The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Made it home....

Folks -

Well, we've returned from Eureka, CA with our prize; a '47 5 window 3100.

Thanks to all that suggested a trailer, the ride home was blessedly uneventful. We took a ton of pics and the truck is better in many ways than we thought. A full report will follow....

John

That's good news John.
It's true that the Ca. climate is kind to old metal.
Mine is my second vehicle I have 'liberated' from you guys!
We look forward to your updates.
Good luck on your new project.
Jock

I think everyone is waiting for pics...do ya think?

That's the kind of report we all want to hear! Thanks!

Hey All -

Rose and I will be working on some commentary, but for now, here are the pics from the ad that was on Craigslist, and pics from the road trip to pick her up and bring her home.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmclhs/EurekaWeVeFoundIt47Chevy3100TowFromEureka?feat=directlink

A quick survey shows she has an oddball VIN, has been converted to 12v and has an open driveline, among other things....

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....

John & Rose

Hi, nice truck, and it looks in great shape !
I liked the pic in the mirror shot, don't know how many times I've glanced at the mirror and made myself jump when towing something home, kinda forgetting it was back there!
Boy that trailer could have stood to have been a hair longer!
Not to be too nosey but do you mind telling us the price he settled for?
If thats too personal, just ignore it, and good luck with the new project!

Hey all -

Okay, here's the update...

The good we didn't know...

1 Truck has an alternator, new starter, has been converted to 12 volt
2 Has an open driveline, not sure if trans and rear axle are stock, but it is a 4 speed
3 It has a 235 that *appears* to be in good shape
4 Newer exhaust, all the way back
5 BRAND new tires, huge suckers...
7 Seat is is great shape, has seatbelts, interior is okay
8 Owner's manual in the glovebox

The Bad

1 A welter of small dents
2 Some rust at the back underside of cab
3 Some mystery wiring and plumbing
4 Title is okay, but VIN number is issued by State of Cal - I'll need to check this out

The ugly

1 Me

The seller said he bought it for $3k several years ago, he was asking $2,500, we offered $2,200; he countered with $2,400 and we said, "sold!"

All in all, I think we did okay on this....

John

you did good!

Stop it man, you're breakin' my heart

I like where you mentioned the deposit sent sight unseen. Did the same kind of thing with mine. Flew 400+ miles to Bay Area, then drove it back (55 top speed down the 101!). The whole trip was based solely on talking to the PO over the phone a few times, and his word that he was sure the truck would make it. It was a heck of an experience, but we made it.

I think it boils down to the kind of people you deal with when buying from somebody else who had intentions of restoring, whatever their reasons for giving up (too many other projects, economy screwed them, new baby, etc). Everybody I've met so far since really diving into this have been great people.

Congrats on the new project! It's a real beauty.

Thats an excellent deal, congrats and good luck !
Trucks in really good shape are getting tougher to find all around, good find!

That looks like a nice truck. Do I see 8 lugs on the front wheel? If that is the case it is a 3/4 or 1 Ton. Too bad about the small rust spots under the cab! LOL

TN -

Yes, it has 8 bolts.... But the trim says 3100. The other thing; how do I find out what is has vs. what it is supposed to have regarding the transmission and rear axle. It has been converted to an open driveline and it has a 2 piece drive shaft with the carrier in the middle.

Is there a VIN or other number on the chassis itself? I'd be very interested to find out if it is, in fact, a 3/4 or 1 ton.

John

From the pictures it looks like a 3600. check the vin plate on the driver door jamb. Hope you got a clear title with it.

Just from what I can tell, it looks to be a 3800 1 ton. The bed length and full depth stake pocket ahead of the rear fender are a givaway on that, as is the open driveline. The engine is a '55-'62, low water pump and 4 bolt rocker cover. Not a bad thing, as it is the full pressure engine, but there could be some cooling issues due to the fan location.

Okay, what I have is that 1/2 ton was 116" WB; 3/4 was 125" and 1 ton was 137. The truck was billed as a "long bed 1/2 ton" - was there such a thing in '47?

Looking at other 47's - this one is billed as a half ton and it has a stake pocket ahead of the rear fender:

http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/redinger_gary_1947.html

I will be doing some measuring and taking additional photos later this afternoon.

God, I'm just itching to get working on this so I can drive it...

John

Chevrolet didn't offer one, but GMC did. The 8 lug wheels peg it as either a 3/4 or 1 ton, though, as 1/2 tons are 6 lug. Seems the seller listed it incorrectly. On the stake pockets, 1/2 tons only have 2 per side, 3/4 and 1 tons have 3. The bed lengths will be 7 1/2' for 3/4 ton, 9' for 1 ton.

Chevrolet did not offer a long bed half ton in any AD years. An 8 lug suspension is not a half ton truck.

California, and many other states used the engine number as the vehicle ID when these trucks were new. The DMV VIN number was probably issued because of an engine change.

Chuck

Okay...

