The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk question on 5 window pick ups ?

I would like to ask you more experienced guys a question. I am new to this hobby Ive always loved old trucks so i bought a 51' chevy pick up 3/4 ton thriftmaster. it does not have 5 windows. but i have been told that the 5 window' trucks or the corner back windows are more collectable or rare? I would appreciate any facts or help

Hi,

The 5 windows trucks were sold as deluxe cabs. The deluxe cab had 5 windows, maybe a radio, maybe a spare tire mounted on the side of the truck, maybe a fulton sunvisor. The 5 window cabs are getting hardder and harrder to find. Have fun restoring your truck. Here are some places you can get parts.

LMC Truck
Classic Parts
Classic Industries
CARQUEST
NAPA

Chevytruck daddy

Shawn, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Enjoy the truck you have!

Five window cabs - or its post-1955 successor, the big back window cab - were not popular in the south. That might make them less common, but not necessarily rare.

Have a great time with your new hobby!

some of the hot rod guys like the 3 window..........
five windows use to be sort of hard to find but now you
can find one pretty easy...........just my 2 cents..

welcome to the bolt

There is a lot of mis-information in this post. Equipment in the deluxe package varied from year to year. Five window cabs could be ordered without the deluxe package. Three window cabs could be purchased with the deluxe package in some years. A radio was never a part of the package. Side mounted spare was not available for most of the production run. It had nothing to do with the deluxe package. Fulton was an aftermarket supplier of visors.

Around here, the 3 window is actually more uncommon, exept for the big trucks. I even know of a couple of 3800 5 windows. Never seen one with the visor locally, and the only one with a factory radio I've ever seen was a GMC. I don't think the sidemount spare came until '53.

I'm guessing my dad was wrong telling the folks in the 50's this information. :-)

Scott

Around my part of the country, it seems that 5 window trucks are generally the pickups. Most of the larger trucks used on the farms and such, seem to be 3 window trucks. I would suppose because of the extra cost as being the reason why the large trucks are mostly 3 window. Myself, I prefer the 5 windows. I like less blind spots.

Watched those guys on that truck show on SpikeTV convert a 3 window AD to a five window. They just cut the area where the side windows would go, not the whole back out. Looked pretty easy for a capable body guy.

I find it odd that a number of big trucks are 5 window cabs, and the tall racks on the bed make the corner windows close to useless...
My 48 is an example, but I'll make shorter bed sides for everyday use so I can still see out the windows.

Grigg

Back then the dealer got what was available and the buyer got what was on the lot.

Today. We buy what we can find and upgrade rusted or broken parts with what we can find at swap meets or ebay. Bits and pieces are gotten from internet venders or local automotive chains.

Totally original trucks are either delivered by space aliens or out of a time machine.

Everyone on this site can help you with that.

now days for about 10,000 you can order a brand new cab.

Back then (at least in the late 60s and early 70s), in central Virginia farm country (and in "junk" yards), I never saw a 5-window cab. Maybe the car dealers (an uncle Chevy dealer) and a brother-in-law (a quick-talking used car salesman), just bought standard used trucks to show-to and sell-to the farmers? Maybe the 5-window cabs never made it to the junk yards I frequented back then?

And/or, maybe the 5-window cab trucks were better maintained and more desirable to keep/restore because they were either/or rarer and more expensive to buy?

My truck had a wooden bed with a high back right behind the cab. It completely blocked the corner windows and there was a little rectangle cut out in the middle.

The corner windows were always a separate option and available for the complete Advance-Design run, 47-55. Weren't they called "Nu-Vue" or something like that? I forget.
Did Chevy offer option "packages" or groups back then?

Thanks for all the information. I bought a parts truck witch happens to be a 5 window cab and I like it to but I think I will keep it original.

Yes, Chevrolet Advance-Design trucks had "options packages" in most years (slimmer choices in 52-53 due to no chrome options). 1954/55 had the greatest variety of "options packages".

Take a look at this. i have a 54/3100 3 window and there are times when backing out i would like to have the 5 window but i have driven this truck for almost 28 years with out any problems. that includes 2 trips to Kansas City. 8000 miles since i "finished" it.