The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Truck year?

Bought a new truck and am trying to get info on year. the truck is titled 53, has a 53 split window cab, but has 54 box and 54 grill. Used the vin cruncher and found out it is a 53, 3600 COMM, 3/4 ton. thats all i know. the guy i bought it from at carlisle said it was used at a military base to traansport ordinance (bombs). the rear bumper was removed and a large approx. 2 foot long bumper made of thick angle iron and plate is on the back. also trying to find out what COMM in the vin code is? Was also told it may be a later 53 and 54 parts were used to finish it. would appreciate any help from you bolters to find out what i got. it is in real good shape, sll paint and body work are completed, all i have to do is finish work. hope you can help me. thanks
bill

COMM is Commercial.. not really sure what that means.

If the grill and bed isn't year correct, it could be that they got bashed in or beat to hell during its life as an army truck, and somebody down the road decided it needed a grill and a bed, and a '54 was what they could find.

Even today, the wrong grill or box, if it fits nice, is better than no grill or box.

The title should say if the truck is a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton.. a 3800 is a 3/4 ton, and should have three stake pockets on each side of the bed instead of the two on the 1/2 ton 3100.

Sounds like it's what the VIN Cruncher says it is, and somebody had a '54 with no title and good parts and just put 'em on.

can't remember if it has two or three stake holes on each side, will look when i get home. j in title means 3/4 ton so guess it is. the truck is in very good shape. has all the paint and body work done. will be ordering the interior parts this week. also need to get a line on an origonal seat the one in it is not right, has seat belt holes in it. will be looking for one of those soon.

3/4-ton is 3600. Commercial is the term Chevy used for the smaller (1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton) trucks. The bigger (1.5 and 2 ton) trucks were referred to as utility.

It's also possible that the cab was swapped, so this could be a '54 truck with a '53 cab (along with the '53 ID plate), though somebody would have also had to change the title to match. There are some things to look for to distinguish between a '53 and '54 frame/drivetrain. Of course, any of that could have been changed over the years, too. Does the wheelbase match a 3/4-ton (125.25")?

Xram brings up a very obvious point that I missed.. somebody could have done the "ole switcharoo" with the vin plate.

Lets say you have a good title on a truck thats just plain out junk.. and you find a nice truck, but no title.

If your in that situation, your just two pop rivits away from having a title for the nice truck.

You should check the engine serial number prefix.. the number is located on a pad just below and to the left of the distributor.

That would tell you what engine you have (216 or 235) as well as what year the engine is. Might give some further insight into the issue of was it a "switcharoo" truck, or just one somebody used alot of newer body parts on.

What tells me the difference between engine sizes? i'll check the engine when i get home today. as far as 3/4 ton or not it definately is a 3/4 ton down to the 10 leafs in the front and rear. still trying to get hold of owner prior to the guy i bought it from. its titled in pa from a maryland title. there is a discrepancy in milage also. this has me guessing about it too.

The engine serial number, also known as the block casting number, is located on a pad below and to the left of the distributor and will start with two to four letters.. these letters are called the prefix.

A 216 engine made in 1953 would have a prefix of ALCC. ALCP, BLCC, BLCP, LAG, LAT, LAJ, LAV, LBA, LBM, LCA, LCM, LCC, LCP, LCD, LCQ, LCH, LCU

A 235 engine made in 1953 would have a prefix of LDA, LDM, LEA, LEM, LAA

Have a look at the tables located on the Inliners International Website to see what your specific casting number prefix indicates.

Since the casting number is the number stamped in the block, it's possible, especially in early model year production, that a '52 engine could make it into a '53 body.. it's also possible that the engine at some point was replaced with a newer engine, so finding out what year the block was made isn't a 100% sure fire way to determine the year of your truck, but it can be a good clue.. and I certianly wouldn't expect to see a later model engine in an older truck from the factory.

It really sounds like your truck was re-worked with parts that the previous owner(s) had access to, which isn't uncommon. Most folks, especially years ago, were more concerned with functionality and appearence then they were period correct replacement parts.

For a quick engine i.d., look at the lifter cover. If it extends over the side of the head to the valve cover, it is a 216 or early 235, both run a splash oil system and the oil pressure will run about 15 psi. If the lifter cover stops at the head and does not go around the spark plugs, it is a 235 or 261 which has a full pressure lube system, oil pressure will run about 30 psi.

Here's a picture of a 235.
www.thriftauto.com/fredsengine.jpg
The lifter cover is behind the distributor. This engine has a valve cover from a 216 with two bolts in the top. The standard 235 valve cover is held down with 4 flange bolts.

Two corrections.

The engine serial number and the block casting number are two completely different numbers. The casting number is actually cast into the block during the casting process and identifies the block, like a part number. The engine serial number is stamped on the block at the time of engine assembly, and helps identify some, but not necessarily all (depending on the year), of the following: what the engine is (displacement), how it's equipped, what it was originally installed in, the model year, the date of assembly, assembly plant, production sequence, etc.

All pre-'54 235's also had the two-stud valve cover, not just the 216's. The 4-bolt valve cover started with the '54 engines. The '50-up 235's had the shorter side cover.

This truck has 10-leaf springs front and rear??? A 3/4-ton should have 8-leaf fronts and 7-leaf rears standard. 8-leaf rears were an option. More shenanigans?