According to the ad, this is a very original 1941 Chevrolet truck that has been owned by the same person since new! It can be found here on eBay with a current bid just over $12,000…the reserve hasn’t been met yet! Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, I would bet this truck probably spent its life on a farm in the local area. According to the ad, it was designated for government use during the war effort. These old Cab-Overs are really neat looking and make great projects. Thanks to Ikey H. for the tip on this truck! Lets check it out!
Along with the rest of the truck, the interior looks very original. The seller says they even have the original key for the glove box! The seat, steering wheel, trim, and gauges all look great. The ride is probably pretty rough, but it would be fun to drive in parades or build into a full custom.
According to the seller, the engine has been serviced. It has also been converted to 12 volts, which is great. The engine is either a 216 or 228 in-line six mated to a manual transmission. Hopefully, a keen-eyed reader will be able to leave a comment with more observations about the engine.
There isn’t any mention of the “accessory” on the rear of this truck. The old bomb (more likely drop tank) looks cool with the vintage graphics and patina. I’m guessing it comes with the sale, but the ad doesn’t say whether it does or not. Overall, this is a really cool original truck and it will probably make a great addition to someone’s collection. What do you think?
Well I think that unless Joe the author of this add is over a hundred years old I doubt he’s the original owner. This is a very cool truck and is in surprisingly good shape, I’d hate to see it taken to far from stock given that it’s stayed in one piece for so long. But I’m betting that Joe is more like the second or third owner and is the flipper that bought it off the estate or he is the grandson of the original owner. Either way it is a fantastic old truck made in a year when civilian production was halted. Great find.
Perhaps it was owned by a business?? I can remember snuggling up next to one of those old floor heaters When I was about 5.
Very cool old COE but I found the ownership reference odd as well. If it was put on hold at the dealership and designated for war use, how did it come to be in civilian hands from new? Seems the ad is trying to hype the value, but the hype is contradictory…
A limited number of trucks were kept available for civilian use such as farm trucks. A need had to be demonstrated by the buyer fo approval by a government agency.
My uncle had a Chrysler dealership from 1940 until’59. He was actually able to sell a number of larger trucks to the civilian market. The customer had to apply for a permit then upon approval was allotted a new truck. The same went for tires and gasoline. Unfortunately the black market was thriving and if you were crafty enough you could get gas, tires and even a new truck…
Very nice old rig. For a one owner, I got a laugh out of his Ebay ad, listed as ‘Condition:Certified pre-owned’. No use for the truck but I could find a use for the belly tank.
Engine is either a 216 or more likely a 235 . 228 is GMC .
He coulda’ve assumed ownership by 6!
By the time I saw 235’s they were from 1951 or later Powerglide Bel Aire’s.
As far as I know, the 235 did NOT have the pushrod cover pan up the side. The 216 did. so the side cover for the 235 was about 6 in high, the 216 more like 10 inches. It’s a 216.
My dad actually drove one of these in one of his first jobs, at age 18. Probably NOT a COE, but rather a 1-1/2 or 2 ton model. 5100? maybe. It was a stake bed and he worked for a creamery, picking up filled cream cans, and leaving empties, around rural east Bremer County Iowa. They were troublesome. It was wartime and they broke the drive axles a few times. they were full floating, the wheel didn’t come off, but he finished the route behind a team of horses.
It put Dad off Chevies the rest of his life, the next 60 years of buying cars.
Alan, just an FYI. The 235 first came out in 1941 for use in large trucks. 1950 was the first year it was used in cars equipped with Powerglide, so you were very close.
You are correct Bob C., ’50 PG in cars . Older 235 truck engines had full side covers.
Would make an awesome car hauler!! It’s in such good shape and with most of the parts from that era I just don’t have what it takes to put a diesel in it so it’s useable every day!! This should be preserved just the way it is!! I’ve come across this dilemma before!!! If it’s old rusty and been molested for years it’s not a problem for me!! Not when they look this good though!!!
The “bomb” looks like a drop tank.
Duh…I should have read the eBay ad before commenting…
$15,099.00 as of now
Unfortunately (or not) it seems like the normal routine these days is to remove the body/front end sheetmetal and mount them on a modern chassis, often one from a Class A motorhome. Then you have a 454/auto disc brakes etc. Makes sense but then paying an arm and a leg for the sheetmetal doesn’t. I grew up in Eastern Oregon farm country in the 50’s & 60’s and drove lots of these old COEs. Fun experience being high in the air plus sitting over the front axle the sensation when turning is unique. Slow movers though with low rear gears. Double clutching those old crash boxes was an art form. Note the little lever and rod on the gearshift handle. That’s the reverse lock out . :-) Terry J
It looks great! How about this for a possible restoration? See attached photo,This is an ELCO Thunderbolt power turret mounted on an ELCO 1939-1940 Chevy COE. Experimental test firing at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook NJ Circa 1942, The mount is a prototype with 4 20MM guns and 2 .50 Cal MG’s.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2167810556609421&set=g.608973915978068&type=1&theater&ifg=1
That’ll get the tailgaters of your back…!
Awesome is not a word I use often but this truck definitely qualifies. I hope whoever ends up with it preserves it.
When they’re this complete you’ve got to restore them.They can still be put to work and displayed too. I hate to see these sacrifice the cab to go on a modern chassis, even if they DO look great that way. Incidentally, that engine would either be a 216 or a 235. The 228 was a GMC offering…
Nice….but priced to much for my blood…….
I sure like the one Geomechs shows us. The one listed could easily be made to look that good.
God bless America
Hi John. That one’s got quite a history behind it. It was bought new by a family out west of us, near the foothills, and the guy used it to haul sand and gravel. It remained in the family for a number of years until it went to the museum that it now resides in. The granddaughter sent me a bunch of information on it which I quickly put away in a safe place. And it must be real safe because I’m at a loss as to where I stashed it…
Glad to hear others having the same “safe”
Not interested in the truck, now the fish on the back is a different matter.
We have a 1942 Chevy COE. It was bought new by a farmer and cattle hauler in rural Illinois. He took delivery the day after Thanksgiving in 1941. He sold it to my uncle in the 80s, I think, and it came to Missouri. My dad bought it because he was nostalgic for the ’46 Chevy COE he bought used in 1950. It got to be so rough he couldn’t drive it any more. We still have it too, along with 2 others. My Brother has a 1940 COE school bus.
My Dads ’42 is red and was shortened in the 60s and had a dumping grain bed mounted.
Pop is gone now and the truck has not been started in a few years but it is safe inside. Aside from a repaint, and a replacement 235, it is more or less untouched