The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun Roll Call for 1-ton-ers

Hey Funton, I'd vote for a flat bed with removable side panels and tailgate ('cause thats what I'm going with) with duals on the ground. Just like that look.

What techniques are you using to remove the undercoating? Is it necessary if the existing undercoat is intact and sound? Just paint over? Dave.

I Have a 1941 GMC one ton dually, got around 2003, just started driving it .Its got a GMC 270 with the old 4 speed, top speed about 45, fun to drive.I built a wide bed and added rear fenders, trying to get that new dually look, turned out good.My only problem is it has the old GMC 6 lug 7 1/4 bolt circle front hubs. I have collected some parts to change to 8 lug, got hubs, got the 11 inch drums here on stovebolt free, now the hubs dont fit my spindles,I may have a machine shop make spacers for the bearings,or ,IF I could find another axle here in Florida, that would work.
Anyway its fun, ill try to get some pictures posted.

Since you ask I had the same question for my family 2 years back and it was my son as well who favored the bed. (( I went with the bed and could not be happier.. )) The bed will probably cost more and of course it depends on the look you are going for and the purpose of the truck !! The 3804s are pretty rare and you cannot buy an after market 1 ton bed side panel.

So if you do decide to put a flat bed on it, the 9 foot side panels will fetch a nice price if they are in good condition.

Just got a 49 1 ton it is a 3800 with dually rear end, pto driven hydraulic tilt wood flat bed(metal framed)
Very nice truck. I am starting to work on it soon I just submitted it to the gallery
1949 3800

oh yeah, instead of thrift master, I call mine the Ranch Master

Got my '49 dually off of ebay, after getting it here and looking into it now it seems this truck is got all kinds of different parts on it.
It has the 90 mph speedo, push button door handles, and a push-out side vent on the drivers side cowl.
Glad all these parts interchange!..LOL

My '51 3804 is parked most of the time. In the next year I'll be putting in the '81 250 I've acquired; the plan is to cam it up a bit, and change the intake/carburetor for better breathing.

The plan, however, has changed before...

Here's a current pic; http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/42506/2357293350096215731S600x600Q85.jpg she's serving as a guest cabin.

Did a double take myself

That's what happened. What I did is, I had a temporary cash crisis (client stiffed me for $17K) and the sale - if it happened - was one solution, but it was resolved another way. So, yeah. I'm keeping my baby!

Hi,
I'm Pete and I have a 1961 C30 Panel Truck.

Latest issue is going to be swapping out the front suspension and crossmember for something a little newer so I can get parts but mostly since my drivetran is now too long to fit in front of torsion bar crossmember anyhow.

http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/geurds_pete_1961.html

If the moderator prefers this to be all pickups let me know and I'll stay in "Panels'N Burbs" or the "60-66 Truck" forums.

Pete

Pete I don't think anyone ever said this was limited to anything except 1-ton Stovebolts. I think you're welcome here!

OldSub,
Thanks, I had just noticed this Forum and wanted to be sure.

Pete

I just brought my 1949 1 ton cab & chassis truck home. Very little rust. Original colour is dark (Mariner?) blue which was painted over with cheap paint which has gone chalky and is peeling, revealing the original colour. The truck has bumper guards, auxiliary springs, single rear wheels, and bug screen for the rad. The original engine is long gone, having been replaced with a 235. The truck was used on a farm and had a dump box on it at some point. The PTO drive shaft was cut half way down the back and the box discarded long before I bought it.

Sounds like a good truck!

Any pics

I will add some pics when I get the front end back on the truck. It was disassembled by the previous owner more then 7 years ago so he could install a Cummins diesel engine and make a car hauler, but time was on my side as he decided not to go ahead with the project. The 235 was running when he got the truck, so I want to get that going and use it to power the truck.

Hi All,

I'm Jim and I have a 1953 1 ton, started out as a 49 but between a cab and fenders and new bed it's morphed into a 53. Also with regards to the rear wheel cylinders, has anyone had any problem getting the bolt holes in a new cylinder to line up with the slots in the backing plate?ause I am!......Aaargh

Where in Washington? Bunch of us are meeting in Shelton at the ATHS show today. Look for my '55 1st GMC Suburban with the very rare optional Cragars.

