Church Donation: 1948 Autocar Semi Truck

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They say the Lord works in mysterious ways.  While we may see that in the news on occasion, the proof of these happenings tends to show itself in the most unlikely of places.  In a church in Minnesota, the Lord showed his hand in the form of a vintage 1948 Autocar now for sale on Craigslist in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This beautiful postwar hauler was donated for a fundraiser for the church and is looking for a new home.  Is this running and driving refurbished beast just the Cars and Coffee cruiser you are looking for?  Is the $16,400 asking price on point or is the offering plate going to be a bit lighter this month?

The ad for this truck in Craigslist is very brief and to the point.  As usual, it is like a Commandment that free ads with basically unlimited space for a description and pictures are always lacking in detail.  Anyway, we know that the truck was donated to the church to be sold as a fundraiser.  We also know that it runs and drives and has a working air horn.  It was also restored some time ago and is powered by a gasoline engine.  The particular type of engine is not stated in the ad.  Perhaps some of the more enlightened of our Barn Finds flock can give us a clue on that.

Before anyone cries foul that it should have a diesel engine, they need to look at the era in that this truck came out in.  Cummins had made a lot of progress in getting the general public to understand the benefits of diesel engines.  They even fielded race cars at Indianapolis that were powered by a diesel engine in 1931, 1934, 1950, and 1952.  The problem was that the technology was slow to catch on in the United States.  It wasn’t until 1937 that the company turned a profit due in no small part to the growing popularity of diesel engines in large trucks.  Still, like what we are seeing concerning electric charging stations today, it takes a while for the infrastructure supporting a new fuel source to build to the point that it is convenient to use.

Long haul trucking also looked nothing like it does today.  In 1947 the interstate highway system was still mainly in Dwight David Eisenhower’s mind.  Trucks were used for trips inside cities and from major city to major city.  Coast to coast or even multi-day trips were fairly rare.  Railroads were responsible for transporting nearly all of the heavy, long-distance freight and once had the infrastructure to do it efficiently (for the time).  What we call secondary roads today were the main highways of immediate postwar America.  Trailers were also smaller and large trucks were not the huge beasts complete with bedroom-like sleepers we see today.

The truck being sold in this ad is a lot more Spartan in its accommodations than what truckers of today are used to.  There are no visible power accessories and steering was almost certainly lacking in any power assist.  Given how tough it must have been to drive a large truck back then, it is easy to see how the trucker became sort of an American folk hero by the seventies.  With media influences ranging from Red Sovine’s trucker songs to movies such as Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit, the trucker as an American icon and, perhaps, an anti-hero was something that is hard to describe to those who didn’t live through the era.  Especially the good food at truck stops.  Nearly all of it is gone now except for an occasional spinning of a trucker song on a Saturday night country oldies music program or the ever-dwindling delight of finding the Snowman and the Bandit still blasting through the South when flipping through the channels on TV.

In all this seems to be a nice truck for someone who wants something different and who would like to see what life was like for a trucker in America after the war.  It would be neat if one of these YouTube stars bought it, filled it with small cameras, and offered modern-day truckers a chance to drive it.  It would certainly be a shock and would help all of us better understand both what we have gained and what we have lost since 1947.  There aren’t many running and driving examples from that era still around.  Perhaps this truck can be a blessing to both the collection plate and our collective understanding of our history.  Hopefully, it finds a good home where it is driven and displayed.

Would you be interested in purchasing such a truck?  If so, what would you do with it?  Please let us know in the comments.

 

 

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Comments

  1. Bob_in_TN Bob_in_TNMember

    Fun write-up Jeff. I know little about vintage trucks but I do like to see them. And to imagine what it was like to operate them, as compared to today’s rigs and trucking lifestyle (which Jeff also seems to be wondering about).

    Nice truck. I remember in the late 60’s an Autocar in my home town, single axle tractor pulling a triple axle dump trailer if I recall. Was unusual in the local big truck scenery which was mostly Ford and International.

