Brad Nelson dropped the truck into first gear and pulled out on to the highway in Bigfork.

Heads turned from curious onlookers and a highway worker stopped him to say “Nice truck!”

Nelson gets that a lot these days, when he’s driving his new truck.

It wasn’t that way a few months ago. The truck, now a bright, cherry red with gleaming chrome, was on blocks, rusted to the bolts and looked like it was headed for the dump. But after several months of work, Nelson and Earl Sanford completely restored the 1953 ¾-ton Chevy.

They started in July 2013 at Sanford’s shop north of Bigfork. The men removed everything on the truck and refinished, refurbished or replaced it. A couple glitches showed up after they finished, like the air-conditioning unit running backward, but they were quick to fix that.

Nelson is retired from the U.S. Postal Service and Sanford is a retired machinist.

The truck belonged to the grandfather of Marge Nelson, Brad’s wife.

The truck had been used at the family farm in Choteau, then sat in a shed for more than 30 years. There was some damage to the lower part of the truck from 1964 flood that swept through Rocky Mountain front.

Nelson and Sanford kept the body, doors and frame; everything else was replaced, right down to the carpeting on the interior. Seats are from a Cadillac, but they made them fit.

The new eight-cylinder engine came from a Camaro that was used in a farm spray truck. It replaced the original six-cylinder in the farm rig.

With a custom suspension that prevents the truck from swaying, the truck handles like a dream, especially on corners. The muffler and exhaust system allows Brad — or whoever is lucky to be driving this cherry rig — to modify the sound of the muffler with a touch of a finger.

This project behind them, Nelson and Sanford are looking at their next project. By this time next year, Bigfork could have another classic automobile roaming the streets.

— David Reese