hi, my name is kyle, and i have a 1951 3100 1/2 ton PU i am in the process of resto. I was wondering if all 1951 1/2 ton trucks has the vent windows in 1951. My doors do not. The serial number shows that the truck is a 51, plus the title says 51, along with the two previous owners. I wasnt sure if some has changed the doors for some reason or another before i purchased the truck. Thanks ________ XV750
Hi There , NOOB ! Hi Kyle ; WELCOME ! AFIK , all '51s came with vent wings , they a good thing to have if you drive in summer or winter . If you look inside your doors you'll be able to see some original paint color and shade , match it up with the firewall to figure out if they're original or changed
They started putting the vent windows in 1951. You probably have some doors off of a 47-50. They will all interchange and even had the same turn down style door handles that didn't change until 1952 to the push button style.
they have turn style handles, all of the paint matches, was painted black at some point, but shows the orignal forester green everywhere with the same signs of wear. i have read that the vent windows were intro'd during the 1951 year, but some came without, kind of like an early 51, and a late 51 model. I called the previous owner and they told me that due to the war (Korean?) the trucks were made every other year and it could have been on the tail end of 1950 and sold as a 1951. It is hard to tell if anyone has actually researched what they put on the internet so I try to take it with a grain of salt. I have the truck almost completely disassembled and have had no signs of anything but original everything. ________ Bmw Ohv V8 Engine
basically, all of the small differences between years resemble a 1950, but the serial number comes up showing a 51. ________ Vapor Genie Review
Hey Kyle, welcome to the group. Thank you for your comment about believing everything you read on the internet. The net is only as good as the person or people who wrote it. I'm old school and don't believe half of what i read on this www dot thing. However, if it's on the net and is "authored" by Mr. Nathan Hall aka vwnate1, take that to the bank! And BTW everyone, tell Nate Happy BD (last Saturday). Here is a possible theory on your truck without ventipanes. It is possible that your truck was built in '50, but not sold until '51 and thereby given a '51 serial number and title. Stranger things have happened. The neatest part about these trucks is the fact that most part are interchangeable and you can make it whatever you want it to be. If you are a purist and you want vent windows, by all means get you some. If all want to make it appear older (47-50), leave the vents off. The most important thing is to do what makes you happy. We kid each other alot, but love to see everybody on this site having fun and sharing their knowledge with each of this.
i feel the same way about interchanging parts. However, I am in a dilema. I love the cozy windows and want them, but the pre 51 doors I have are in PERFECT shape. I will propbably stick with these good doors, and if i find a great deal on other doors i may switch. Thanks for your help everyone ________ Plymouth Breeze Specifications
Hey Kyle, here's one more thing to check. See if you have a side cowl vent on the driver's side of the cab. '50 was the last year that they put them there because the vent windows did away with the need for them.
I love it, I learned something else new today All this time I thought that my truck was a 1950. Boy I guess I am wrong. I had vent windows and no vent in the left cowl. Only the vent in the upper cowl. So now I don't know what my truck is, no vin or anything. Oh well all of that stuff would not have stayed anyway and I'm titleing my truck as a 48 so I can get into more shows with it. Hey Kyle welcome to the site, you'll love it here. By the way I have a set of vents that are in good shape out of my truck if you want them for yours. They will need new glass because these are smoked. If you want them you can have them for the cost of shipping. Let me know. I don't have pics of them right now and my truck is 2Hrs away but dad is coming down this sunday and I can have them here if you want them.
can you just add in the vent windows to a non vent window door? I thought there was a little shelf piece of metal to hold it on. ________ Z50M
I don't see why that you couldn't maybe weld in a bracket inside of the door to hold the vent in. The vent is made as the vent window and the window track all in one peice. I would think you might could get it to work. I'll look inside of my door when I see it next and see how it is made inside. It's been 2 years since that I took them out. Maybe some one else may know how to put them in.
Draft Or No Drafts ? The doors are different , it'd be easier and cheaper to swap out a pair of doors and there a bunch of good Forester Green ones out there~ remember , the big trucks used the same cabs and doors... Also please to remember : back in the day , Chevy would make you a truck or car how you wanted it ~ example : I once owned a one owner 1963 Chevy II Nova Supersport , RPO # 347 . It had a 6 banger (naturally) and a three on the tree shifter ! why the heck some lady in Kansas special ordered a Super Sport with Console Delete , God alone knows but she did , I I had the all original matching numbers car ~ it was just a cheapie used car , I drove it awhile then re-painted it and sold it off . Vent wings are crucial to good ventilation , this is prolly why the truck I found in good shape was of course , a pre- '51 with a new (albiet cheapo) paint job and perfectly hung doors , making it impossible for me the swap out the doors for some with ' No Drafts " (original name for vent wings) . If your doors open and close well , think VERY hard before changing them or even dismounting them as the body jig work on these trucks was notoriously bad . Lastly , don't listen to Ken ! I couldn't dazzle him with brilliance so I (apperently) baffled him with bulls**t Anyway , enjoy your truck ! .
To vent or not to vent I have a 48 truck that had a good original door on the right and a badly beaten door on the left. I did, however, have a good door from a 51 that had a vent. I took the vent out and had a piece welded in at the bottom of the cardboard door panel internal to the door where the raising/lowering hardware had to fit. This was a pretty easy retrofit. I would think that trying to install a vent in an earlier door would be extremely difficult to get right. You would have to do some cutting at the window opening and, without a pattern, it would be guesswork. My opinion would be to leave it like it is. It will be a great conversation starter if you take it to any show or if some old codger (I am 50 so I would be one of these at least to my kids. the next level is crusty old fart) stops you in the parking lot and tells you that you ahve a 50. You can say that yours is unique. The other reason is, if you ever want to install air, then you don't really need the vents. Anyway, that's my thinking.
i think ill stick with the doors i have, due to them being so nice already. I have removed them already, since the pickup is almost stripped to nothing. Thanks for the clarification ________ Marijuana vaporizers
i finally got around to paying attention to the driver side cowl, i do NOT have one. It has had the doors replaced or it is a bastardized truck from leftover parts between 50 and 51. I love it either way though ________ Fcx clarity
And you should love it anyway! How boring would this world be if everybody had the same daily driver, the same restostored truck etc, etc. Go out and have fun. Do your thing and don't worry about it. I like mine the way i'm doing mine, Zig likes the way he's doing his, Nate's driving his everyday, we're wishing we could and will someeday. Just think about what you want and go with it. The evil tequila has loosened my tongue tonight but i still think that it's cool to dream about your ultimate ride and make it happen.
thanks, by the time i am done with it, itll be a daily driver, and very capable of a cross country driver, yes i said cross country. I may end up in Texas someday, definitely to colorado. ________ Vapir No2 Vaporizer
Hey Kyle, if you do decide to come down to Texas, i'd be glad to put you up for the night. I'll even make my wife pull her car out of the garage, so you can put your truck in there over night!
I was in the same boat ~ wanted vent wings but bought a truck with good doors , new paint and NO vent wings ~ it ventilates O.K. as-is , the crotch cooler helps a lot in summer , makes me curse in winter when it bleeds cold air on my legs... You're right , these AD's are very good cross country rigs , I love to tour in ine .
