The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Identifying an AD - I'm Confused

I got an email from a (multi) AD truck owner in Ensenada, Mexico, asking if I could identify the year of their truck. She sent me some pictures which I have posted at my website below. It had belonged to her (deceased) step-father, and she thought it was a 53. However, she was confused (as am I) by the single piece windshield.

What do you guys think?

All of the Pictures (about 2MB)

Here's individual pictures:
Picture One
Picture Two
Picture Three
Picture Four
Cab Picture (notice the AD water truck in the background).

It looks to me like a 54 cab with earlier front end installed.
Steve

The cab and box is definitely not 53.
I'm thinking it's simply a '54 with a '53 grill...

Edit: OOps Hourhand beat me to it... :p

That's the way I was leaning. It's just that all of the sheet metal looks like its been together for a long time. If the switch was done, it looks like it was done very early in the truck's life.

Agreed on the bed (flat rails) and cab(note the 54 dash) I'm guessin that the front fenders and grill have been swapped--maybe an early front end collision as you say. Nice worn patina on that truck.

Does the one piece W/S require a specific cab? Could it be that the glass was broken and the one piece was all they could get at the time?

Trucks should looks org but as mentioned looks like a 54 cab , you would think even if it had been wrecked they would still have used the correct cab and obivious if changed it was after the 54 came out, maybe she can do some research and see if it had been wrecked and how it is titled,not a bad looking old truck,,Fred

BradB, yes the one piece windshield wouldn't fit in the 47-53 year cabs.

I just got an email from the owner and she said that the ID plate on the door post confirms that the cab is a 54.

I told her about the 'bolt so she may be joining us sometime soon.

sure looked like it was org factory,, interesting truck and post............Fred

If its a '54 then its 51 maybe close to 52 years old. A front sheet metal swap just 20 years ago could look that way today.

What about just a hood, grill and fender swap? definately a 54 cab as there is no dimple where the split window of a 53 would go.

Thank you for your help. My husband was insisting on it being a '54 from what my (step) dad had said years ago. Of course, finding the number on the door frame definitely put the odds in his favor. We still can't find any of the local registration papers (1981) & may have to do a new importation process on it again. My mom says to do it before it runs or looks any better or they'll charge us more. It has already started with the old radiator and a different battery. The third person that checked out the water pump agreed to rebuild it. Tomorrow I pick up the alternator that is getting two 'rods' (?) (one my husband- Alberto found new, in a bag, on a street about 4 years ago) & it should be re-wired for 12 volts maybe by next week. The re-built radiator is ready to go on after the alternator. I'm really happy about finding the 'bolt. Fantastic. Thank you Jeff! Sabrina

This is very interesting. Where was the truck manufactured. What exactly does the ID plate, in the driver door jamb say.

NO question this is a 54/5 cab and bed.
47/55 Truck Identification

engine identification

This should help identifying the hood by checking the emblems to see if they are dicast or sheetmetal also the nameplate changes too. There should also be a date on the Harrison radiator that would give up some info. Check the engine casting codes to see what year engine is in there. .....g

Sabrina,
Glad to see you were able to get on the 'bolt. As you proceed with the restoration check in frequently, lots of good advice available here (lot's of wise guys too, but that's a whole other story ).

You might be our first 'bolter from Mexico. Any others out there?

GMONIZ- I got 7 digits off of the engine, I'm new at this so I've got to check again & see if there are more. Could you tell me where to look on the radiator for its number? Will it still be there if it was (just) rebuilt? The number from the door frame is H540015240.
Guys and girls, I like how she looks & it's the way I've always known this truck so I guess I'm just wondering if this is a common occurence or would I be making a boo boo by leaving it as it is and continuing with the '54 cab & '47-'53 grill?
Sabrina

A lot of times, people who rebuild things such as radiators, various motors, etc. will burn out the numbers, so maybe, maybe not.

