So... I just sold my restored 1946 2 ton to a member on here and it is in great hands in Arizona. I also sold my 1940 GMC 1 1/2 ton this week and I found a 1938 1 1/2 ton on the local CL and I was able to work out a trade for a piece of equipment that I didn't need or have a lot of money in. It is surprisingly in very good condition. Not sure if I will keep it or sell it. I will at least find a starter to bolt on it and see if I can make it run!
It is very solid. Probably the least amount of rust of any old truck I have ever owned. Grill is in poor condition.
It looks to be factory. I own a 40 GMC 1 1/2 ton, a 41 Chevy COE 2 ton and just sold a 46 2 ton. I don't have a lot of experience with these "older" trucks. I have a few other projects to get wrapped up before I touch this one. I was thinking about selling this one as well, but after looking it over today, there are a lot of features that I really like about it that I haven't seen on the later trucks. Just little details with how the doors open, how they close, body lines etc.
My big search will be a grill. I might make one....
I traded a piece of equipment that I had that was not being used. I didn't have any money in it, so that was a plus. I'm not sure if this one will stay or not. I do like a lot of the little details it has. Something that my newer (1940, 1941 or 1946) trucks don't have. The body lines are more detailed. The dash is really great. The interior door handles and pull handle.... It just seems like it was more thought out. Looks to be an original green cab.
Very solid and certainly less rust than any of the other trucks.
Thinking of finding a 5 cylinder manual trans Chevy Colorado to use the engine and transmission out of. Leave the rest the same.
It will sit for now until I make up my mind or someone makes me an unreasonably big offer to buy it!
Since I'm use to seeing a one piece windshield on my 37 pickup I didn't realize the big truck was a two piece in '37. I once had a 1 1/2 ton 37 big truck but its been to long ago to remember if it had split windshields? Thanks for the pics. Oh, and those inside "handles" to open the door and the ones on the first Corvette are alike..... I think!
The split windshield seems to be original, but someone else has suggested that it should be one piece. I have not seen another other images of a 38 with a split windshield nd with it being flat from left to right, I would have to believe it is supposed to be one piece....
sweet looking old truck! Too bad people use stuff like this for target practice. At least it looks like maybe they just shot the 2 pieces of the windshield (made it look like pupils)
I believe the holes in the windshield and broken side and rear glass could have been done by a previous owner wanting to make sure that someone replaced the glass with safety glass. I remember my grandfather doing this on cars he sold to insure they were kept safe....
It looks like it is missing a headlight lens. I have a couple of those '37-'38 headlight lenses in pristine condition that I mistakenly bought for my '36 when I was restoring it in the early 1970s. I still have the '36 and the headlight lenses if you are interested. The inner door panel on your '38 sure looks a lot like my '36.
Well, reality sat in and I ended up selling this truck locally to a guy. After talking with him for a bit, I really tried to talk him out of it as I don't think he understood what was involved in getting this road worthy... I thought I was close to keeping him from buying it, but he came back for the purchase anyway!
I knew I wouldn't get to it anytime soon. I think I will sit my sights on an early Diamond T when its time.
