The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Mounting an Older Bed on a 1941-'46 Chassis?

When I purchased my project, I was under the impression that it was a 1940 KC 1/2 Ton truck. It was (sort of) held together by a very few bolts, a couple ratchet straps and some string!

I was (am) new to these old trucks and incorrectly assumed that the parts all belonged to the same model.

It took a while, but with assistance from forum members on this and the VCCA site, what I have seems to be a 1940 cab, a 1941-'46 chassis and a pre-1940 bed.

The GUESS as to the year of the chassis is based on the fact that some of the mounting holes for the cab seem to be about 1 1/2" further back than they should be for the 1940 cab. With the cab was moved forward approximately 1 1/2", 4 of the 8 holes for cab mounting lined up and the firewall to radiator distance seems correct. (Is there a way to determine the specific year (or series) of the frame?)

The bed measures about 45 1/2" x 77 1/8", so I assume that it is a pre-1940, but I don't know if there is a way to determine what specific year it is from.

I would assume that someone has dealt with this combination before.

I have temporarily assembled the front fenders, cab and running boards, and it seems that with about 1/4" clearance between the front of the bed and the back of the cab, everything will work except the sheet metal panel below the forward end of the pickup box down to the running board. That part will have to be modified a bit to make it shorter front to back.

I am getting ready to put a floor in the bed and mount it to the truck and I am wondering if I should order a bed mounting kit for a '41-'46. My GUESS is that using a kit for '41-'46 would result in the bed resting at an appropriate height and angle.

So, given the above, what do you think?

Nick

The bed dimensions given at about 45 1/2” x 77 1/8” seem to indicate the bed might be from a ‘37 or ‘38 half ton. Those dimensions match more closely those shown in the 1937 Specifications reference shown in the attached photo. As I understand it ‘38 specifications would be the same as ‘37. Photos attached also show dimensions shown in the ‘46 Specifications, which would be the same for ‘41-‘46. I don’t have speciations books info for the ‘39 and ‘40 models. I’m uncertain from my interpretation of the Master Parts Catalogs of the possible continuity from ‘39-‘46?

Hope this helps and if I am incorrect someone hopefully will offer corrections.

Sparky,

Thanks very much for the data.

I am unexpectedly traveling to assist a family member. I will try to determine which chassis and bed I have when I get home next week.

Nick

Nick
I checked the GM Heritage Center website for the technical specifications of the 1939 and 1940 production years.

The drawing for the ‘39 half ton truck body shows the inside bed measurements the same as posted above for ‘37 and ‘38. See the attached drawing.

Unfortunately, the 1940 truck information given on GM website appears to be missing the drawings that would show the measurements needed. In checking the website for the Old Car Manual Project those same drawings; and others, are missing as well.

I wonder if the AACA club library has the complete information? The Vintage Chevrolet Club partnered with them some years ago to store their collection.

In case it may help, I did some web surfing and came across some pictures of an out-of-stock 1940 Chevrolet Truck Data book HERE. They nicely enough have left the pictures of some of the book contents posted and the page showing the truck and bed general dimensions is there for all to see. I took a screenshot of the pic and have attached it below so you can see the 1940 1/2 ton bed was listed with a 78" long (inside) x 45-1/2" wide (inside) dimensions. That makes it 1" longer than the '37-'39 beds and the same as the '41-'46 beds.

Just trying to fill in the information gap in case it may be helpful.

Holy Smokes! Absolutely! That helps!!!
Thank you!!!

These are from my 1941 Truck Data book.

Jim, Did you mean to post some more pics than just the cover of your data book??? The cover pic is the only one we can see.

Gdads51 sorry for delay

Thanks for the responses, folks.

I returned from being out of town last night...and head out again tomorrow morning, so it will be at least another week before I can apply any of this information to my truck, but it does seem to nail down that I have a '37-'39 bed.

The cab is a 1940 as indicated by the data tag on it and the dash, and since the wheelbase is 115" it SEEMS to be safe to assume that the chassis is a '41-'46. Were there differences between the frame or other chassis components during those years?

Any suggestions for the minimum distance between the front of the bed and the back of the cab?

(I want to state for the record, that the Stovebolt forum has been of immeasurable help to me already, so thanks to all!)

