I'm glad you didn't get it.
It couldn't be a simple cab swap however, since the driver side cowl vent wasn't used on 1953 cabs.
We know that the frame isn't a 1 ton frame so that part of the title description is incorrect as well. It doesn't appear that any part of the vehicle has anything to do with the title.
I'd be inclined to think that the entire truck might be a 1947 model with an illegally attached id plate, or that some previous owner sold more than one truck and got the titles mixed up.
If no one ever inspected the truck, no one , including the government , would know.
The cab is certainly from a truck that was manufactured earlier than 1953 - though I can't easily decipher the production orders on the Old GMC Trucks chart, it looks to be from a '47 or '48. I think that's been established. Same with the 1/2 ton frame. While I can't physically verify the ID plate has been illegally swapped, I also can't rule out that the early cab was simply swapped onto a 1/2 ton truck of unknown year (perhaps a '51). It is titled and currently registered here in CA, so the discrepancy apparently has not caused an issue. It's probably worth noting that we don't have inspections in CA, and the closest thing to that - "smog checks" are only required on 1976 and newer models.
All that said, I agree that there are significant unknowns, and this just exceeds my tolerance for risk at this time. I do have to say that although it is far from original, the combination of quirks (under floor fuel tank, handbrake, uncommon floor shift, cowl vent, and full door windows) make this a truck I'd almost rather have than the way they came.
