As I was leaving the auto parts store, I noticed this rig parked at the neighboring elementary school. It’s gotta be somewhere between 1949-54, but I can’t peg it exactly… anybody know for sure?
The chrome in front really dresses this truck up nicely. Wonder where they ever managed to find a push bumper for it?
I may not know the exact year, but one thing is for sure: this rig is mighty impressive for being sixty-some years old and still wearing “farm use” plates. Wonder why it was parked at the school, in the employee lot no less? Either somebody has a hobby farm, or just has good taste in trucks.
Sure, it was a little rough around the edges – but other than where it’s trying to rust through, that age merely adds to the charm of seeing it still doing its thing.
This is a farming community – has been for many years, and still is today. Thus, it’s not hard to picture this truck in its prime, rolling down the same streets and roads that it does today. The elevator that once stood near here may be long gone, but perhaps it’ll be making a stop at the Co-Op farm store after its owner gets off work.
I can’t pin the year right off of my head but I think it was about a decade before GMC introduced those monstrous 300-400+ c.i. V6’s. Those engines would make a great CC article. A 478c.i. V6… I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.
I’d say ’48-’50.
We covered the GMC V6 here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1963-gmc-pickup-the-very-model-of-a-modern-v6-truck-engine/
And the V12 version here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/the-gmc-twin-six-v12-702-cubes-275-hp-at-2400-rpm-630-ft-lbs-at-1600-rpm/
On the year, if it were a Chevy instead of a GMC, the vent windows and push-button door handles would say 1952, so I suspect that’s the case here also.
I remember seeing medium-size GMC’s with those 8-hole wheels that I think were unique to that make.
I’ve often thought about buying an old sugar beet truck just so I can commute to work in it; the thought of parking that in the teacher staff parking lot makes me giggle. Alas, I’d also have to park it in the home driveway, and that’s just not going to work.
I would seriously love to own one like this slightly later model – color and all (same orange as my ’60 Chevy shortbox stepside was). If a rig as clean as this one ever crossed my path, and the price was low enough, it’d almost certainly be going home with me.
It was featured on Hooniverse some time back: http://hooniverse.com/2012/08/19/hooniverse-weekend-edition-a-1957-chevrolet-snub-nosed-truck-on-craigslist/
Fortunately, driveway space would not be a problem here 🙂
Plus, I know from experience that a Chevy C70 easily fits through my garage door. So I’d be good for height – plus, one as short as this would easily fit length-wise.
Here is the ‘after’ photo
What a beauty. Also likely to be quite a beast to drive. No power steering or brakes, and probably not really happy above about 45 mph.
Hmmm… Two-piece windshield, wing windows, what appear to be push-button door handles… I’m gonna say a ’52 or a ’53.
And I love Old Trucks Parked In Inappropriate Places… sounds like a country song. A neighbor of mine has an old ’52 or so Chevy pickup parked nice and crooked in front of the Highfalutin’ Condominiums where I live. It’s pretty rough looking, with typical Pacific Northwest moss growing in every available crevice, but it has nice, shiny new bumpers and brand-new license plates. I imagine it drives the image-conscious folks on the Highfalutin’ Condo Board crazy.
Actually Mike, I was going to say ’51-’53 based on the vent windows, 2-piece windshield and push-button handles…but I forgot the push-button handles came out for ’52 so ’52-’53 is the time frame.
Yeah, I forgot about the vents and the door handles….
My experience in finding these trucks still in service is that the year is hard to pin down, unless you talk to the owner or antique plates give the model year (permitted in Virginia).
There is so much mixing and matching possible — in this case, the gas filler on the passenger side suggests an earlier model, but the vent windows and push-button door handles are evidence of the later models.
I like all of these Advance Design pickups, classic beauties that they are.
I always like to see ancient trucks like this still doing an honest days work. It’s amazing how long these things lasted considering most were flogged like rented mules their entire service lives. There was a trade off though, these things took a lot of effort to drive and a long day of hauling in one left you feeling pretty flogged yourself.
I’ll bet this one has a 248 or maybe a 270 jimmy in it. Couple that to a 4 speed with a granny low gear and you could haul anything that would fit on the truck. Just not quickly.
Great find.
51 52 it looks about the size of a A3 Bedford
Separated at birth?
1930 actually,
My gut feeling, it is a 54 because of the grill. The grill has fewer but larger horizontal bars than the earlier models throughout every size of these trucks. I was 10 years old at the time and I noticed stuff like that.
That truck looks pretty good for a lifetime in Minnesota. But then those old farm trucks probably had little need to spend much time on salted roads. Count me as another fan of these.
Love those Advanced Design trucks. My dad had ’52 Chevy pickup, have fond memories of riding around in it.
I saw a few of these for sale while driving through Oklahoma for a pretty good price of below $5,000 and I even saw a few driving around. When I was in Virginia City, Montana last year a guy producing a movie drove a 6500 version of the Chevrolet Advance Design with a home made wooden version of a Quonset Hut on the back. He told me that either due to low compression or gearing (or maybe even the weight) he could only drive 30 MPH all the way from Washington. I love looking at these trucks and there is one in a farmer’s field in the suburbs of Clackamas; really weird to see a field and that immobile truck in that setting.
Considering this is Minnesota I am surprised there is not more rust on this truck and of course there is a Buick in one of the photos. Upper Midwesterners love their Buicks from what I hear.
I worked on the last remaining farm in our St. Louis suburb when I was 14 & 15 (1972 & 73). The farmer had a 1950 Chevrolet 1 ton stake truck with hydraulic dump that looked very much like the subject vehicle, even the same color. I got to drive it on the farm property before I had my license. Loved the foot starter next to the accelerator pedal. And you had to be strong to steer it, especially at low farm speeds.
The next job was at a gas station that had a ’50 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup used for jump startnig and parts chasing. I had my license then so got to drive it frequently. Same straight six, granny low 4 speed and foot starter as the farm truck – slow and very reliable. The pickup had worn king pins resulting in about a quarter turn of steering wheel play, so it was a challenge to keep it in a straight line.
Speaking of farm trucks, here’s one I’ve had since I was a little guy – made by Asahi in Japan in the 50’s. It appears to be a Ford mislabeled as a “Chevrolet.” I can’t contribute much to the truck discussion this week but keep looking for someone to post toy and model versions – maybe this post will start a trend. I have quite a lot of toy trucks from my youth packed away in boxes but this small one is out on a book shelf.
That sure does look cool!