Jim Carter Truck Parts

A nice dealer installed accessory in 1954 was the grille guard. It was easily installed by using the pre-existing bumper bolts. A problem when installed was that it lessened the visibility of the front license plate. Therefore, another change was made during the installation. The license was moved to the center of the front splash apron from the factory position...

During the early years of automotive history, the invention of the dual filament light bulb had not emerged.  Therefore, there was no high and low beam headlight bulb on cars and trucks.  Only one beam existed for night driving. This created a problem with the headlight beam from an on-coming vehicle on the narrow roads in town and country driving. ...

Owner: Clyde McKaba Another rare truck for our Feature Truck of the Month series!! A 1961 GMC is unusual in any body style but this style is now almost non-existent. Imagine this; a 1961 GMC Suburban with factory 4x4! It has the original 305 V-6 engine with stand alone transfer case (not attached to the 4 speed transmission). The owner...

The world famous Chevrolet Cameo and GMC Suburban Carrier are well known by most early truck enthusiasts. They were created due to US citizens having more disposable income after World War II. Demand for houses, appliances, and vehicles were at times more than some factories could produce in a timely manner. In regards to vehicles, General Motors realized that options...

What a rare Suburban! We recently found these photos among some stored papers from 1999. An early 1947 GMC Suburban is rarely seen, so it just had to be placed on our website. This was the last year of the Prewar GMC’s and was carried into the beginning of 1947 through about May. It was owned and restored by Mark...

One of the rarest Chevrolet dealer installed truck accessories of the 1950's.  Charles Callis of Union City, Tennessee recently found this original radiator cover that he installs for shows on his 1953 1/2 ton. Note the Chevrolet logo on the lower right side to prove it's the real thing! It is pictured in the 1949 Chevrolet Salesman's Data Book on...

A totally restored 1937 COE 1 ½ ton on a 131” wheel base truck with attached Holmes #485 tow body from the late 1920’s. Most unusual about this Holmes #485 is the original hand crank system for lifting the cars for towing. There is no PTO on the transmission. This rig was operated by a driver with more muscle than...

In 1939 US auto and truck manufacturers realized the following year would be the introduction of the revolutionary new, we call them "almost" sealed beam headlight bulbs.  These first "almost" seal beams were very unique by the newer standards 15 years later that most of us are acquainted with.  This early sealed beam assembly was much like the later design...

Year/Make 1939 Chevrolet Owner: John H. Sheally II What do you tow your Morgan with ? Year/Make 1939 Chevrolet Owner: John H. Sheally II What do you tow your Morgan with ? Story and Photographs by John H. Sheally II There is something special about driving a 74-year-old truck, built with purpose and pride four years before I was born...

These photos might be of interest to US owners of 1934-35 Chevrolet trucks. The Australian design is very similar however there are just enough differences to catch the attention of the close observer. Examples: The hood sides and doors are quite different. Check the curved door bottoms. Of course, this also makes the cab different. Probably the most unique feature...

What a rare occurrence! At the 2011 America Truck Historical Society Convention in South Bend, Indiana, we at Jim Carter Truck Parts found both a 1936 and a 1937 restored GMC truck with the correct grille — each at different booths. You can go to every truck show for many years and never see even one. Therefore, we just had...

Owner: Paul Bremer It’s 1965 and 10 year old Paul Bremer often rides his bicycle near his home in Seward, Nebraska.  One thing he always admires is the neighbor’s 1961 Deluxe Chevrolet ½ ton.  They had bought it new and wanted the best.  Few 1961 Chevrolet trucks were equipped with this amount of trim and it always caught Paul’s attention. ...

What an unusual idea!  If you have clear coated your bedwood, replace the metal bed strips with dark stained wood. Of course, this is for a pickup not used for hauling, however as the owner said “If you clear coated your bedwood instead of painting it as original, you were not planning to work with it anyway”.

