My 1948 Chevy ½ ton truck served as a county road department vehicle in the high desert of Nevada. The previous owner replaced the original 216 c.i. engine with a rebuilt 1955 235 c.i. truck engine. The original radiator is long gone. The current radiator in use is a Harrison, stamped R-11 with 49A (1949 January production) on the driver side. The passenger side is stamped 3118967. The radiator cap is an after-market that reads DO NOT OPEN HOT and OPEN SLOWLY. They all work well together–no complaints from me. I hope I am not jinxing myself with this post!
I am striving for originality. What radiator and cap would this truck have left the Oakland assembly line with April 1948? Would a work truck in the Nevada high desert been outfitted with a different radiator and cap? What radiator and cap would the 235 c.i. truck engine been paired with coming off the assembly line in 1955?
