Text by Patrick Bell.
Our feature today is General Motors trucks from the middle part of the last century. They will trigger memories for many, including myself. They were very common on the road, but not in the same way as they in today’s world. You only bought a truck if you needed one back then, now they are the family sedan. We have a good variety of images, so let’s take a look.
Someone took a photo of their nice, new ’57 Chevrolet Task-Force Model 3204 (1/2 ton, long wheelbase) equipped with the optional “Trademaster” 265 V8 and Hydra-Matic transmission. Perhaps it was a new tow vehicle for the travel trailer in the background, and his bumper/hitch had yet to be installed. The trees were blooming. so it was a warm spring day.
GMC’s version of the ’47-’55 Advanced Design was called the “New Design”, and details about them are hard to find. This one had no vent windows, which makes it a ’47-’50 model, appears to be a 1/2 ton, and it looked close to new in this image.
Here were two cattle haulers either loading or unloading around Omaha, Nebraska per the image caption. The one on the right was a ’52 or ’53 Chevrolet Advanced Design perhaps a 4409 Stake model with a Nebraska license plate of the same vintage and an aftermarket sun visor. On the left was a Federal from the forties.
A pair of trailer park residents or visitors on a cloudy day. First up was a ’52 or ’53 Chevrolet Advanced Design Model 3104 (1/2 ton, short wheelbase) with the optional rear corner windows, a few custom touches, and what appears to be a California license plate. Following was a ’53 Mercury Monterey Special Custom 4 door sedan.
“Moving day in North Dakota 1960” is the caption that came up in a search. The notes indicate it was after an auction. The truck had a white grille, which if it was correct made it a ’55 1st series Chevrolet Advanced Design 4408 Platform model with custom built bed sides. The ’54 models had the same grille except it was body color.
This looks like a warm and sunny late winter or early spring day, likely in New Mexico, where this ’58 Chevrolet Task-Force Apache Model 3104 Stepside was from. It was equipped with a six cylinder, a rear hub cap from an older model pickup, an aftermarket rear step bumper, and was registered in Bernalillo County, where the seat is Albuquerque.
Now we had a ’55 Chevrolet Task-Force Model 3104 from Carroll County, Iowa, where the seat is a town of the same name. It was a six cylinder model with a bed rack and looked close to new. There is a name on the rack that could either be the company that made the rack or the one who owned the truck.
Ray Collier was a tree sprayer in the Portland, Oregon, area in the fifties and sixties. This ’57 GMC Blue Chip 250 with Deluxe cab, Wrap Around rear window, V8, specialized bed, and 4 wheel drive was #2 in his fleet. The four wheel drive unit likely was a NAPCO Powr-Pak that was offered as a factory option beginning in ’56. There was another GMC in the garage that is difficult to see, but it fits the ’63-’66 model range.
Texas was home for this ’58 Chevrolet Task-Force Apache Model 3104 Stepside. It was equipped with a six cylinder, Full-View wraparound rear window, and the Custom Cab package which included chrome grille, bumper, hub caps, and windshield molding.
Here was a dapper gentleman with a new ’60 or ’61 GMC with a V6, chrome grille, and bumper. Perhaps he was heading to town for an evening out. In the right background was a ’58 Ford F-series.
A traveling man with a ’62 GMC Model 1502 (3/4 ton) Custom Cab Wide-Side with a V6, cabover camper, West Coast mirrors, and an interesting minibike strapped to the front end. I remember rigs like this very well as they were very popular during my growing up years. Parked behind was a ’61 Ford Galaxie Club Victoria.
Another ’62 GMC on the beach, this one also looks like a Model 1502 going by the wheels and tires, but a Deluxe (standard) Cab Wide-Side. It also was V6 equipped, with a small camper, interesting roof rack, possibly a bed mounted auxiliary fuel tank, and a rear mounted spare. Following behind was a ’62 Pontiac Bonneville Sports Coupe, with a ’59 Chevrolet Impala convertible parked in the left background.
Now here was a two bedroom camper. A ’60 Chevrolet Apache Custom Cab Fleetside from California with a cabover camper as well as a camper trailer. The wheels and tires are in the shade which makes it hard to determine whether this was a C15 (1/2 ton) or C25 (3/4 ton), but based on the load it was carrying I am going with the C25. It was also equipped with the “Trademaster” 283 V8, West Coast mirrors, and two hood ornaments that looked like they were figuring out how hot the hood was.
This one was a U.S. Department of Agriculture vehicle used to transport forest firefighters. It was a ’64 Chevrolet C30 Panel with added aftermarket side windows, roof vent, and passenger seats. Chevrolet did not make a one ton, long bodied Suburban, so they converted a panel. There looks to be at least one other in this row, as well as a regular panel or two.