Owner: Kevin Koch There may be no other survivors!  If this is the only 1934 Chevrolet Canopy Express remaining, we are all fortunate to see it in this pristine condition.  It is owned by Kevin Koch of Morgantown, PA.  His Grandfather, Jack Crane of Willow Grove, PA bought this little 1934 in 1974 with the hope of someday giving it...

Owner: Butch Voigt This month’s Feature Truck certainly follows our trend of finding the more unusual among early Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.  This may be the only survivor of a 1951 Chevrolet 1 ton with a 16 passenger body. Chevrolet provided the 131” wheel base chassis with fenders, hood, grille, etc. See photo. The passenger part was made by the Carpenter Body...

Butch was able to provide many photos during the frame up restoration. The following will show many details of the complete restoration. Disassembly Many body repairs Priming is underway New paint Mechanicals are perfect Miscellaneous The ultimate detail! The inside decal is remade – perfect

One of our good customers, Scott Phaneuf of Hatfield, MA recently purchased a NOS (New Old Stock) GM tool bag with all the correct tools. It was found in a San Diego dealership back storeroom. Somehow it had not been thrown away over these many years. In earlier years canvas tool bags were with the vehicle when new at no...

Owner: Scott Phaneuf It all began over 30 years ago about 60 miles from Boston, Massachusetts. Scott Phaneuf had begun to accumulate a few rental houses. He had started looking for a pickup truck to help move larger remodeling supplies. Nothing fancy was needed, just a less expensive pickup for hauling lumber, sheetrock, trash, etc. Then it happened! After checking...

Owner: Ed Brouillet It’s 1935! With the encouragement of the US Army, the first Chevrolet Suburban is introduced. The Army wanted an enclosed vehicle to carry officers with a driver at their military bases. Of course, it would be a boost to Chevrolet for people to see they were doing so well during the Great Depression that they could even...

The full rear quarter panels for the 1947-55 Chevy/GMC Suburban were made all the same at the metal stamping manufacturer.  To save money these panels were not made different if the Suburban was to have the double doors or the tailgate style opening in the rear. Thus, when the Suburban was provided with a lift and tailgate combination the 4...

Owners:  Richard and Dolores Diestler It has become a top Wisconsin show truck in less than 2 years!  Twelve shows and eleven trophies. After that came one of the areas largest car and truck shows in Antigo, Wisconsin. Three hundred vehicles and this truck received first place!  You can’t do much better than this!  This show truck is driven to...

On an early Monday morning a customer, Mike Riley of Kansas City stopped by our shop to obtain some older Chevy truck parts needed during the past weekend. As I followed him to his mid-1980’s Chevrolet pickup he brought my attention to his new white paint job. He read about a home garage procedure on the internet and decided to...

Before 1954 on 1/2 tons, the frame rails were given a large arch as they passed over the rear axle housing. With a broken leaf spring or overloading the bed with too much weight, the frame rails will lower many inches before contacting an axle bumper. It was a system that worked for over 20 years on 1/2 tons when...

When finding a 1946 and older Chevy/GMC truck cab, identification may be difficult to some. Here is a quick way to come very close to the correct year. The stamped stiffeners on the firewall tell the story. 1936-38 No Stiffeners  1939-40-Two Vertical Stiffeners 1941-46 Cross Design Stiffeners

A customer recently came to our shop with a big smile about his discovery on the changeover for his 1937 Chevy 1/2 ton. He had changed his engine to either a V8 or a 235 six-cylinder. The closed drive shaft system had to be removed! After researching the local salvage yards, he discovered the perfect replacement. On a 2005 Chevrolet...

Warning:  When installing an updated duel chambered master cylinder under the floor of an older GM truck, a brake line modification may be necessary. It is not acceptable to allow the modified brake line to touch or be very close to the exhaust pipe.  During long trips, the exhaust heat can cause a rise in the brake fluid temperature to...

Make Your Own Flatbed: Needed are some logs without bark and a table saw. Cut in half and add tongue and groove. You have a truck flatbed! Maybe even better than hauling heavy merchandise on an original 1 ½ or 2 ton!

