This month’s feature is the earliest NAPCO accessory equipped truck in existence! So far no one has been able to prove otherwise. That is quite a compliment due to the large following of these aftermarket 4x4 trucks.

As the author of this article, Jim Carter of Jim Carter Truck Parts, I became telephone friends of the owner of this 1951 Chevrolet pickup. The owner was Butch Gehrig of O’Dell, Oregon. We met 30 years ago at the large Spring Portland, OR swap meet and soon became very good friends.

After the third year at this show I could not resist driving to the small town of O’Dell to see the oldest NAPCO equipped Chevy pickup in the country. So impressive for a GM truck hobbyist like me!

Yes, the visit also included a 40 mile drive (in the NAPCO) to visit other nearby enthusiasts that Butch knew. Of course, they all had older Chevy / GMC trucks so we had much in common from the beginning.

The high point of the year was being allowed to drive this special vehicle back to the town of O’Dell at the end of the day. To me it was like a new 4x4 because of how Butch restored it over 1 ½ years ago.

Even a short lived magazine, Pickup ‘n Panels, in Orlando, Florida heard about this special Chevy 4x4 and wrote the following 2 pages. It is mostly the history and how Butch Gehrig came to be the owner. We are fortunate to have found a copy of this now very rare May 1992 issue.

We wish we had more data to give you. My memory of that special day 30 years ago is a bit cloudy.

The last we heard about Butch was several years ago from a call to our sales department. Butch’s son, Joe, told us that he had passed due to an incurable ailment. The NAPCO would always be in Joe’s keepsake of his father’s love of this pickup and he being with Butch many times in the countryside on a 4x4 ride. Of course, paved roads only! Never in an off-road use and crossing wet low spots in a field, even though this is what they were created to do!

The following is the article from Pickup ‘n Panels, recently found among our early GM truck stored literature:

Growing up in a small community where your dad owned a service station inspired Butch Gehrig’s love of cars at a young age. Even before he was old enough to drive, a rare 1951 Chevrolet 4x4 had caught his eye. For ten years he patiently waited for the chance to purchase the truck. In 1981 his dream came true when Bill Shute decided to sell it to him. Bill had many offers over the years, but felt Butch would restore it as he had restored the five cars in his collection. Butch did not disappoint him.

Along with restoration of the pickup, Butch researched the history of the truck. This task was made easier by the fact that he was the fourth owner and he saw the two previous owners daily, but the original owner had died. Butch, with the help of Bill Shute and the second owner, Lee Ashbaugh, both in their 80’s, compiled a history of the 4x4. The original owner was an avid outdoorsman. On a return trip from hunting, he purchased the new ¾ ton 1951 Chevrolet pickup in November of 1950 for $1,450. The four wheel drive factory authorized conversions were being installed for an additional cost of $1,200 as an after factory option. This did not void any warranties. At a total price the equivalent of two pickups, it is no wonder the old 4x4’s are so rare!

We can only speculate that the original owner’s wife may not have been too happy to have the family car traded in on this pickup, since two years later they traded it in to a local dealership. A salesman drove it out to Butch’s dads’ service station in hopes of finding a buyer. He found one in Lee Ashbaugh. Lee felt he got a great deal with a purchase price of $1,250. The pickup made many hunting trips throughout the 50’s and 60’s. Lee sold the pickup in 1966 to Bill for $450.

Bill enjoyed the pickup until 1981 when he decided to sell it to Butch. Perhaps he tired of Butch’s constant requests to buy it each time he filled his gas tank! Bill told Butch he wanted a pickup to replace the “51”. If Butch found a suitable truck, the deal would be struck. Butch had purchased a 1958 international pickup for $400, he couldn’t believe it when Bill wanted to swap titles! Bill meant it when he said he really wanted Butch to have the truck.

The restoration took 15 months of late nights. After removing the bed, fenders and doors, Butch along with his friend the late Stephen Kollas of Kollas Customs & Paints, took the body to bare metal and sandblasted the bed. All rubber gaskets and seals were replaced, grille and bumpers were chromed, and the bed wood was replaced with new red oak. The engine and running gear were not touched.

Butch’s hard work paid off with national recognition when his truck was featured in the June 1985 “Four Wheeler” magazine. Besides enjoying driving his 4x4 with his family, including 4 wheelin’ in the snow, Butch looks forward to the annual Oregon Truckin’ Jamboree. Also each year, Butch along with his wife and son participate in the local 4th of July parade. The low gears are great for slow moving parades and throwing candy to little ones. His friends, the two previous owners are always there with a special smile and wave for their old 4x4 in all its glory.

If anyone can help us locate the son of Butch Gehrig (probably still near O’Dell, Oregon), it would be appreciated. We will quickly add the final to this writing…

A LITTLE NAPCO DATA:

NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts Company) was based in Minneapolis, MN and grew to be our country’s number one four wheel drive early production company. Beginning as early as 1942 they began to make items for WWII. The war provided the incentive for the company to create specialized parts used in off-road conditions.

Of course, the military demand for 4x4 vehicles during the war was high but NAPCO also looked ahead to survive in post war business. They successfully designed their products to fit GMC, Chevrolet, and Studebaker.

Thus, Butch Gehrig’s 1951 Chevrolet was one of these vehicles that had been given a NAPCO Power-Pak conversion after the truck left the assembly line at a GM factory. This “kit” was so popular and easy to install, NAPCO shops were found in most medium size US cities. Even some GM truck dealers also became suppliers and installed the kits.

For more on this ingenious system check google under NAPCO Power-Pak.