    Like 9
    • Trish Trish Dalton

      To the writers, it is not a “semi-truck”. It is a class 8 tractor. A semi, is the trailer that it pulls.
      Semi, as opposed to a full pull trailer which would have axle at both ends.
      Seriously, look it up.

      Like 6
      • Howard A Howard AMember

        Hi Trish, well, yes and no. I did look it up, and Wiki claims the unit( truck and trailer) are called “semi-trailer truck”, or simply “semi-truck”, truck and trailer, the “tractor”( power) is used to pull the load on a removable “semi-trailer”. This is considered the tractor of a semi-trailer and can’t be used for anything else, as opposed to a straight truck that has no capability to pull a semi-trailer and doubles as the power and the trailer.

        Like 10
      • Yogibear

        This beautiful classic belongs in a classic truck museum like the one in Iowa at the Iowa 80 Trucking museum.
        Yes, gasoline was the predominant fuel type in the early year’s and then as Rudolph Diesels idea took hold. Diesel fuel became the norm.
        Trucks back in the early year’s were essentially Packards with the rear Sedan part cut off and a fifth wheel added to hook up to a trailer.
        It’s neat to see old trucks as this.

        Like 5
      • Ken Fulton

        Also known as a power unit.

        Like 2
      • R Schoenbeck

        Big deal who gives a S—T

        Like 1
  2. Howard A Howard AMember

    Jeff, :),,you just made my, and any other gear jammers day, and last couple days haven’t been so good. I have nothing else to say,,,EXCEPT, that’s right settle in. Just when I told SG, GET BACK HERE, we need more than Corvettes and Mustangs,,,or at least I do. Then this. The site featured a similar truck about 3 years ago, so I’ll try not to repeat too much.
    “A-Cars” or “Car-cars”, as we called them, were a high class unit, before White bought them out in the 50s. Autocars had a stellar reputation for war capabilities, and even Pres. Eisenhower said they never let us down. Information is scarce, but I believe this motor is tried and true 501ci, about 127 hp. and about 4,000lbs of torque and a flathead of, I believe, Autocars own motor. The posting is deleted, but it looks a 5 speed main and a 2 speed aux. 4 spoke steering wheel, and “widow maker” 10-20 wheels, that need to go, post haste. To clarify, it is not too big for a collector plate, with I believe a 500lb. max, so no trailer, so you could “bobtail” around, besides, collector plates have fallen out of favor, just too many restrictions, and many just license it as a regular truck. I couldn’t read the description, but according to the author, was short on details, and no surprise. The kid( I assume) selling it, probably never knew Jack about dear old dads Car Car, and glad to see it go, maybe. It’s garnered with doo-dads and gee-gaws from the time period, and shows a REAL trucker drive this, and with as spartan as it is, he still felt on top of the world.
    In case that cab looks familiar, White bought Autocar in 1953, JUST to get the all new “Autocar Drivers Cab”, but retained the Autocar name and used it specifically for many of their trucks.
    “Rookie sticks”( on the bumper), chrome grill guard, spotlight, dual air horns, fender mirrors, chrome headlights, west coast mirrors and the “headache rack”, behind the back window, indicates dad, or grandpa pulled a flatbed and was mighty proud of that truck.
    As a road tractor, perhaps for a private venue, but I can almost guarantee, the new buyer, unless they had a trucker in their life, won’t get this out of the driveway, and will run in horror. The “armstrong” steering will be the cause. ME? Drove a lot of trucks, but never an Autocar. Considering the junk I DID drive down the road, I’d have given my left nut to drive one. Autocar is still making trucks, though not White anymore, but celebrated 124 years in trucks, and that’s good enough for me. Thanks Jeff, and BFs.

    Like 48
    • eric22t

      howard i see one thing you didn’t mention and i can’t identify it.
      what in the world is the orange dangly thing at the rear of the driver side at roof line? at first i thought some sort of directional light but there is no matching one on the other side of the truck.

      Like 3
      • Rumpledoorskin

        I think that is a rust streak running down. It is hard to keep these big boys in a garage all the time. Should buff off, probably a rusted bolt up at the top.

