Take your time and really look at this Frankenstein truck. It’s like someone cut off its original front end, and stuck a GMC pickup front end on it, despite the total mismatch. No, this was not done in someone’s backyard shop with a torch and welder. It originated from the vaunted GM Design Center, presided over by his highness, Harley Earl. And the real crime is that they butchered one of the nicest big truck front ends in the process.
Isn’t that a handsome truck? Well, it was before that botched face-lift.
The really big GMC conventional trucks never got the new cab of the 1955.5 – 1959 Chevy/GMC “Task Force” pickups and mid-size trucks. The solution?
Just use the front end cap from the Medium Duty line, like this one, and slap it on the big one. Problem solved.
Fortunately, by 1960, the big trucks got the all-new cab shared across all the truck sizes, and all was right in the truck world again (update: the 800 series was actually available until 1962). But I’ll never forget the first time I saw one of these…Whoa! Is that what I think it is?
It looks so squeezable to me I want to squeeze it more!
When headlights and grill gets all squeezed together it looks funny
Sometimes designers have to “justify their jobs.” But that still isn’t an excuse.
Sometimes designers are handed impossible situations by the accountants or engineers… Been there, done that.
That is very likely the case here. Make it beautiful, more functional than the competition, but don’t spend any money doing it.
It’s not too bad, kind of tough/ugly/cute like a bulldog.
Looks like my 7th grade English teacher !
I had never seen nor heard of one of these before. The front end looks like it came off of a 450/550/650 truck of the same vintage. (Never knew what the proper name was for these models.)
Same for me, it’s the first time I saw these photos of these big GMC Conventionnal and I taught the Brazilian truck market was the only one who continued the old “Advance design” truck after 1955. Here some photos I saw at
http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/blog/index.php/2012/06/1961-chevrolet-truck-assembled-in-brazil/
http://www.trucksplanet.com/catalog/model.php?id=1342
That Brazilian ’57 Chevy looks so much better than the ’57 GMC above. Note the one piece windshield from the last Advance Design pickups and the fact that the graft was at the cowl, not just a botched nose job.
The heavy cab looks like it’s based on, but isn’t, the Advance Design one – it’s noticeably wider and doesn’t have the A-D’s pressed-in molding below the door windows.
GMC went back to the heavy conventionals getting their own cab in 1966 that was used (as the Brigadier) well into the ’80s, and that one’s often confused for the ’67-72 light/medium cab but is also different.
“Medium Duty” is a generic name. And you’re right; they just pasted that same front end cap on the big truck. I’m going to use that photo to add to the post.
Empty the office suggestion box and use them all?
Whoa! It looks like it’s wearing a 1955 pickup mask for Halloween!
“…The first face transplant was attempted in 1957, with predictable results given the lack of medical knowledge at the time. The patient survived but was only able to ingest liquids…”
It looks like Wilford Brimley.
I like it. Trucks dont need to be pretty. That face has some loveable grunt.
+1
I agree totally! I’ve always been fascinated with big trucks since I was a kid. I will never forget the full color magazine ad that featured a 900 series, long hood truck in metallic gold color with a polished stainless milk tank trailer! It was beautiful and those “nostrils” (for lack of a better term) made it look mean as hell!
I’ve been searching the web for years hoping to find a copy of that ad so I could buy it.
Reminds me of that time Ford applied the F-Super Duty face to the 2008+ Ford Econoline and made it quite ugly instead of leaving it alone.
sorry, but count me among those who think cars and trucks from the ’50s and early ’60s were ugly as sin. Garish, loudly-colored, and over-chromed.
I believe this is a 60 Chevy? Saw it recently and I kinda dig it.
Appears to be a 59. I’ve always liked the ’58 and ’59 Chevy trucks, and I was a Blue Oval guy for years!
This is the ’60
Thanks! New decade = big eyebrows.
I always though that this vintage truck looked like the EMD Aerotrain.
Here’s a 59 cab-forward Chevy I saw at a truck show.
Veloster’s great-great-grandpa.
Looks like Maynard from “Cars”
Surely you mean Mater? “As in ‘tuh-mater’…but without the ‘tuh’.”
