Supposed to go look at a set of 36 Chevy trucks soon to try to get the cabs from this old farmer my dad knows. The problem is, the trucks are big truck chassis style(1-1/2 ton setup). I was just wanting to make sure that these cabs would look right to be made into a hotrod, or as I call them, street trucks. One I am wanting to build late 60's early 70's style, and the other more modern, with a 5 speed, etc. What was the last year Chevy majorly used wood in the construction of the cabs? Guess what my dad always says about the biggest benefit of his job as an ag mechanic is finding the neat old stuff in a field somewhere, as these trucks are supposedly in really nice shape, with hardly any rust. The best part, the farmer came to us to sell the trucks! Thanks for any info.
I know in the 1/2 ton trucks 36 still had the sheet metal nailed to the wooden structure of the cab. I would speculate that this would hold for a larger truck as well. I also know that the fenders are interchangeable through all sizes of the 36 chevy trucks but I do believe the 1 -1/2 ton is a larger cab than the half ton. This may be desirable, depending on your size, as the 1/2 ton is pretty small inside. You probably want to switch the chassis out for something less devoted to truck functionality but you should be able to swap out most of the chassis components for a more streetable driver if you use the original frame as well.
36 cabs are the same for the 1/2 ton and the 1 1/2 heavy trucks the grille is longer on the heavies but the cab is identical. 37 was the first all steel cab, the 36's had wood door posts and wood behind the dash and lower windshield,(the crank for the w/s was bolted to the wood)
Are they high cabs or low cabs? There were two different styles in '36. My '34 started life as a 1-1/2 ton.
I think the cabs are the same. The running boards are shorter because they don't connect to rear fenders. The door post are wood and the piece that goes under the dash is wood. It seems like there was wood under the floor where the kick panels are. This is for the late 36 low cab, I think the high cab (looks more like a 35) had more wood.
I really am liking this... this is seeming like a Kansas alliance here. I do not know if they are the low cab or high cab, as really about all that I know as of right now about the trucks is that one day I come home from school, and my dad tells me about a guy that stopped at KanEquip(dad works there as a mechanic) and asked if he was interested in two old 36 Chevy's he had. Now we're gonna go look at them soon, and probably buy just the cab forward(hood, fenders, side hood, etc.) off the trucks.
If you do a couple of searches you'll find that most of your questions have been answered before. Chevrolet made two cabs in 1936, a high cab with a lot of wood and a low cab with wood in the door posts and upper cowl. The 36 cab is similar to the 37/38 cab; which there are a number of differences.
If you haven't seen them you never are really quite sure what is out there. 36 as others have said is a split year for the models. Even the early HiCab is different than the 35. I have the 36 lowcab model which again is different than what seems to be the same cab on the 37, but it isn't. Watch what you are doing when getting parts for it. Here is my 36. Skippy, I might have to look into that Caravan seat setup. I see also that you have earlier front sheet metal on it, 35 isn't it?
Yep the entire truck started life as a 35. Once I first saw a 36 cab I was hooked, the side glass and windshield are the same as a highcab with a 3 inch chop and the same as my neighbors model A sedan with a 3 1/2 inch chop.
The 36 upper windshield frame is different than the 37/38. The 36 w/s frame is straight, the 37/38 is curved. The 36 low cab still has wood in it; which is in the door post and upper cowl. The 36 low cab back window is lower than the 37/38, the windows are the same. Those are the major differences.
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