Hey guys, I am new to the forum and I was shown this site by a buddy of mine when trying to figure out the year of a truck I just aquired. My wifes father passed away and left me his old truck out back and working on finding out the year of it. I think it's a '47 but not 100% sure. I used the "Truck Years" link on the front page though. Here are a few pics: Thanks.
Welcome! First thing you need to do is box up the bumper guards and send them to me. Oh yeah, you won't be needing the visor over the windshield either so go ahead and send that too. Actually, those things are coveted so hang on to them. You will be glad you did. From what I can see '47 sounds about right. Is there a vin plate on the door jamb of the drivers side door? If so we can decipher the number and tell you what you have. Take your time and record what you have before you start ripping into it. Check the glove box and under the seat for any treasures (or hornets) carefully cause they will mean something to you later. Especially since this truck is from your family. Good luck on your journey. The fun has just begun!! Gater
Welcome to the group! Like gater said, if you can find the plate on the driver's side front pillar, you can tell. The serial # will start with a number, which represents the assembly plant. Then you'll see 3 letters, the first letter is the year, the second letter is the type of truck, the third letter is the month it rolled off the assembly line. If your first 2 letters are "EP", that would be a '47 1/2 ton truck. "F" would be '48, "G" would be '49, "H" would be '50. Where in Texas do you live?
I know its a pre 51 because it doesnt have vent windows. The drivers side cowl panel leads me to believe it is in fact a 47 or 48 truck, and that panel is going to be fun to find. But yeah check the VIN plate.
Oh, there's pictures of it? Dang, I hate these firewalls! Look under the truck too to see if it has tubular shocks. If it does, it is a '50 or newer truck. Does it have "Thiftmaster" under the Chevrolet side hood emblems? That would indicate '47 or '48. '49 (i think) and '50 (i know) had "3100" under the emblem (1/2 ton). With all that said, i better put a disclaimer in here. "This assumes that the truck is original and has not modified"
Welcome, BT! (For a minute there, I thought we had another brit!) Gater, that's only half a visor~ with the driver in mind. Looks like you'll have a fun project! Good luck with it.
Thanks guys. The truck as always been in my wifes family and so far from the members I have talked to this truck was never modified. Some parts I belive are in the bed so hopefully that vent is in there as well. The emblem says Chevrolet real big then I am almost positive it says thriftmaster under it. Not sure what speed it is but it does have the stick shift in the floor as well. Kens: I actually live in Lubbock The ID tag might be in or around the truck somewhere but last time I checked it had disappeared from it's original location. Mike
Stick shift on the floor means you have yourself a four speed muncie sm420toploader transmission. I am intimately familiar with these monstrously heavy chunks of cast iron...mine fell off the jack onto my hand smashing my finger. Finger is okay now and I don't hold any grudges against the muncie. Welcome to the forum, your truck looks like a great starting point. All the knowledge you need to make it right again can be found right here from all the great people on this site. Once again, welcome. We all look forward to more posts and more pics. Andy
Hey BT, I don't know how much time you have and how big your budget is but I will offer you this thought about the finish. There are people who would kill for that "patina". Do you know how much a custom paint job would cost to reproduce the look you already have? Whatever you decide to do you have help here. One thing we never run out of is opinions. Any little thing you need we have an expert. Like when it comes time to barbecue your breather we have an expert for that too. Right Andy? Gater
Come on, Andy~ take a bow! How many years (if ever) will it be that we let you off the swinging meat hook for that one??? BT... When it comes to painting, there really are lots of options! rattle rattle
Welcome to the group. I don't know your plans but I'm gonna vote HOT ROD. Well let me brush off all the stones thrown at me now. It's your truck so enjoy it. If I'm not mistaken I didn't think the 50-53 had the vent in the drivers side, only 47-49. So that may narrow it down a little. But what do I know I'd weld it shut and make it flush, there I go with hot rod ideas though.
Hot rod it! That way Gater might end up with a 235 for his new truck! (and a 4 speed that Andy would help him install...)
