Greg Lampman's 1942 Chevy 1.5-Ton 4 x 4 NAVY Panel Truck

04 June 2007
# 1964

From Greg :

          Last year, I just finished my 1942 1.5-ton 4 x 4 NAVY Chevy panel truck. I thought you might want some pictures of this truck to add to your Gallery. It is all stock except for a TBI 350 Chevy motor and a New Venture 4500 (5) speed transmission. I found the WWII 1-ton trailer in northern California independent of the truck.

          Two weeks ago I did go 4-wheeling at Camp Roberts Military Base where I did at least a 45% climb with the truck with no problems at all. In fact I stopped half way up and shifted to second gear and continued to climb.

General History of the Chevy Panel Truck in WWII

          The panel truck was used mostly by the Signal Corps for radio trucks. The trucks were outfitted with a SCR-299 radio equipment set. The Signal Corps designated the truck as K-51. The one ton trailer, with a PE-95 generator, was designated K-52. The exterior of the panel trucks had cabinets on both side, wire reels of wire and antennas. There were a limited amount of cases where the panel trucks were used as a NAVY truck. The intended use of the panel trucks is in question. The possible uses could have been cargo, ambulance or radio trucks. The NAVY panel trucks were not outfitted with the external equipment that the K-51 trucks had on them. The use as an ambulance could have been possible, but because of the height of the bed and the fact that it is a 1.5-ton truck makes it a bit hard to use.

History of this Panel Truck

           Our panel truck was used by the NAVY from 1942 to 1954. Where the truck was stationed is not known. The Lampman family bought the truck in 1967 in Southern California. It was used off road in the California’s deserts until 1971. From 1971 to 1992 the truck sat unused and in a state of decay. In 1992 the truck was moved from the desert to San Luis Obispo County (CA) where restoration began. Restoration was completed in 2006 when it took its first trip to the 1st. annual Camp Roberts MVCC encampment.

          The original NAVY paints were olive drab green, yellow, and the last was gray. All the colors had the same markings in the same location. The markings were “NAVY 250417.”

Truck Specifications

Designation - 1942 Chevrolet G-7105 Panel Truck 4 x 4, 1.5-Ton, Production NG

Production Numbers for Chevy Panel Trucks - YG  1940 to 1941 = 55 units | YZ   1941 to 1942 = 140 units | *NG  1942 to 1943 = 1334 units (our truck)

Manuals - TM 10-1461 and SNL- G-85

General Panel Truck Specifications --

Wheel base 145” Length over all 221 3/16” Width over all 86 11/16” Height over all 93” Wheel tire size 900 x 20 Wheel rim size 20” x 7” Crew size (bucket seats) 2 Weight of cab 6,760 lb. Weight gross 10,080 lb.

Ground clearance 11 7/8” Pintle height 30¼” Approach angle 45% Departure angle 30% Minimum turning radius 29.5 ft. Fording depth 34” Maximum grade ascending ability 56% Fuel tank 30 gal. (10 miles to the gallon)

Engine Specifications - Original engine was an in line 6 cylinder 235 cu. in. New engine is a Chevy 350 cu. in. throttle body injected (TBI)

Transmission Specifications -

Transfer Case - Original two speed   -   High speed  1 to 1 / Low speed  1.9411 to 1

Greg and Karey Lampman