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from 1910 to 1973 This page covers 1955 to 1959 |
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A Brief History on the Pickup Truck
| Pickup trucks as we know them go back to the
early days of the automobile industry.
The first civilian Dodge Brothers' Commercial was the famous Screenside which was a military ambulance converted to the Dodge Brothers famous Commercial Screenside Panel. Dodge Brothers Company entered into an agreement with the Graham Brothers Company in 1921 whereby the Grahams would manufacture one and 1 1/2 ton trucks from mechanical parts supplied by Dodge and with cabs and bodies manufactured in the Graham's plants. Graham Brothers built the 1924 3/4 ton Dodge Brothers' pickup. Also in 1918 Chevrolet brought out it's
model 490 Light Delivery chassis cowl. The chassis cowl consists of the
painted metal parts. The wooden cab and pickup type body were purchased
from an aftermarket manufacturer.
The first Ford pickups to hit the streets was
in the mid 1920s. Back then they came in one color, one model, and without
much equipment.
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| A number of years ago
I saw a one page calendar that showed all the Ford
pickup trucks from the first one to the present day. I thought , what a nice idea. I thought that I might try something similar with some of the car pictures I have collected. I have been collecting pictures of Studebaker, Packard Nash, Hudson, Jeeps and pickup trucks for some time now and I first wrote a web page on the Studebaker. Then one on Jeeps , Packard and the Hudson and Nash followed. Next came the Kieser and Henry J. Now I with the help of one of my visitors have written on on the Crosley Now I thought I would try a web page on the Pickup Trucks of the 1940's to the 1960's. I also included some panel trucks and early SUV's of this period. They just seemed to fit right in with the pickups. These pictures came for a number
of sources including
I would like to invite any one that
has a favorite Pickup Truck of
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This page was last updated on June 21, 2011
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This is probably the most famous
Hood Ornament used on a Pickup truck
but when it comes to old Pickup
trucks not many would disagree that
this is what it's all about.
This Antique Truck has set the
standard for others to follow.
It is a REAL "CLASSY CLASSIC"
Truck
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Because this page has grown to such a size I decided to set it up in three separate pages.
The first one show the trucks
from 1911 to 1949.
This one will show trucks from
1950 to 1959 and
the last page from 1960 to 1973
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The above link will take you to a page that
shows the grills for Ford Pickup Trucks from 1957 to 1967
I decided to do this page to help people identify
these trucks.
These pictures were submitted by Steve McCoy
of Sacramento, California.
And
to make this site more interesting
we
have now included many old cars and trucks
including
Pickup Trucks that are being offered for sale
OldCarCafe.com searches 130 classic car dealer websites to help you find your dream car
1955 to 1959
A Very Special 55' Chev Pickup Project
Keith has the following to say about this project
| My name is Keith Kelly I am 54 years old and have
lived in Bowmanville, Ontario all my life. I use to have a 1963 Chevy Impala
SS until I went Blind in 1997 then got mad at the world and sold
it. I've kicked my ass ever sense and so have my kids. Then in Jan. 2005
I had a 1955 Chevy stepside half ton Custom Cab brought up
from the Texas New Mexico border. The truck body is all-in original condition
as it came from factory. The only difference is the drive train,
It has . 400 C. I. small block with a lumpy cam, roller rocker system, high rise center head, 750 C.FM. Edlbrook carb., headers with two and a half inch exhaust . It has a 400 Turbo trans. with a shift kit, and a 4x10 rear end posse,. The body was prepped by a friend of mine that was a body man and used 95 percent led to fill and only about a quart of body fill. I hand sanded all and either took apart or helped my friend John Morris, who was my main man of the project and couldn't have done it with out him. The work was all done in my garage, primed and put back together, also with the help of another friend name Dave Jones. It came to me with a M 22 rock crusher 4 speed but I swapped it out for the auty so my kids could drive it. This truck is all new from interior to brakes, and I am very proud of these guys that took the time to make my life dream and life happy. The truck was an original v8 265 C.I. factory built truck. Click on any of these images for a larger view in a new window |
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| This truck is owned by Roy Freiberger
,Reno NV.
Roy is trying to get a value on it. Does anyone have any thoughts on that. |
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| This is another 1955 Chev wainng for the right moment for
rebuild.
