Does anyone happen to have links for information regarding sedans that were cut down into pickups during the depression for fuel rations? I've only heard snippets from cars guys regarding this but have always wanted to learn more. I recently acquired a 24 Chrysler that was cut down to a pickup back in the day. Just looking to gather as much information on this practice
Some info in this thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ww-ii-car-to-truck-conversion.411420/
There isn't much to tell. Used cars depreciated quickly and large expensive cars especially were a drug on the market. I heard of a 7 year old Rolls Royce offered for $50 during the depression because it needed a clutch job. There were no takers, and it was scrapped. Large powerful cars were cut down to make wreckers and tow cars. Others were cut down for farm trucks tractors and buck rakes. I knew an old time mechanic who converted 22 cars and trucks to tractors during WW2 when tractors were hard to get. There is a description of cutting a car down into a truck in The Grapes Of Wrath a depression era book about dusted out Okies heading for California with the family and all their belongings. You can see another example in The Beverley Hillbillies TV show. During the depression it was a cheap way to make a truck. In WW2 it was more a matter of new trucks not being available. The quality of the job depended on who did it. A farmer might cut the body off with an axe or a saw, fill in the back with some old boards and build a wooden platform out of whatever he had handy. A good mechanic or carpenter might make a much nicer job. Some were done by the local blacksmith, mechanic or carpenter. There were some real pretty ones done by coachbuilders, usually on new cars but sometimes on late model used cars. There was no fuel rationing during the depression except nobody had any money to buy it with. During WW2 there was rationing. Farmers could get extra rations for their tractor because food was essential to the war effort. Maybe they could get extra for a truck too? Not much more to tell. Careful inspection of your Chrysler should give you an idea of how professional a job it was. You may also ask around and find some history of it, who owned it, who built it, and what it was used for.
Get a load of this teenage farmer in the fifties, making hay with his home made tractor. Yes that is a 1931 Cadillac V12. See the car about 3 minutes in.
Thanks for the info Rusty, that's pretty damn helpful and more info than I've heard from any 1 person so far. I am the 3rd owner of this car/truck in it's 92 year history. The previous owner is a friend of mine and it was in his family for 5 decades, but was a truck when it came to them
It should be kept in mind, that in the thirties trucks were much rarer and more expensive than they are today. These days half the vehicles on the road are pickups or SUVs, not so back then. Using pickups and SUVs for every day transportation only started in the seventies when large rear drive sedans started disappearing from the market. Up until then you only bought a truck if you were a farmer or had a business that required it. And, trucks got used hard and worn out quickly. A good used truck cost a lot more than an old car. As I pointed out before, large cars were hard to sell because they cost a lot for gas, oil, tires, and repairs. They actually were less desirable, and sold for less money, than a Ford or Chev. So, you could buy an old car and cut it down to make a truck and it might well be better and cheaper than buying a used truck.
Re: the video with the Cadillac tractor. In Sancho's screen shot notice the windshield posts. That Caddy was either a roadster or touring car and it had twin side mount spares (now welded to the rear wheels). If it was still intact that car would be worth about $150,000 today. When it was new it cost about $5000. The farmer probably paid $100 or less.
As a teen, I worked summers in a cherry orchard in The Dalles, OR . We had a '28 Chrysler converted to a flatbed. The bed was 4x4s with steel rods thru drilled holes side to side, and washes welded to the ends, the bed was about 6' x 10'. Wish I had a pic of it (or the whole truck) today!
Here are a few more examples. I haven't included any tractor conversion or post-war examples, which got more creative.
Coupes also got converted. Sears and Monkey Wards both offered conversion boxes for coupes at the time. Although I can't seem to find a good pic.
It was not just a Depression Era practice. My Father came home from WWII and there were no pick ups to be had, so he made one out of a Model A coupe. Wish I had a photo of it...
Vintage coupe pickup kits mentioned by porknbeaner can still be found. My neighbor has one for a 36 Chevy coupe. Maybe I can find a picture of one.
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