(first posted 5/18/2015) How much do I love these Advance Design Chevy trucks? More than I will be adequately able to convey with mere words. I made a stab at it before and called it “America’s (and My) Favorite Truck“, in my earlier love song to its delightful curves, perfect proportions, timelessly simple grille, and practical upright cab. It’s just so damn perfect; what could one possibly improve? Even more so in this color, with the right amount of patina, and situated in front of another California classic. Sigh…
This truck lives with the ’68 Malibu we considered the other day. The two make a arresting pair, in their faded pastels against these California Spanish-style houses and a brilliant spring sky. Oregon is a great CC repository, but there’s no climate that’s more benign to old cars than the Bay Area: dry enough so there’s no moss and rust, and yet cool and foggy enough so they cars don’t fry in the heat and sun. After five or seven decades, the results are splendid, with the older truck having aged even better.
As a lover of honest patina, this one gets a very high grade. Under that perfectly shaped hood resides a 216 cubic inch six, one that gets some disdain from some quarters for its oiling system, yet all of my exposure to these trucks, including some very hard worked ones, has given me the sense that these engines are quite happy enough with a restricted oil diet. Or as a commenter pointed out a while back, the system of a combination of partly-pressurized aspects combined with well-designed splash oiling seems to do the trick well enough.
These sixes, with their reassuring gentle drone, powered millions of trucks, including quite large ones for decades. I’m thinking the whole “babbit-beater” epitaph might have been a well-concocted hate campaign underwritten by the competition, who might well have been jealous by the overwhelming market share dominance these “Advance Design” trucks enjoyed. Probably not.
I fell in love with these trucks as soon as we moved to the US in 1960, as there were so many still being used by farmer at the time. And in the early 70’s, they had been discovered by the hippies and wanna’ bees, especially as the whole movement turned back to the land. One could find seemingly endless numbers of them for $50 bucks back then. How many perfectly rust-free former CA farm trucks went to an early grave because they hadn’t yet become properly appreciated and were just driven to death?
That all changed soon enough, and needless to say, these have become more valuable. But if the right one, like this one, happened to have had a For Sale sign on it, this would be my truck. In lieu of that, I’ll just add it to my very long list of unrequited loves. But at or near the top.
More: CC 1951 Chevrolet 3100 Advance Design: America’s (And My) Favorite Pickup Truck
There is no denying that this is a beautiful truck, both now and when it sat in the dealer lot. I have no experience with the Chevy stovebolt, but as you describe it, wasn’t that Chevrolet (and GM’s) genius? Building a vehicle that may not have been the very best in any one thing, but was very good at everything and beautiful besides.
This truck is certainly iconic. I think the only contemporary truck that gives it any competition at all in looks is the Studebaker R series, but even then, the early version of the Stude R’s grille is not as attractive as this one. The rest (Ford, Dodge and International) all seem just a touch off in their proportions.
Had I been looking for a new pickup in the 1948-52 or so era, it would have been a touch choice, with no really bad options.
A nice old rig indeed ! .
The ‘ patina ‘ looks fake to me .
The 216 ‘ Babbit Pounder ‘ engine was and remains a wonderful , hard to kill , ready to work or play masterpiece .
Sadly , it’ll easily run on the open Highway pr Freeway faster than the ‘ Target Lubrication ‘ oiling system can keep up and that’s what killed off most of them ~ high speed use .
Similarly many decry the enclosed ” Torque Tube ” drive shaft but you find me any other work rig with original 50 + year old U-Joints then we’ll discuss if it’s a good or bad system .
I miss my ’49 3100 Advanced Design pickup truck .
-Nate
Torque tube drive & an inline OHV engine , Kinda makes it a working class Buick!
+1
A Chevy car was definitely a “baby” Buick. Torque tube was also the main reason that Dynaflow and Powerglide were developed, instead of using the existing Hydramatic with its abrupt shifts.
Quick fix here is to bolt in literally a Bedford truck motor 214 cubes its actually a British built Chevy but they had full pressure lubrication since 1930 and good for an extra 1000 rpm above the stovebolts maximum many an old chev was repowered this way and kept on the road,
I have a 1937 Chev sales manual here the first year of the advanced stovebolt motor and Chevrolet brag long and loud about the durability of Efficient oiling saying oil is forced into the bigend bearings at higher engine speeds with their pressure stream oiling system, Vauxhall.Bedford UK believed none of it and pressure fed the entire crankshaft and their trucks took a lot of time to wear out. 71 model J1 pictured.
