The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1942 Chevy Pickup: SOLD! Did somebody here buy it?

Going to look at a 1942 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup tomorrow.. I asked the guy how he knew it was a '42 and he said because thats what the title says it is.

Assuming that the trucks Mfg plate confirms its a 1942 (and not a '41 that was registered in '42) what percentage more would you guestimate the truck to be worth due to being a "war model"?

I have a feel for the base price for a '41 and a '46 based on condition, but I haven't seen a whole lot of "war models" sell to really know how much it might add to the "base value".

Ideas, guesses, and comments are appreciated!

I'd say nothing more - still made in 41 even if it was sold 42-45 - actually even the 46's were still 41's - no real reason to pay more cuz it was sold during the war, unless ya wanna play Barrett-Jackson

Bill

lol.. no Barrett Jackson here.. just some old iron looking for a new home.

I hear folks talk about the "war models" being harder to come by.. well to me I could care less.. the '41 thru '46 trucks all look the same to me.. but just thought i'd check.

BradB's site says they made 23703 1/2 ton pickups in 1942 compared to 63515 made in '41.. looks like the only 'rare' ones would have been made in '45 when 1/2 ton poduction was just 6202 trucks.

I'd talk to the seller and see what he thinks it's worth.

Personally, I would only think that the 1945 models would be quite a bit more expensive because of the aforementioned small run.

Go with your gut. Best advice I've got.

wasn't even seperate "runs" - all production facilities were switched to military production and the 42-45 trucks were assembled w/ "spare" parts actually made in 41 - the 'scarcity' was they were runnin outta parts! besides, the only way you could buy a truck 42-45 was if the govt agreed that your having one contributed to the war effort and they gave you 'permission' to order one - now if it had the original tires, they would be valuable

Bill

I tell ya what Red.. if I get it, and it has the original tires on it, they're all yours! (you gotta come pick 'em up, tho!)

My buddy has a 42, came from right down the street. Badger Army ammunition plant in Baraboo Wi.

Really don't think its worth any more, one interesting thing is there are no door locks on it.

Not sure if Uncle Sam ordered them that way or they just did not have them...

-Randy
**

make sure it has a blower on it........Fred

I think the engine is stock.. but maybe I can get a 'blower' for it!

I would not think it's worth any more than a '41 in identical condition, UNLESS, it's a "black-out" model, which means trim that was normally chrome-plated came through painted...like some of the Korean war ADs...

I am assuming you mean a '42 civillian truck, and not a GI-model...

All I know about the truck at this point is that it's a 1942 1/2 ton pickup that "needs restored".

I'll take my camera and see if I can snap off a picture or two.

Dad has a 42 Studebaker....as we understand it, the production lines were not shut down until late January 1942

Fumblin',

Pics would be great...

If it's a blackout, then the grille and hood side trim should be painted...(and if you scrape through the paint, there shouldn't be any trace of chrome underneath).

I don't know IF Chevy made any "black-out" '42 trucks...I think they did make some black-out Chevy cars before civillian production halted.

I have seen some blackout Olds, Plymouths, and Dodges, even a '42 Chrysler convertible black-out!

Good luck !

Fumblin,

Just adding my .02...

I would agree that the 42s and not extremely rare..

If the fenders, floor and some of the other parts are in solid shape, it might be worth 400 or 500...maybe more if it has not been in a field for 30 years.

My 42 was manufactured in Kansas City in January 1942 and was a civilian model. It was a blackout vehicle with painted grill and hood trim.

As to a 42 being more valuable than a 41, I'd say no. I personally prefer the 41 and 46 models with the chrome.

Here's the low down..

Mfg. Plate reads 5BKLL (altho the L's could have been I's) which according to the VIN Cruncher is 1942, 1944, 1945 1/2 ton made in Kansas City, MO in December. (unless they were I's then it would have been made in September)

The asking price is $550 obo

Here\'s what it looks like

All four fenders are solid as far as rust is concerned.. but they've got the occasional tear and dent. Bed wood is shot, cab interior looks like the truck has sat in a barn for the last 30 years. Engine is all there, so is the trans.. I didn't bother to check to see if the engine turned free or not, but it dosen't look like it's in bad shape at all.

Grill is painted, and missing alot of the bars, and the parking light dome is missing on one headlight.Cab and doors are solid as a rock, not a hint of rust thru or rot. All the glass is cracked.. windshield frame was solid, floorpan is solid and unmodified.

Running boards are solid and dent free.. the drivers side running board has a small spot (about the size if a quarter) of rust thru.

If anybody wants the guys number, PM me. Too nice to part out IMO, and too much work for me to hassle with when i've already got two trucks.

I had thought about offering the guy $400 and just flipping it on eBay, but i've got too much on my plate at the moment.

Civilian car and truck production was terminated on 2 Feb 1942. Below is an exerpt from a TIME magazine article, dated 9 Feb 1942:


Feb. 9, 1942
Production Up. TIME'S Index rose to 172.5 (estimated) in the week ended Jan. 31, more than 3 points higher than that for the previous week (169.2). The recent rise in carloadings was responsible.

Led by Dodge, all Chrysler and G.M.'s Chevrolet and Pontiac assembly lines stopped for the duration last week. Others will dribble along for another week or ten days. Chrysler figured 40,000 of its men would be temporarily idle, G.M. 120,000. But Conversion Tsar Ernest Kanzler thinks Detroit alone will have 600,000 war jobs by year's end.