Welcome ! .....To the nuthouse ! . Pay no nevermind to thos goofball Hot Rodders , they don't understand what a real truck is all about . You'd best have a thick skin to be here as we like to playand some of the guys play hard , remember this when yiuget teased , O.K. ? it actually means they like you ! . Anyway , here's hoping it has a 6 banger under the hood , don't be in any rish to yank it out nor apart as they're incredibly well designed and unbelieveably well built so gatting a long dead one to run perfectly again is actually quite simple ~ 1st. thing : grab the lower pully and see if it turns by hand ~ it does ? you're 1/2 way home allready ! . Look in the older messaged under ' make run ' , ' tune up ' etc. for much detailed info as I've written many hands on , walk you through it posts , I'm about to go on vacation so I dunno if I'll be OnLine for the next little while or not . Right now , remove the spark plugs and fill the cylinders with ATF or Diesel fuel , that'll get the piston rings loosened up from thier long nap . Just Tires and others sell the proper size tires , tires are the key to being able to run with traffic.... LT215/85R16" IIRC , get a set of four and have 'em mounted up so you can roll the truck around .
Kevin, mine's a 1950, and it's got the drivers side vent. BT,a VIN tag would be a huge help, but either way it's a great looking truck to start with. By the way I kinda like the vintage hot rod look. A really nice resto is a beautiful thing also! Best advice ever is to get it running and enjoy it, then start working on it!..........Mike
I never would have thought the truck was older as I was just happy when I thought it was a 50s model. I am not sure which direction I plan to go with it as right now I am about done getting my 66 F-100 road worthy then I will turn attention to this truck. I am not a fan of 6 cyl motors but I have owned a few straight 6 engines and they sure can take a beating and keep on going. Unfortunatly the truck from what I was told used to still be in great shape besides the paint but one of the brothers allowed their kids to abuse it alittle so thats why you see a few dents,broken windows and the interior torn up. Here are a few extra pics I just took as well: Thanks, Mike
Whoa ! I see PTO controls and a trolly brake or dump release valve on the dash _plus_ the handbrake is on the tranny , this points to a '47 or maybe a 3/4 tonner.... (how many lug nuts per wheel ?) EARLY 216 there too with the oil filler cap on the Road Draft Tube (Andy's the resident expert on these ) . That nasty old fresh air heater under the hood will cause your truck to EXPLODE should you try to hook it up , better mail it to me for proper disposal.... seriously I want it if you don't . You truck is obviously on the cusp of junk , might be easier to Rod it at this point , if you dig the Rat Rod look (original rusty patina) be _sure_ to spray it with some satin clearcoat ASAP so it stops rusting.... Carter W-1 carby is original equipment too ~ . Please go thrash the kid who beat up this poor old defenseless truck Of course ifn' it was -mine- I'd spend a week doing brakes followed by a MAJOR tune-up and then I bet it'll drive right out of that field and go to work...
lol, it seems there are alot of parts on here that will cause certain distruction that needs to be "properly" disposed of. For sitting it seems to be in really good condition. I have been with my wife for 8 years and it's never had any attention paid to it so it could be alot worse. As for the lugs per wheel the only wheel I could really get to and feel comfortable of no wierd bugs or snakes was the rear passenger side. All the wheels still have the stock CHEVROLET chrome hubcaps as well but the rear tire had 8 lug nuts holding the wheel on. Thanks, Mike
My , That's a BIG One ...Congradulations , you have a 3/4 ton truck , this means begin looking for junked '67 ~ '72 GM G-series vans with automatics and buy the rear end complete , chuck in dry corner pf house/garage and use the pumpkin as a drop in part to get this old nail up to 65 MPH . So next time you see a rusted out ex-postal truck run into the ground as an ice cream truck or plumber's truck , you know , the ones with 257 brush paint jobs that only the latex house paint is stil holding it to-gether ? gaping rust holes and the dead engine in milk crates falling 1/2 way out the open back door hangine by one hinge? G van or P van , if it's a 3600 , GRAB IT ! . To me , (ex farm boy) your truck looks fine , I've resurrected dozens of oldies worse than this .
One more thing that says it is a 47 is the metal retainer strip that holds the weatherstripping in around the door. (Good eye, huh?) If you go the route of tearing down this truck you need to put these somewhere safe. I was amazed that when I finally found these strips they were $75 per door. Needless to say I did without. IMHO I would do what Nate said he would do. Work the brakes, fuel system and firing for a week or so and drive it out. A 5 gallon bucket turned over makes a good seat for this task. Just make sure small kids and animals are out of the way and that your wife has the video camera. You have a great project there. Gater
Who SAYS?! Who gave you permission to leave this site? Robert? I don't THINK so! Not at least until we have a chance to VOTE on that!