        Like 1
      • Driveinstile DriveinstileMember

        I’m not 100 percent sure, but it looks like its hinged I think its possibly a light up semaphore. I dont remember ever seeing one before.

        Like 4
      • Nevadahalfrack NevadahalfrackMember

        You’re right, eric22t-it looks like it swivels 180*, from straight down to straight up. It also looks like it might be tied into the lines at the back whether electric or otherwise..

        Anyone got an answer here? With the cross section of knowledge here at BF someone must know something about it.

        Like 4
      • Howard A Howard AMember

        Hi eric, good catch I didn’t see that only because it is a semaphore signal, but should have one on the right side too. Fact is, it SHOULD be on the right side to inform motorists behind making a right turn, the truck is making a right turn too. We’ve all seen bozo motorists that run their cars under a turning semi truck. Never happened to me, but MANY close calls. Roundabouts are great for that. Early trucks like this were very simple, and many times trailers were pulled during the day, and often had no electrics or brakes, for that matter. The semaphore, I believe, was a European device, and I think still used there.
        Also, a quick mention of the “West Coast” mirrors. Trucks of this era had no real reason for a mirror, hence the little round ones. Traffic in outlying areas was practically deserted, and no one was behind or next to you, like on a 4 lane highway. As more 4 lanes were built, better mirrors were needed.

        Like 9
      • Bobha

        Turn signal

        Like 3
      • eric22t

        thanks guys, when i saw it and looked closer in the cab i didn’t even see ta strap on sig-stat directional switch on the column as an upgrade. so i wasn’t sure.

        Like 2
      • Howard A Howard AMember

        VW was the last car to have semaphores in the US. They were banned in 1955.

        Like 6
      • TIMOTHY SnodderlyMember

        that was a lighted signal arm that was raised up in three
        positions up for right turn,straight out for left turn half way
        down for slowing down,down light off.installed one of these
        on a truck on my father,s 1948 chevy 2-ton flat bed.

        Like 2
    • Mountainwoodie

      Leave it to HoA to set us straight :) Really interesting. Thanks!

      Like 4
      • Howard A Howard AMember

        Aw, shukens, Mw, just a spoke in the wheel here,,,

        Like 1
  3. Driveinstile DriveinstileMember

    This is a great write up!!! I was really happy to see it. Driving a Twin stick Mack, Pete, Autocar or anything else with a Brownie Box( aux trans) is a lost art nowadays. I didnt see the second stick in the interior shot. Sometimes theyre placed kind of awkwardly. Nowadays most trucks have automatic transmissions. Air cruise etc all seem to be standard. This was a nice change of pace thank you for having this on here. I always appreciate the different cars and trucks you have on here. Especially ones that were so commonplace years ago but now seldom seen. Please keep them coming.

    Like 18
  4. eric22t

    oh lordy she is a sweet looker. someone was real proud of her.
    i never did get to play with any of those old a-car gassers but i did get to with some of the later ones in whites, like the mustang and the hercules; and man is howard right the can pull!!! but if you think your big block hot rod is thirsty, think again.
    those old truck motors were single digit mpg or even sometimes gpm.

    someone score i really nice vintage hauler

    Like 7
  5. Derek

    Never driven an artic; I have had a shot of an offset-cab double-deck bus though! Big steering wheel and no power anything, probably of a similar age to this.

    Like 2
  6. H Siegel

    What a beautiful truck let me tell you I trucked all my life as did my father and my grandfather. When I was 12 years old I went to work for my father on the weekends and summers. My father has around 20 trucks by then. He had some older trucks he worked hourly in the steel mill. Some of those had gas engines 6 were internationals and 1 was a brockway I would drive them around the lot on the weekends. 2 of the gas engines I remember my father talking about were the continental and if memory serves me right 1 was the Budda. Yes they were thirsty around 5 miles to a gallon or less. Back in the day if you drive an Autocar you were the man. I remember the 2 sticks well 5×2 4×4 and 5×4 were some. My father had some with the 4×4 and sometimes you shifted both sticks at the same time that took some doing to master. Alas my father is gone as is my grandfather and my time is getting short. I hope they get every penny there asking. I would love to drive it just once. Such great memories. GLWTS

    Like 31
    • Driveinstile DriveinstileMember

      Thank you for sharing that memory. My Great Uncle Bob was a Teamster, started in the late 40s I know he drove B model twin stick Macks amongst other trucks. He was really happy I chose to be a truck driver, we were the only two in the family, everyone else went into construction, heating, and refrigeration. He used to tell me some really funny stories. I miss him. Thanks again for the memories and jogging my own memories.