To keep General Motors truck costs down, Chevrolet and GMC ½ through 2 ton shared many components during the late 1930’s through the 1950’s. However, when it came to the grille, the focal point of the truck, changes had to be very noticeable. The truck designers were limited in creating a new grille as both makes would still have almost...

Owner: Mike Reese A 70 Year Old GMC Saved From The Crusher! This 1940 GMC 1 ½ ton had been retired along with its original owner, a farmer near Grand Rapids, Michigan for many, many years. It had been placed in a barn with badly damaged fenders, grille and related front items. The bed was beyond repair. If it was...

Attached are some pictures of the correct 1947-1955 GM panel truck seats. The right side was a factory option. This would be special ordered if the owner was planning on two passengers. Though they have been recovered with cloth instead of factory “leatherette”, they are correct in all other ways. What is interesting is how GM made the optional right...

Forgotten by most is the gasoline V-12 engine made by the GMC Division of General Motors in the mid 1960’s. This very large one piece engine block was made for GMC’s largest trucks. Examples of these vehicles were water carrying fire trucks and off road vehicles such as quarry trucks, which hauled tons of rock. As can be imagined, the...

Owners: John and Michele Dunkirk We have always assumed that less than 100 Advance Design Canopy Express trucks remain. If you ever see one restored or not restored, you should stop and take note. They are a part of our nation’s history. They carried groceries in neighborhoods with one car families during the years they were built. The husbands drove...

Though some things were shared between GMC and Chevrolet trucks, General Motors made sure many items remained very different during the early years.  GMC preferred few things to be similar to Chevrolet. Their customers needed to see an almost stand-alone truck with the higher price of the GMC. One very obvious difference is the change in the taillight and bracket. There is...

What an ingenious way to keep a tail light in view! General Motors realized that with the tail gate in the lowered position the center tail light still had to be seen by the following traffic. At times the gate will stay lowered when longer freight is carried. Therefore, the 5” round light is attached to a swing bracket. This...

My 1955 GMC 100 was locally purchased in 1995 immediately after buying the '62 Airstream which resided for decades in a Minnesota field. As these trucks were designed, developed, and built to be work trucks, this one would continue to be so. A few months were spent designing the Jimmy so that it could be a strong, safe, and reliable...

Leaving your truck, car, or most all gasoline operated equipment in storage is asking for trouble!  Many of us, as hobbyists, collect more cars and trucks than we will drive at least monthly.  They sit in the back of your garage or are stored across town in a friend’s garage, barn, etc. Three to five years later when it is...

During 2012 National Convention of the American Truck Historical Society, we met some real truck enthusiasts that had traveled to the show from Brazil. One was, Antonio Sergio Hurtago, an owner of an older American truck museum in San Paulo. Jim Carter Truck Parts was given a very interesting current 12 month calendar from this museum. The most surprising page featured a...

Owner: Paul Flammang It’s another era in our country. We were just coming out of the Great Depression. Employment was on the upswing and car sales were better than since the 1920’s. Families with a little more income began to move away from the downtown centers and new neighborhoods were developing at the edge of cities. Public transportation began serving...

For the first time in truck manufacturing General Motors made a heater available at the factory for Task Force trucks in the 1955-59 years. Yes, the dealer could still add a heater if you requested after the new truck purchase. Here, we feature the GMC heater dash panel for these years. In the photo, the deluxe fresh air controls have...

While recently sorting through some stored papers we found some older photos of our un-restored 1937 Chevrolet Canopy Express we once owned. What a surprise! We thought these pictures were lost. Our company, Jim Carter Truck Parts, had bought this very rare vehicle from Walt Kutchler of Anaheim, CA during the early 1990’s. Walt was an avid collector of 1937...

We ask our readers: What is the correct color for the letters and numbers for the 1947-53 Chevrolet truck dash gauges? Were they white? Have they slightly yellowed after 50 years and now have a more cream color? Our company has made the decals both with white and slight yellow hue. We had assumed the originals have slightly yellowed with...