Nick

Nick

HERE is the link to the Vehicle Info Kits that 46sparky referred to. Browsing thru those may give you the dimensional information you're looking for. Like he mentioned, some of the years are missing some dimensional pages, but I think you can probably get what you need.

Good luck

As I have proceeded (very slowly due to external events) to move forward with mounting the bed (with a temporary plywood floor) onto my truck, I have found that assumptions I have made regarding what I have to work with may be incorrect.

As I have stated in the past, I thought I purchased a 1940 truck project, only to find out that the bed is from the ’37-‘39 series. Also, as I found that the cab mounting holes were not where I expected them to be, I ASSUMED that what I had was a chassis from the next series of trucks…1941-’46. I loosely measured the wheelbase...and only today did that a bit more carefully, finding that it is actually 116", which I believe indicates that it is NOT from the 1941'46 series.

I ordered a bed mounting kit for a ’41 and figured that I would have to make some things up as I went along to install the bed.

Then, for some reason, I decided to measure across the rear of the frame and found that the measurement I came up with was not what I had expected for a ’41-’46. What I measured was 46 3/16ths. The shop manuals I have examined show the following for the measurement across the frame at the rear:
1940 46”
1941- 1946 44 ¼”
1947 46 1/8”
1948 46 1/32”
My truck 46 3/16” ??

I have also noticed that my truck has a “Carrier Assembly, Differential…”, (Group 5.504 in the 1929-1950 Chevrolet Master Parts catalog) that shows a casting number of 3657339. The MPC states (if I am reading it correctly) that with that carrier assembly and a torque tube measurement of 60 1/16”, that the application would be, “1948-50 ALL ½ Ton COMM”.

I measured my torque tube length (as seen in the photos) and came up with 59 ½”. (Which is what the MPC states a passenger car with a different carrier assembly casting would be!)

So, as of this point, I am GUESSING that what I have might be a ’47 chassis…but why would my torque tube measurement be so far off? (I was thinking it might be a '48, but the illustration in the 1948 manual that I saw shows 5 cross members and the battery box outside the frame rails.)

To sum up:
Wheelbase 116"
Frame width at rear 46 3/16"
Torque tube length 59 1/2"

Can anything definitive be determined from the above? Can anyone point to anything on the frame that will say for sure what year or series it is from?

Thanks,
Nick

The only thing that pops out to me is where you are measuring your torque tube length. If you consider the rest of the tube "bell" that is inside the pivot housing as part of the overall length of your tube, my eyeball measurement from your pictures would put that at the 60-5/16" length listed for the 1948-50 tube.

Your existing cross rear frame width could be just slightly skewed wide based on normal age and wear-tear expected to be found on a truck of this vintage. It could very well be either a 1947 or a 1948 frame as only a minor tweak could cause the frame to spread to that dimension.

On another possible tangent to ID'ing your chassis, see if you can locate and post the serial number from the rear axle. Should be a 2 letter + 4 or more numeral stamping that we can use to check for what year truck it belongs to.

Dan,

Would that serial number be on the axle flanges or somewhere on the cast axle housing? I just looked at the axle housing and didn't see any numbers at all, but I may have overlooked them.

Here is the image that makes me think that the 1948 frame looks a lot different than the 1/2 ton truck frames from previous years.

Nick, Your rear axle code (considering the idea that it is a 1948-50 axle based on the measurement) should be stamped as indicated in the pic below. An earlier axle will have the numbers in a different location (top of the differential pumpkin on the forward snout area) as shown in the 2nd pic. The 2-letter code will help confirm the year/application of the axle.

Thanks for the hints on the locations...

I found it on the top of the case toward the front of the snout. AK 333

Nick, I think this axle identification/confirmation of what you have may take a bit to wade through to try and come to a logical conclusion. The code indicated per the GM Heritage site data shows AK333 is for a 1941 1/2ton "Light Delivery" truck axle built in Detroit on the 333rd calendar day (Nov 29th) 1941 (see 1st pic below). Because this falls into the beginning of WWII period, it is very hard to say if the axle actually got installed in a 1941 truck, or if it ended up going into a later truck as productions lines were halted to switch to war effort construction. It may seem far fetched, but an axle built and stuck in inventory during the war could have actually gotten installed in a post war 1946 or 1947 (early series) truck when production resumed. There are other possibilities, but I could spend more time than I have posting about them.

