Someone pointed out to me that the bed on my truck wasn't correct. It's a 1946 Chevy 1/2 ton, and I'm trying to identify the year of the bed that came with it. Restoration will begin in the back half this summer, and identifying the year will be helpful. The picture from a book is from a dealer manual that I purchased a few weeks ago. It definitely doesn't look like the bed in my truck. Thank you!
You can't buy happiness but you can buy a truck...and that's pretty much the same thing.
My guess is the the bed is correct, but along the way the fender was swapped out with something different and the spare tire carrier assembly added to the side of the existing bed? Does left side fender have the same wheel opening bead? At first glance the fender shown resembles one from a ‘37 Chevy, but it appears to be too wide a bead. If recollection is correct the bead was also on ‘38’s? That bead is of course absent from later models.
What is the diameter of the curl at the top of the besides? As I recall it was about 1-3/8" before 1940 and increased to about 1-3/4" from 1940 onward. The stake pockets and tailgate latch area also changed over that time. A closeup of the rear stake pocket would help identify the year. What is the inside width and length of the bed area?
Thank you all for the replies! I typed one out yesterday, but I guess it didn't stick. I appreciate it!!
I just went and did some measuring... Keep in mind that he was a farm truck in his past life! The air blast elevator and a couple of other things have lead us to believe that someone worked him hard, but maintained him the best they could.
You can't buy happiness but you can buy a truck...and that's pretty much the same thing.
With the dimensions and new photos provided it appears that the bed sheetmetal is likely from a 37-38 Chevy. 39 and 40 beds had the "Chevrolet" script in the tailgate and the 40-46 beds were about 48-1/2" wide inside width and 78" length. I don't know about the fenders. Mar-K and other vendors have the correct reproduction 46 bed parts or assemblies available. Just be aware if you purchase a bed part such as a tailgate or front panel for a 46 it won't fit properly on your earlier bed. If you keep your bed and choose to repair it be aware that some of the 37-8 parts may have been modified or changed to fit the 46 frame.
@ Mark - Thank you so much for the information! I've put all of it in a text to myself so I can print it out for my binder.
@ Burning - Thank you! I'm only fixing what absolutely needs fixed because it's part of 'his' past. If I did anything, I'd love for the tailgate to be correct for a '46 but, like Mark pointed out, that would be tricky.
You can't buy happiness but you can buy a truck...and that's pretty much the same thing.
A ‘37 Chevy 1/2 ton measures from outside stake pocket to outside stake pocket at about 51 1/4 “ and is about 78 1/2” long.
A ‘46 Chevy 1/2 ton measures about 55” from the outside of each stake pocket and is about 80” long.
Based on the measurements provided in your photos and the bead at the outside edge of the fender it appears the bed is of a ‘37 or ‘38 type. The bead measures 1” diameter.
My understanding is that none of these models, ‘37-‘46, offered factory delivered side mounted spare tire carriers.
Last edited by 46Sparky; Tue Jun 07 2022 09:28 PM.
