Prior to 1936, the GMC name represented the General Motors Corporation. It was reserved for only their line of large commercial trucks. They had their own Big Truck dealerships and very rarely mixed with other GM-made cars and trucks. The Great Depression of the 1930’s changed the automotive market forever! Sales of cars as well as large trucks had dropped...
General Motors
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1971 GMC Longhorn ¾ Ton Plus More
It is doubtful you will ever see a “daily driver” pickup any more unusual than this! A person in our office jokingly said, “How many drivers accidentally rear-ended a vehicle in traffic as they first saw this strange pickup?” Jim Lund of Agency, Iowa, owns it. It began life as a 1971 GMC ¾-ton Fleetside pickup before its appearance was... -
1938 Chevy ¾ Ton Pickup
As an early truck enthusiast, Ray Geweke found this rare 1938 Chevy ¾ ton pickup near Fargo, ND, and pulled it to his Wisconsin home in 1981. Its total restoration was begun many years later! Ray had time to find many new original parts and made it look like it did when new about 88 years ago! There were major... -
1959 Chevrolet ½ Ton
Our Feature Truck this month is a 1959 Chevrolet ½ ton pickup with an extended bed. It was one of those that was bought much beyond its running condition! The person that kept it from a questionable future is Donnie Gideon in Surprise, Arizona: An Air Force Military, retired. His father said, “Don’t buy something like that. It is too... -
The Wonders Created with the Invention of the Bi-metallic Spring!
Long before today’s high technology, talented people created items with basic available materials to make our lives easier. More famous inventors would be Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell that stands among the more well known. Whether it was one of these two inventors or another, it was discovered two different type metals expand in different ways when heated. If... -
Introduction of 1936 GMC Pickups, to Save their Dealers
It’s the height of our country’s Great Depression! GMC dealers, the big truck branch of General Motors, were experiencing very slow sales. Many went out of business, while others were surviving by also selling used cars, trucks, farm machinery, and offering to do mechanical work on most any vehicle. Thus, in an attempt to survive, GMC developed a new product... -
1970 Chevrolet ½ Ton CST
With the success of the Chevrolet Cameo from 1955 to 1958, General Motors realized that there was a demand for extras on working ½ ton pickups that were usually found on passenger cars. This occurred as Americans had more extra income than ever before about the mid 1950’s. As this continued, GM introduced ½ and ¾ ton pickups with the... -
The First 1935 Suburban
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... -
1956 Opel
1947-53 GM Truck Cab – These Were Continued Into the 1960’s The Advance Design GM 1947-55 Chevy/GMC trucks broke all previous sales records in the U.S. The truck hungry buyers after the WWII shortages bought the AD trucks as fast as the many US factories could produce them. The local town dealers loved their popularity and related purchases. If any... -
Alcan Leads The Way
Cameo Leads the Pack on the Alcan Highway A Cameo leads the Chevy Truck “six pack” on the Alcan Highway in 1957. For this one time General Motors used this 1,520 miles between Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska (two years before Alaska was made a U.S. state). Their engines were never shut off during the 45 hour... -
1955-59 ½ Ton NAPCO 4x4 Trivia
During the mid-1950’s General Motors begin seeing the trend of increased demand for 4 wheel drive trucks. Not to miss a good opportunity they decided to offer this option in 1957. As it would require several years to develop their own 4x4 system plus the back road testing, GM “temporarily” used the best of the pre-existing systems. They bought kits... -
1960-72 Gas Tank Danger, Is There a Problem?
There appears to be a rumor being spread that the 1960-72 behind the seat gas tank (with a carburetor engine) should be relocated. The major reasons said is “possible gas fumes and safety during an accident”. Here is the other side of the argument. General Motors was not stupid! Do some people today really think GM would have sold millions... -
1939-1940 Chevy Crank Hole Cover
There is sometimes a discussion among early Chevy truck owners if their trucks came with a crank-hole cover in their grille. Here is the scoop! All of their original 1939-1940 Chevrolet grilles came with this cover! Without it they would look incomplete. A very unattractive hole is visible when the cover is removed. The cover must be in place to... -
1956-59 Chevrolet GMC Suburban, Panel Truck Taillight
General Motor’s method of saving tooling cost on commercial vehicles shows up in the production of these tail light assemblies. By the mid 50’s years the increase demand for turn signals, two taillights were required on the panel truck and Suburban’s. GM built them right and left, installed in the body, at the factory for the first time. These were... -
1937 GMC Hood Side Emblems
LOOK WHAT JUST BECAME AVAILABLE FROM JIM CARTER TRUCK PARTS! I have not seen new since the late 1930’s. These one year only emblems. Attached to the hood sides of the 1937 GMC ½ through 1 ½ ton. Anodized silver aluminum with black background. Just like GM made them. The final touch to draw attention by anyone that admires older... -
1960 - 1961 Chevrolet Grilles
To help recover from high tooling costs, all car and truck manufacturers attempt to make items that can be used as long as possible. This is a great way for reducing costs per part. Examples of automotive leaders in this field are:The original Volkswagen Beetle bodies were basically the same about 20 years.The longest run metal body is said to... -
1955-1958 Cameo and Suburban Carrier Overview
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... -
1938 GMC 1/2 Ton Engine
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...