VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Update on 38 Panel Truck

Guys,

The weather here in MN is magnificent (mid-60s), but that will soon come crashing to a halt; so I'm getting my vehicles ready for winter storage. Before doing so, I wanted to send an update with a few pictures of my panel truck project. Many of you have been kind enough to respond to my posts and private emails, and also to help out with finding some pretty rare parts.

The truck is a 3/4 ton 1938 panel truck. I've been working on it since the completion of my coupe, about 3.5 years ago. The truck spent most of its life in a Chevy dealership, Kohls' Chevrolet, here in MN, until the early 70s. At that point, the second owner purchased it and thought of making it into a rod of some sort; he discarded the drive train and replaced the rear axle, and started to modify the frame--then he thought better of it and decided to let it sit. A couple decades later, he sold it to my friend and 1940 truck technical adviser, Barry Weeks, hoping that it would someday be brought back to original. Barry stored it for several years and accumulated more spare parts; I always mentioned to him that if he ever wanted to part with it, please keep me in mind. About 5 years ago, Barry decided to part with it and generously offered to sell it to me, knowing that I would try to restore it as close as possible to original.

It has been a real odyssey and ordeal, trying to come up with some of the missing parts to a 3/4 ton panel. But through lots of help from Barry and others on this site, as well as a constant eye to Ebay and Craigslist, I've managed to come up with about everything that I needed. I pulled the truck off the frame several years ago, took it all down to bare metal, welded in patches where necessary (not many!), did the body work, and painted it (38 commercial colors "Medium Creme" and "Hollywood Tan") last summer. This summer, I re-did the frame, finished up the 1938 216 that I had found, and just in the last weeks have mounted the engine and the body from the rotisserie onto the frame. The doors are done, but will be put on after I finish the floor and the headliner and covering under the roof bows (that will have to wait until next spring/summer). I append here a few pics of it coming off the rotisserie, onto the frame, then rolling under its own power--just finished the wiring harness this past weekend, and everything miraculously works!

Yours,

Jim

It's looking really good, Jim.

Looks awesome!!

Hi Jim,

What a beauty. I agree with leaving the doors off until most of the interior work is done. They will always be in the way of your interior work, so nice to keep them in a safe place. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Hope you will share more as you progress.

Good luck, Mike

That is looking real good. I envy the progress you have made in such a short time.
Tony

Awesome project & pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!

Thanks, guys, I appreciate your kind words and encouragement.

Jim