The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1/2 Ton, 3/4 Ton, 1 Ton???? Which one is it???

I just purchased my first art deco truck... a 46. Actually I got 2 trucks for the price of one. The first I was told was a 1 1/2 ton. It has a tandom axle, the larger front fenders and a 24 foot flat bed. I think that it might be a 2 ton truck though. The second truck is a pickup. I was told that it was a half ton, however it has 8 lug 17 inch split rims. What are the physical differences in these trucks? How can I tell what I have? Oh.. and by the way, where is the VIN number?

VIN should be on the side of the cowl on the passenger side. It will be covered by the rear edge of the hood and can only be seen with the hood open.
The bigger truck sounds like it will be either a 2&1/2 ton or bigger (tandem axle usually means 5 ton.
The 3/4 or 1-ton will have differences in length of bed and size of brakes. The GVW will be 8,800 on the 1-ton and it will have a 134 & 1/2 wheel base compared to the 125 & 1/4 for the 3/4-ton which will have a GVW of 5,800

That tandem sounds cool. I'd love to find one of those!

5 TON!! I knew it was big, but I didn't know it was that big. Did GM install the extra axle, or did they farm that work out like the napco 4x4 systems? How can I tell the GVW of this truck? By the way, the tandem truck will be going on sale after I remove it from the barn that it presently sits in.

Anyway, from your specs, I found that my PU is a 3/4 ton truck. Will this affect my future parts procurement? Are 3/4 ton body parts different than 1/2 stuff other than the length of the bed? Is the frame taller and will that affect the fact that I would like to make this a rod (drop axle in front)? Maybe I should consider a 70's donor truck to set this body on... As you can tell I'm in need of a lot of advise. Thanks again... you guys are great!!

P.S. I noticed that this is not a torque tube set-up.. Is this original, or did someone modify it previously? If there is a webpage on where I can find all of the original specs and configurations please let me know. THANKS A LOT!

What year is your pickup? Makes a difference on the driveshaft.

The cab and front sheet metal are common between the 1/2 & 3/4ton trucks. Beds are different lengths in the AD series. Frames are the same width, but the cross section of the frame is bigger with thicker metal on the 3/4 ton. We used to have a guy here who used 3/4 ton frames to make 1/2 ton trucks, maybe Luke or someone can recall what he did. If you have an AD truck, the frame swap to a later model is a lot of work, the later models had a wider frame.

Hey your trucks sound cool. I have a '41 art deco 3/4 ton and it is six lug. 1946 might have been a changeover year for axles though? In one of my previous topics found here Ralph posted a link to a parts manual that could be helpful to you.

The 3/4 ton frame is different from the 1/2 ton in that it the rails are straight and the driveline is two part. There is a Torque tube from the tranny to a carrier and then open to the driveaxle. The leafsprings are on stubs outside of the frame. The 3/4 ton and up were like that from what I know.

What kind of modifications do you want to make? A tandem street rod could be slick. If you could get some decent ratios you could modify the frame and keep the straight axle and make one a mean truck.

Thanks for the info.. the parts manual link should help out a lot. The plans for the pickup are to go with a small block, slam the front end about 6 inches with some brake upgrades and paint it satin black.. that's the theory anyways. It would make a sweet looking rod.

As for the tandem... I don't plan on doing anything with it other than selling it eventually. I have no room for something that large. If anyone knows someone with niche for one of these big haulers, let me know.

I plan on having some pictures of the two trucks in the gallery sometime soon.

Hey SmokinJoe I've got room to park that tandem, but don't have time to run to Kentucky to collect it. Can you just drop it by here?

Sounds like a plan! You payin' for shipping? LOL!

Hey smokinjoe, Is that Tandem a Chevy, or GMC. If it's a Chevy, 2 Ton, would be the highest it can be rated in 1946, also the Tandem set-up would be a conversion from an outside jobber, such as Trucktor, Truckstell, Fabco, Truxmore, Grico, or Thornton. Chevrolet didn't have it's first factory built Tandem until 1956. GMC's on the other hand, had their own Tandem back in the 30's, also were rated as high as 20 Ton trucks. I have a '54 Chevrolet 2 Ton COE, that has a Trucktor Chain Drive Tandem Axle.

Hi,
I could store your big truck for a while and am only 100 mile from where you are. If you want to bring it down to Bowling Green let me know.
JR

That is a really nice offer jr. Currently I have both stored in my grandpa's barn east of Lafayete Indiana. I still plan on selling the big truck to cover some of the costs for the pickup. I will have pictures of both posted this weekend.

Spanky, the tandem is a Chevy.. I will take some pictures of the set-up and post then soon also.

Later