That being said, I have done more diving into several different Chevrolet Master Parts books as the descriptions of the torque tube/differential assembly are not the same depending on which book you look at. Yup, Chevrolet made mistakes sometimes. I will try and clear some of the mud from the waters in the hopes it might help ID your axle and chassis, to then figure out the truck bed mounting. For this reply, I am only focusing on the axle info. Will try to dive into chassis details another time.

Picture 2 shows Group 5.504 from the 1929-53 CMP Book. Your casting number 3657339 used for both 41-46 and 47 units. 41-46 = 55-5/8" long to carr. & 47 = 62-9/16" long to carr.

Picture 3 shows Group 5.504 from the 1929-54 CMP Book. Same casting numbers but 41-46 = 58-1/2" long to carr. & 47 = 62-1/2" long to carr.

Picture 4 shows Group 5.504 from the 1929-57 CMP Book. Same casting numbers and dimensions for year applications as the 1954 book.

Picture 5 shows Group 5.504 from the 1933-62 CMP Book. Same casting and dimensions listed for 47. Nothing listed for 41-46.

What isn't clear with the given measurements is, at what point on the tube did they measure it at??? You have measured from the differential case end to the end of the torque tube bell and your measurement comes somewhat close but doesn't match anything exactly. If you look at the exploded diagram of the torque tube where it fits into the differential (looks to be about 3-1/2" + or - deep into the differential housing), and include that length with the exposed part of the torque tube to get an overall length measurement, it may accurately reflect the 62-1/2" length noted in the parts books??? A little bit of thinking out loud here.

With all this said, perhaps some of our other Bolters more familiar with these year groups can chime in and provide more insight or details to help you? Maybe someone would measure their setup and provide that detail???

Thanks for all that, Dan!
Sorry for the slow response, but I am traveling due to a family situation.
It is certainly interesting to know that the war might have effected the combination of parts that would have made up vehicles assembled after hostilities ended.
There is so much information out there to become familiar with...it is a bit overwhelming!
Thank you again for your efforts,
Nick

No worries Nick. You take care of family as that always comes first!!! We can continue the conversation when you have some time to digest some of this.

I have returned from being out of town and have been studying all the shop manuals I could get my digital hands on in an effort to identify more of what parts make up the project I have.
I made a list of the major specs of the 1/2 ton Chevrolet trucks from 1940 to 1948 and believe I have come to a (relatively) logical conclusion as to what frame I have.

It seems at this point that what I have is a 1947, ½ ton frame.
The measurement I saw of 46 1/16” across the frame at the rear is close enough to ’47 and ’48 for ½ ton
The 52 3/8” length between the spring attachment points on the frame was a loose measurement by one person with a tape measure and is very close to the spec of 52 11/32” for the ½ ton trucks 1940-’48.
The wheelbase measures 116” indicating it to be a 1946-‘48
It seems to me that the convincing measurement is the 46 1/16” measurement across the rear of the frame, If it was a 1946 or earlier it would be 44 ¼” (per the shop manuals I saw)
If it were a 1948 there would be more cross members to the frame than appear on the frame I have.

So, with the information Gdads51 presented a few posts above indicating that it is not impossible for a 1941 differential to have been installed in a '46 or '47 truck when new, it is possible that the rear is original to the chassis. The date of manufacture for the rear was just 1 week before Pearl Harbor!

So, armed with that, I guess what I need to do next is just go ahead, set the bed on the frame where it seems to make the most sense for function and appearance and get it mounted. The biggest issues I think I will be facing are:
1) the gap between the rear of the running boards and the rear fenders
2) the sheet metal above the running boards and the front sides of the bed.

As always, any suggestions or corrections are very welcome!

What year is the cab? I forgot with all the different years for everything. What year engine?

Otto,

The cab is a 1940 KC 1/2 ton built in December 1939 (per the ID tag).

The engine block and head indicate that they were manufactured in Flint during November 1953. The stamped serial number on the block is is 0022I 39 F54Y which (per information supplied to me by Gdads51) indicates an engine built for the 1954 model year, 235ci, originally with hydraulic lifters and for use with an automatic transmission. (I have not investigated the engine yet at all. It is all very nicely painted gray and the story I got with the truck was that it was a crate motor. Perhaps it was rebuilt? My thought is that I have no REAL idea of what the condition of the engine is.)

