VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans Differences between 54& 55 1st series trucks

It is sometimes hard to tell the difference between 54 & 55 1st series Chev. trucks. I know of the following differences 0n 55 1st trucks: different hood side emblems & open drive shaft.
Does anyone know of any more differences??

MT, It is sometimes a problem telling the difference, My uncle just finished restoreing a '54 (title and vin show it to be a 54) but it has an open drive shaft, otherwise everything checks out to be 54 the engine is a 54 and everything else, anyone have some definitive info on these trucks?

To the best of my knowledge. In 1955 they changed the windshield design so you should be able to tell if it is a '54 or '55.

Halfway through the year a new body style was introduced. There was no longer running boards right under the doors, the running boards started right behind the doors and ended in front of the rear fenders.

the headlights are frenched. 1955 Was the first year for the optional 265ci V8 engine.

You can find more info in a book called "The 75 years of Chevrolet"

1948chevyman

48 Chevyman, the 54 & 55 1st series truck shared the one piece windshield.

you're right i slipped up. I did not read your question very closely. my apologies. I honestly dont know what other differences there are in the 54 55 1st series. My bad!! I read some more info and I realized that I was wrong.

I'll see if I can find anymore info for ya

1948chevyman

Reading through all my Advanced Design info, I can find no differences between the 1954 and 1955 models, other than the switch to an open driveshaft in October of 1954, meaning the earlier 1954 trucks still sported torque tubes. As the early 1955 models were a fill-in until the release of the newly designed "Task Force" trucks, they were otherwise identical to 1954 models, including the windshield, hood side emblems, and nose emblems.

SPEEDLINE

This is just a blind shot in the dark, what about the vin numbers. Wouldn't the vin # tell you what year the truck is when you check it in the records?

1948chevyman

1948chevyman-

VIN configuration changed through the years, so deciphering them can be a challenge. In 1955, the number after the first letter (letters) in the VIN is the year the vehicle was built. I just checked my 1950 pickup and the VIN looks totally different, so I'm not sure if this information applies to the 1954. The best way that I know of to determine the year that the truck was built is by checking the date that was cast into every major piece of the vehicle (engine block, head, bell housing, rear end, etc.). The cast date is a number/letter combination with a slot head screw before and after (the little plate with appropriate information was screwed onto each piece prior to casting). The radiator is easy to identify by a letter and the year on the top tank. The casting dates will usually precede the build date of the vehicle by a few weeks to a month or two. This is assuming that none of these parts have been replaced over the years. The metal VIN plate on the door post could have been replaced or may be missing, too, so this makes it difficult to nail these trucks down. If there is a doubt, the only way verify a questionable year is to take all of the above into consideration and make an educated guess.

SPEEDLINE

Speedline. The 55 1st series side hood emblem was different than the 54. The 54 was a large number script with no Chevrolet indication. The 55 1st series emblem was the " boat design" which indicated Chevrolet & had a number desigination.

mothertrucker-
I'm pretty sure that the 1953 design (model number with elongated sideways "C" underneath) was carried over into 1954. I've seen mention of early 1955 emblems in various reproduction parts catalogs, but have never seen one on an original truck. I sure would like to see a factory photo if anyone has one.

SPEEDLINE

My 54 side emblem says 3100 with what could be considered a horizontal line underneath it. I believe the inset part of that is supposed to be black.

New member here. I had a 55-1st 3/4-ton several years ago, and more recently had a 50 Chevy 3/4-ton. From the mid-40s (I think) thru 52 the VIN had a letter designation for the year, after a 1 or 2 digit number. In 50 the letter was H, at least for 1-ton and smaller trucks. During this time 1/2-tons were P, 3/4-tons were R, 1 tons were S. Example: 50 3/4-ton, 3HRD1234. Starting in 53 the VIN started with a letter indicating model, H for 1/2-tons, J for 3/4-tons, followed by the year. Example: 53 1/2-ton, H53S01234. 55-1st series followed suit, Ex: J55xxxxx, but 55-2nd series added a 2, Ex: H255xxxxx.
Maybe that helps.
Frank50