Good things take time.
In 1973, Bill Kwas was just 23 years old when he bought himself a project truck.
In 2011, he and his son Scott finally completed the restoration.
Here’s their story.
Kwas graduated from SAIT’s Aircraft Maintenance Technology program in 1971, and he’d worked and saved enough to buy this 1941 Chevrolet Model 1314 half-ton truck, which was advertised for sale in the Calgary Herald’s classifieds.
“It was complete, but it needed some body work because it was slightly dented and there was some rust in it, as well,” Kwas says.
With a little bit of work, Kwas got the truck to run with its original 216 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine. But, he never drove it.
Instead, family and life took over his time, and money was also at a premium. Unable to afford any restoration, but reluctant to sell, Kwas stored the truck, outside, on a friend’s farm. The passing years and the grazing cows weren’t kind to the old Chev.
“It was just out in the field, and the cows had rubbed up against it and dented it even more,” Kwas explains.
Son Scott, now 33, and the official owner of the truck, never stopped pestering his Dad to get working on the truck, but that didn’t happen until 2000. That’s when Kwas took a job up north, which gave him the funds but no time.
So he delivered the truck to Airdrie’s now defunct Hot Rods and Cool Cars, where the truck was dismantled in preparation for complete restoration.
The company performed all of the sheet metal work, refinished the chassis and restored the brakes and suspension, and installed a larger 235 cubic-inch GM engine, mating it with the truck’s original floor-shift four-speed gearbox. The body was also painted a dark blue, and the fenders and running boards black.
“It was almost done, but the shop went bankrupt before it was finally finished,” Kwas says.
The interior of Bill Kwas’ 1941 Chevrolet truck.
Gavin Young, Calgary Herald, Driving
In 2005 they got the truck back to their own Airdrie garage, but it wasn’t until 2010 that father and son finally got around to final assembly, installing the wiring harness, gauges, windows and the entire interior.
“We did mostly the small stuff, and by 2011 we had the truck back on the road,” Kwas says.
The side view of the Chevrolet truck.
Gavin Young, Calgary Herald, Driving
And it’s something of a rare wartime truck — its serial number has an ‘8’ after the model number, and that indicates the Chevrolet was manufactured in General Motors’ Regina, Saskatchewan assembly plant on Winnipeg Street just prior to July 1, 1941. Most other Canadian GM products were produced either in Walkerville (now part of Windsor) or in Oshawa, Ontario.
According to documents found online at the University of Saskatchewan, the Regina GM plant opened in December 1928, and was closed in August 1930 due to the uncertain economy.
General Motors reopened the factory in February 1931 and closed it again in August. For the last time, GM opened it again in December 1937, but by July 1, 1941, had stopped assembling vehicles in the plant.
At that time, the factory was turned over to the Canadian Government for munitions production. Renamed Regina Wartime Industries Ltd., the plant manufactured anti-tank gun carriages, numerous gun parts and complete guns.
Post-war, the Regina factory never returned to automobile production.
For now, Bill, Scott, and Scott’s son, Kaleb, 4, have been enjoying touring their restored ’41 Chevrolet around to car shows and participating in parades.
“The truck’s been around for a pretty big part of my life, and it now belongs to Scott,” Kwas says. “Hopefully, one day it will be passed on to Kaleb.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have an auto related item to share for the column or What’s Next? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca. Visit his website at gregwilliams.ca.
WHAT’S NEXT
To see your event listed, email the details, at least three weeks in advance, to gregwilliams@shaw.ca.
July 12: Westiva, a Ford Festiva and Aspire (and other econobox cars, such as Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift) meet and greet at Wedge Pond in Kananaskis Country, about an hour’s drive from Calgary’s western city limits. Meet at the pond by 10 a.m. After a picnic lunch, drivers depart for an afternoon cruise for ice cream at Boulton Creek Store, and then to the Upper Kananaskis Lake. For more information contact Ian at 403-869-7311 or email westiva2014@gmail.com.
