advance design

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...

As with so many other items on these early trucks, there were also changes in the ignition switches. Both Chevrolet and GMC shared several switch changes during this seven-year series. In the beginning (1947-1948), a unique three-position ignition cylinder and housing was introduced. This was a first for GM trucks. It related to a country with limited crime and a...

With the introduction of any new vehicle, sometimes corrections must be quickly made that were missed during their design. We discover that even the more knowledgeable followers of the Advanced Design pickups and big trucks are not aware there were two different designs of “door handle remotes”. Generally Unknown Fact: The 1947-48 the doors, were opened by pushing the inside...

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?

  It's surprising that an item placed on almost every 1947-55 Chevrolet and GMC truck has become so impossible to locate. Most collectors have never seen one! The product is the five inch GM round mirror head. It was originally bolted to the cowl mounted mirror arm on the driver's side. They were always black and had the pivot on...

  No less than three different mirror arms were used on Advance Design Trucks (1947-1955). Though most vendor catalogs do not reflect these differences, the following should be of interest to those that want their truck restored correctly. All left mirror arms attach to the same position on the cowl, however two designs were used. In the beginning years (1947-50...

  We often get requests for a formula to make the Advance Design pickups more freeway friendly. Their original ring and pinion gears were created to make the truck's six cylinder work well with a load and also keep up with the 1950's traffic on gravel roads and two lane paved highways. Though a higher speed reproduction ring and pinion...

  During the Advance Design Truck years, two air filters were available when an order was sent to the factory. The base air filter (no extra cost) was the oil-wetted design from earlier years. The owner was expected to place a thin layer of motor oil on the filter media. Dirt particles would be caught by the oil as it...

  During the 1940's through 1950's placing pin stripes on automobile wheels occurred on most all brands. It was an inexpensive touch that added a little flair to the appearance of a new wheel. The stripe could be added quickly with a machine on a rotating wheel. The factory didn't need a human as on the body stripes. GM was...

  During the Advance Design years no less than four different Chevrolet hood side emblems were used on 1/2 tons. Each of their two mounting pins are in the same place so the punched hood holes were unchanged during these years. All were chromed die cast even during the 1952-1953 Korean war chrome shortage. The following pictures show the correct...

During the Advance Design years, 1947-55, Chevrolet and GMC each changed their grille designs twice. GMC made the change at the end of the second year and Chevrolet made the change at the end of the seventh year. Possibly to save tooling cost GMC, not Chevrolet, always used the same grille on all truck sizes in any one year. As...

  Installing the door weather seal on 1947-1955 G.M. trucks is not difficult, however some extra knowledge is required. Gluing it to the door edge incorrectly will limit its ability to seal drafts and add to wind noise. It is just as easy to attach this seal correctly. The design of correct weather seal is square on the bottom that...

  An original drawing of a 1949 Chevrolet Suburban from their sales brochure. Shown with its rated seven passengers. NOTE: The lady driver emphasizes that it does not drive like a truck! (The hotel employee is probably wondering how he will place the suit cases and golf clubs in the space behind the third seat) Suburban Seating With the increased...

  Since their beginning in 1935, the Chevrolet Suburban was always the “people hauler” of General Motors commercial fleet of trucks. They were designed to carry more weight on rough roads than was the passenger car station wagon. While trucks were carrying freight from the time of their purchase, Suburban’s were reserved for passengers! It became an immediate success with...

No less than five speedometers were used in Chevrolet trucks during the Advance Design years, 1947-1955. If you want your truck just right, be sure you understand the differences. Restoring one you have on a shelf or purchased at a swap meet may not be proper for your year. The following will provide a description of differences. 1947 Red-Orange needle...

During the first year of the Advance Design 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickup, the standard three speed transmission was a carryover from 1946. Its top loader shift lever extended directly from the transmission through the removable floor pan.

  The Chevrolet "Advance Design" gauge cluster looks much the same between 1947 and 1953, however a few differences do exist. For the perfectionist, these changes are important. In 1947-1948 the gauge needles are short (5/8 inches) and painted red. Between 1949-1953 the needles become longer (3/4 inches) and are white to match the change in the new speedometer needle...

  One of the numerous differences in the new 1947 Advance Design trucks is the different position of the mounting tabs on the speedometer. Reasons for doing this on both Chevrolet and GMC are as follows: with the introduction of this body style in mid-1947, both 3 and 4 speed transmissions were the floor shift design. However, in 1948 with...

The hood receiver plates through all of the Advance Design years (1947-1955) interchange. It is their attached hood release lever that is different due to the grill change in 1954. Note: The accompanying photos show the extra length of the 1954-1955 lever. To add extra stability to this length, a groove was stamped in the lever to prevent bending.

  The differences found on the cab during the beginning of the Advance Design years are subtle, yet on close study soon become quite evident. It probably exists on all vehicles when a body style is first introduced. Lab tests on a vehicle tend to overlook a few problems that later surface when it is in the hands of the...

During the Advance Design years the rear bumper braces on the 1/2 ton pickup are the same. Their cross section height is 1.75” and thickness is .35”. These units are designed with a rolling drop angle to lower the bumper to the proper level below the tailgate and rear cross sill.

During the early years of the Advance Design trucks there were many complaints by new owners about the rear bumper. They didn't want it as standard equipment. Farmers and businesses could not get close to a dock with a bumper and they removed them soon after the truck purchase.

During the 1947-1955 years, pickup's front and rear bumpers are different due to the shape of the body. Unfortunately, the front can be fit on the rear during restorations.

  During the 1947-1955 Advance Design years three different stock running boards on pickups and panel trucks were produced. Features such as width, number of ribs, thickness of metal, and length of under-braces are the same. When placed together, a difference in length is obvious. The longest unit was used on the 1 ton pickup and panel trucks with 134...

In upgrading the Advance Design 1947-1953 cab for 1954, GM engineers created a totally different dash assembly. It required that the radio be much smaller. With better electronic technology and no push buttons, the new 6 volt radio could be placed into the smaller space. They even placed a cardboard sheet above the '54 radio to protect it from settling...

During the Advance Design truck era, 1947-1955, most all spare tire assemblies were under the bed. Though not always convenient, this kept the extra tire away from the bed box and out of the way.

  For the Perfectionist During the first half of the Advance Design years (1947-1955), GM offered a special panel truck as an option. This deluxe model was designed for a company wanting to give a more upscale appearance to their retail customers. During the era of one car families, the lady of the house looked more toward home deliveries for...

During the beginning of the Advance Design years (1947-1949) new Chevrolet Suburbans were sold in one color combination; Channel Green (light) on the lower body and Fathom green (dark) on the upper. Unless the customer paid extra for a specific paint such as for school bus use or a commercial paint color for a company, the two tone green was...

When observing un-restored GM trucks of the 1947-1955 era, one will notice the majority of these vehicles were originally dark green. An explanation is simple. Green was their standard color! If you did not specify one of the other approximately eleven non-extra cost colors, your truck would be delivered green. The standard color of trucks had been thought of as...

This month we feature one of the most unique eye catching Advance Design 1/2 tons in the country. On daily runs it is a real traffic stopper. At car shows it is surrounded by curious admirers and trophies seem to be a regular occurrence.