The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1944 Chev??

I can't seem to find any pictures of a 44 so are they few and far between or what?? I think I have a deal on one but wanted to see what it would look like before I go look at and maybe buy it

Technicly speaking, unless it's a military truck, there are no '44s, as most civillian production was halted from about Jan. '42-june (?) '45. There were some civillian light trucks produced during the war, most are considered '43s for registration purposes, regardless of year made. All were 1/2 ton (thoguh there may have been a handfull of 3.4s) and were equipped with 4 speeds. They also would have the Blackout trim, and were painted a dark grey as I recall. As far as appearance, they would be identical to the '41-'42, exept with no chrome at all. If it is truly a WW2 erea truck, it is indeed rare.

The '41 thru '46 models all looked alike with some minor differences, mostly because of raw material shortages due to WW2.
Lack of chrome, as mentioned above, and rubber seal around gas tank neck should be leather instead. Parking light housings were unique for '41, but the same from '42 thru '46.

First model '47 was the same as a '46, and only sold for a short time, as it was replaced with the new '47 Advance Design Model.

A 1944 civilian 1/2 ton model would be quite rare indeed. I would want to verify the title and the identification plate on the cowl to be sure of what it is.

Very interesting, keep us informed, and pictures would be cool regardless of condition.

John

Would you by chance have a list of serial number to give me the years?? I know I can buy it cheap and if in fact its a 1944 I know its worth about 10 times what I will pay for it even with out a title

Look in the gallery for photos of the 1941-47 trucks. There are a few examples of the mid year trucks.

I am not sure that being a 44 would make it any more valuable than a 46. Unless it had documentation and a history that is provable, it would be like any other 41-47, especially if it is rough.

I can remember in 1944 when the local vet got a new chevy pickup. Of course it was actually a 42 but a new truck was such a rare sight that it would draw onlookers where ever he had it. No one begrudged him getting it because he took care of the health of all the livestock in the area which was essential to the war effort. Vets back then went to the animals instead of the other way around, like now, and 1940's roads would use up a pickup in just several years.

IINM, The war trucks were serialed as a 42.

So it should look something like this:

00BP-M00000

00 - Plant Number
BP - 1942 Half Ton
M - Month Code
00000 - Serial Number (series started at 1001)

I too have read somewhere that from 42 to the D series trucks of early 46 were all numbered as 42's.

I also read somewhere that there were a VERY limited number of trucks released to the public in 1944. The story I read was that the vehicles were sold based on a need if a company or person could show/demonstrate the need for the vehicle.

get us the vin # off the pass side cawl and we will tell you what you have it is not a 44 for sure all 43and 44 were sold as 42 trucks where are some 45 out there thay are rare i have 2 42 trucks one is pre war stile one is war stile with no crome all blacked out lether gas neck and all

There's a bunch of info here at Brad's site:

http://www.brads41-46chevys.com/id37.html

Acording to his info, there wasn't any 44's built.

In my Jan. 1, 1946 Red Book Used Car Market Report, it lists 1944-45-46 Chevy trucks, with OPA Ceiling Prices.

Serial #'s for Model BK half-ton pickup on 115" WB begin at BD-580921 and up.

Serial #'s for Models MR, MS, MY and MT on longer chassis start at BG-580921 and up.

Maybe this will help out. I love Red Books for the amazing amount of info they contain.

TG

I just consulted two books concerning war-time Chevrolet trucks. One stated that production of civilian Chevrolet trucks ended January 1942 and resumed January 1944 when production of trucks for high-priority civilian use began on a limited basis. It shows serial numbers for 1944 pickups beginning at BK-2127. In September, 1945 production of a wider-range of models began called interim 1946 models.

The other source states that the Chevrolets produced beginning January 1944 were heavy duty models on wheelbases of either
134 1/2-inch wheelbase or 160-inch wheelbase. It states that production of 1/2 ton models resumed in 1945 for qualified and essential users. Take your choice which source to believe. Frankly I have photos I took of a 1945 Chevrolet 1/2-ton but I have never seen one called a 1944 model.

Here's a link to the page for '44-'45-'46 Chevy trucks, from the April 1, 1948 Red Book. By then, OPA restrictions had been lifted.

These books were used by dealers, insurors and law enforcement to determine values and authenticity of used vehicles. I have them going back to 1926, and over the years have used them, among other things, to verify Serial/Motor numbers in several antique car collections and to correct the Buick Club's Judging Manual. Since they were contemporary accounts of industry data, I trust them implicitly.

http://photos.aaca.org/data/509/44_5_6_Chev_Truck.jpg

They came in very handy as evidence to convince our DMV of the legitimacy of my Bookmobile, which as a state-owned vehicle had never been titled till I acquired it.

I think this pretty much corroborates Jay's source material, as well. Old's serial number holds the key to his truck's provenance.

TG