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I took a radio out of a GMC AD style truck a while back and I had one on the shelf out of a Chevy AD style. The cases are different shapes, the GMC is sloped a little in the back. Is this correct? Thanks, Ernie

There were two styles of AD radios that were basically identical for Chev and GMC. The 1947 to 1950 had a back with a slanting parting line on the sides. The 1951 to 53 radio had a back with a straight vertical seam. The side contour of the two radios were different as you have noted. Both radios will fit all of the AD years.

That makes perfect sense to me now. Thanks a lot.

And the 54/55.1 radios were totally different.

With very slight to major differences between the GMC and Chevrolet truck 54/55 versions.

If memory serves, the 54 Chevy and GMC radios use the same case but rotated 180*, and GMC doesn't have a dashboard speaker mount. They went in the cardboard headliner, where they fell out about 52 years ago. A couple of tabs spot-welded to the roof would have done wonders for that system.

I wondered if that ever happened! The inventions they dreamed up!

The speaker falling out? Most of those cardboard headliners fell apart years ago, and that was the only thing holding the speaker up. 54 GMC radios are rare. 54 GMC speaker grilles are impossible to find.

I have seen an advertisement where Chevrolet described the pusbutton selctors on the radio as a safety feature because the driver's attention would not be sidelined by tuning the dial. It was either for an AD radio or one before that. So in 1954 they brought out a radio without pushbuttons.

The 12v 1954/55 GMC truck radio is probably the rarest?

Most likely. I think the 55-59 radio will work if you switch the 54 bezel onto it.

The control shafts on the 55-59 Chevy trucks does not line up with the 54-59 GMC, a JEEP Station wagon radio is the same as a 54-59 GMC,only has different model number,no"GMC" logo on the dial,differnt mounting accsories and drum speaker ,I know that 56 Jeep is originally 6 volt 57-58 maybe 12 volt,but you thought a GMC radio is rare, try to find original Jeep radio,they are out there!

Thanks Bill. This is valuable information and it helps clear up the confusion of this series of radios. I wonder if the GMC dashes were quite different from the Chevy dashes during this series.

Through 1953, Chevy and GMC shared dashes but used different gauge clusters. Starting in 54, the designs separated and GMC retained their own very different dash designs, with the exception of the Fleet Option trucks, through the end of the TF/BC series. The FO trucks used Chevy dashes with special "GMC" emblem clusters.

Yes the GMC Fleet Option used the Chevrolet TF dash very different than the regular GMC I have a GMC Fleet Option radio,the only one I've ever seen. It is basicly a 55-59 Chevy TF radio with a different part number and a "GMC" on the dial where the Chevrolet botie would have been .
Because of the need for parts to repair these radio I've made a list of passenger car radios that have the same parts, the control shafts on the 55-59 Chevt truck are in the same place as the 55-56 manual tuning Chevy passenger car ,but the dail is different, tuning shaft and volume-on/off control can be used in the truck
The 53-54 Manual tuning passenger car radio control shafts are in the same place as the 54-early 55 Chevy truck and 54-59 GMC, but dail is different, "IF's" "OSC" "ANT" "RF" all the same power transformer from the 55-56 passenger although a different deside can be 12 volt convertion

Thanks for this very useful information Bill.