      Like 14
      • StanMember

        First trucking job was at a Teamsters outfit. I remember it well, backed into a garage door 1st delivery. Phoned the boss, he came out, told the retailer, he’ll cover the repair, looked at me and said, hey try not to do that again. Very cool vintage Autocar here. Seems the later models around here are mostly used as roll-off or dump trucks.

        Like 9
  7. Jesse Stout

    Great write-up!

    Like 5
  8. Howard A Howard AMember

    Thanks to all that contributed to the post. It’s fading with every funeral, as younger people just don’t have any connection to a vehicle like this. These trucks built AND DEFENDED the very country, I feel, they are manipulating with their greed, and in the future, unless a vehicle has some kind of modern application, there will be no interest in this stuff. I’m reminded almost daily, how out of whack this world is today, compared to what we hold dear. I don’t think any previous generation is ever happy about the upcoming one. Like I’ve said many times, I don’t think people today maliciously want to ruin our memories, just with people moving back to cities, where you going to keep or drive something like this?
    To all that contributed here, in a positive-experience way, know full well, we came from the best era, say post WW2 to Vietnam, and little reminders like this truck, just shows what this country could do.

    Like 22
    • geomechs geomechsMember

      You said it all, my friend. I am grateful that there are some, however small in number, who are taking an active interest in these old relics, and are participating in conventions. I wish there were more but I have to say that back when I was taking an interest in trucks, driving/repairing them, and learning about the workhorses of yesteryear, the ratio of my group vs the jocks was as miniscule as it is today. I seem to have a couple of granddaughters who have taken more interest in relics than my (3) grandsons, who are into football, wrestling, Batman and Harry Potter…

      Like 5
  9. H Siegel

    Ok Nevadahalftrack the item that is hanging down on the driver’s side of the cab is a directional signal the way they worked back then was straight out for left turn and straight up for right. Even the early automobiles had this type signal

    Like 7
    • eric22t

      ahha, so that’s why none on the right.
      just like those old hand signals we had to learn but never use anymore.

      thanks H.S.

      though like howard A. said i think i would add one to the right for trailer hauling and right turners behind you

      Like 4
    • Andreofafrica

      Thanks Mr Siegel; I have much experience with semaphores on old cars but you have just taught me something I never knew (about the up for right turn). Thanks !1

      Like 4
  10. H Siegel

    Howard A So we’ll put thank you

    Like 8
  11. Troy

    Ok to answer your questions, yes I would love to have it and second I would go to CoPart or IAAI and buy some insurance claimed RV or travel trailers and use them ad a parts to build a RV to fit the back of this rig.

    Like 5
  12. Nelson C

    The exterior is very modern for 1948. Inside is a reminder of just how much attention the driver had to pay when operating this beast. My Dad drove truck before and during his hitch in Korea. My brother drove much of his life. I learned a healthy respect for truckers and how to share the road. Not to mention “Use your mirrors”!

    Like 5
  13. UDTFROG

    WOW, MAN O MAN I drove one of these in 1950 when I came home from Korea the hardest part was learning how to ‘split gears in the 18 ? speed Tranny. WERE it mine I would drive it to church every Sunday…

    Like 10
  14. RonaldMember

    I love this site. This reminded me of a photo I have of my dads father. Thou I personally never got the chance to see any of them, my grandpa was a truck driver until the early 60’s. I have one picture of him taken in 1917, at age 25 on the truck he drove for Kelsey Wheel Company. I did say on his truck because it had no fenders, hood or anything to protect him from the elements. It looks like he is sitting over the engine and trans on a cushion on a sheet metal box. The steering wheel is huge, at least 24″ in diameter. The wheels were spoke and if I’m not mistaken the tire’s were solid rubber. Duels on each side of the rear. I can’t imagine driving something like that.
    Thanks again

