Nan Glover will debut her 1941 Ford Pickup truck at the Golden Oldies Labor Day Car Show on Monday at the State Capitol parking complex.
She'll have the honor of driving her "Rose," a 1941 Ford half-ton pickup truck redesigned with a breast cancer awareness theme.
The Golden Oldies show will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at the State Capitol Complex. Vehicle registration fee is $10. Entrants must be present to accept any awards or prizes.
Association members expect more than 400 vehicles in the show, including classic Corvettes, antique vehicles, hot rods, street rods and more.
Although Nan's truck is still a work in progress, it's road worthy and ready to be presented for the first time at the show.
Furthermore, it's a real labor of love.
The pickup named Rose has been remade into a breast cancer awareness truck by her husband, Steve, and members of the association.
Nan was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and this past November she learned the cancer had returned, this time in her liver.
When members of the association - all 17 of them - heard of Nan's struggle, they pulled together to help Steve finish the project.
"It was a good work project for the club," said vice president David Townsend.
The truck was already dismantled and the rolling chassis pretty much complete when club members descended on Steve's garage in January and hauled off the fenders, running boards, cab and bed.
Townsend worked on the front and rear fenders and running boards, while Ron Fortner, Golden Oldies president, finished the cab and doors in his Ravenswood shop.
Club member Ted Thomas had the bed and hood in his shop in Falling Rock while Ron Jones has worked with the members at the Glovers' South Charleston home.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Nan Glover will ride in style to the Golden Oldies Street Rod Association's Labor Day Car show at the Capitol Complex.
She'll have the honor of driving her "Rose," a 1941 Ford half-ton pickup truck redesigned with a breast cancer awareness theme.
The Golden Oldies show will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at the State Capitol Complex. Vehicle registration fee is $10. Entrants must be present to accept any awards or prizes.
Association members expect more than 400 vehicles in the show, including classic Corvettes, antique vehicles, hot rods, street rods and more.
Although Nan's truck is still a work in progress, it's road worthy and ready to be presented for the first time at the show.
Furthermore, it's a real labor of love.
The pickup named Rose has been remade into a breast cancer awareness truck by her husband, Steve, and members of the association.
Nan was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and this past November she learned the cancer had returned, this time in her liver.
When members of the association - all 17 of them - heard of Nan's struggle, they pulled together to help Steve finish the project.
"It was a good work project for the club," said vice president David Townsend.
The truck was already dismantled and the rolling chassis pretty much complete when club members descended on Steve's garage in January and hauled off the fenders, running boards, cab and bed.
Townsend worked on the front and rear fenders and running boards, while Ron Fortner, Golden Oldies president, finished the cab and doors in his Ravenswood shop.
Club member Ted Thomas had the bed and hood in his shop in Falling Rock while Ron Jones has worked with the members at the Glovers' South Charleston home.
Dennis Scott, Roger Sharps, Charlie Schoolcraft, Cliff Messer, Ken Walker and Ray Kinder also have helped when needed.
"I've had a lot of fun with these guys," Nan said. "I've fixed them a lot of lunches since they came together to help in January. Every time they were here to work, I'd make sandwiches, a pitcher of tea and some kind of dessert. It was the least I could do and it was great to have them here helping."
While the truck parts were worked on at different club members' garages, everything came back to the Glovers' garage for the final assembly.
The modifications included rebuilding the old 221 flat-head engine to a 239 type, then painting the truck hot pink, adding the 1940s steering wheel, running fuel and brake lines, installing new power window units and some new window glass and getting the transmission shifter set up.
Club members stripped the truck bed and removed all the unusable sections. They added a whole new front panel and rear cross member and fabricated a couple of patch panels.
"Ron Jones did an outstanding job preparing and finishing the new wood for the pickup truck's bed," Steve said. "Installation went very smoothly. We added stainless steel strips and carriage bolts and it was finished."
When the truck was ready to be tested, she was fired up.
"We let her idle for a while, checked the fluid levels and so on. Then one thing led to another and she was off the lift," Steve said. "Nan got the honor of driving her out of the garage. She hasn't stopped grinning since."
Members of the club who worked on the truck signed their names with a bright pink pen inside the engine compartment to give the truck even more special meaning to Steve and Nan.
For the car show at the Capitol, the association will sell commemorative T-shirts emblazoned with Nan's truck on the front. They will sell for $10 each.
"These guys in the club really did a great job," Nan said. "I really enjoyed their days in our garage helping us out with this project. I know we couldn't have completed it without them."
What a wonderful story !!! I'll be there Monday to see the truck! My prayers are with you !!
Reader(4:21pm 08-29-2008)
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How sweet of the guys to do that. It's nice to know there are still some good, wholesome people in this world. Nice ride Nan! Keeping you in my prayers for a complete recovery.
