VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Conversion pickup bed for 37 chevy coupe

Attended an auction today which listed a 37 chevy conversion pickup bed. Condition was rusted, wood floor gone but mostly straight sheet metal. I have seen several posts which indicate this conversion bed as a rarely found item. My question is would this bed have fit coupes from 37 through 40 which I believe is the last year they were made? Was runner up bidder but not knowing the compatibility with my 40 I let it go. At this point information will make me either feel better or stupid for not bidding more. Thanks for any info which will inform so I will not feel ignorant but informed should I encounter another.

I can't answer your question but you might PM the webmaster, Bill Barker, he has a couple of coupe pickups. What part of Kansas do you live in?

North central, Manhattan.

I spent a short time (in another lifetime) close to there when I worked as a cop in Junction City in the '70s. I've spent most of my life here in Ark City. We need to see you on some tours.

Nice looking restoration.

I don't have the answer at my fingertips, but I can find it later tonight if I get time and and delay my first beer until after 5 pm!!

(Hey!! It's 85+ degrees today in Seattle... what the heck do you THINK that we do when it gets to that?)


I can't remember which year the Chev Script appeared on the tailgate. That might be a consideration for whether the years were interchangeable.

The last year of the Coupe Pickup was 1942.

--Bill B

As I understand it tail gate lettering would have been present in '39 and '40; for trucks. It may have been different for coupe pickups?

drienn,

The beds for the coupe pickups are, indeed, very rare. The 37-38 bed is NOT the same as for the 40. The 37-38, as mentioned above, does not have the Chevrolet script on the tailgate, but that is not the only difference. Although the dimensions are the same in terms of overall length and width, the slope of the sides is slightly different to fit the proper slope of the trunk line, as well as the height of the sides. I happen to have both a 37-38 and a 39-40 and they are definitely differently shaped in these ways. Also, the mounting of the 39 under the bottom of the wooden bed works differently.

Can I ask what the winning bid for the box was?

If you need more detail on these two versions, just ask.

Jim

My last bid was $550 sold for $575. I much appreciate your help in providing me with the pertinent information so next time, should it happen, will be able to make an informed bid. I'm curious what the value of the bed for a 40 would be?

The problem with estimating the value of such a bed is, of course, the problem with setting a price on all such items--there is such a small sample and so few are available that I suppose a reasonable price for such an item is whatever it might bring. Given the scarcity of these beds, I don't think $575 is at all unreasonable. Of course, condition would be a factor as well as completeness. Is the gate in good condition? Is the top piece present (these are usually gone, thrown away, etc.)? Most important, is the door that covers the spare tire compartment below the bed present? This piece is almost impossible to find, and would be VERY difficult to fabricate accurately. In an age and market in which someone can ask $1000 for a NOS 1938 truck fender and get it (I just returned from the Iola WI swap meet and saw one there), I would think a coupe pick up box would command a fairly high price.

I realize the request was an impossible one to answer but was trying to get a sense of the true rarity of the item. In this day an age where a large part of what is listed for sale on eBay is labeled as rare the term has lost meaning. You did a commendable job of providing an answer to my impossible question. Thanks for answering the many questions I posed.

To all you coupe/pickup bed enthusiasts (you know who you are):

Please tell the rest of us what is there about a coupe/pickup that makes it so attractive (to you.)

I, for one, can't understand all the giddiness, turning cart-wheels and general excitement that seems to permeate the spirit of you folks.

After all, you take a perfectly good looking car and turn it into what looks like, to the unaware, like something that some Chevrolet engineer lost a bet on. You could buy a real a pickup for hauling stuff so why make a car/coupe/pickup for hauling a couple bushels of beans and a chicken or two? Hmmm?

That coupe/pickup is so ugly and unappealing to cause those in the general public - who appreciate symmetrical design and styling - to wonder if it's not the product of some hillbilly (roll Dueling Banjos). They look even worse than last weeks possum stew.

When you owners of those things are showing them off, how hard is it to convince the public that Chevrolet actually made such a thing? Tough sell I'm sure.

Is it the rarity? Well, how many Yugo's you see running around? In comparison Yogo's actually had higher styling.

A thousand bucks for a used bed for one. You gotta be kidding! Mercy!

So please. Let us in on the mindset at play/work here. We'd appreciate it.

Beats me as to what you see in the things or any merit in owning one.

Charlie