Regarding 47-55 Chevrolet & GMC panel-body questions:Her eis what I know…
~Barn doors in rear~
~It has the sliding Suburban side windows.
*((Q?=I have been told some were panels, converted to "Suburban" ambulances, and had
fixed side windows? Is this accurate?).
Post photos of the details of the windows. Most converted panel trucks had either stationary windows installed or sliding windows installed by the convertor (as used in a school bus) and these sliding windows are distinctly different from 47-55 Suburban windows.*((Q?=I have been told there were NO ¾ ton ‘burbs…true?
…So if you see one that IS ¾ ton, it was a converted panel, and should have FIXED side
windows that don’t slide…?))
There were no 3/4 ton Suburban or Panels. If it is a 3/4 ton is is truly a conversion. It might have originally been a:
3602 Chassis w/Flat-Faced Cowl (no windshield)
3612 Chassis w/Windshield Cowl (no cab)~It has the little "bump" roof vent on the center of the roof.
~(2) Tag/taillights, one on each rear cargo door.
(I thought it was an early add-on, but there is a 1952 GMC that has been a popular topic on the Jalopy Journal's
www.thehamb.com for a long time.
He says his, too was a 1952 GMC (now has a Chevy front clip), and he sanded the paint off, lowered it, etc. ...
BUT - It Also has the 2 lights on the rear doors, and the same roof vent in place.
The bump in the roof and the different tail lamps are indicators or a conversion and/or aftermarket "enhancements". Conversions built on the following, might have easily had a "bump"
XX02 Chassis w/Flat-Faced Cowl (no windshield)
XX03 Chassis and Cab
XX12 Chassis w/Windshield Cowl (no cab)*((Q?=Did all Suburbans sent to be outfitted for Ambulances have grey linoleum instead of the brown?...reason is, I have seen 3-4 unrestored ones over the years in this body style that did.))
It is doubtful that a Suburban was converted to an ambulance or "crew bus" (a Suburban cost 20% more than a panel). Panels were converted for these purposes for the military and for business like lumber companies (to move crews around). Grey linoleum would have been used by the convertor. Chevrolet and GMC used brown/tan linoleum or black linoleum, depending on the year.If you find a 1/2 ton ambulance or "crew bus" that truly has Suburban windows and appropriately-colored linoleum for that year, then it could certainly have been a conversion of a Suburban. One more Suburban clue would be the cab-floor platform for the front seats. The Suburban platform only goes 2/3rds of the way across the front (and is missing where the passenger "jump seat" would have been.
A clue as to whether the conversion was built on a panel-body frame or the other commonly used models (XX02 Chassis w/Flat-Faced Cowl (no windshield), XX03 Chassis and Cab, or XX12 Chassis w/Windshield Cowl (no cab)) would be the subtle differences between a panel-body frame and other 1/2-ton or 1-ton frames (which are missing panel-body-frame gussets).