    Like 6
  15. Richard A. Carlo

    OK Folks.
    You are looking at a C series Autocar. From pre, to post WWII, these Conventional ACar’s were modeled C-50, C-70 and C-90’s Gasoline powered trucks. There were other models called DC which would have had a Diesel Engine, most likely a Cummins. C-90’s had 2 cylinder heads, we are probably looking at a C-50.
    About 1949/50 the doors had a vent window added instead of a single pane of glass and the roof was raised a little higher. This is before the previously mentioned Autocar Day Cab.
    They did offer a Cab Over Engine truck. These 3 series had Autocar made engines. They had Air Brakes and the Air Compressor was bolted to the front of the Crankshaft. Believe it or not these engines were had a slot in the front bumper for a hand crank and the crank engaged the the front of the Air Compressor. In cab view shows a single shift stick transmission. It would have been a 5 speed, 1,2,3,4, and 5 being Overdrive. A typical on road, Day Tractor. There were 2 and 3 speed Aux Transmissions optional, more suitable for Dump Truck and/or Heavy Duty Applications. Yes that is a Semaphore signal light and probably one on the other side, hand operated by a cable.
    Yes the Era before Interstate’s when main roads like US 1 probably had no more than 45 MPH speed limits. I had the opportunity to drive a 1946 C-50 when I was 13 years old, bout 1953. In the wee hours of the morning plowing snow on a main road in our town. No side streets, he was afraid I might clip a car. Unbelievable Childhood, Lucky Me.

    Like 9
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      Thanks for info, Richard. These posts always drum up a lot of comments, and I can relate to almost everyone. Post war, gas jobs were still the standard, and diesels didn’t really become popular until late 50s, early 60s, and weren’t much better than gas motors, until the turbocharger came to be, that is. That one addition changed everything for truckers and still used today.

      Like 8
  16. Ford FixerMember

    There is a whole bunch of people working on and showing these trucks. ATHS had an annual show in Reno at the beginning of June, I think total 700 or so. Most were these class A tractors, but there were also some medium Class B trucks, and pickups.
    These sure point out the old and uncomfortable. I have a 1952 Ford COE that I keep trying to keep shiny. When people sit in the cab, most are too big to fit!!!
    When I started, all twin and more sticks. I took a job in 1977, truck had a 13 spd, had to learn all over again.

    Like 6
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      While the turbocharger changed the motors output, it was the “Road Ranger” transmission that put the 2 sticks to rest. Originally designed for Detroit 2 cycles, the 13 speed became the standard of the industry. Many companies blocked the splitter, making it a 10 speed, to reduce speed, but clever drivers knew how to plumb the O/D in. The downside, guaranteed dismissal.

      Like 5
      • StanMember

        13speeds is all thats needed for almost 💯% of trucking.

        Like 1
  17. scottymac

    Those of you that wanted to bid on this old girl, but the ad was pulled, there’s a tandem axle sister waiting for restoration in Clayton, Ind.

    Like 2
  18. 59poncho

    She found a new home quick!

    Like 2
  19. MTBorst

    Needs a diesel stuffed under the hood. Massive a Cummins 24 valve early model. Wish it was a tandem axle but then it would look great pulling that 5th wheel around

    Like 0
  20. RallyeMember

    This was such a bargain, I’d have bought it. I’m not buying, I’m selling…I swear. My 49 Mack EHT is nowhere near this nice and I wouldn’t sell it that cheap. It has an EN354 Mack flathead 6 that is large compared to the 320 or so inch Continental (ATC crawler loader) and Hercules engines (Diamond Ts) here. 10 speed mono shift, 4 mpg etc. Odd to me vacuum assist hydraulic brakes are pretty good and it has a gear driven compressor with a hand valve on the steering column for trailer brakes
    I think this was for pre spring pot brakes like the 1945 Flxible Clipper has. Lose air pressure, you have no brakes.