So what the hell do I have here? Wouldn't a 1 ton have a full floating rear axle? I don't think this one does from looking at the rear wheel/mag.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmclhs/EurekaWeVeFoundIt47Chevy3100TowFromEureka#5491646257880572226

The truck has 8 lug axles, front and rear. Is the cab the same on all AD late 47 series? If the hood and doors are interchangeable, then I may have a "Frankentruck". Using the VIN decoder it is listed as a '52, but has too many of the other attributes of a '47 for me to agree. The bed takes 9 boards, and the doors don't have vent wings or push button handles; I understand that that Chevy went to an 8 board bed in 49 or 50, and vent wings and PB door handles in 51 or 2...

As I asked before, is there a VIN number stamped anywhere on the chassis or frame rails?

I'll take some detailed pics later this afternoon. I'm a sucker for a mystery....

John

The centercap of the wheel is covering the hub. I just checked Mar-K, '47-early '51 used 9 boards, late '51-'53 have 8. The gas tank under the bed says '47 or '48. Can you post the Serial Number from the cab? I can cross reference it to the ID material I have. To my knowledge, the ADs were not stamped on the frame like the later trucks were, but if it is, look on the top of the left frame rail near the steering box. That seems to be the common location on the later trucks for the serial number to be stamped. Also, if you can, get the number from the engine. It will be on the machined pad just behind the distributor. I have to codes for the engines as well, just so we can find out what it came out of.

Bill -

Thanks for the offer; I'll post info later this afternoon when I get back from taking pics and tinkering!

John

Looks like a one ton bed (9') to me.
nice looking truck,have fun with it.

No there is not.

AD trucks do not have any factory stamped ID on the frame.

But you also have to deal with the question of what is a VIN number. Many insist a VIN number is any vehicle identification number. There is an internationally accepted legal definition that came into common usage just after 1980 in the US.

Those numbers aren't used on AD trucks either.

The most accurate answer based on today's definitions is that no '47 to '54 anything ever came from the factory with a modern VIN.

The serial number found on the title from one of these trucks is either a body serial number or an engine serial number. Or it is a state number assigned much later.

Only the state assigned number might be a VIN by today's definition.

Folks -

Well, some additional inspection - the truck is, apparently, a one ton. The wheelbase is 137"; it has 8 lug axles front and rear. The trim says 3100.

I can't find any references for the casting numbers on the engine block or head, or for the engine serial number. I know it's a 235, but don't know of what era.

The fuel pump is kaput - I replaced the valve diaphragm - it had a hole in it... but it's still not pumping properly - also the carb is leaking fuel. That being said, we did have it running for a couple of minutes. No ominous sounds and the oil pressure popped right up, which is encouraging. More to come on all of this, Rose took a bunch more pictures.

John

194752 31800 Frankentruck

HERE are pictures of the location of the casting numbers on a 235. Check out the pictures at the top, the ones where the engine is red.

Hope that helps.

How is your door jamb tag attached? If it's just with screws than more than likely somebody had a worse off truck and did a swap on your truck......that's the bad thing about these AD trucks is that is all the DMV has to go by is either engine number or the door jamb tag number and that's too easy to change! Nice truck though!

No, the tag is riveted in place and was issued by the State of Cal. There is an identical one on the frame rail just ahead of the steering box. I thought I had a pic somewhere - will post it shortly.

The stickers have the same serial number, but the "control numbers" or some such State-inspired nonsense are different.

Also, the serial number on the engine doesn't match anything I've found on line for assembly plant or ????

More to come,

John

Here you go -

The first pic is the sticker on the door jamb

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmclhs/EurekaWeVeFoundIt47Chevy3100TowFromEureka#5493189153996235922

This one's on the frame rail

http://picasaweb.google.com/jmclhs/EurekaWeVeFoundIt47Chevy3100TowFromEureka#5493189157218705074

I've never seen a State issued VIN. I'd be very interested if anyone has more information on this...

The truck was advertised as a 47 long bed. Near as I can tell, the cab is a 52, with earlier doors and a 1/2 ton front clip...

John

Please post pictures of the engine casting numbers. There are people here who can tell you all about your engine if you give them a chance.

If you don't have pictures just describe the location and tell us the numbers/letters.

John,

Looks like you got a good deal.Hope to see more pic as you start to fix it up good luck and have fun


Chip

Knedert, the Ca. issued ID tag is nothing new as you probably well know. My nephew (and a little help from me), did a complete restoration on a 37 pickup that came from Ca. It had the Ca. ID tag on it and that was over 5 years ago since I first layed my hands on it.

It would have been nice if the previous owner could tell you who HE got it from.... and so on down the line. S.C. use to give you a title history for $5 bucks but that stopped sometime after I got my pickup in 1994 because I could get one back then.
Will Ca. give you a title history??? Doubtful.

Anyway, it looks like you got a good deal, it runs and will certainly serve you well. Good luck and I'm watching this mystery unfold like so many others.

So the original factory tag with the factory serial number and the gross weight rating, etc.,... is gone from the door hinge pillar? That's a little bit of a shame, but makes for some fun and interesting mystique that may be part of your truck's personality from now on...

And you can re-double feeling good about choosing a trailer over a dolly... That's a ~lot~ more Truck than you ~though~ you were getting... Seems like what you've got, if you want to look at it this way, is a ~real~ truck in half-a-truck's clothing...

Keith

Get your paper work done before you sink any more money into that truck. What you have is questionable title at best.

Knedert, whats up with your project? Did you ever find out exactly what you have?? Are you making any progress, having any fun with it???

Billy