FWIW, he seemed to be mostly IH, with elements of both Chevrolet and GMC.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/comment-image/210438.jpg
It wasn’t exactly a facelift. In 1947, GM introduced the ‘Advanced Design’ light and medium duty trucks. In mid-1949, the heavy duty GMC trucks (Chevy did not offer heavies at the time) were re-engineered, and featured a new cab with similar styling to the ‘Advanced Design’ trucks. These were referred to as ‘Fat Cabs’, and were different from the light duty cabs as nlpnt pointed out. The ‘Fat Cab’ was made in conventional and cabover versions. In 1958, GMC released a new short-nose conventional featuring the ‘Fat Cab’ and a Detroit 6-71, known as the D860. That is what we have here. GMC must have felt compelled to make the new D860 look like the 1955-up light and medium trucks, so it got the medium duty nose and grille. The long nose conventionals and cabovers retained their 1949 styling. The D860 was a very popular fleet tractor, and remained in production until 1962. Incidentally, I think Chuck Jordan was styling most of the GM trucks at the time.
I think they look pretty.
I agree the COE version was a lash-up but the conventional wasn’t bad. Those bring back a lot of childhood memories for me, I remember them (and the “fat cab” ones) being around in the 60s – they looked (and sounded, on account of their 2-stroke engines) very different from the Macks, Autocars and Leylands which comprised the main part of the truck market in Israel.
Moving house in Israel during the 50s. Probably taken at some God-forsaken Kibbutz in no man’s land, with typical Hobbit-sized houses which were made from concrete and notorious for being hot in the summer and cold in winter… Ah, the good old days.
Hello, Do you have a copy of this photo – print or digital? I would love to have it for my collection.
I had to think about this for a while, but here’s what I came up with:
The truck in the first photo reminds me how bad GMs freight locomotives look now, compared to the GE units.
GE’s Dash-series are angular, but cleanly-styled in the vein of the old Alco PA/FAs, but GM’s SD-series locos’ chunked-out styling makes them almost unattractive.
For old, hard-core hood-units though, the EMD GP30s are the ’57 Chevys of the loco world!
Anyway, I’m happy truck designs have improved since!
I know that was a long way around the barn for very little, but that’s all I have on this one.
Agree about the GP-30’s!
I prefer trucks, including pickups, to be no non- sense. I can deal with a mild luxury theme, the 80s GM trucks with the square quad lights were beautiful simplicity. It had a gentlemanly presence. I like the aero F series for the same reason. The old big Macs had subtle elegance combined with power, my favorite big truck of all.
I hate this hyper macho truck period we are in, it gives the message of one who does sloppy work by brute force, vs with care, consideration and delicate skill as a real man.
What Hat Man said ! .
In the 1970’s my Shop Tow Truck was a ’55 Chevy Light Duty (1.5 Ton) rig with a 235 and a Murphy plate instead of slings .
A decent looking truck , those Task Force rigs could be made very pretty indeed .
I miss it still , wish I’da kept it but how needs a Tow Truck when you don’t have a Shop ? .
Agreed , nothing sounds like a two stroke Detroit Diesel ” Road Oiler ” at full chat .
-Nate
Right on, Nate! A Buzzin Jimmy, the Rocky Mountain Hummingbirds could stir one’s soul. When I was a kid, I would stop whatever I was doing and listen, and wishing I was sitting shotgun, and hearing the trucker tell stories of his adventures and helping him change flats for stranded women and refusing any money for the favour.
Sad truckers aren’t the noble gentlemen of yore. My Mom was twice rescued by truckers in the 60s, now I tell her to lock the doors and call police and AAA.
I really don’t know much about this class of truck. I know pickups (which IMO MUST have a standard cab to be considered a pickup) and semi trucks. I think the high point for American pickup design ended in 1987 for GM, and about 1996 for Ford. For really big trucks, the best ever design was the Peterbuilt 379 longnose. Today’s plastic semi’s IMO don’t even deserve to be called trucks. The Golden Age for trucks both big and small has been over for quite some time. So as ugly as some of these old trucks look to start with, just compare them to new trucks to see real ugly.
The 379 (and 359) were sharp, but make mine a 281 (from the movie “Duel”.) That and Mack B-models are what I think of as classic big trucks.
Although not the most attractive looking front end styling, overall, it’s not a bad looking truck.
That is just utterly bizarre. I agree with Tom – it looks like it’s wearing a halloween mask! As attractive as the ’55 to ’59 light-duty trucks were (and they were pretty damn attractive) the look doesn’t even translate quite that well to the medium-duty models like that light blue one–they look squeezed. Proportions gone wacky. Then, to take that squeezed “face” and attach it to a completely different truck that it has no stylistic ties with whatsoever?
Whoever was responsible for that thing was not having one of their better days! Interesting, yes, but that’s about it!