    Since this old truck stuff…Some of my Diamond Ts have hydraulic brakes and a hand valve for vacuum trailer brakes. Can someone tell me about those trailer brakes?

    These posts made me decide to be sure my grand kids get to drive the Mack before I part with it.

    Howard Not all split rims, including 10.00 20 Dayton wheels are widow makers. You do have to inflate them in a cage. Google Firestone R…that’s the widow maker.

    Like 4
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      Hi Rallye, widow maker, just a figure of speech for many things, Kawasaki 750, another, and I wrapped a chain through the wheel. I have seen uncaged 10x20s blow up, and sends the ring 50 feet in the air. Several innovations made the truck drivers life a lot easier. Power steering, S- cam brakes, air dryers, better seats, TUBELESS TIRES,,and “piggy-back” brake chambers that need air pressure to release them, if air pressure is lost, the brakes apply automatically,,,or should. Vacuum brakes were a beginning, as before air brakes, a single hose to the trailer applied the brakes via engine vacuum. Some had canisters to store vacuum, but on long downhills, it was very easy to run out of vacuum, and a smart trucker always kept their hand on the door handle.
      I hope the kids like your truck. About the only way it’s passed on today, is if a relative has the connection. The gas job is more civilized, but the shifting may confuse them. “It just grinds”, they’ll say. To make this more user friendly today, it should be updated with modern mechanicals, even an automatic.
      For the record, I’ll be in the cold ground before I drive a tractor trailer with an automatic,,,consarnit!

      Like 3
  21. geomechs geomechsMember

    How do I manage to miss these features? This has got to be half a dozen times I see a great feature 2 days after the fact. And I check BF at least twice a day.

    Anyways, for what it’s worth, I like what I see. Out west I seldom saw an Autocar gaspot. Even in the late 40s they were running Cummins H-series 2-Valve engines. One of the favorites was the HRS-6 which ran a Roots-type supercharger. Maybe it was because the oil patch decided to run diesel power before anyone else did. During the winter they seldom shut them down, except to change oil. I remember the tankers hauling loads from the Thunderbird Refinery at Kevin, MT. They would make it out to what is now I-15, stop at 4-Corners (not to be mistaken for 4-Corners, where the Four States meet) to have coffee, tie on the feedbag, have a drink, or a combination of the three. Autocars, Macs, and Internationals, mostly diesel-powered, with a few die-hard gas jockeys. Those were the days…

    Like 6
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      Those sure were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end,,,,

      Like 0
  22. RallyeMember

    Howard I figured out what you said about the vacuum brakes from what is on my truck. Hand valve, plumbing and 2 good sized vacuum tanks. I’m wondering about the trailer brakes. I’m having a hard time picturing either the early or modern air brake chambers operating big brakes with vacuum.
    Going downhill, more likely making vacuum, going uphill and you’re not making vacuum and the wipers pause…been there many times.
    All the kids have seen me road race and seen/ heard videos of shifting and matching gears.
    Ellie will be 16 next month and I’ll be teaching her stick if her mother hasn’t.
    Maybe next summer, I’ll get a truck with all straight cut gears on the road.
    The Flxible has a 5 speed with synchro except for 1st. It also has a “bus steering wheel” to work the manual steering box.

    Like 1
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      From what I remember, clearly before my time, but it had small brake chambers that vacuum pulled the brake rod rather than air pushing it. For all around use, vacuum brakes were adequate, certainly better than none at all. Air brakes were nothing new and trains had them for 100 years. It wasn’t until longer trips at higher speeds and some sort of emergency setup was needed. That band type parking brake did little, if anything. I’m sure it took some skill with vacuum brakes.

      Like 0
      • RallyeMember

        I guess I’d have to see it….how Inches of vacuum does what 100psi. does.

        I’ve often criticized people that say emergency brake instead of parking brake. The 1944 Diamond T 614 with 5 speed has a huge disc on the back of the trans instead of band type parking brake. It “might” be helpful in an emergency. Maybe I can get a photo.

        Like 1

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