The well dressed gentleman was conveniently blocking the emblem that would determine the year, so we will have to go with a ’64-’66 Chevrolet C30 Cab and Chassis with a frame mounted camper body. The truck looks like it had a few years on it, and the man wasn’t dressed for camping.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
I learned today that GMC pickups, before being Chevy clones, had their own engine lineup like this ( 305 ?) V6 found on the new ’60 or ’61 GMC which appears in the tenth image.
… and more on the V-6 here: https://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/05/1960s-era-gmc-5-0-liter-was-the-first-v6-engine-in-pickup-trucks-history-alley/
GMC also used Pontiac V8s for awhile. Usually the the 4 speed Hydra-Matic
Our family truck, sold last year, 30,000 actual miles. 3/4 ton, split rims, 15″ on front, 16″ on rear, factory design for camper. Most of it’s life had 2 different campers on it.
When I look at these vintage pickup photos, I think authenticity. And integrity.
People who drove them, were not posers. Or anti-social.
They were farmers, forest rangers, wildlife photographers, etc.
The office building where I work, was built in 1990. Many modern full-sized pickup trucks are oversized for the parking garage.
I like that Dept. of Agriculture crew van for fire-fighters. I wonder if it was painted that same green of every other Dept. of Natural Resources vehicle. Gotta love that “DNR Green.”
I always liked the advanced design more than the task force, but that’s been based on what I see out there today. Seeing these task force trucks as they were back then makes me like them more.
I’m wondering if the 57 GMC had a big Buick V8 in it? Back in the days of my youth, our church had a 57 GMC school bus with a Buick engine… 364? …which makes sense, since that was one of the more powerful GM engine out there at the time, especially when it came to torque.
Thanks! Back when pick up trucks were not a image appendage. Is tree spraying still a thing? Was it for disease control? Cheers
A friend made a very good living spraying trees. Wealthy people with very nice houses with very nice mature trees do not want those trees to die. Luckily he lived in an area with a lot of wealthy people. His spray truck was a 1989 Ford F-Super Duty (equivalent to today’s F-450) with a 460 and 5-speed manual carrying an FMC sprayer driven by a Wisconsin V-4.
Sister’s husband. bought a new 1966 GMC for $2400. Pleasant light green. Options: 3/4 Ton and Manual “grandma” extra low 4 speed.. Paid $30 for a new radio, clearly nameplated Chrysler, from a DELCO Radio, Kokomo, IN worker. “Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end – – -“
I think the mini bike in picture eleven was a rokon
It’s not a Rokon, which had very large wheels and was otherwise different. Rokon picture below.
We have the definitive article on the Rokon here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1972-rokon-trail-breaker-the-two-wheel-drive-motorcycle-thats-been-rocking-on-for-over-fifty-years/
Nice pics ! .
The Chevrolet and GMC lines from ‘47.2 ~ ‘54.1 were called “Advance Design” .
Really sturdy rigs, at times I miss my ’49 Chevy 3100 .
When I had my VW Shop I had a zillion hard mile 1.5 ton 1955 Chevy Task Force tow rig with 235, Muncie SM465 gearbox (compound low) and not much else .the winch was operated by two hand levers on the rear of the bed, clutch and up/down .
I wish I still had it but useless apart for towing .
I think the ask Force series was another smash hit for GM in 1954.2 .
-Nate
The last new 50s Chevy ute we got was the advanced design models, then GM UK cloned them as a Bedford and we got those instead, both sold as cab n chassis no factory wellsides they got dropsiders and were worked into the ground.
The General Motors pickups in the ’50s could have been equipped with Pontiac, Buick, or Oldsmobile V8 engines along with Chevy or GMC inline six-poppers, Chevy small-blocks after the ’54 model year, or, I suppose, after ’57 model year, the Chevy “W” block.
Thinking that GMC went with Olds, first the 324, then the 370/371 in the bigger 550–600 series trucks, the lighter-duty trucks got (1955) Pontiac 287/288, (1956) Pontiac 316, (1957) Pontiac 347. Then in ’58 and ’59, the Pontiac 336.
Chevy got Buick engines. The only info I can find says they were the 322s. I worked at a small-town Chevy dealership parts department for awhile in the mid-1980s, we had Buick pieces on the shelf left-over from the 1950s trucks.
Chevy and GMC both went back to Olds engines in the ’70s and ’80s for light-duty trucks…the infamous and craptastic Olds Diesel 5.7L.
If you go back to the ’30s and ’40s, you’ll find Pontiac and Olds flathead 6s, and OHV inline-6 Buicks in some GMC trucks.
I have probably missed my opportunity to get an early-’60s GMC with torsion bar IFS, control-arm/coil spring rear suspension, and the so-called “Big Block” GMC V6. General Motors was the king of cool from “Postwar” until the mid-’60s. Lo, how the mighty have fallen.
All very interesting trucks. Except, I didn’t like the front of the ’60-’61 GMC in the b&w photo. Had a “weird” look to it.