Thanks Nick. I was just curious/nosy. That sure is the epitome of a Frankentruck. So many dates were mentioned for all the different parts I couldn't remember what was what.

Is the truck registered/titled as a 1940 model?

It is being titled as a 1940.

When I started this thread, I thought the chassis was a 1941-'46. I figured that had to be right...

Frankentruck is right!

So far I am enjoying the process and hoping that I can make a functional vehicle out of it without compromising too many parts in case they should be used in a true restoration some day.

I expect that to most folks it will look like a 1940 Chevrolet pickup.

That's pretty cool.

Still at it. (Again, I am working with the major components I received when I purchased what I thought was a 1940 KC 1/2 ton.)

I am in the process of mounting the '37-'39 bed on the frame which appears to be a 1947. (So far, I have been able to do this with no permanent modification to the original parts I am using.)

The front cross sill bolts go through their blocks and through frame holes which were already in place. The third cross sill required me to create plates for the mounting blocks to rest on as the frame is wider in that area than the bed was designed for.

I am now looking at the rear mounting blocks for the bed. I would like to see a photo of someone's 1947 so I can be assured that I am not putting the bed mounting blocks in where they will interfere with bumper mounting hardware.

To be honest, I don't know if wooden blocks are even used at the rear of the bed on a stock 1947. I will have to use some blocks toward the rear to secure that part of the bed I am using.

So, if you could post a photo of the corner of the bed on a 1947, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

I have gotten the temporary bed installed on my Frankentruck. (I will save the $$ and effort to install a more formal bed floor until I get the vehicle functional. That is still a distance away.)

Due to the wider frame and narrower bed, it took a bit of creative work, but it is mounted and secure.

I have a question about the space between the bottom of the bed and the skirt that goes between the top of the frame and the running board. In my case, there is about a 1/4" to 3/8" gap where one can see under the bed and over that sheet metal piece. Is this the appearance that one should expect there? (See attached photo.) I might be able to close this gap by putting the rubber anti-squeak pads under the sheet metal instead of between the wood bed mounting block and the sheet metal.

Nick

Nick
There is a gap, at least on my trucks of about 1/2”. I’ve attached a photo showing that on my ‘46.

Nothing wrong with that. I used a sheet of crap OSB sheathing I had laying around. It has the aluminum/mylar coating on the underside. It's temporary, too. (For as long as it lasts)

Lee, Thanks for the confirmation re the gap!

Otto, I tend to feel a bit apologetic about the fact that my bed floor is not fancy or that my paint job is not shiny, but the reality is that I need to take this project one step at a time as the investment of time and money allow. So I appreciate it when I see that not all of the vehicles that other folks have look like car show winners.

So,now on to other aspects of the project!

Going to be looking toward getting the engine to prove to me that it can run and I need to straighten out some sheet metal issues at the front end.

Hahaha! Car show winner! I almost never take any of my vehicles to car shows. I drive them every day because they're all I have so every day is a car show for me. I get as many compliments on Ol' Roy as I do on The Phantom or Der Bismarck when I'm tooling around Atlanta. Ol Roy sure as heck is no car show winner.

Just to be silly, here's Ol' Roy at two shows. My Cadillac friends gave me grief but coinki-dinkly, the other AD truck is owned by a guy in the Cadillac club. The bed is loaded with a pressure washer and other stuff because I was out at my mom's house cleaning her driveway and doing chores.

Very cool, Otto!

I guess my point is that you shouldn't worry about what your truck looks like or what others might think of it. I was a little diffident about Ol' Roy at first because it is in no way cosmetically up to snuff compared to my other vehicles. I got over that.

Believe me, people will be thrilled to see your 80 year old truck driving around town in any condition and aren't going to give a hoot about or even notice the plywood bed. They'll be amazed that they actually encountered a truck that was built in the WWII era driving under its own power.

The average guy on the street is more forgiving than armchair quarterbacks and know-it-alls at car shows.

The only opinion about your truck that matters is your own.

Nick
Otto is spot on with his take on the critics. It’s your truck. Fix it drive it and enjoy!

I agree with Otto and Sparky.

Don

I have come to the considered opinion that what other people think about me, or any of my antiquated material things, is of absolutely none of my business!