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It’s no Frazer… 1947 Crosley Pickup

With lines very, very similar to the 1947 Frazer Manhattan pickup, this truck is several feet shorter and several thousand dollars cheaper than the Frazer pickup, but is just as cool and unusual as far as I’m concerned. This is a 1947 Crosley Pickup and it’s a factory-made vehicle, unlike the Frazer pickup which was a concept/prototype. This small hauler is located twenty miles west of Washington D.C., in Gainesville, Virginia and it can be found listed on Hemmings with a $6,750 asking price.

Isn’t that similar to the ’47 Frazer pickup?! I instantly thought Crosley pickup when I saw that Frazer. How great would it be to have both of them side-by-side at a car show? In 1939 the first Crosley went on the market and in 1941 along came the first pickup. After WWII, Crosley got their factories back and in 1947 the pickup returned and 3,182 were produced that year. The round-sided pickup is the one to have, in my opinion. The front view is love-it-or-hate-it, but I guess it usually is on everything, even humans..

But, you ain’t gonna be haulin‘ a lot of stuff back here. Wait a minute, you don’t haul a lot stuff now with your daily driver – you know, the 3/4 ton, 4WD, four-door pickup that you have now and complain about gas mileage every time you’re in it? Yeah, that one. This Crosley pickup will get 50 mpg all day long but it won’t be at freeway speeds. Please tell me that you know there weren’t freeways in 1947? This isn’t a 75 mph cruiser, in order to get 50 mpg you’re going to have to be on rural two-lane roads at modest speeds or driving around in town, like this truck was meant to do in the first place.

The interior will need a bit of sprucing up if a person cares about originality. If not, it may be just fine the way it is. This truck was “last registered and on road in 2012” and it has had an amateur restoration. The seller says that it was “Recently pulled out of storage. Installed new hoses, Changed Oil and Plugs. Runs Drives and stops. All gauges work. Speedo appears to need cable. Tires need replacement before placing in service. Some paint and scratches.”

By 1947, Crosley was a year into production of their famous/infamous CoBra (Copper Brazed) engine, adapted from his 44 cubic-inch stationary military engine and it had a whopping 26 hp. It proved to be unreliable in automobile use and it was dropped in 1949 in favor of the CIBA (Cast Iron Block Assembly) engine. The seller mentions that this truck could use some TLC, but they don’t say what that consists of. I’ve been watching this one for a month or two, I have always wanted a Crosley pickup. Have any of you owned a Crosley? What do you think of the similarities between this one and the Frazer pickup?

Comments

  1. Avatar Peter S.R. Member

    Crossly made two pick-up body styles…

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  2. Avatar AF

    thankss

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  3. Avatar jcny

    My dad had two Crosleys, both wagons. One 1949, one 1951 model. Horrid little beasts. The coolest thing was the suicide knob he had on the steering wheel of one. Not very PC, but fascinating to a young boy then.

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  4. Avatar Kiwi Glen

    I thought we had moved on from the term amateur restorer to independent restorer

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  5. Avatar tom

    Might be cool if it weren’t retardo red.

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    • Avatar Dick Johnson

      A Ford V8-60 was fitted in a SDV Crosley in our little town. Quite a fun truck to drive, although not at highway speeds. Hitting a pot hole in one was as much fun as it was in a King Midget.

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  6. Avatar Karl Derrah Member

    This is so damnably cute! You’re right, Scotty, there are humans who are an acquired taste from any angle, but wisdom chooses personality over stunning good looks every time! This’un gots personality PLUS.

    Really enjoy the optimism of the 70-mph speedometer…that would be the ride of a lifetime! I can see it with… oh, let’s say, a bed full of chickens in back… hell-bent-a-careering-down-a-dirt-road… Buster Keaton driving, but just barely…dust boiling behind… whizzing past telegraph poles… racing to the crossing with a fire-breathing locomotive alongside…!!!

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  7. Avatar Bill Miller

    Drove a 46 pickup that color to high school. If we got stuck in the mud when out hunting two of us could pick up the back end and slide it over to get a better grip. Out ran a 1938 Olds 8 with it. Saw it going down the street with 15 high school boys in it, back end was a tad low. Actually it was a fun little truck, had to check the oil often, it burned a lot. But then I had a 1950 small Lincoln that got 17 MPG and 80 miles per quart, another story.

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  8. Avatar Dirks Bently

    My crossly was recycled onto a radio :-)

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    • Avatar Rube Goldberg Member

      I thought it was odd Crosley’s had Motorola radios.

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    • Avatar dr fine

      Our first TV was a Crosley. A beautiful blond wood console model with slide rule tuning that picked up FM radio in that long space between channel 8 and 11.

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  9. Avatar jeff6599

    Interesting thing about Crosleys is that the head is integral with the block. No head gasket to ever leak. Valves must be put in from the bottom of the cylinders. That means a valve job requires removal of the rotating assembly. But, hey, it is a job you can do on your desk or on your lap in the bathroom as everything is so small.

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  10. Avatar Maestro1

    Our neighbor in Massachusetts had one of these which he let me drive infrequently. Only in Summer. It was very primitive and a blast.

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  11. Avatar Mike

    They used to sell them in the hardware store front window in Butler,PA. My uncle had one. It was set up like a miniature fire truck. You could not fit two full size adults in the seats.

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  12. Avatar Ron

    I have 5 Crosleys. They’re fun to own, but you must know their limitations. Anything over 40 mph and they’re not happy. They are great around town cars.

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    • Avatar Dovi65

      I’m amazed these little lawn mowers can GET to 40 mph

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  13. Avatar Rentalbarn

    I had a few given to me. They made great go carts once I cut them apart.

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  14. Avatar dr fine

    Despite the misery of riding in the back of my aunt’s station wagon with several other kids in summer heat, I still love these cars.

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  15. Avatar chad

    huge tailgate.
    Would it B a sacrilege to make this lill truck a convertible (for an occasion or 2)?
    The radiator is larger than the engine so no overheating problems…
    8^0

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  16. Avatar Stu

    We bought an old Crosley wagon about a year ago that had been in a barn approximately 40 years. We’ve gotten it to run and are now bringing things up to useable condition. Also would like to hear from anyone who knows about the Braje ‘speed’ parts on ours.

    Absolutely fascinating history–including the part about racing, early disc brakes, then reverting back to CABLE operated drums! Apparently they used the same transmission in some Cushmans.

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  17. Avatar Dovi65

    Very crude, & primitive build even by 1940s standards [was any real thought given to design once the rear half of a sedan was cut off?] With that said, I do like it, and wouldn’t mind owning it, along with a Crosley Wagon, and HotShot roadster

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