In Storage 30+ Years: 1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck
If trucks could talk, I’d like to have a chat with this 74 year old and hear its life story. I bet it’s an interesting one. What small business names have been painted on the outside of this rolling billboard? Did it see farm duty hauling eggs or other produce that needed protection from the elements? And did Austin Powers own it and do a shag carpet interior “makeover” before it was put into storage three decades ago?” On second thought, even if that shag carpet in the front and back could talk, I’m not sure I’d want to hear all of the stories it could tell.
Anywho, here’s a rare one (panel trucks represented only 7%-10% of Chevy’s total 1/2 ton truck production back in the day and peaked in 1950 with 23,045 produced). It’s being advertised as a barn find that spent “Thirty years plus in a dry Texas storage.” The truck appears to be solid and a good candidate for wherever the next owner wants to take it: back to stock or hot rod it up. This 1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck is currently located in the Dallas area in Celina, Texas and is for sale here on eBay. As of this writing it hadn’t had any takers on the $6,500 suggested starting bid.
A 1948 sales brochure identifies it as a Model 3105 De Luxe Panel Truck and shows a photo with “Old English Florist 7219 Spring St” painted on the side. The sales pitch reads, “This attractive unit provides prestige and advertising value for businesses of all types seeking speedy and efficient delivery service.” This panel truck didn’t leave the factory with its current (and rather attractive) cranberry and black two-tone paint scheme, but it appears to be presentable and shiny. There’s no mention of when it received this paint job.
The classic styling of the all-new-for 1948 Chevrolet Advance-Design truck series starts up front and you gotta love that iconic five-bar horizontal grill, the integrated fenders, and its overall sleeker design. On the surface, the body looks to be in good shape although there are no photos of the undercarriage. The seller shows a photo of the left rear door area above the bumper that will need attention, but based on the photos provided, this old truck appears to be solid with all the trim there and the glass in decent shape. Its current tires are flat and have seen better days.
You can’t always tell a book by its cover. Based on this panel truck’s stock outside appearance, I wasn’t expecting to see shag carpet city with ceiling and wall mounted lights and a comfy, velour front seat from the 70s or 80s inside, but that’s what we have here. It would be interesting to see what’s under all that carpeting and what kind of shape the original wood floor in the cargo area is in. The original light gray dash looks to be in good shape but it’s had a very dated-looking radio added.
The only descriptions the seller says about the truck’s power plant is that it’s a Thriftmaster, he hasn’t tried to start it, and that the motor seems free. Nothing is mentioned if it was running before it went into hibernation 30 years ago. Chevrolet offered two six cylinder engines in 1948: the 216-cubic inch, 90 hp Thriftmaster and the 235-cubic inch, 93 hp Loadmaster, and advertised that their valve-in-head designed six cylinder engines could “do more work per gallon of fuel than other engines of same size.” Hopefully this rugged old Thriftmaster six banger can be brought back to life. To say the least, this is an interesting old panel truck. I’m very curious to see what’s in store for it and how it will look in the future. If you were the next owner, what would you do with this rare panel truck?
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Comments
This is even rarer,as it has the stainless steel trim
on the fenders,which I would assume was optional.
I knew a guy who had one like this,& can’t remember
seeing another (with that ss trim) until now.
Fleet master trim the panels are usually Stylemasters
Nice old truck. Would like to see underneath and the body dry to see what’s really on the old metal. Guess seller has no intention of buying tires for a truck he’s going to sell.
Same old “page not found” right after finding the page and putting in a comment. Apparently the page isn’t lost, it just can’t be found….?
yeah shoulda been more pics, peoples money is important, cant see enough here, guess you could reach out
It’s common practice to pull the Babbitt-Pounder and drop in a full-pressure 235 or 261. Myself, the 216 will do everything I want it to do. I’m used to seeing the gauge peak at its anemic 12 psi. It’ll do that for a lot of years.
The truck itself looks great although I’m not a fan of the stainless trim on the fenders. Too gaudy for me. A simple panel that has multiple uses. It could still come to my place…
Know several machinists who can replace the babbit bearings with standard types which would satisfy the purists wanting to keep something like this original. Does take machining but “only the machinist will know for sure”.
Don’t usually go with it but if that paint is still solid I might support removing the chrome and stainless long enough to put a clear coat job on it. Good colors for the truck.
Nice, that radiator hose is something else.
Also as the pick-ups have their value but it is already slightly “customized”.
That engine doesn’t look original, nor does the interior.
Not sure about that engine or stereo, as mine had the optional 327 and a cassette deck, but that interior is definitely the original velour.
Agreed.
This is a 100 footer on it’s best day!
Id still welcome it home!!
Interesting. It could make a talked about cruiser. I’d say go look at it before handing over the cash.
My Dad had one of these trucks. He did road service for AAA in Brighton, MA. It was a good truck for the area, big enough, small enough and the back could hold anything you needed it to. Milk crates for seats, which I suppose can’t be done these days. Not complaining. Nice.
The 216 is a beast. I had a ’51. Melba Toast.
I added a toilet paper roll oil filter can and converted to 12 volt (but left the 6 volt starter!) Replaced the wire harness, leaf springs and bushings.
Changed out the transmission to a 3 speed freewheeling overdrive, open driveline, so I had to change the rear end, too.
Owned it 12 years, lived in it for 2. 14 mpg all day long.
How about the door handle and touch up spray paint on the seat! Not to mention the radiator fluid container on the floor. The owner ought to know at least the basics of vehicle for sale beauty shots!
Is there any way to set fire to the interior without damaging anything else? Asking for a friend.
What a solid car. Pretty rare. I’m impressed that it still has the factory straight 6 in it. The owner is very realistic on price also.