Owner: Rod Lentz We met the owner, Rod Lentz of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania at the recent Spring Carlisle Event in April 2012. It was a pleasure hearing of his lifelong enjoyment of owning and restoring older vehicles, especially the 1947-55 Chevrolet Advance Design body style. He became talented in most all mechanical and body repairs. However, he gradually began to think...

During the April 2012 Portland, Oregon swap meet, we noticed a very unusual feature on a 1972 Chevrolet ¾ ton. Five GM optional clearance lights were set on the front of the cab above the windshield. The surprise was the inverted dimples stamped at the factory. Amber plastic lenses are secured here. See photo. Could this mean you received a...

As the US economy was making its gradual improvement that began after WWII, truck and car buyers started ordering more options and accessories. To help attract buyers that wanted a little extra, manufacturers such as the GMC truck division, began offering a more deluxe package. It gave no additional working ability to the base model trucks but certainly added eye...

Owner: Norman Smith This month’s feature truck is one of the nation’s finest 1957 Chevrolet Suburbans. We saw it for the first time about 1994, shortly after its total ground-up restoration. It remains in its pristine condition today and still almost looks like the day it left the factory. The owner is Norman Smith of Denver, Colorado. As a lifelong...

It’s 1938 and the GMC division of General Motors is entering its third year of small truck production.  Prior to 1936, the GMC line consisted of only larger trucks normally bought by Farms and businesses, for heavy hauling.  The Great Depression was in full swing and GMC needed more sales to add to their financial bottom line.  To help sales...

There is certainly truth in the statement:  Auto and truck manufacturers are in business to show a profit!  Based on this, the General Motor’s truck division made a decision for 1958 that sales could be increased in an area that had been mostly ignored in prior years. The GMC division found they were weak in commercial truck sales and yet...

It’s the most southern town in the world, Punta Arenas, Chile. During February 2012 we are touring a sheep farm at the edge of the community. The exhibit in an adjacent barn is showing the sheering procedure to remove the one year growth of wool from a large male sheep. After the demonstration, our attention turns to the back of...

Owner: Russell Penniston A one family owned 4x4 Blazer bought new in 1971! George Penniston purchased it to drive to the various job site locations of his construction company. This go anywhere vehicle was necessary to reach off road job sites through mud and snow. George bought it at Parrish Chevrolet in Liberty, MO. It lacked only one option he...

To correct the concern about seat belts not being readily available, GM added a few extras during these years. On the outer side of bucket and bench seats a sheath and spring operated roller kept the belt clean and out of sight when not being used. It kept this belt always in the same place when needed. On the center...

Though most of the first design Blazers came with a passenger seat, it was still an extra cost factory option. Originally created by GM with encouragement from the US Postal Service, it was felt they would be just right for mail delivery in a 2-wheel drive version. Most, but not all, other 2 wheel drive buyers wanted this right side...

1948 Chevy Truck –“ Heartbeat of America” Owner: Luke Stefanovsky This was my 1st project of this sort after dreaming about it for years. I did not start the restoration, but have finished the interior, exterior, the engine bay, and performed some undercarriage work. Once starting the restoration, I was “all in”! It became a great stress-reliever from the daily...

We have received so many requests over the years for the 1940 - 1946 Chevrolet / GMC steering wheels, we decided to make an exact replica. They are now finished and soon to be shipped from the factory. These steering wheels are complete with correct metal internal parts, non-metal exterior with ridges, and even the two proper colors available 65...

The gas tanks are totally different on the more common pickup versus the panel truck/suburban body, though the two frame rails, drive train, and front sheet metal are the same on each 1939-46 ½ ton. On pickups the 18 gallon tank sets comfortably and safely within the seat riser and below the seat cushion. Over a million of these pickups...

