1949 vs 1954
There are differences, but you can judge which is better.
You might assume that 1954 would have improvements over 1949?
1949 -vs-1954
low pressure, babbitted rods 216 (up through 1953) -vs- high pressure insert rod bearings 235
4.11 rear end (up through 1953) -vs- 3.90 rear end
huck brakes (up through 1950 in 3100s) -vs- bendix brakes
cloth-covered wiring (up through 1952) -vs- plastic-covered wiring
The 1954 bed/tail-gate is redesigned (and became the standard "step side" bed design for many years).
Many more color combinations in 1954 - interior and exterior.
As ykp53 noted: there were many cosmetic changes in 1954.
It seems odd that GM made the cosmetic changes, since major changes in design would show up a year later (in late 1955).