It is owned by Perry Jasper and has been 1977 or so..."original paint"..! ...last owners had started to restore, got as far as rebuilding engine and stripping paint on the hood. |
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This picture was submitted by Wesley Willison. The truck was owned by his grandfather John Frimand before he passed away in 1983 |
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"I thought you may be
interested in my truck. The dual rear was an option and may have
had a flat bed or stake sides at the beginning. I have the original
owners manual that lists only one model with a 6900 lb. gross vehicle weight
and it's the dual rear model.
When I found the truck it was being used to tow vehicles in Temple City CA. It had a hand-crank boom bolted t a 1/4" plate steel bed. I'm pretty sure that the body shop that owned the truck put the fender extensions, as I've found no evidence that Chevy offered them. I still have the original hubs and split rims but have changed to modern dual rims for safety and convenience. I've had it for 10 years and have enjoyed working on it." |
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This truck is owned by Kim Cooke |
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of West Virginia USA The restoration is almost complete. |
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| This truck is owned by Jim Johns, St.Paul, Minnesota.
Jim says that there isn't a part of the truck that hasn't been modified |
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Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| This pickup is owned by Mike Wade.
He has the following to say about his truck. "My 1956 Ford was the Demo model for the Ford Dealer in Belen New Mexico. It was ordered with the paint scheme you see today although it has been repainted several times through the years. This pickup was bought by my Dad in Albuquerque NM in 1961 and it has been in our family since then. It still has the same running gear that came in it in 1956 but the engine and trans have been rebuilt. This truck is my pride and joy and it will be passed on to my oldest son and the title has that already done." |
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alt.binaries.pictures.autos by MagisterMax |
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Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| This truck is owned by Tracy Carver, Charlottesville,Virginia, USA. He plans to will be do some light modifications to it. He probably will stick with the 223 6 cyl and definately keep the 3 speed on the column. He hopes to add bucket seats as there is only one seat at the moment. I want to add the top dash of a 1956 to the plain dash. |
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Darryl Daniels Salisbury North Australia |
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Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| This pickup is owned by Chuck Rogers, Vine Grove, Kentucky.
He is going to rebuild it and pictures of that rebuild will be shown on this page. |
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Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| These are the latest updates from Chuck. A lot of very nice painting has taken place. |
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from Brisbane Australia |
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Plymouth Bulletin. workhorse - a vehicle with a fiberglass front end to resist parking lot damage, with custom wooden front and rear bumpers, with a pop-up camper option, and all priced and under $130... does it sound impossible? Maybe today, but such a vehicle was made and sold. In the immediate post-war era, many cars were planned but only a few reached production, and few of those made any appreciable dent on automotive history, though some achieved limited success. The Powell Sport Wagon fits this category. Hayden and Channing Powell started with several clear guidelines. Their vehicle must be cheap to buy, ride like a car, drive like a car, and work like a truck, serving as a second car or as a sportsman for hunting and fishing rig. They started a prototype in 1952, using a Chevrolet chassis and six cylinder engine to keep costs down. When they had to make final decisions for production, they chose to use Plymouth chassis and six cylinder flat head engines, because they were easy to obtain, cheap, and had a great deal of parts interchangeability across all Chrysler lines. They chose the 117 inch wheelbase chassis and engines from 1941 Q series Plymouths. Their first Powell Sports Wagon was completed in 1954, weighing around 2700 pounds with a steel body (except the fiberglass front grille, varnished oak bumpers, and oak tailgate). The Powell stood 68" high with an overall length of 168". A unique feature of the Sport Wagon was a concealed tube built into the right rear fender, running lengthwise along the bed. This was designed for carrying long objects or fishing poles. Factory photos of a prototype station wagon show it equipped with a tube compartment on both sides. The all steel body was built in the Powell factory directly on the Plymouth chassis. Workmen stripped all unuseable parts and pieces from the '41 chassis' to mount the new Sportsman body. Upholstery was of heavy duty vinyl stretched over new foam. The instrument panel received a full compliment of gauges and two speed windshield wipers were standard. However, there was no provision for a window defroster. Side windows were of the sliding type and did not roll down. Options were few but included turn signals, two tone paint or chromed wheel discs. The completed rig was rated as a 1/4 ton pickup, Walt Woron, Motor Trend magazine's road tester, took a Powell Sport Wagon for a test drive in 1956. By that time the price of the Powell had bumped to $1095 for the standard version, with the deluxe selling for $1198. A factory built pop up camper option increased the price by an additional $295. Walt was not completely impressed with the PoweIl's Plymouth motive power. In his