1937 GMC T-16 Cab Over Engine Owner:  Gary Witmer Original Photo Above In our Feature Truck of the Month series, we try to show the more unusual GM trucks. This is no exception. It falls perfectly into this category. Purchased new in 1937, this GMC T-16 Cab Over Engine truck has stayed in the same family almost 75 years. Bought...

Owner: Cecil White, South Africa We always try to find more unusual GM haulers for our Feature Truck of the Month series.  This design of the 1959 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup has probably never been seen in the United States.  You would need to travel to Africa to find another! It was made at the GM assembly plant in Port...

Surprise!  The well known GMC grilles from 1949 through early 1955 use the same bars.  This includes the more popular ½ ton through the very large over the road and quarry trucks.  Chrome or painted, the four horizontal stamped metal bars are identical.  Look at the following photos.  The grille bars interchange!

In the days when car and truck owners as well as mechanics did maintenance, GM made these responsibilities much less complicated.  An excellent example was the screen below the engine oil pump. Due to no oil filters and no detergent additive in the motor oil (to keep dirt in suspension), the oil pump screen was necessary.  Tiny dirt particles settled...

An Inner-Line oil filter from Long Island, New York!  Rarely seen today but a popular early aftermarket option.  It secures to the engine block after removing the oil distribution cover.  No oil lines.  No moving the horn forward to make room for the intake manifold mounted oil canister.

Owner:  Roger Sorenson Such a rare 1/2 ton!  It was made during the “Great Depression” when new vehicle sales were extremely low.  Only a small percentage of the population could buy a new truck or car.  About seven years later when our country became involved in World War II, most all vehicle assembly plants were changed to war material production...

Short of cats? When older vehicles are left unattended, mice find a way to get inside. It’s their natural instinct! The damage they do with their families over a few years is a disaster to metal. They don’t seem to leave the nest when their bladder says “it’s time”. This nest was recently found inside a 1941 Chevrolet ½ ton...

Owner: Unknown Look what a 1 ton pickup can do with the help of their original low geared differential!!!

Owner: Unknown

Jim Carter Truck Parts found these pictures among some papers stored 16 years ago. The owner of this 1941 panel truck is forgotten, however it is understood why these pictures were taken and placed in storage. Even that long ago, a very original ’41 panel was almost never found. In this case, it was the interior that was the attention...

Owner:  Pat Jackson It’s mid 1954 and there is a growing segment of the US that for the first time has some disposable income. This was part of a post Korean War boom that had never been seen before. General Motors recognized this. More automotive options that were available were selling well! Thus, a relative inexpensive gamble was made by...

So unusual to place a gas tank under the seat with no fill pipe outside the cab! To engineer this big change for 1937 was expensive and very different from earlier years when it was under the bed. Why was this done? What advantages could this have been over an outside fill spout? Was gasoline theft during the depression years...

Rebuilt Speedometers for Chevy Trucks & GMC Trucks When your older truck needs a rebuilt speedometer, think of Jim Carter Truck Parts! Our company, in combination with a specialized shop, provides a quality product that you will be proud to place in your vehicle. With most new repair parts no longer available, we obtain used speedometers from across the country...

It is very unusual that we are asked to create a 1954-55 GMC gauge panel.  Our customer had lost his due to an un-professional rebuilder and was in a panic.  We finally were able to create this set after an involved hunt in our various storage locations.  What a job!  All needed complete rebuilding and appearance upgrading. We thought this should...

Owner: Pat O'Brien This rare little ½ ton survived its 75 years mostly because it stayed with one family; it probably never ventured beyond the city limits, and was used mostly by a mechanic that lived in an area of dry air that discouraged metal rust. For the trucks first two years, it was driven by Virginia Swaim to high...

Owners: Scott and Betty Golding of Stratton, Nebraska Is this the rare of the rare? Just when you think they were all gone, up comes a real Canopy Express of the 1939-46 body design. Our 'Feature Truck of the Month' section usually shows restored GM trucks, but we just had to show this almost forgotten body style even though it...

The parking light assembly on the 1941 Chevrolet and GMC Pick-up Trucks was placed on top of the headlight bucket. From 1942 through 1947, GM used a much less expensive park light housing on civilian trucks.