Hi to Al

I have a ‘48 3804 registered as a ‘47 with the 9ft. bed it is a work in progress and driven almost daily. I live in Ventura County, Ca. and had to pick it up in Rapid City, S.D. . Body is straight with dings everywhere. I have had the engine rebuilt about 3,000 miles ago and had a different rear-end built to 342/1 and it travels down the road very nicely. The main issues for now with it are the wipers and the heater motor being replaced and also the driver’s door which I believe was a trainer for car thieves to practice on. Maybe changing the 1 barrel to a 2 barrel for a little extra power up the hills. I have driven it back and forth from home to Lake Havasu and Parker Dam area a couple of times the ride is great going via interstate 40 and 10.

Pics??

Hey Guys, miss me?
1953 1-ton 3800 PU. "Thing"!

This is my 63 Chevy C-30 dually stake bed that I just bought. I bought if from an 85-year old lady whose husband passed away 10 years ago. This was his truck. She has kept it up with licensing, battery, insurance, etc, even driving it occasionally to keep it running. Finally she decided it is time to sell it. I happened to see it just as the ad was posted on Craig’s List. I only had saved half the money I needed and was really only window shopping at this point but my wife, whom loves me dearly, god bless her, helped me come up with the other half.

This is really a neat old truck and in very good condition. Originally a 6 cylinder it now has a 350 with a 4 speed. The bumper, grill and wheels are powder coated white. It has been converted to power brakes. The paint, tires, engine, interior and wood on the bed are all in great shape!

June, whom I bought the truck from, gave me a trophy that her husband won when he showed the truck in 1997 at Kool April Nights in Redding, CA. She was only asking $2000 for this amazing truck although she did know that it was worth more. I felt so incredibly lucky to get this truck. She was happy to see it going to a good home. Her kids (grown) took pictures of me and her and the truck before I drove away. It was kind of sad for them to see it go and made me think that with luck I will pass it on to my kids and hope they will want to keep it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/writeswithaleft/3676184065/

Hey Jeremy welcome to the Stovebolt and to Tons of Fun! That's a very nice looking truck, you did well at only $2,000!

Got a 1947 1 ton with stepside bed. It was built just right before the Advanced Design. It was a left over 46 from the UAW strike. I knew about it for 10 years. When I was in high school I tried and tried to buy. But the owner would not sell it. One day I was going back home to my parents and there it was on the side of the road with a for sale sign. I had to make it mine. I have taken it to a few shows. Only one was judged ,our ATHS show in Tye, were it took home 1ST OUT OF 75 TRUCKS.The old truck is still in its old work cloths. It still has its factory green and black be it a bit worn. A 261 (that can be very onry but it has never been touched) with a 4speed with brakes that work! One day I will get sum pictures on here.

Hey. I had a 53 1/2 ton all finished 2 years ago but a guy offered me way to much for it and sold it. I missed it and this spring picked up a 49 big bolt 2 ton in great shape but not a practical driver. So last week I got a 51 3800 to build over the winter. Im so hooked now its not even funny. Good thing my wife loves these trucks.

Alright, I have a 51 GMC ton truck. I am in the process of building it and have been for a while. I love looking at the photos of all the ton trucks. I like the ones with dual wheels I grew up working on several farms and we always had a flatbed ton truck, granted the ones we had weren't quite as old as most of these here. The ones we had were 70's and early 80's.
One of the trucks we had back in the day was the donor truck for my 51. I think these trucks are meant to be used but taken care of and not abused. I have a great respect for a good looking working truck. I intend to use my truck that is why I have a 454, hydroboost braking system, granny four speed, and 4:10 rear end.

I think I will really enjoy this new "Tons 'o Fun" section.

My 1 Ton is a 1946/47, or a 1947 “First Series”, or you can say “early ‘47” or "47.1" 1 Ton Chevy Panel Truck. The title says 1947.

