What a one of a kind early 1947 Chevy ½ ton! Joe Haney of Independence, Missouri decided to use his skills to create an older Chevy pickup that would be nothing like anyone had ever seen. At the same time he would keep the project to a level that would be within his budget. Fortunately, Joe’s mechanical talents and love of older vehicles allowed him to do so much of his own work over several years. Attending many local car shows gave him numerous ideas to pick from while making plans for his creation.
Joe purchased this little ½ ton in 1993 and then kept it in his large home garage 12 years until the time was right during his retirement. To make it so unique over other modified 1941-1946 pickups, Joe bought a 1985 Chevy S-10 just to get the frame. The only S-10 parts he used from the pickup were the frame, gas tank, master cylinder, tilt steering column, and disc brakes.
Some of the other items used from other sources were a 1991 Chevy 350 V-8, a 1979 350 hydro-matic transmission, and a rear differential assembly from a 1980 Chevelle.
The bed is home built except for the front bed panel and tailgate. At first adding a 1947 bed to an S-10 frame seemed next to impossible but Joe never gives up. Here the old saying applies “If you have lemons, make lemonade”.
The problem with the S-10 frame is the side rail rear hump over the rear axle. They and the shock towers raised the bed too high. Thus, using this S-10 frame raised the bed too high. The appearance made the truck look totally out of proportion. Joe made corrections that gave a great custom appearance. It makes this 1947 an eye catcher at all the local shows. He raised the bed floor almost 40% higher than original to be above these stock towers. The following photos show what makes it so unique.
When the full height tail gate is opened, a horizontal oak plank fills the created opening on the end. Nice touch!
The interior is a money saving creation that looks so good! Joe spent time in local auto salvage yards to find just the right seat cushion that fits correctly in the cab’s small area. He found the answer in the third seat in a 1990 Ford mini-van. It’s amazing how well it connects to the seat riser and is slightly away from the doors. He then found one from Ford’s top of the line mini-van which has a leather pleated seat. All the interior was then coordinated with the color of this seat.
Look at the texture coating on the two-tone door panels. What an excellent idea! Trucks had painted metal interior door panels but not this nice!
The oak bed planks are also a Joe project! And oak overhead and floor custom console he made greatly adds to the interior appearance.
Look at the very dark wood that secures the gauges. Yes, Joe cut and drilled it to just the right size. These later gauges look just like they belong there!
COMPLETE AND READY FOR SHOWS
Complete plus the shop where it happened
All fits just right!
Headlight close-up
These Alloy wheels certainly add to the appearance
View from the back
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Cab complete
Nice firewall with no extra holes
Fitting the new grill between the fenders
INTERIOR
Leather seats do not have to be expensive!
Lower oak console
Upper oak console
Joe’s special made gauge
Insulating the doors
Speckle Paint
BED CHANGES
Raised bed floor. Its hauling days are over!
The 1947 bed floor was raised because of the S-10 high hump frame
Joe made his own bedsides
Gas add location to S-10 tank
Oak horizontal plank fills the gap
REAR FENDER REPAIRS
Patching required if you want real metal fenders
More patching. Joe did it all
JUST THE WAY JOE FOUND IT
The end
Tags: 1/2 ton, Chevy, Early 1947