Accepting Best Offers: 1948 Chevrolet 3600 Pickup
Sometimes writing up a story based on an ad can be tough. The descriptions that sellers provide can vary wildly. Some write the automotive advertisement version of War and Peace, but most others don’t think you need to know much at all about the vehicle they are selling. That is the case for the advertisement for this 1948 Chevrolet 3600 3/4-ton pickup truck for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Lakeville, Minnesota. The ad gives a name and number and the words “Accepting Best Offers.” The good news is that there are a sufficient number of pictures in the ad and Chevrolet trucks are a known commodity. This truck looks like it has the potential to easily return to the road and provide good service. The princely sum of $15,000 is in the ad along with the best offers line, so what do you think an appropriate price would be for this big green hauling machine? Thanks go to T.J. for this 3/4-ton truck tip!
The truck is part of the Advance-Design Series of Chevrolet trucks. These were the first all-new designs for GM during the postwar period, and they ended up putting Chevrolet in first place in the truck sales market from 1947 through 1955. Every truck in the family had the same basic design and styling. The differences were only in the cabover models. These necessitated a different cowl area. The rest of the trucks, in half, three-quarter, and full one-ton ratings, were differentiated cosmetically often only by stance and wheel size. You could also choose from a short or long wheelbase. In March of 1955, these trucks were replaced by the Task Force Series of trucks.
To argue the partially restored then stored theory, the same argument about the overall condition of this truck applies as well. There is a distinct lack of paint cracking or age damage underneath that dust. Pay special attention to the pinstriping around the glass line and the grille shown in the pictures above and below. While I believe striping was not seen on trucks straight from the factory, I am open to a correction by our readers. Speaking of the glass, the rubber gaskets that hold in the windshield look to be pliable. This suggests that they were replaced rather than the original. There should also be a gasket around the cowl vent, but it is hard to see from the picture.
Regardless of being restored or not, the truck is very complete from stem to stern. The only noticeable exceptions are the bedside spare tire, door panels, a rubber mat for the floor, and proper seat upholstery. While the greenish gold vinyl and velour seating can be rather damaging to your retinas if you stare at it long enough, it does date the seat cover replacement in this truck back to the seventies. Perhaps that was when it was painted up on the outside. In the interior shot above we can see that the truck was originally painted grey inside is definitely unrestored. The bright green exterior looks almost out of place.
Looking under the hood puts us in a quandary. The engine looks like an original unit with a lot of red paint under that grime. However, the cowl is painted. While it can be done when the engine is still in place, painting a cowl is much easier the other way around. If it is the stock engine, it should be a 216 cubic inch inline six-cylinder. Nicknamed the “Stovebolt Six,” this engine debuted in 1929 and was produced in the United States until 1962. Amazingly it then got a second life in Brazil from 1964 through 1979. Parts shouldn’t be a problem, nor should getting this one cranked up. You can still find speed parts for these reliable powerplants if you look a little.
I guess that this was a pretty good 3/4-ton truck that someone found, made it look good on the outside, and drove for a little bit before putting it away to play with other toys. The good news is that a drunken monkey with a can of ether can probably get it running again and it would still effortlessly do whatever work a modern truck can do. It just won’t be comfortable, and it won’t connect to your iPhone. The second one isn’t necessarily a detriment. As for the price, it might be a tad high. A phone call or email never hurts.
What do you think this truck’s story is? What should it end up selling for? Please put your thoughts in the comments.
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Comments
My best offer is free.
Wash your truck. Inside and out.
Back in 1978 I had a ’51 3800 Five Window. It was a one ton with the stovebolt. The thing was geared quite low however, so while it could pull a stump out of the ground (and cars out of ditches, don’t ask) It couldn’t go above 50 without winding out. It was solid as a brick sh*thouse however, and who knows it may still be around today!
I think the bicycle is a Samsco, like one in a family barn in New Hampshire. The fender paint and sprocket are identical.
Weighed a lot.
FBM states it was listed six weeks ago. Might be time to lower the price. My suggestion, below $10,000.00
Very nice truck 15,000. I don’t think so.i would clean this bad boy up an drive as it is..
I have a ’49 3600
This is definitely a 3/4 ton–long wheelbase -just look at the rear wheel hub (8 lug bolts).
Had some work don at some point-who knows about the paint.
Bettter examples can be had for under $20K–so $15K is a bit high for an unknown condition truck.
Body looks straight
a good project for under $10k
I’m not seeing evidence that the cowl (or firewall if I’m looking at the right thing in the picture) was painted. The firewall looks like original paint to me, and the mileage may be right. My dad has a 1950 model half ton that looks similar and has around 50k miles. The firewall is the original blue (and still looks pretty good). The rest of the truck we had painted when I was in high school in the early 90’s and doesn’t match 100%. Dad had the seat recovered a few years ago. The engine in ours isn’t red, but I found out it was replaced early on so isn’t original. My great grandfather had water in the cooling system and let it freeze resulting in a cracked block.
All of that being said, this one looks like a pretty decent example if you want one of these trucks. I think a lot of them didn’t rack up a ton of miles because they were used locally and they were slow. People didn’t put 15k miles a year on a vehicle back then, much less their trucks. They used the truck for actual truck purposes and drove the car for trips, grocery store, etc. So, yeah, the mileage may be legit. I wouldn’t be surprised if the engine was rebuilt at some point and shot with red paint while it was out, though, which isn’t a huge deal in my opinion. Somebody probably fooled around with it at some point and then lost interest because they are nigh impossible to drive anymore in even semi modern traffic. Similar to what I did in high school. They are neat vehicles, they’re just hard to actually use unless you want to drive everywhere at 50 miles per hour or below with no AC (or heat in my case)…which sounds easier than it is! Oh yeah, ours was one tail light from the factory with no signal lights. Had to do the old hand signals and hope for the best!
I would offer $100 to take it away as is.
Right. That’ll go over well.
Looks mostly complete and solid. I certainly wouldn’t pay 15k for it. In 1975 I bought a1950 GMC in much better condition than this for $350. It wasn’t my daily driver but it did do truck things. I sold it in 1989 for $750. The buyer promised me he was going to restore it. He did and sent me pictures. I’m willing to bet that truck is still going strong. But like others said it’ll be under 50 mph.
Might want to check out this a little before purchasing. Sources tell me the gas tank didn’t go inside the cab until 49.
Never seen a 3/4 ton with a 3 speed. Interesting.
The silver paint inside the cab is the factory color…no matter what color the outside was. Chevy trucks were like that for this generation and the next two, through the ’66 models.
I have read many years ago, that the dark green was the default color, unless you ordered it differently. GM built these trucks for the Korean War, along with the heavier models, and they would have had a lot of the paint, so it could be possible. The engine could have been replaced or redone/repainted at some point in the past. The factory color would have been a dark blue.
It’s a good point to start a restoration on, or get it running and cleaned up and drive it as is. But $15K great…I dunno. Collector vehicle prices are going up though…..