Silence the loose, squeaky windshields and rear windows with a little ordinary talcum powder. Run a nail file around the rubber gasket that holds the glass in place. As you pry the rubber away, sprinkle the powder between the gasket and the glass.

Many car owners have difficulty in obtaining housings to suit their gauges if they are not to be located in the dashboard. The caps from spray cans (plastic or metal) will serve this purpose. If you don't want to cut new holes in the dash, mount extra gauges under the dash and in the hole left by a discarded clock.

The next time you can't find a nut to fit a special bolt, try making your own by filling an oversized nut with epoxy cement and molding the threads. Seat the nut in modeling clay before pouring in the epoxy. Grease the bolt, then screw it down through the epoxy into the clay. Wait a day, unscrew the bolt from...

Need a good spot for the spare key? Take the workings out of the cigarette lighter, fill it with epoxy glue and stick the key handle into it. Disconnect the wires to the lighter and remove the back of the socket. The knob now keeps the key handy, but still looks like a lighter, fooling potential thieves but keeping the...

Packing a universal joint is easy if you follow this procedure. When the joint is disassembled, wipe out as much of the dirty grease in the cap and cross as you can reach with a clean rag. Then fill the cup with clean grease and force it back on the cross shaft, twisting it back and forth with the palm...

A broken off key in a door, trunk lid, or ignition lock need not be a problem even if it is invisible. Hunt up an old jigsaw blade, twist it so that its teeth will mesh with the key, and insert it in the lock. Pull out the blade, and the missing piece of key will come with it.

During these years, GMC's claim-to-fame motor was their V-6. In fact, from 1960 through 1964 this is the only engine they offered in their vehicles. The emblem on each side of the hood showed the world the truck had the V-6. A strong large cast-iron block had a two-barrel Stromberg carburetor. The spark plugs in the head were above the...

Owner: Dirk Spence A magic show unlike anything you've ever seen! Equally important to GM truck people is that all of this has been totally transformed on a 1945 Chevrolet 1 1/2 ton truck. The truck owner and professional magician is Dirk Spence of Tinley, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). It all began in 1980 when Dirk was given a...

Owner: John Thompson This 1946 Chevy short bed from Pittsburg, Kansas, may look stock, however, it's anything but! It is a blend of the character of the pre-war vehicles mixed with today's technology. When I bought the truck it was almost all stock but it was in pieces strewn between 3 garage stalls. The truck is all steel and had...

What a rare occurrence! At the 2011 America Truck Historical Society Convention in South Bend, Indiana, we found both a 1936 and a 1937 restored GMC truck with the correct grill --- each at different booths. You can go to every truck show for many years and never see even one. Therefore, we just had to get a few photos...

What a unique invention. When you have a 1947 through 1959 single rear wheel 3/4 or 1 ton GM truck and need more pulling power, this is the answer. American ingenuity at its best! This new steel center hub extension includes eight long bolts to reach the original wheel studs. This holds the factory wheel in place and then provides...

It is very important where to drill the hole for the new radio antenna. The results of making a slight mistake will stay in your mind for many years to come! Radios during these 1947-54 Advance Design years were never installed at the factory. This was done by the authorized GM Dealer. In the box that contained the new radio...

General Motors was coming out of the wire wheel era by 1936. This as well as wood spokes had been a standard with most cars and light trucks since the beginning at the turn of the century. The new stamped steel wheels on Chevrolet 1/2 tons were easier to produce, and was less susceptible to side damage on rough terrain...

Year/Make 1953 ChevroletOwner: Dave and Pat Moore This month's feature truck is a 1953 Chevy ½ ton by Dave and Pat Moore ofKansas City, KS. Dave is our company technical advisor and talks to hundreds ofpeople each week helping with the many questions that come his way. Dave is a 'hands-on' person and has personally done repairs and upgrades onmany...

