I'm unable to find many parts for these things on Summit Racing. Where do you guys usually look for parts for the chevys? Those c pillar windows are really cool. Is that the difference between the '3 window' and '5 window?' It would be cool to have those side windows that you can rotate forwards to act like an air scoop. Also I'm 6'3" and I remember someone said the chevys have more room inside. Am I going to get cramped in one of these beauties?
jim carters,brothers trucks,cl***ic industries,chevs of the 40's,bow tie bits,lmc just to name a few...theres tons of them...not gonna find much at summit...you should also check in on the ad truckers section of this site....whid
Another thing you may notice; while comparing Chevy and GMC trucks of the same year, the GMC trucks seem a bit fancier. In reality though, a GMC is just a Chevy with lock washers. Just kidding, the GMC was the upscale version.
I'm an old guy and still have my first series '55 Chevy 3100. Now it has a Mustang clip on the front with a 261 that has been heated up a bit. The others changes? Disc's all the way around, a brake booster and a Gear vendors hydraulic overdrive. Good runner, daily driver and fun to mess with the V-8 folks. Normbc9
taiden you will also notice on the 54 and 55 1st series is the grill and the windshield is different. The bed rails are different as well, flat top.
Hey I just wanted to thank everyone for the help in this thread. I have a lot to think about, and now my eyes are on the lookout for old farm trucks! I just have one more question, what is the bed length in the AD chevy's. I tried a search but couldn't find any info. Is there a site that has a list of bed lengths for all trucks?
You can't go wrong with any late '40s/early '50s pickup. Whatever you find, be it Ford, Chevy, GMC, Studebaker, Dodge, or International, is a good choice if you find one that is reasonably solid, straight, and complete. Of the trucks in that time period, the AD Chevy/GMC ('47-1st series '55) have the roomiest cabs, although all makes were starting to build roomier and more comfortable cabs by 1950. The F-1 Ford cabs were a little roomier that the '40-'47 cabs. The AD Chevy/GMC made a huge jump in interior room compared to the '41-'46 cabs, which were very cramped. International came out with a new body style in '50 that made a similarly huge increase in interior room compared to the '41-'49 cabs. The "Pilot House" Dodges are good trucks as well, only drawback was that Dodge was the last holdout with a side opening hood (Ford was the first truck to have a front opening hood, starting in '38). They are all built on a straight ladder type frame with parallel leaf springs front and rear, beam front axle, and side steering. All of them are geared too low for comfortable cruising, so figure on swapping rear ends no matter what you build. By the late '40s, they all had more modern design steering boxes that drive well if they are not worn out (the F-1 Ford boxes are still sought after by people building Model A and '32-'34 Fords). If the king pins and bushings are good and the steering box is in good condition, these old trucks drive surprisingly well. Not like a sports car, but not like a two horse wagon, either. I've seen several AD Chevys on S-10 frames, along with a fair number of F-1 Fords, so I know it can be done. Advantages: It comes with a rear end geared for the highway, front disc brakes, and independent front suspension (everything the same as mid-size GM rear wheel drive cars of the '70s-'80s, many came with power steering, any tire store can align the front end, it sits lower than the stock frame and suspension even after you put 15" wheels on it, all ch***is parts are readily available, and it's easy to mount a small block Chevy in it without the clearance issues around the steering box that you'll have with a stock AD Chevy frame. Disadvantage: It's going to be harder to get your front sheet metal to fit right with even gaps if you're using a non-stock frame. What's true of the AD Chevy/GMC will pretty much hold true of any late '40s/early '50s pickup on an S-10 frame.
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