1948 Chevrolet Panel Delivery The information I have on this is the windows were optional for Military, Federal or State government vehicles only. This is a panel delivery that rolled off the assembly line with the rectangle windows. If anyone has additional information, or a source that can help me back the above story, please let me know. How I came about this project was a few years of searching. I've been looking for a second generation three window truck, but kept an eye out for the panel delivery as a justifiable second option. I'm to the point in life i can start working on a project like this and see it to a completed state. More Photos I hope these help with the above story. I will snap more tomorrow of the window edges and everything from inside. I'll post progress in this thread. chris
Neat truck. I had a 48 Suburban with tailgate pretty much all original. I think yours was a government job as I've seen Navy, Air Force and Forest Service trucks with the same windows as yours. Not sure if GM farmed them out or did them in-house.
thank you for the info! the more I have, the more likely I am to keep the windows. bought this one last week. chris
Does the cab/roof area have a spot in the center between the seats where there used to be a vent? Most all of the Military Burb/panels I have seen had this vent hole up there and I have seen some with the windows like yours. Look at the floor and wall area in the cargo section, can you see any signs of bench type seats that ran front to back against the walls? These flip/jump benches were also common on the Military rigs. The deluxe stainless around the front w/shield, front doors and rear doors would not have been Military, but could have been added later by someone.
More Photos I'm not seeing any area on the roof where there would have been a vent. As for holes inside, I'm seeing a few places a bench seat might have been mounted with a few holes, but I'll leave the photos linked below for you to decide. I measured the current rear and it looks to be 57.25 inches from plate to plate. Depending on the brake caliper clearance, I should be able to use a 8.8 rear from an explorer which has a measurement a bit narrower. pulled the seats and sprayed some wasp killer spray in the void area of the back doors, where a few yellow jackets setup home. I'm going to check a few things on the motor and transmission tomorrow to see if it has what it was supposed to have when described. oldguard, random bit of info, a few years ago i was living north of waterloo off sooner. now, i'm just down the road from the airport. chris
Both of these are registered as a 1948 model but one (the Carry All) was built on 12-14-47 and the larger fire engine was built on 12-21-47. Go figure. Normbc9
First, you've got a pretty nice truck there. Second why would you care what the backing plate to backing plate measures? Makes no fricking difference, the only measurement that means anything is wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface. Can't you guys use a tape measure? Most rear axles don't use the same width brakes shoes, so the backing to backing means nothing.
Are the original seats in it ? I had a neighbor that had one with windows like yours that was a school bus . The front seat was split the passenger side was built to flip forward so the kids could get to the back seats. Nice truck.
thanks! and as for the measurements, good point, however taking into consideration the brake caliper clearance, it's most likely the narrowest rear i will be able to use is around 54 1/2" . Severl things to consider here, but for the rear thats currently under the truck, it could be cut down 2" on each side and still work. i have a couple 7.5 rears from s-10 trucks i'm going to check for giggles later this week. I think one of them will work. the seats inside the truck looked like captian seats from a 1980's van. i've pulled 4 of them, as there were 6 mounted inside, and kept the front 2 for now. as for the space and use of the back, a few bits of luggage and camping gear and room for the puppies will be the primary uses. puppies checking things out The progress today was making a list of things to make the truck "secure" from the elements. I'm looking to order some glass and rubber for the windshield, but want to be sure i'm ordering the correct parts. LMC Truck has the parts for the second generation trucks. I'm wanting to be 100% sure the glass for the truck is the same as the glass for the panel delivery. Can anyone confirm this? As for the side windows, I cut some plywood to fill the holes, and plan to seal the edges with silicone and top coat the plywood with something to prevent water from penetrating. *open for suggestions* Here are photos of the plywood in place and the parts list for glass and rubber I hope is correct. chris
doh! wife added a few photos to the account and I hadnt yet set the permissions. sorry about that chris<pixelmonkey>
I really want to get the glass ordered tonight. Can anyone confirm the Truck has the same windshield and door glass as the Panel? chris<pixelmonkey>
any updates? long shot here, but i'm thinking it probably wasnt military unless the fenders have been swapped. I'm assuming all the holes are for the deluxe trim, which i doubt would of been a government option. btw, do you have all the trim?
Looks likes my buddy 50 suburban. You have great looking truck with all the hard stuff done. The front doors are the same as a pickup from what i know. Great start to a cool truck.
kinda late...but it looks to me like you have a panel truck, which was "converted" to passenger use by a third party before being put into service. So everything up front should be normal panel truck parts, which are mostly the same as pickup parts. If you want to look up the original Chevy part numbers (for example, to see if a panel truck part is the same as a pickup part) go here http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/parts/1929_54/index.htm
US Forest Service Truck. Found all the info and have been in contact with them to use the logo from the same year. More info on that later. I am 99% sure the fenders are not what came on the truck, I have all the stainless deluxe trim. The passengers side front fender is a bit different, without holes for the trim, but with holes in the front for a turn signal. THANK YOU squirrel for the link. That should come in handy this summer. Work has been minimal since posting the photos. The windshield and door glass was installed along with some plywood in the side windows. I wasnt much too fond of leaving it to the elements, so i shuffled a few things and backed it into the garage. Thats where it's been since October. Finishing up a rebuild on another truck at the moment, then work can continue on the 48. Will likely be June before things get to far along. chris
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