Agreed that the old trucks are far more attractive than the big and bloated styling trend of today. While its lines may not be cohesive, the feature GMC retains a lot of personality. The front reminds me of a bulldog with its scrunched nose and grille that creates the impression of jowls. If it were gray, they could name it Spike :-p
Depending on the decade, I like the GMC truck and the Chevrolet truck face. During the 1950s and 60s, I like the Chevrolet, but the late 60s through 1972, I like the GMC.
Here is what I have: Reviewing this site I could feel put off concerning my beloved 1960 GMC 860 Detroit 671. What is the matter with you people? Where is your passion? Why do you seem to lack this? I doesn’t matter and you can’t take mine away from me, because I will always love my big truck. This leaves me feeling sad, not for me, no, no ,no, but for those who cannot see.
Joe ;
.
It’s a big truck thing ~ not everyone ‘ gets ‘ it ~ I’m envious of your screaming two-smoke Detroit Diesel 6-17 , nothing runs like these fine engines , nothing else .
.
For a seriously pug ugly Jimmy , look at the ” fleet ” option grille ’58 ~ ’59 , it has an expanded metal (read : _CHEAP_) grille and only one headlight on each side instead of the designed quads . truly horrible low budget stuff .
.
-Nate
“Pug ugly”? Mine is that fleet truck. It has one headlight each side……….. You are trash talking my truck. Nate!! You must not be this naive.. You built me up to tear me down. Now, People, listen : I can’t come back here, not now, not EVER…….
Apologies Joe ;
Those things are FUGLY =8-) .
I do love the GMC L O N G Motor they had in the 6 cylinder ones but the Fleet Option was never popular , that’s why your rig is so rare now .
-Nate
Ahh dang you figgerd out I was kiddin. I like my truck because, to me: 1) It is mutt ugly. Pity the body fellas that had to go to this absurd extent to please whom? And Who was this Whom? He definitely had a bent on. 2) It an environmentalist’s greatest single cause, er pleasure: a rolling man made environmental disaster! It’s wail drives anyone within 4 blocks to want to throw bricks. The engine constantly pours out on the ground black gold, all over everything, and beyond! The stack spews out chromium and carbon carcinogens, and, amongst other nasticities, lots and lots of SMOKE. It rides like a goat cart, or maybe a stone boat, but I’m being nice here. It’s loud, it’s obnoxious, it’s UGLY, and I LOVE IT!! There! Joe.
Joe, I think that the truck is being judged under modern standards. That body taste was the norm back then… ever see ‘57 International A-10? In order to appreciate this design era, you must put yourself within the context of history… some people are not willing to do that…. just pass judgment in this current styling era. There are also people out there who are Detroit haters… they all make the same stupid quips and none of them can think of anything original.
I owned a ‘59 GMC 930. 6-71NA 235hp 5+3 and a U200 rear. Flat back 2 axle tractor. It still had the early style butterfly hooded bulbous nose. Wing windows and two small back windows They were a beautiful truck in their day. It was my first working truck. Old #1 as it was called was purchased from an old auto wrecker in Mariposa CA back in 1980. It was red and white when I purchased it and on the top hood panels along the hinge was lettered, Old trucks never die, they just age gracefully!” I eventually restored the truck, giving it. a pearlescent white with a blue flip flop merrano lacquer paint job and a black diamond tuck interior. She was slow as molasses given the +400hp trucks of the 1980s but she had heart. I added a Freightliner air ride Jo-Dog attachment to haul 40’ trailers when not running doubles.
As a heavy-duty GMC truck historian, I completely agree. One error, though: The red and white “Frankenstein” you posted a photo of is an 800 Series (860, to be exact) and not a 900, like the blue truck below it. Fortunately, the 900 Series never changed, from the introduction of this style in June of ’49 until the end of production after 1959. The GMC “big cab” on these was used on all 700 to 900 Series trucks during this decade with various front ends. There was just one change to the big cab during this time: Beginning with 1954 models, the nice, original rounded back was shortened by a few inches and made flat – to decrease the bumper to back of cab dimension – not nearly as nice looking as the late ’49 through ’53 versions.
Thanks for that correction; I’ll amend the title. Having just bought the book “GMC Heavy Duty Trucks, 1927-1987” I should have caught that.
I have a running 1959 semi with the Detroit diesel motor and the butterfly hood and I’m thinking about selling it but not sure what it is worth can someone help me out I have a clear title to it. Thank you
The actual designation for the second truck pictured was 950. The 900 was the single rear axle model in 1951, which is the year that truck was built. My Dad and I, along with my Brother, resto-moded it in the early 2000’s, and it is still being driven and shown in car or truck gatherings in the summer.