So far, mounting war production has more than offset the curtailment of civilian output in the total production picture. Even stopping the auto assembly lines will be partially offset by increases in military trucks.

***In mid-1942, the Willys and Ford Jeeps still had "Ford" and "Willys" script on the tailgates and grilles, otherwise known as the "script" Jeeps. The U.S. Government decided that there would be no vehicle manufacturer names on the outside of "their" vehicles. It would seem from this, that a military-spec or contract pickup would have the same restrictions applied to it. If anyone on Stovebolt has a KNOWN military-spec or contract 1942-1945 pickup or truck, yours probably has no Chevrolet or GMC outer markings on it at all. Whether civilian trucks faced the same restrictions, I don't know, but you may be able to use this to determine if yours is a late '41 or early '42 veresus a "wartime production" truck. --- Patrick

That truck had Chevrolet clearly written in the grill just like both my '46 trucks.

The number on the plate was definately 5BK..

5 = Kansas City, MO
BK = Used on '42 thru '45 1/2 ton trucks)

The 4th character could have been an I, and L, or a 1

If civilian car and truck production was terminated on 2 Feb 1942, then I don't know what to think.. unless it was a "non civilian" truck.. but it said Chevrolet in the painted grill.. but I guess it might not have been the original to the truck grill.


I = September
L = December

Or it could have been two 1's.

It's probably two 1's, to make 11. Pre-'46.2 month codes were numeric, rather than alpha. That would make it November of '41, as '42 production, from what I understand, started in August of '41.

From what i understand there are 2 types of 42s pre -war and post war.When production started back up the trucks made after the war were still titeled as a 42 model in 45?.

I wouldn't mind having that truck. I could sleep better knowing that I had an entire truck full of spare parts! Too bad I live so far away.

There was very limited production of civilian 1/2-tons. You had to apply for a truck, justify why you needed it, and if you met the criteria set by the OPW, you could get the truck. Sounds like only the military orders had the vehicle brands deleted. Every mil-spec Dodge Power Wagon from WWII I've seen (about a dozen or so) don't have the name "Dodge" visible outside.

That make my truck way cool!

No, the fact that your truck IS way cool makes it way cool!

It's very pretty!

[drools]

I was going to drive up to NE to buy the truck, until the seller said it didn't have a title. That's a deal-killer for me.

I had phoned yesterday several times but only got the answering machine. That was going to be my first question, "Is there a title?" Without a title I can't bring it across the border.

Somebody is going to get a good deal!

Rob

Sure you can I've brought vehicles over the border with no tittle. Just bring it in as scrap metal or parts thats what you tell the customs. Then when you go and register you say that the title was lost along time ago the'll make you a new one. At least in MB they do and they don't have records for vehicles that haven't been registerd for more than ten years. They delete them from there files becuase they don,t whant vehicles that have been crushed taking up space in the computer. And becuase it's coming from a diffrent country they'll have nothing on record.

I sold a Mercury Maurader x100 to a guy from Canada.. he came down, picked up a U-Haul trailer, and took it back up to the great white north with no problem. All I was able to give him was a bill of sale.

I don't know what kind of hoops you'd have to jump thru to get it titled in Canada once you got it there, tho.

the problem nowadays isn't getting it INTO Canada, it's getting any complete old vehicle OUT of the US - they want the paperwork in their hands 3 days prior to arriving at the border for exporting, and you have to be there right at the time they tell ya or you hafta go back and wait for another appointment - not sure how they treat untitled things now cuz they want to check if the vehicle is stolen

you would be best to phone US customs at the border crossing you would use and inquire - Canada customs will just want to collect the GST is all, they could care less otherwise, titleing is up to your province

Bill

Bill you got it dead on. When I brought my 41 across all I had to do is fax them a copy of the title prior to 72 hrs arriving at the border. I phoned US customs after the 72 hrs and gave them the vin number of the truck, they ran it through their system and told me it cleared and I could bring it across anytime with the original title.

Canada customs wants to see the bill of sale so they can get there taxes.( the Gst)

MTO wants original title, bill of sale,Form 1 from customs saying what taxes were paid at the border(usually just the GST but sometimes the PST as well) and another form stating what the exchange rate was on the day it crossed the border. Also MTO required an appraisel on my 41, you pay the PST on the higher value of the two.(the appraisel or the bill of sale)

Alot of guys around here won't touch nothing without a Title. I don't know whats all involved bringing a parts vehicle across or an untitled vehicle. Will have to do some homework on that.

Rob

Well I dunno.. but the guy who took the Mercury out of my lawn didn't have any paperwork other than his printout of the eBay auction before he took the car. He just showed them the sales reciept for the car at the border (a handwritten, non notorised reciept) and into the great white north he went with no problem. This was just last fall. He did tell them it was a parts vehicle.

I suspect had he had a new BMW on a trailer they might have asked him more questions, but this was a old 1970 car with mismatched tires on it and no motor.

This truck has sold.. did somebody here buy it??

For the other side of crossing the border.. If Fatfenders (Skip) is still lurking here he can tell you a very different story about the troubles of brings a COE in pieces North over the border. Said at the time he never should have been honest with his answers. Cost him a bunch of time and money to bring it over. I don't remember all the details, except that he uttered alot of swear words when recounting all the problems he had.

Any word on this one, as to who bought it? Real curious to whether a Stovebolt member was the buyer.

I just happened to call them on the 31st because I saw the ad was still in the paper.. they said it was sold.

I was pretty curious, too.. I think the only real serious looker from here was Patrick, and he didnt go for it since there wasnt a title.