Over the many years we have collected a wealth of knowledge working with Chevrolet and GMC trucks from the years 1934 - 1972. We have gathered our Tech Articles, write-ups and how to's and divided them into categories. You will find a list of helpful Articles that will help you get your old truck looking and running like new again.

One of the most unique GM body styles is the famous COE (Cab Over Engine) design. By placing the cab over the engine of a large truck the wheel base could be shorter. This allowed the same maximum payload to be carried in a shorter truck. These became quite popular in crowded downtown deliveries. The COE truck could turn in...

One of the most unique GM body styles is the famous COE (Cab Over Engine) design. By placing the cab over the engine of a large truck the wheel base could be shorter. This allowed the same maximum payload to be carried in a shorter truck. These became quite popular in crowded downtown deliveries. The COE truck could turn in...

In the Chevrolet truck assembly plant in Petone, New Zealand near the capital city of Wellington, a bed was not part of the pickup. This was in the 1930's through mid 1940's. The reason was to keep cost lower and to sell more trucks. The two rear fenders were wired flat to the frame for the new owner's future use...

Year/Make 1953 Chevrolet Owner: Richard & Lorie Baranek On my side of the story! from "Broadway Bob" at Auto Rehab. It was a project that took almost 1 1/2 years to complete. I started working on it from in a small 20x20 garage attached to my house . I was in the process of building a new 40x50 garage...

WILLY THE 36 CHEVY I found my 36 Chevy pickup in the 1980's on highway 41 somewhere south of Chicago. It was running but had a big crack in the block, so to drive it I had to carry a bucket of water with me. My love of the 36 pickup goes back to 1948 when I was four and...

Owner: Jim Brallier The total restoration of this 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe 1/2 ton came to be because of a "match made in heaven". Jim Brallier of Clearville, PA has this special truck because several things came together just right. He always had a desire to restore an older truck. He was retired after a full career specializing in vehicle mechanical...

During the early years, most roads were not paved and the quality of tires was far from that of today. Thus, tire repair was very big business. It was necessary for vehicle manufacturers to provide the easiest access to the often needed spare tire. Part of driving a car or truck was knowing how to change a tire. On the...

This little vacuum wiper motor has such a unique appearance! They have become quite rare in recent years. Manufactured by Trico for just this truck, it fits above the windshield frame on the left side of cab. A dealer accessory for the right side. They have sometimes been called a "sweetheart" wiper motor due to their strange appearance.

We just couldn't resist placing this approximately 1956 Opel as this month's feature truck. Did you actually think General Motors discarded the famous Advance Design 1947-55 truck cab tooling?

This month we feature a pick up that is used just the way GM intended. It is still a work truck and at 65 years old it is used daily in the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area. The owner is Dennis Odell of Independence, MO. The truck is a 1946 Chevrolet half ton.

During the recent Mid-West All Truck National's in Riverside, Missouri, a very special truck was on display. It had been brought to the show in an enclosed trailer from Virginia.The owner is George VanOrden of Fulks Run, Virginia and the vehicle is a 1955 Chevrolet Suburban with a NAPCO 4x4 system. His personal history, leading to this restored Suburban, is a story by itself. He spent his youth in this mountain section of Virginia only 10 miles from his current home. The interest in 4x4 trucks was early in life as these type trucks were regularly seen on the rough mountain roads in his county. It is not surprising George decided to restore a 4x4 after his retirement after 20 years in the U.S. Marines.

It's a great day for a car show! This is one of those rare Saturday cruise shows when the temperature, a light breeze, and no rain make it a picture perfect day. A few hundred vehicles, antique and street rods, fill the parking spots gather around the old city square.

Coca Cola's big yellow delivery truck can been seen for a long way.

The owner is Jim Adams of Pleasanton, California! He has carefully rebuilt this 1946 Chevy 1/2 ton as one that would have been seen in the 1950's. The big difference is that he created it as a high-performance vehicle of 50 years ago during his high school years. For the few that had money in those more difficult times, this is what many wanted to build.