This truck was built at the Norwood, Ohio plant (north side of Cincinnati) in March 1947. The 1 Ton Commercial series, Model DS, was only made from 5-1-46 to 5-31-47. But I do have to be careful and order parts for a ’46.

This truck has about 46000 miles, and it has never been outside, since new, except from about May to October. No rust. None! Just the opposite of most of my projects. Problem now is that a hit-and-run driver passed on the right when I was turning right, caught the front corner big-time, and so I now have whole front end off to repair, and rebuilding engine, new wiring harness, etc., while I'm there. Has a 235 full-pressure engine now, so I'm staying with that.

1 Tons are cool. Heavy enough springs I could load it with bricks. Enough power to pull out a tree stump. Slow enough I get to see all the scenery.

This new "Tons 'o Fun" section is a great idea.

My Photos: http://s715.photobucket.com/albums/ww155/draglinebucket/

I've got a 1927 Chevy one ton. I tore it down to the frame and then a 1951 1/2 ton came along. Well lets just say all my time and money has gone to the '51 and the 27 just sits. Oh well. I'm thinking of selling the '27. Don't have the time or the money for both.

Still working on the 58 1-ton NAPCO. I've had some distractions lately but getting the cab ready for paint now.

I'm a bit of an unofficial member of this club, as I have a daily driver 1985 GMC one-ton with crew cab and a long bed. It's about 21' long, and I get a lot of comments about its size, as well as having difficulties in parking garages which I generally avoid. I recently used it to trailer my 1956 3/4 ton long bed from Eliot Maine to Boston. It was a great sight- one GMC towing another. I'll post some pix one of these days. Interestingly, I figured recently that my '85 is now the same age as my '56 was when I bought it in '80.
Dave

I'm also in, I picked up a 1957 3800 during my college years, I have it in the garage awaiting parts. I'd say it's drivable but not stoppable right now. I love it, big plans include brake upgrades a new custom flat bed w/winch, 2 tone paint, all to make it a daily driver!

I got a Arizona 89 C 3500 probally to late of a truck for this thread but the intention was to put a early 40,s cab and front clip on it. But the 89 cab was virtually rest free and I didn't want to waste it, built a mech/welding bed on it and use it every day. Biggest problem with the early cab was finding commercial ins for it. Sure would of been easy on the eye tooling down the Interstate about 70. The front crossmember is virtually the same as the early ones, they didn't change until 90 on the 1 ton's.

Not all 3500s made in '89 are te earlier cab and suspension. I have an '89 K3500 single-wheel that is that is the later cab. Not sure what the changeover dates were on the various models but I believe Suburbans and Blazers didn't change until '91.

It would have been cool with that 40's cab on it!

Im converting my 65 1/2 ton shortbed to a 1 ton dually does that count? lol

You are correct, should have said the C series, I think the K series changed in 88. The frames on these had some strength issues wih the front half, we had two of ours that had complete frames replaced by GM.

Sure!

My '49 1 Ton

It has a later cab on it, but the rest is '49. I believe the 216 in it is a reman. engine as it has no serial number. The pad is blank. It had some cool period accessories in it when I got it including a brass fire extinguisher, kerosene road flares and an electric trailer brake controller.

I will most likely re-power the truck with a 292, since I have 3 or 4 of them.
Or possibly even a Taskmaster 265 I pulled out of a '55 2 ton.

I have spare 4.10 and 4.57 gear sets for the rear. I'll change out the 5.14's for the 4.57 set until I do the engine swap, then I'll change to 4.10.

However all plans may be subject to change at anytime!

I just purchaced a 1959 38 series apache dual rear wheeled flat bed. It has a 348 in it and dual saddle tanks. Looks to me like one of the previous owners used it for some long hauling of some kind. The body is really straight and the interior is clean and nice. I bought it to pull the motor and sell it but I'm thinking of driving it around till someone wants it more than me. I sure love this site and am gratefull to be linked it to this incredible knowledge base.

I don't think that was a stock offering. Did you buy it because you have a use for that motor, or just because those motors are currently popular?

Since that's not an original motor you might pull the motor and replace it with a 350. The 350 could be dressed to look original in that truck, but would give you the advantages of modern V-8 power.