test he averaged only 15 miles per gallon he figured the little rebuilt '6' should have delivered at least 17. He finally passed off the poor mileage on the added weight of the camper and the mountainous terrain over which he had conducted the tests. Oil consumption figures were dismal the engine used over 2 quarts of oil during his test, Overall Woron was impressed with the vehicle when he considered the use the pickup was meant to take and which he had handed out to it. By late 1956 the Powell had ceased production. Not because of financial troubles, or stock embezzlement problems such as those that had killed so many of the post WWII car ventures. The company had simply run out of raw material from which to build their product ... the local supply of 1941 Plymouth chassis in anywhere near rebuildable condition was rapidly depleting. The company closed its doors with many hundreds of orders still on hand. By the end of production the Powell Sport Wagon was not only offered in a pickup style but a very utilitarian station wagon was built as well. In fact, a close look at a mid 60s International Travelall and a Powell Sport Wagon station wagon makes one wonder if the IH designers secretly copied the Powell's attractive lines, hoping that no one would notice (or remember). The Powell was a local product, with most of the completed cars sold in California. Few found homes east of the Rockies. In addition to the Sport Wagon the Powell Brothers experimented with another novel idea -a self contained motor home. They built three of them in 1953 but never went into serious production. Channing Powell is still alive and the Powell Company, although relocated from the Compton area, is still very much in business. The Powell family owns one of the three motor homes as well as a Sport Wagon pickup. The Powell Sport Wagon was a unique idea -a vehicle to fit many segments of the market, but it was just too early, as have been so many other automobiles. Today many own a pickup as a second car; they ride and drive like a car and they are used for pleasure as well as business and with a camper top they quickly convert into the perfect hunting or fishing vehicle. As for Fiberglass to prevent corrosion or damage, look at all the modern cars around so equipped, and what custom pickup around doesn't sport wooden bumpers. Hayden and Channing Powell were just about 15 years ahead of their time ....and 15 years behind the times with their antiquated Plymouth chassis and engine! |
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| This truck is owned by Ateball. The truck was the movie
American Graffiti back in 73. The truck was rebuilt at "Loper's" in Arizona
and has been resting in a building ever since..
It's for sale as well |
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These 3 1957 Ford pictures were submitted
by
Marc Nodden Old Lyme Connecticut USA Mark adds that this is a Montana rust free truck that I just purchased. New front chrome bumper, mirrors and probably a tailgate are in the works! |
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| This truck picture was
submitted by James L. Jacobson
of Santa Monica California USA |
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| This truck is owned by Danny Leach, Oregon
He bought it in Mexico and will be getting it painted and then it will be his daily driver. (July15/09) |
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| This truck is owned by Richard Sladen in Whistler,
B.C.
It is all original with only 16,500 miles. |
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| This truck is owned by Bob
Schaefer
from Old Town Bowie, Maryland. |
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GVW Panel Truck |
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Please click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
Please click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| This truck is owned by John Klusek of Phoenix, Arizona
John had this to say about his truck. "Although it's not entirely all original IE: 1976 Blazer frame, running gear, and 1969 350 cu in. motor it is however all Chevy. I have owned it since 1985; someday my son will inherit the truck." |
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Please click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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This truck I built up to become a "Driver". However having gone a bit nutz, and making her bed etc a bit to nice to use, you can see the result. For the mundane chores, such as hauling cut down brush to the Compost Site, the junky looking trailer gets hauled behind her....!! Katarina has a crate 350, with a Turbo 400 trannie, a 69 Camaro subframe, A Buick Skylark 3:50 rear axles, PS & PB........ She has a little bit of Giddyup to her! |
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| This truck is owned by Aubrey Morrell, Moncton, New Brunswick | This truck is owned by Aubrey Morrell, Moncton, New Brunswick |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
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| This truck is owned by Aubrey Morrell, Moncton, New Brunswick | This truck is owned by Aubrey Morrell, Moncton, New Brunswick |
Click on this image for a larger view in a new window |
This truck is owned by Aubrey Morrell, Riverview,
New Brunswick, Canada. In Aubrey's words " I purchased a 1958 FordF100 last year from a pharmacist in Tatamagouche NS. He has owned it for ten years and used it in parades etc.. The truck came from a dealer in the valley and apparently was brought to NS from western Canada. I believe the truck was all red at one time. It would be too good to be true if you or your contacts new the history of this very well preserved truck. I have included a copy of a black and white photo of the new 1958 Ford that my dad bought the year I was born. The man in the photo is my uncle. Now you know the sentimental value of this vehicle." |
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1950 to 1954 |
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