We had one of them in town still delivering bottled gas from the hardware store until two years ago when the store changed hands. Those beasts seemed to run forever.
I’d take the 48 Chevy pickup truck any day over the 68 Chevelle. I’d upgrade a few things, but I’d keep as much of the truck as original as possible.
We had two 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe sedans when I was a kid (one driver, one future street rod basket case) that had the same engine. The 216 always started right away and got the job done, even after sitting for months at a time (the non-alcohol gasoline of the good-ol’ days lasted for years w/o going bad – I would add a gallon or two of fresh every year while the car was in storage and never had any carb issues).
However, if I were to drive a vehicle from that era, I would have to upgrade the brakes. To at least a dual-circuit master cylinder, preferably with power assist. I have driven enough manual-brake cars (even ones from the early 1970s with front discs) to know that I don’t like them – I never could get over that feeling that I wasn’t ever going to stop, each time I came up to a stop sign. But that’s just me. My brother converted his 1975 Pacer to power brakes, and I did the same to my now-wife’s 1975 Nova. Night-and-day difference in driveability IMO!
The closest I came to this particular truck was my grandpa owning a 1951 1-ton with a 12-foot tilting flatbed over dual rear wheels. He used it to haul way more bales of hay than could safely be carried on it (volume-wise), and my childhood photo album has the pictures to prove it. I got to ride in it a few times (with massive hayfever – it’s a wonder I can even remember seeing the darn thing) until he sold it in 1973 to buy the new-bodied 1973 Chevy pickup, which my dad still owns.
Power assist really is helpful/necessary with disc brakes, as they have no self-energizing action. But drum brakes normally require much less pedal pressure, and I actually prefer non-assisted drums over boosted ones, as they have a much more linear feel. Assisted drum brakes can be very abrupt, until one gets used to being extra gentle with the pedal. Many folks weren’t fond of them back then for that reason. And boosting them does nothing to actually overcome their fading tendencies.
Agreed on the assisted drums. My ’64 Cutlass had power assisted drums and they were very touchy. I actually removed the booster and swapped in a non-power master cylinder and it felt much better.
I too would take this truck over the Chevelle. So many cool old trucks, so little time (and money)!
The non assisted drums in my 70 C10 never required a lot of effort at the brake pedal, unless I drove through a deep puddle. If I did, I would ride the pedal until the water evaporated and hope I didn’t need to stop before they dried out. The 70’s style white spoked steel wheels probably let in more water than the stock wheels would have. I found that out the hard way, although I was able to change lanes and avoid a collision. That old Chevy is one sweet truck.
Our ’71 C10, however, had unassisted discs. That required a bit of leg muscle. I’m with Paul on the power drums, too touchy and no increase in actual stopping power. “Waterproof” (drum/backing plate labyrinth) drums only resisted splash, not full submersion, then died out more slowly.
I would love to have one and just enjoy looking at it or drive on private roads. I am spoiled by modern brakes, dual circuited; and collapsible steering columns. Having a rigid steer rod aimed right at me ….. is not my thing. Love the design and that tough I6 though.
A beautiful truck in an especially beautiful color. And in front of those Spanish-style houses–makes a fantastic scene!
I neglected to mention that all Chevrolet light duty pickups from 1937 ~ 1950 had ” Huck ” rhymes with _SUCK_ brakes ~ they were terrible when spec’d out to stop a 1937 Chevy Coupe from 50 MPH tops and dangerous when added to a pickup truck and just got worse when you loaded it up or towed with it .
Luckily the vastly superior Bendix brakes were adopted in the 1961 model year and are quite easy to install on one of these AD rigs .
Bendix Brake Parts are cheaper too .
-Nate
It’d be SO tempting to want one of these.
A popular conversion nowadays is to plop this body onto a 2wd S-10 frame. Instant cruiser or even a daily driver…complete with disc brakes.
Well only do that to trucks that have a rotted out frame.
Great shots! Nothing beats finding a prime curbside classic parked in front of an architectural classic.
These Advanced Design Trucks are my all time favorite trucks too. Followed closely by the 1955-57 Task Force and 1971-72 C/K series. (best facelift ever) This particular example is perfect, and is exactly how I would want mine to look if I were to buy one.
