I’ll bet you haven’t seen very many crew cab trucks from 1957. This truck can be found here on eBay with a current bid over $6,600. Located in Beaumont, Texas, this truck started life as a run-of-the-mill Chevy pickup and was converted to a 3-door crew cab after it left the factory! Check out the history below.
This particular body is not a factory configuration, it was produced by Armbruster in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They specialize in funeral cars and limousines, but have dabbled in the extended pickup market off and on for decades. In fact, we featured an Armbruster Apache pickup here on Barn Finds in 2017. I’m not sure why they chose to do mostly 3-door crew cab pickups and not 4-doors? Let us know if you have an idea why.
The ad states the following: “Has all it original parts in it. 261 6 cyl engine oil looks good and turns over. Needs a set of points to fire. Has been setting since the 70s.” I don’t know about you, but it looks like more than needing a set of points to fire up.
Here you can see some rust issues with this truck. The ad says there is some rust and that the cab corners and steps need replacing. There aren’t a lot of detailed photos in the ad. A prospective buyer would be wise to poke around the cab closely to ensure there is enough integrity left to restore. What would you do with this truck? How cool would it be if it were a hot rod hauler? Or maybe just a hot rod?
This truck has been on here before I remember the log that grew around the frame on the back of the truck.
What would you do with it?
Anybody?
Bueller?
Set the cab on a crew cab GM 4×4 Duramax frame…..and HAUL……ANYTHING
And not a single photo of the missing door on the driver’s side. sad
It doesn’t look like from the pictures there is a missing door. It looks like this is a three door configuration.
It is. Said so in the article
Agreed
There is none!! Read the article!!
It’s a three door , two passenger one driverside, my uncle had a 67 suburban with three doors beautiful ride
No pictures OF the drivers side. If the door is missing where would you get another?
Yeah, one of the few times I say go nuts. Plop this body on some modern chassis, be right at home with the “dually set”. Looks like it has a PTO for something. Tear it apart, make it useful again, not old king pins and iffy brakes. Btw, what are these “points” you speak of? (someone might ask) :)
Contact breaker “points” by any chance??
Seriously!!
Once you started to fix it ..it would be a slippery slope going downward The tires alone would be too much money into it.
Scarp yard or parts….
It was quite common to have 3 doors, the Chevy Suburban had only 3 doors at one time. It was considered a safety factor, stopping passengers from exiting the vehicle into traffic as these vehicles were often used for company personnel transport.
Yes, the Suburbans had only three doors. It would make sense for the coach shops to use factory doors when available, and since GM didn’t make left side rear doors…
Yes & GM repeated this in the mid 90′ through 2006!!
Armbruster should be well known for anyone into the proffesional vehicle community. Cool ‘factory’ conversion, not just a hacked up project by someone wanting a crew cab classic truck. Would make a great promotional car hauler for any gearhead individual/company with extra seating capacity for the bunch coming along! 3 instead of 4 doors make sense as to keep conversion cost low as well as the safety factor. Is it a former fire engine?
How about a “hot rod hot rod hauler?”
$6700 and the reserve is NOT meet, Seriously ? ? ? I don’t see how this rust bucket can command any more $ $ $
You have no sense of nastalgia !!
Speaking of sense I’ve herd that common sense ain’t that common, too late seems to have some. As Howard said put the cab on a newer gm truck frame, which means the only value hear is that rusty cab with no seats and plenty of work needed. I agree with both guys.
I’d say: keep the configuration as is. Restore it, maybe soften up the springs and make a car hauler out of it. Or make a good fifth wheel RV puller out of it. Of course that means pulling the old 261 and dropping in a big block. And no, I wouldn’t bother with a diesel, unless you’re putting more than 35,000 miles a year on it. Drive it and have fun….
Drive it.and have fun? All the tasks you mention require modern brakes (anti locks too in case it.rains) air connditioning, power steering etc. Youre looking at 50g or do what Howard said- get a rolled-over modern truck and move this rusty heap over to the new frame
I admire your determination, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say resto-mod something, especially a truck. You’re a vanishing breed, my friend, and I side with you whenever I can. In this case, however, if someone with a family that wants a vintage truck to haul their toys, the double cab would be perfect, but not for today’s roads. Split rims, straight front axle, skinny, non-assisted brakes ( good luck with those “hydra-vac” units), people just aren’t used to those features, and could be downright dangerous, for some. Got to be dozens of dually pickups in bone yards with crumpled front ends. People pulling these 30 ft. trailers lose it all the time. Just be a lot easier.
I just hate to see another good chassis end up in a Chinese foundry. For myself, I have no trouble driving a truck like this with a 2-spd. axle. Using it as a car hauler would be a lot easier to handle than 300 bushels of wheat (that’s an 18,000 lb payload). Yes, go to single piece rims (Alcoa makes some beauties) and radial tires. Hydra-vac? I’d likely convert it to a Hydro-boost. I might add that I’ve got a friend who has siamesed two ’57 LCF cabs together and is putting them on a Top Kick chassis with a Duramax. He’s seriously considering swapping out the engine for a 502, which I would consider myself after seeing the bills associated with the repairs on the Duramax. And EVERYONE and his dog (and cat and pet hamster) is running a Cummins.
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be……
Nostalgia, costs a lot . I still like the idea of this on a duramax truck frame.. . but you’ll have a ton of work to do. At some point you start to think, between the metal grinding and panel replacement could you build your own out of two nicer trucks ? ? ?
resto mod it. hey diesel brothers. look at this one.
Not that uncommon to see something like this. Check out Monroe Truck Equipment. They’ve been doing conversions and body mods like this for decades.
like to see the road side (single door – driver’s side).
Thanks for all the links but that view seems unavailable.
Note the early 80’s Crew Cab sitting next to it. I imagine the sellers original intent was to put the old cab and sheet metal on that frame. A big job but not rocket science. Unless your desire is to build a Museum piece or original show only rig, its the right call. Top speed on those old running gears is about 55 mph.
These old big trucks have wider front end sheet metal that allows the wheels on a late model frame to fit under the fenders nicely.
That thing needs a set of points to run and I need to lose five pounds to look like George Clooney.
Stupid comments
Stupid comments again
The massive front bumper/ grille guard, heavily plated frame, and PTO; this truck was most likely an oilfield crew truck – well used and abused.
Sounds like Rocco needs to take a nap. Yes it is and has only three doors and usually the right rear door was the same as the right front. Therefore if the left front door is missing any chevy or GMC truck of same year interchange will work. It’s a awesome truck and I agree that putting it on a 4×4 duramax would be a good idea. Ninnight Rocca
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