It looks great like it is! Just my opinion, I don't like 54 grills nearly as much as the one you have there. I think they guy who said it could be a factory leftover could possibly be right. Or is was possible assembled in a different country. I have seen another like this but It too could have been two trucks put into one. Cool truck...it might be one rare dude!

wasnt there a post or request from someone in europe or africa not too long ago about an ad truck that seemed to have leftovers or mixed parts on it????

If you like it this way, it's your's, keep it. Only the purist will scoff at it. I like the earlier grille and since you have memories of the truck with it, removing it for the sake of authenticity erases some of the memories that you are trying to preserve....my 2 cents. ......g

The VIN is a U.S. number for 1954. The truck was built in Oakland, CA and was the 14240th off that line. I don't think it's likely this truck came from the factory with the '53 front end.

Fletch was the guy from Zimbabwe with a South African built right-drive '54 3100. His truck was dated a '54, but the cab and bed were still the '53 style, though it had the '54 grille. I think it was normal that the right-drive models never switched to the newer cab.

curt thanx buddy i knew i wasnt imaginin things....was i? :rolleyes:

There's a big bolt in Gumboro De with the sameconfigureation 54/55.1 cab with older grill style always figured it had been wrecked in it's life never considered it may have been produced during changeover for model years.

That rear bumper looks almost exactly like the one that was on our 54. I had assumed it was built locally, but now I am not so sure.

Xram53- thanks for telling me where the truck was made. Sabrina

Ok the VIN has been figured out, so a graphted deal from Cali.
Yah seen them 60's Acadian? The new Suburbans from Mex. have had that new funky chevy pickup front end on them for a while. I wish I could find yah guys a picture of them Chevy Short Boxes with DINA stamped on the tail gate from Mex.
Adios, Kip

I just got the '54 Chevrolet Operator's Guide & saw that the gear shift is on the column, not on the floor as mine is, in the 1/2 ton truck. Is this normal? Sabrina

The standard tranny in the 1/2-ton was a 3-speed with column shift, but the 4-speed with floor shift was an option.

Xram53- Thanks. By the way- how did you figure out where my truck was manufactured (Oakland)? Was it the "H"? I hadn't been able to come up with anything except the year and # off the line. I appreciate your help. Sabrina

In the serial number H540015240, the H designates the 3100 series (1/2-ton). The 54 is, of course, the model year. The letter after the 54 designates the manufacturing plant. What you had typed as a number 0 (zero) I assumed is really an O (letter oh), which stands for Oakland, CA.

Did you ever determine anything from the engine casting and/or serial numbers?

The only number I could find on the engine was 8885918. The Harrison radiator is #3118968, it was still on there.

My dad got the truck from his friend Steve who lived in Berry Creek, CA. Not that far from Oakland says my mom.

I wish I new how to do some of the restoring myself... I have to take a drive into town each time to see how it's going.

We got a Massey Ferguson 30 B two weeks ago so I have been sraping weeds several days a week, burning weeds other days. The brush fires were pretty fierce the other year & last year we had a lot of rain so we've got to get it down.

It takes longer & is difficult to get parts here. Easier and faster to order on the internet. So far good luck with Chevy Duty.

I sure thank you and everyone for putting up with my inane questions Sabrina

truck radiator This is just for refference, click all of the pictures and you will see the markings. You should have another set of numbers on the other side of the radiator. Now remember these radiators are swapped often when there is front end damage. But chances are this is the original radiator that matches your front sheet metal. I know i am getting anal, this is like picking fly poop out of the pepper. It doesn't make a difference on how your truck will run, just a means of identifying what you have. ...g

You don't have to restore it to enjoy it. Get a shop manual and stay tuned to your local Stovebolt pages and that's all you need! ........g

The 3118968 radiator (2" core) was used on the '54 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks, so it apparently was not swapped with the front clip.

The 8885918 number is not familiar. If some of the 8's are really 3's (sometimes the numbers are hard to distinguish), as in 3835913, that is a '54-up 235 head number.

Here\'s another truck with a swapped nose. In this case, a '55.1 panel with a '52 front clip.