You know, as much as I hate the huge grills on modern pickups, this even larger one looks pretty good.
That shot of the two of them is something to behold.
Hi, Paul:
I recognize the houses – I grew up on this street, W. 16th Avenue in San Mateo. Specifically, the next block over, past Palm Ave. Lived here from 1969 to 1999 before moving to San Francisco and my current abode.
I lived in an in-law apartment over a large garage, while other members of my family lived in the main house. I sometimes miss living there because I had a larger garage and space in the alley to work on cars. No so much the case in SF.
There are quite a few CCs in Hayward Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.
Your website is great, BTW. It’s one of the few that I consistently visit.
-Dan
These trucks are gorgeous! There are quite a few of them in my neck of the woods (central VA) that come out to play when the weather is nice.
CC-effect again; I saw a two-tone green one when driving through a little country town on Saturday, it had been restored with some early type billet-looking rims. Of course it wasn’t there on the return trip a few hours later when I had the camera ready. There was a 1950s sedan parked nearby too, but I missed the shot of that.
Went for a dime a dozen when I was a kid. Unfortunately I wasn’t smart enough to come up with $.20 and hold on to a couple. I preferred the Ford or especially the Dodge of these years but don’t know how you could have picked a loser.
Very lovely looking truck indeed and they are not terribly common here in Portland, OR just like any 50s car. So, are we assuming this Thriftmaster’s paint is the original color?
The color of the sky in those bay area neighborhoods is just astounding. You are right Paul the cars take less of a sun beating up there. Thanks for the terrific pics.
Here’s one my wife caught a couple of years ago — “green on green.”
Grandpa bought a 3600 new in 1953 for the farm. It was “loaded” with custom cab (corner windows), push button radio, turn signals and an under dash heater. I remember when driving it that it felt uncomfortable going more than about 50mph. His property was cut in two when the freeway was built, so, under California law, I could legally drive between the two parcels long before I had a license. When he passed, a cousin nabbed the pickup before I could get to it.
These trucks were all over the midwest when I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s – they were tough and took a lot of abuse. My dad briefly worked for the old Indiana State Highway Commission in the 50’s and this was his work truck.
It has been said that these trucks are the Model T’s of their time, and I have to agree. They were everywhere. I’ve owned several old grain trucks in the 4100, 4400 and 6500 series in the ’47, ’48 ’49 and ’53 year ranges. Loved them all.
Perfect.
Remember when Old Navy had Advanced Design trucks on display? Anybody know what happened to them? Projects?
A dozen or so years ago, when Old Navy/Gap removed them from stores, there were some enthusiasts who talked about buying them. However, this wasn’t for the faint of heart, as these had no titles and were often cobbled together for static display only. No drivelines, often no wiring harness, and some repaired with wood and Bondo.
Ironically, the Duluth Trading Company near my house has an Advanced Design Chevy as part of a display. I wonder if it was a former Old Navy display truck.
Bass Pro Shops in Oklahoma City has one in a camping display.
@Donaldo ;
They were all auctioned off, after the first few the prices dropped dramatically because most of them had been dragged out of midwestern fields and had the engines and trannies removed by cutting torch and the frames were often paper thin ~ why they’d been abandoned .
I know a few guys who bought them and built a running truck, far easier to buy some old barely running smoking and rattling beater and nurse that back to health .
These don’t have V.I.N.’s on the frame although a few have serial numbers stamped into the cross member under the cab .
As Paul and others said, if you actually drove one of these that was in passable nick thy were fantastic light trucks .
-Nate
CC effect in full force – how does that happen!! We were away from home last week, heading down to Wellington, NZ’s capital city. Passing through a small rural town, there was a ’48 Chev pickup outside a builder’s workshop. It was brown, in good used condition, and loaded with ladder and building equipment. I saw it on the way home a few days later too – this time outside a house where building was occurring. No sign-writing on it, but obviously used by the builder as a mobile advertisement for his business. Very nice to see – I’d hire that builder!
The “Advance Design” gen got an interesting second life in Brazil from 1958 to 1964 from the various pictures I saw this Facebook page. https://fr-ca.facebook.com/pg/Chevrolet-Brasil-3100-e-6500-19581964-721549444564598/posts/
That’s actually kind of cool looking.