Yet another old panel truck is what I thought when I read the brief description for this 1937 Chevrolet example. Then, I reviewed the images and thought, isn’t that quaint-looking! So, real or “patinaed”? Hard to say with certainty but it’s interesting enough to investigate further. This panel truck is located in Glouster, Massachusetts and is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $18,000.
Just as a thought, the irony of calling something that you are trying to move a”White Elephant” is not lost on me. A genuine business title or a little bit of tongue in cheek – it could be either. It’s just like the red primer finish, is it fake or real – I’m thinking the former but whatever the case, this panel truck presents well. There are no signs of body damage or rust-through, even the surface rust looks to be minimal, mostly affecting the grille. And the grille, for the most part, is fair, though there is a tooth missing near the bottom. The selection of black for the fenders, as a contrasting color to the chalky red body hue, is a nice visual touch and typical for this automotive era. The seller suggests that this truck would be a”great project for winter” but it doesn’t appear that it lacks anything and it does run.
Speaking of running, this 203K mile specimen has a non-original engine in the form of a six-cylinder, in-line Chevy motor; as to its provenance, that’s not disclosed. The original power plant would have been an 85 HP, 216 CI six, and the center bolt valve cover on this newer engine is true to that original design. This truck is advertised as being in running condition, and if nothing else, certainly looks good. The listing states that an automatic transmission is in place but that’s probably an error. There is a clutch pedal present and the shifter looks like the one used to row a three-speed manual gearbox.
There’s no image of the cargo area but the driver/passenger compartment shows quite well. It’s very clean and tidy with the exterior worn vibe translating to the seats, genuine wear or “distressed”? They look actually worn to my eyes. The rubber floor mat is in fair shape and it doesn’t appear to be covering any gaping floorboard holes. Of note, there is an under-dash, optional heater in place.
Here’s a brief video of this panel truck in motion, It’s out of focus and does nothing more than convey the fact that this Chevy will move, to some degree, under its own power. Back to the “project” comment, if I were to acquire this truck, I would have to ditch the lettering and put a finish of some sort over the body, maybe a mono-color scheme, and probably pitch the wheels too. And then, of course, that leads you to engine room thoughts…But none of that’s really necessary, if you’re looking for a mobile business billboard, this truck, with some re-lettering, could be just the right prop. What’s your thought, leave it as is, or turn it into something more adventurous?
Jim, the “White Elephant” in Essex, MA is/was a largish antique store which, I believe, has recently closed its two locations but continues to sell online. I’ve bought a few items there, which is what you do in Essex, MA, which seems to be 90% antique stores….
I’ve seen the truck parked alongside the main WE store in the past but never saw it on the road, and must say it looks more impressive in the photos than it did in person. Were I interested, I’d definitely be looking for corrosion (MA salts its roads in winter) and the effects of little or no use.
Another antique store in Essex had an Austin Champ parked outdoors in its side lot for several years, but it’s gone now. Never know what “antiques” you’ll see in Essex!
OK Ray, thx for the clarity.
JO
IDK Ray, I’ve been in Essex and I felt the town was 90% seafood restaurants :)
By the way Jim, it’s G L O U C E S T E R.
He got Massachusetts right.
Just sayin’.
That’s still in America, right?
JO
What a shame. Looks like someone will end up with what’s potentially an amazing find. Unfortunately, that will be limited to local buyers, because who in their right mind would be interested otherwise. No photos and a video that looks like it was filmed with a potato.
This is one if the coolest finds ever featured on this site, imo. If it’s solid and as nice as it looks in photos (which is disputed by the first comment), someone’s going to be quite lucky. Perhaps it’s better that it stays local as it’s part of their history.
Or maybe someone with disposable money to gamble with will buy it. I know Jack White has a thing for elephants.
By the way, who in their right mind would not leave the exterior as is?! No offense meant, to each their own : )
Hi Eric, I’m sure this was just a display for the store, that sat outside as a prop. I see that a lot out here, thrift stores will have some derelict vehicle outside, some not too bad, but the last thing on the store owners mind. Someone scarfed this up, got it running, and driveable, and as usual today, the appearance is always last, if ever. I think it’s a sought after piece, it’s just, if it stays original,um, well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. I’m sure someone already has a LS/Cummins swap planned, and that’s okay. It is a great find, however it ends up.
How do you post something rare ok n hear?
Wash. Wax. Drive. Very cool!
Here’s a way better video of the panel
https://nl-nl.facebook.com/WhiteElephantShopEssex/videos/white-elephant-still-on-the-road/344831929525284/
Make sure the sound is on
https://www.whiteelephantshop.com/legacy/
We had a White Elephant restaurant in my little home town and we had a 76 prefix on our phone numbers too! In beautiful Taft, California.
Wife wants it. Someone please buy it!
Given the red under the hood, I’ll assume that the “red primer finish” is, in fact, well-weathered original or long-ago-repainted red paint. The graphics I’m not so sure about. If they had been a bit more “period,” the telephone number would have read something like ROyal 8-6901, as the all-digit telephone numbers are a later 1960s thing. All that said, it’s a great truck that should either be mostly preserved or restored authentically (No alloy wheels, crate motors, etc. … PLEASE).
Beautiful place Gloucester! This truck is very cool.
If I had two weeks, I would fly out there, throw camping stuff in the back and take the southern route home, gettin my kicks on I95 s to the 10 west
Really cool old truck. I don’t think I would take it on anything but blue highways though. Better make it 3 weeks.
Panel vans and pickups can be great local advertising. Back in the 1980s I had a guy contact me from my yellow page ad for “Antique car dealer and restoration shop”. He wanted old pickups and panel vans, 1950s on back, complete with all glass, but not required to run or drive, However the tires had to hold air!
He was opening a new rental company for personal watercrafts in Ocean City, Maryland, a well known vacation spot on the Atlantic Ocean. The main travel route from Washington, Baltimore, and the Philly areas was down US Routes 301 and 50.
He wanted to buy advertising space on billboards along the main route, but nothing was available, partly due to Lady Bird Johnson’s Beautify America program that considered billboards to be unsightly [and I have to admit, many were!], as a result, many of the old signs were now gone.
So his idea was to buy the old trucks and title/register them with Maryland’s MVA. I ended up selling him 8 to 10 trucks [can’t remember the exact number], all 1946 to 1958 pickups; Dodge, Chevy, GMC and Ford. The trucks were painted with a brush and house paint, all medium green. He had professional signs created to fit in the holes in the bed sides for attaching wood extension rails. The signs were all 8 feet long by 6 feet high, and stuck out beyond the rear of the trucks. The signs for the east [beach bound] traffic advertised his rental store with the address and phone number. He later added [at my suggestion] a sign to the other side of the truck bed that was intended to remind people leaving the seashore, to plan ahead and make their personal watercraft reservations early!
He rented space from local farmers and stuck the trucks in fields along the main highway, or parking lots at farmer’s fruit and vegetable stands. For 2 seasons the trucks were in place for all to see. One of the counties didn’t like the trucks and found they were powerless to get the trucks removed, as they were fully licensed with antique tags and insured. They tried to introduce legislation requiring such vehicles to be moved every week, but that came under intense opposition from farmers who used their harvest trucks sparingly.
The whole thing fell apart when his trucks were vandalized and the signs removed, then a couple of them burned from arson. Don’t know what ultimately happened to the trucks. Probably hauled off for junk. No one was ever brought up on charges, but I kind of think this happened because some additional shops renting personal watercraft opened up in Ocean City, and the competition had new stores from the Jersey shore down into Virginia.