The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Prices for 1940's trucks when NEW??

Does anyone have accurate pricing information for the 1941-46 time period? I am especially wanting to know what a 1946 ton and a half truck might have sold for in those days. Thanks for any help...

Do not know about the 1 1/2 ton, but My 1946 1/2 Ton sold new for $963.00.
Harold

http://www.oldride.com/library/1946_chevrolet_3100.html

What series 1.5 ton 1946 truck are you interested in?

I have a ton and a half farm truck with a grain bed. I was not aware that there were any 'series' associated with this model. For what it's worth, I 'think' I have a 1946.1 model. It has the same body and appearance as the 1941 and later models, but it's always been titled as a 1947. I'm pretty sure that my Dad bought it new in the spring of '47, but it's NOT the same style as the other '47s...it's SO much cooler...[Grins] This has been in our family since new...been in storage for the last quarter century and is just now being restored...neat to hear it running again...

Thanks for that interesting link to pickups...time$ and dollar$ $ure have changed..!

It was probably made between Jan and Apr of 47. I have a one ton that is a 47 but has the Art Deco (41-46) style.

The Advanced Design trucks weren't manufactured unti May of 47.

Use the VIN buster and it should give you the details.

Thanks for your response....and I just tried the VIN Buster but the results are not what I expected. I have a bunch of the old registration cards with an ID number on them...I've assumed that was the VIN...since it does not change from year to year. That number is DGA591119...which gives screwy results...no year or plant, and says its a van with stake sides...none of this is correct. I need to have another look at the ID plate I guess. I see one just to the front of the passenger's seat on the firewall...it's pretty faint, but now with the truck in better light, maybe that will shed some new facts.

Other than that, I think you are absolutely correct about the time period in 47 when this truck was made/purchased. For us, that would have been not long before harvest and I think my Dad had put his name on the waiting list for one during WW II..

I like the vintage styling of this model with its "Waterfall" grill a LOT better than the AD ones...am I sorta biased?? Yep..

And...I just loaded some pix to PhotoBucket that show some of the progress. Brakes are the next big item to fix..fairly important to have those in operation....!

I'm not yet sure about the preferred method of putting the PhotoBucket link on here, but clicking on my name and going to my "homepage" should get you there.

karma, that number is the engine number, which would be stamped on a pad near the distributor if it's still the original engine, back in the 40s nearly every jurisdiction used the engine number as a vin

also, back then, vehicles were dated as the calender year of first registration, not the manufacturers 'model year' .... it's a 47 1st series, which is identical to the 46

Bill

I have a 1946 price list but it is 20 pages.

If someone can tell me the series ("Units" number on this page), I'll scan and post the price list (dated 9-15-1946).

Here are some 1.5 ton truck illustrations.

I'll scan and post the prices for 4000 series trucks later today (I have to strip down two 1954 truck 235s this afternoon/evening).

red58...good info...the registrations I have are from '71 -'76 and '83. I do know that the original engine in this truck has been replaced...I did not live on the farm when this happened, but I remember being told that the replacement engine was a new, better, bigger one...so far I have not had the time to get the numbers off of this one...but will do so soon.

You are correct about it being a '46 style, but it was always referred to as "the 47 Chevy"...and the registrations all reflect that..

Now..tclederman...I have downloaded the document that you referred to, and I'm not positive which series this is. It's not an exact match for the 4409, but darn close. This has a grain bed on it which adds about a foot and a half, my fairly careful measuring of the WB came up with 162"...(I did not have a precise center point, but I did have a full length steel tape measure and tried to be as accurate as possible...and the tires on my truck are 7.50x20's. Maybe these variations were done because of the anticipated farm usage...or the tires could have been upgraded over its lifetime.

The overall length is 23'...the space in the shop where all of the mechanical work is being done is 24'...so, when they work on it, they push the rear end out of the door a few feet to give themselves some working room!


But...these are just minor points...I would appreciate anything you might have that would give me a close figure to the new price. I remember that we also bought a '47 Chevy Fleetline..and I think this was an "Actual '47"..it was 'loaded' then...which meant not much more than a radio and maybe hubcaps....and I think it was in the $1400 range.. I would expect the truck to be several hundred dollars more.. Thanks for the help from both of you...soon I should have all of this pretty much narrowed down...your postings are much appreciated..!

I'm pretty sure what you have is the 6409 on the next page.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/4664.htm

I'll scan and post the prices for 1.5 and 2 ton stake bed trucks.

Drydock,
What makes you think it is a 2-ton truck?
Would the springs be the main obvious difference?

Mostly because it came stock with the bigger engine as indicated by his VIN number, Along with the tires, wheels and springs. But we need the numbers off of his ID plate to be sure.

Drydock....that does look very close, the only thing I see amiss about it, is that it's listed as a 2 ton...and ours is a ton and a half. All of this sort of makes me wonder if maybe there was a special run of trucks that were "Farm Designed" and not actually listed anywhere? A few of the neighbors did have 2 ton models and they had a few things different about them...heavier, bigger engines, etc.

Drdock,

Where did you find information for the DGA preface on the engine serial number (in the "VIN" posted above by kskarma, DGA591119)? The various 1942 and 1946 codes confuse me (I am often confused).

Here is the 1946 Specifications Manual (dated 5-1-1946). The 1.5 and 2 ton tires/wheels could be the same (where does kskarma give information on the 2-ton springs you refer to?).


kskarma,

What is your block casting code and block casting date? Here are locations for 216 and low-pressure 235 codes.

Is there an ID plate on your truck?

Here are prices for 1946 1.5 and 2 ton trucks ("conventional" trucks, not COE trucks).

The date for that price list is dated 9-16-46; and, note the handwritten price increases in the pages (I do not know the date of the hand-writing).

More thanks about this entire subject...you have provided me with a ton of information, a big part of it is just where to look to find all of this...tclederman is NOT the only one who is a bit confused...'fessing up here...!!

Now that some of the very basic issues are behind me..getting an ignition key..(somehow over the last few dozen years, it was lost, misplaced, stolen or just simply evaporated)...new coil, fuel pump, carb kit..belts and hoses...I can look for more of this info. Since I know the truck's entire history, I know that none of the basic parts have been altered, with the exception of the motor...the 'dipper' gave up after about 20 years and hundreds of loads of wheat and cattle...so I am very interested in finding the "real story" about the one that is currently in the truck. I plan on 'visiting' it in the next few days armed with a flashlight and a digital camera...so I should be able to find...and record...a lot more....

Stay tuned...and thanks again...all of this is very interesting and super helpful. Come to Topeka and lend a hand if you want..!

Mea Culpa. I was thinking springs, but should not have typed it.

STovebolt has a 235 Prefix indicator http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/enginecodes.htm

However, I see that DG is not there. I could have swore . . . Guess I was thinking BG, which is the prefix on my 1945 OS. Never mind. We do need to see his Plate ID on the driver side firewall.