The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Radio Bench 1940 truck radio?

Was there a radio available in 1940 for trucks? I have a 1940 accessory catalog that shows several radios, but the descriptions all imply car use. I'd love to find a period type radio for my 1940 GMC. Any ideas?

steve

I am pretty sure that there was something available for the truck in that year. If you ask this question on the VCCA site, you will probably get the correct answer with a photo.

I didn't mention it, but my '40 is a Canadian model. So I wonder if there is a dfference in radios between the them and the US models too. I'll check out the VCCA site.
Thanks,
Steve

Steve,
I know that for 1947 to 53, the Canadian trucks used a different radio than the US models. However, both radios could be installed in either truck. You may not get too many answers regarding the Canadian options, on the VCCA site. I sometimes do business with a radio restorer up here, who can provide exact information on the Canadian truck radios. His restorations are absolutely flawless. He calls his business "Grandpa's Radio" and his phone number is 519 576 2570. He can usually supply photo copies of the manuals and I would be surprised if he didn't have the radio too.

Let me know how you make out. This is of great interest to me.

Fred

My 1942 Chevy accessories brochure shows several optional radios from the short wave unit, down to the 'Universal' car or truck radio. Ad states "This new radio will fit any car or truck regardless of year or model". This universal (five tube, four push button) radio is a long slender thing that fits under the dash in the trucks.
BTW, the last few pages shows just truck options for 42: beautiful grill guard, bumper guards, dual horns and the optional passenger side wiper unit. What a luxury!

NOTE- Check out the post "38 Radio on ebay". This is the 42-46 "Universal" unit that GM used for trucks and cars. The other radios mentioned with control head and cables running to the radio mounted on the firewall, could be also used in a truck. Although the truck dash did not have a radio opening as such and you'd have to mount the controls under dash.

Lots of radio manufacturers had radios available for 30's and 40's vehicles. Allstate Philco Motorola Firestone and some others could be had. I have one for my '45 GMC whick is 6 volt Pos grnd. It's a 2 piece unit. A head unit goes under the dash and the main tube chassis goes against the firewall. It's not installed yet, because I have more mechanical items to go before I'm ready. I bought it a while ago. I need to dig it out again and see what it is!

K10,
does your unit look like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1937...741QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is an unrestored one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Earl...606QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I would really like to see a photo of yours.

ndnchf,

I just happened to cut out the Radio Refernce Guide from Generator & Distributor. The radio for 1940 is a 5 tube "Universal" radio that fits car or truck. The model number is 985538. I have a search setup in ebay waiting for one to float by. They do come up but not very often. Out of the two I have seen, one was perfect and brought a price over my budget, the other was barely recognizable as a radio and would qualify for IRWIWP for radios.

Bill Schickling

I also have been trying to find the right radio for '41 pick up and have established the folowing:
1) Brown faced "thumb wheel controlled" radios were offered as accessory items for '42-46 trucks..they mounted under the dash to the left of the wheel.
2) ? to '41 radios were also accessory items...they had a chrome on pot metal face and regular(twist)adjusting dials on either side of the radio.

I believe this is a Chevrolet dealer accessory radio for a 1941 car or truck, it may also be correct for 40 ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHEV...mQQcategoryZ34200QQitemZ4601225035QQrdZ1

ooo very pretty - won't be cheap for sure! isn't the dash and under area pretty much the same on the 40 as the 41?
looks like maybe the one steveg has as #2

Bill

The radio listed on ebay, model number 985733, by Chevs-of-the-forties is not listed on the VCCA chart as a chevy radio. The model numbers for 1941 start with 9856XX and the radios for 1942 start with 9857XX. But it looks just like the 1940 and 1941 truck radios I have seen in the past. Maybe it is for another GM car of the same years.

Bill Schickling

I believe this is the radio steveg is refiring to. The 40-46 dash is the same. The 41 or the 42-46 radio will certainly work but I've never seen any literature that shows the particular radio offered in 1940. The radio that Bill Schlickling refired to has a different part number than the 1941 radio linked above.
Bill, where do you find the number you're refiring to on the radio ?
I have a radio like the radio I linked to on ebay. The tag on the side of the radio has B41-137912.

Bill,
how do I access the VCCA chart?

Fred

Rusty46, truckernix,

I used to belong to the VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America). They have a great newsletter/magazine called Generator & Distributor. One month they published a chart of radio model numbers by production year and vehicle they were installed in. I guess we could ask if we could used the information as a tech page here on the stovebolt site. There are a number of VCCA members here. Barry Weeks is one of the technical advisors.

I just happened to cut it out of the magazine and stuck it in a folder to keep around.

Since it was printed in their magazine it is probably copyrighted material. So we should ask permission.

I would be happy to look stuff up for anyone. You can email me.

Bill Schickling

Hey, Bill

I agree that you should ask their permission ... I just think it would be the respectable thing to do ... but I sincerely doubt that it's copyrighted info anymore than telephone numbers are from a phone book. I *suspect* that it's "public information" but we'll know that for sure when they give you their friendly "sure go ahead" response.

Rusty46/truckernix, here is the VCCA member who probally knows more about the early Chevy radios than anyone that I have ever met. Ray Holland
VCCA Radio Technical Advisor email: [email protected] You can visit the VCCA site at www.vcca.org has a link to the chat site Hope this helps.
VCCA member

Bill Shickling,
Ray graciously gave me permission to post that list and offered to provide help with questions. Here is his response to me:
Sure, I have no objections. If you, or anyone else, has a question or problem with a Chevrolet radio 1932-64 I will be more than glad to assist.

I am listed as "chevradioman" on the Chevy Chat Site.

Back in 1980-85 I wrote an article every month in the G&D on radios. Kinda ancient history now, but several fellows have cut out all those articles and placed them in a book. Interesting how many I find at swap meets being used for radio identification.

Ray
*********************


I must say I am humbled at receiving this reply!

Bill, if you would like to scan it and Email to me, I will post it.

Fred

Fred,

Will do. My scanner is here at work and the page is at home. So I will bring it in tomorrow and scan it.

Bill Schickling

You might checkout ...the Old Chevy Manuals site...It has a chart with radios & antennae from 1940 through the 1952.
http://chevy.tocmp.com/1940_52radio/4052radio03.htm

Here's a good looking fully retored 1941 truck radio...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4606028404&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

An interesting thing about that radio on Ebay is that the tuning uses the variable capacitor. In the chassis view, you can see it with all the little semi circular plates. This design for auto radios was updated in the late forties to moving slugs in tuning coils. Table radios stayed with the variable capacitors. It makes me wonder if there was a lot of nuisance troubles with dirt getting into the variable capacitor.

That would be perfect!