morning, and then an operations training after that. Instruction was provided by Karl Sandry, Southwest Technical College Lead Fire Instructor, and conducted at the site of grain bins owned by Swede Knutson… The Soldiers Grove Village Board heard a presentation from and voted to retain the services of Nikki Swayne of Abt Swayne Law in Westby as their new village attorney. At the board’s June 11 meeting, Swayne introduced herself and discussed the terms of the contract she proposed. The village was previously represented by Attorney Eileen Brownlee, who has retired… The Gays Mills Swimming Pool is back and in full swing this summer. An average of 40 to 60 children flock to the outdoor pool each day to escape the June heat. In addition to its recreational facilities, the pool offers swimming lessons throughout the summer.