We’ve featured several trucks here on Barn Finds that were born in 1946 and amazingly they keep coming out of the woodwork. With about a decade of the rat rod/patina craze under our belt, cool trucks like this are still being found. This 1946 Chevrolet Pickup is no exception. It is being offered for sale out of Wichita, Kansas and can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $4,000. I’m not usually a fan of hacking up old vehicles, but that may be the best route for this truck. Check out the rest of the photos and decide for yourself.
This truck appears pretty dry and the outside of the body doesn’t appear to have suffered from much moisture. The bed and cab floors have deteriorated, but they are rebuild able if the new owner chooses to. Other than the radio mounted under the dash, the interior definitely has a cool look. Obvious things will need to be addressed (like the seat) but other than that, it looks decent.
Power comes from a straight six with a manual transmission. The ad states the following: “This truck runs and drives, engine runs very well always starts right up, no smoke or knocking, also looking into the valve cover with the the oil cap removed engine appears to be very clean, no buildup at all, oil has been changed, and is staying clean. Clutch works well, transmission shifts into all gears and operates well.”
The wood in the bed is mostly gone as would be expected with a truck over 70 years old. The ad does say that there are good used bed supports included in the sale. If this was my truck, I may try and find some vintage barn wood to re-do the bed. How about you?
Overall, this truck has an amazing patina look and doesn’t look like it has been abused. There aren’t any major dents or dings and there’s just enough of the original paint to look good. I’d put this body on a modern chassis with a 350/350 combo and cruise all day. What would you do with it if this was your project?
The body doesn’t look too far gone and with a decent running drive train present, I’d focus on cleaning up that body, sand it down, fix the minor issues and paint it period correct. Something like this would look great with a dark green body and black fenders. Make it last another 50 years or more.
Not everything has to look like a rusted out hulk. The patina craze is just that- a craze or fad. This truck should be allowed to live on in peace instead of pieces.
50% chance of what will actually happen is a junk yard small block, flat black spray paint job with red wheels and skull shifter coming out the chopped top. I’d not touch this beautiful truck’s patina, get it running and put this work horse back in daily service.
That old stovebolt six would stay right were it is if this was mine, they run forever if maintained. Fix bed and floor and use for city driving! Paint and interior could use some love!
Those fenders are better than the 3 sets I have . I would drop my 235 , three speed and 55 Chevy car rear differential and drive it. Hmmm inspires me to get back to one of the Ones I have.
Folks can fantasize all they wish about what to do with this rig, but that era truck grille is 10 of the ugliest ever designed. Sorry fans………….
Hey you’re entitled to your opinion…..even if it is wrong. Ha Ha Ha!
I completely agree .. this truck should remain period correct. Attend to the immediate needs to get it running/driving safely, and repair the bed. It would make a great weekend hauler for trips to the local home & garden centers
It goes without saying; restore it and keep it stock; enjoy it that way. If you need to modernize it then pull the Stovie and drop in a 235 or 261 and keep going. Make it into ‘Miyagi’s Pickup.’ I might add that the old Chevy pickup and the ’48 Ford convertible are the main reasons I watched the movie over again….
I see no reason to hack up this truck.
Certain patinas are just to cool to erase, in my opinion. This is a very cool looking pick-up in its current state. A good coat of turtle wax with a new but weathered bed floor and fresh brakes then call it a killer driver. Oh, and a reapolster the bench seat in a distressed black leather as well! It’s still cheap!
I think that it’s too nice to just hack it up! I am original and I like to see cars and trucks kept original, but someone will buy it and chop the heck out of it! This I am pretty sure!
Again, we go through this every time a vintage pickup comes up, and I’d like to see it restored original, as well, and I hate to be the wet blanket, but it’s not going to happen. Most of us here are of the older generations, when putt-putting along at 40 mph was fine,( and still is). But you realistically can’t use something like this today, and younger folks want resto-mods, plain and simple. A recent visit to a car show verified that fact. ( Again, your region of the world may differ) Right now, because of it’s unique styling, this is probably the most sought after truck to modernize. As much as I like the original, even I admit, some of these resto-mod trucks look really sharp. Goodbye stovebolt, hello LS something. No diesels, please,,,
I own a 41 Chevy pickup that I restored as an original truck (red with black fenders). They are easy to restore with lots of parts support. If you want a usable working truck, these will run all day, but understand that they drive like an old truck. They make a 3:55 gear set that drops right into the existing rear end for speeds higher than 45 mph. They also remake the correct Fenton exhaust manifold and the Offenhauser intake manifold, but the truth – it’s more for looks than performance. No matter what you do, it’s still an old truck, and feels like a risky ride above 55 mph. The hardest part to source for me was the spare tire holder that mounts under the bed. It weighs about 50 pounds without the tire, so most people just threw a spare in the bed and threw away the holder. The best part is other people’s panic when I use it as a working truck.
I am very happy with the truck! Will keep everything like it is. Just maintenance and love. New old bedwood. This truck is to beautiful to change things that are ok since 70 years.
So refreshing to hear your appreciation for what the truck is instead of just another knucklehead wanting to try and make it modern. I salute you for your wisdom, sir!
Love this old truck! I learned to drive in 1961 on one just like it. Get it back to driving shape and just enjoy it.