The 1946 to early 1947 trucks had been carry-overs from the pre-war 1941 design. General Motors wisdom knew not to offer redesigned vehicles immediately after the war. They understood sales would be great (often a 6 month wait) so why not use pre-war tooling and sell the older 1941 trucks and title them 1946?
GM waited and enjoyed the income of the high volume older truck sales. When the demand for the older design began to slow, GM knew it was time to introduce the new Advance Design body. Development had been underway during the war years and mid-1947 would be the time to introduce the new truck.
To keep cost as low as possible on this new truck, GM used the same drive train, wheels, much of the bed, tail lights, hubcaps with different stamping, lighting and battery. This kept the cost as low as possible and still gave the appearance of a new truck. After all, trucks were for work duties and most buyers looked more toward their practical use.
It was the all new wider cab and front sheet metal that made the new look. Yes, the hidden frame was also given a new design. A few items were mid 1947 only and were not seen in the 1948 trucks such as their 3 speed transmission. As the mid 1947 did not have a column shift 3 speed, there was no raised area in the dash above the steering column and between the gauges to the shift box. It is as if the designers of the Advance Design did not know that years later there would be a column shift 3 speed. Strange because it was introduced in Chevy cars in 1939!
GM’s marketing department showed skills in 1947. The new Advance Design Chevrolet trucks came out in mid-year and the all new post-war Chevy cars were unveiled 1 ½ years later in 1949. This was great timing! The 1946-47 truck buyers would now be in position to make another down payment on the new redesigned car.