Fill ‘Er Up: 1952 Chevrolet Tanker Truck
Oil and gas memorabilia is very popular among antique and automotive collectors. Here is a chance to own a piece of rolling memorabilia with this 1952 Chevrolet Tanker. This truck appears to be in overall great condition considering the small amount of rust and the porcelain Conoco signs are a huge plus. Find it here on Ebay in Rogersville Tennessee with a starting bid of $3,000 with reserve not met.
According to the ad, this ’52 Chevy Tanker spent its life in Wyoming until recently moving to Tennessee and has minimal rust. The porcelain Conoco signs are complete on both sides and look to be in excellent condition. A quick search of the Continental Oil Company in Wyoming on Wikipedia gives some information about the company in Cheyenne Wyoming from 1905 until being transferred to the Sioux Oil company before being closed in 1990. Whether or not that is the company affiliated with this truck is unknown.
I think it will be hard to find a buyer for this truck, it takes up a lot of space and can’t serve a useful purpose. This would be great yard art or maybe a parade truck. I always wonder what kind of sludge is floating around inside these old tankers. The truck looks to be very complete, I hope the new owner preserves the look of the truck and just does mechanical work to make it safe to drive. The title may be an issue, the ad says the truck comes with a 1952 Chevy 1/2 ton truck title, it sounds like this truck does not have a title.
The interior is rough but complete, there is no mention of the last time the truck ran but the ad says the engine turns free but does not run. There are no engine pics or mechanical specs given other than the engine being listed as a 6 cylinder. The data tags shows a max gross weight of 16,000 pounds and a horsepower rating of 98. I assume the transmission is a 4 speed but that is not mentioned. If the reserve is not too high this may not be a bad deal for the right person, I would love to have something like this but my Homeowners Association president would probably have a heart attack if I parked this thing at home. Can anyone think of a good use for this fuel truck?
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Comments
Storage always a problem with these bigger units, but it can be done. As mentioned, with petroliana hot right now, it should be restored as an original. Be worth a lot more that way. What, you gonna actually haul gas with this? You’re a braver person than me ( in my 35 year trucking career, I hauled 1 load of gas, I was sweatin’ bullets the whole time, it clearly wasn’t for me) Plenty of flatbeds or dump trucks, the only other real use for this, but a vintage tanker looks really sharp.
I delivered fuel to farmers for years. Had a 4 compartment 1500 gal. tank on a C60. Down a steep hill on a dirt road — 2 or 300 gal gas in the 500 gal compartment sloshing back and forth — hi-way intersection at the bottom — semi trucks zooming down it — brakes grabbing – then they wouldn’t – then they would. Ah yes, I remember well. It may have scared me more than fire fights in Nam. Maybe not.
Gut all the internals (pumps, valves, hoses, whatever) and with some creativity, it could make an absolutely fantastic camper/little house.
Water truck. We’ve got tons of them down here in the DR to transport water to folks with poor water supply. This guy would fit right in.
It could keep happily working for many more years.
I’d even consider selling the tank to one of the water transport companies and make a nice stake truck with it.
Conoco? Sure, I remember them. They
were pretty big in the Midwest in the ’50’s
and ’60’s. Used to advertise themselves as the hottest thing going. There were several of their stations in my hometown
of Bloomington, Illinois. Used to give out
free glassware with every fill up. This truck looks like an oil tanker to me. Not
only did they sell gas, but heating oil as
well. I still recall the heating oil company
coming by to fill up our tank once, maybe twice a month–or more if it got really cold
that winter. Howard’s right. This truck should be restored and used as an ad prop or maybe in the movies. Looks like
a good start for someone.
Nothing like hauling a bunch of dead weight around.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve been trying to lose ten pounds for years.
Gut the tank and haul a custom motorcycle or two to shows in the back.
If that was painted red, was labeled DX and didn’t have the Conoco script on it then it would look like the one that delivered fuel to the farm when I was a kid.
Loved to watch them when they came out and pump fuel into a 300 gallon tank we had to fuel the tractors etc.
I like it, can’t use it but still like it. Brings back fond memories.
I remember the guy who used to deliver Texaco fuel to my uncle’s wheat farm in the early Seventies. The truck was an International Loadstar 1700 with a chain trailing behind it to prevent static electricity buildup. The fuel would then be pumped from the farm’s main 1,000-gallon tank into the trap wagon’s 300-gallon tank for transport to the fields for the John Deere gas combines. My uncle had two trap wagons, a ’47 Chevy Loadmaster and a ’50 GMC 350. The Jimmy hauled diesel for the Cat D5s. It was a good-looking truck, dark green with a beautiful chrome grille.
My dad taught me how to drive in a 1969 Loadstar 1600. Fond memories indeed.
Hottest Brand Going! Still going out west, even though most of the signs you see are huge gas bars/convenience stores along the interstates. Still got them in the small towns. It’s been an icon all my life. Begun as the “Continental Oil and Transportation Company. A lot of acquisitions and mergers later and it’s still Conoco for the most part.
A good ol’ truck that never let anyone down. Quite likely powered by the original-version 235 although a 216 would’ve been standard equipment. I can only imagine driving something like that with half a load of fuel down the country roads, over washboard surfaces, across railroad tracks and muddy conditions. Trucks like this delivered gas and diesel fuel and others delivered propane. The odd one went off the road and rolled, and one pulling a pup trailer went off the bridge near the home ranch. No fires though.
I like the truck and it should be restored as a fuel hauler. Those porcelain letters should be preserved. To some they would be worth as much as the truck itself. Keep some history alive….
fleet tanker for the bug out convoy… ;)
Pretty neat old truck this thing has years of stories to tell. The point was made earlier concerning storage space for this. Well I am telling you that since this truck won’t fit in a standard garage you have cut you possible buyer group by 70 percent. I collect and restore military trucks and the fact is that the old Jeep’s and m37 dodges because of their size bring some top coin. I have an M920 I will sell this spring the truck has a 400 Cummins big cam 1 and has 960 original miles, not a misprint 960 miles. This truck is second only to the 1070 HETT for capacity, I will be luck to get 26k for my 920!
Perfect addition to your Gas station memorabilia collection. Doesn’t look like it has air brakes or 2 speed rear. That’s a real truck for a real truck driver!!
Good luck to the new owner!
I’ve got two Conoco gas stations within ten miles of my home in middle Tennessee. One of them just got shiny new branded signs put up out front! The proprietor of the nearest one to me sells plumbing supplies and repairs mowers which are rolled out front for sale. Very “old school” service station!
No smoking and be very careful when working with the tank.
Ended: Aug 05, 2018 , 10:00PM
Current bid:US $3,000.00
Reserve not met
[ 1 bid ]
I’d get rid of the tank and sell the conoco signs and use the money towards a restoration. Tanker trucks are like fire trucks there useless after they’re retired. Of course if your going to want to use this truck at all then a retomod will need to be considered. You all know what I’d do so I won’t go there.JMO.