1946/1947 GMC Chevy Chevrolet truck - 23K autual miles

1946/1947 GMC Chevy Chevrolet truck - 23K actual miles

The hardest part about writing the description for this truck is where to start. If you are into old trucks, like I obviously am, this is the find of a lifetime. This is, hands down, the nicest old truck I have ever owned, as well as one of the most unique. I'm sure I'll forget something, but here goes

First of all, this is a 1 owner 1947 GMC model EC 302. When I say one owner, the gentleman I purchased it from, who would have been a teenager, bought it along with his father, brand new from the dealership here in Great Bend, K.S. So it was originally titled in his fathers name. It went to a farm, 10 miles west of town, and spent the next 69 years there. It has had a mere 23,000 miles put on it since, and never spent a night outdoors. This truck is completely original, front to back, with the obvious exception of tires, oil, filters, etc. All of the glass, which is in excellent shape, even has dates on it of 2/47 to 4/47. This truck has a beautiful, original, cardboard headliner. Inside of the glove box looks like new. There is still one canvas strap on the hood, I've had several of these trucks, and have never seen one. All of the gauges work, including the fuel gauge. The original hand crank for the engine is laying on the floorboard. I even used it to start the truck, just to say I did it. No fun at all, but I got her started! I was going to drive it home after I purchased, but the brakes were not operational. I had to replace a line that was leaking for the front brakes. Now they work. It also has power brakes. As soon as I repaired the brakes, I hopped in and drove it to the car wash to rinse off the dust. Cruised down the road at 45 nice and smooth. It did have a vacuum leak that I could hear under the dash, but only in high range. Well I learned something about 2 speed rear diff trucks, and speedometers. There is an adapter, on the back of the speedo, that is vacuum operated, and switches gear ratio to the speedo, when you change from high to low. I took this off and plugged the line. The adapter is in the glove box, and only needs the rubber diaphragm to repair it - so - speedo is fast when in low range, and accurate when in high range.

As far as any questions about rust - none, not a spec, ever. This is the original paint on the truck. This truck is a 70 year old farm truck, so there is no way it could be perfect, it was used, but it is truly exceptional. I did nothing to this truck cosmetically, other than rinse it off. As you see it, is how it was kept. The owners manual was wrapped up in a grocery bag, and put in the glove box. The dome light lens fell off, and it was put in the glove box. You can see the Saint Christopher medallion in the pictures, along with the key to heaven. One of his siblings was a Catholic priest. I did nothing with the seat. I'm guessing the seat cover that is wore out is about the same age as the seat itself. Depending on your preference, you might want to re-do the seat. The grill is near perfect and shines like a mirror. The driver door handle is a little loose, and has wore through the paint, as well as where the drivers arm would rest on the window opening. Not restored, not perfect, but probably the best original you will ever find. Mechanically, the engine runs flawlessly, and the major advantage the GMC's of this vintage had over the Chevy's, was the full pressure lubrication. This carries 40# plus oil pressure and runs cool. The 236 engine in this truck is far superior to the 216 in the Chevy's. The non syncro trans in this truck shifts just like it should, as well as the 2 speed diff. The previous owner told me that after the war, even in 47, there was such a demand for new equipment that incomplete but usable trucks were being shipped to dealers. This truck arrived 2 to 3 months before the upper part of the grill. They installed it themselves when it arrived! I know this is a really long description, but don't quit reading yet, I'm just getting to the really cool part.

I have never seen a farm truck with a box like this, in design or quality. This truck has a forward/reverse PTO operated via cab control. This operates a braden winch underneath the bed. This raises and lowers the bed with pulley's and a cam at the rear. And if that isn't enough, the winch has two spools, the other spool has a cable with a tail hook on it, so this truck can be used as a winch truck also. The winch truck poles stores under the bed, they slide out and hook at the rear of the bed. I have no idea why this idea didn't catch on, it's truly ingenious. All of the snatch blocks, pins, etc., are in the side tool box. And, just when you thinkthere can't be any more to write about - This truck also has a beautiful, complete set of stock racks, that go with it. This truck could haul your cattle to town in the morning, work in the oilfield during the day, and haul wheat to the elevator at night. I guarantee you that this truck was the envy of the neighbors. I tried to get a picture of the side posts on the bed to show the routered edges, but it's like they were building cabinets for a nice home, not a grain box or stock racks.

As I stated before, this is not a nut and bolt total restoration, or a restoration of any kind for that matter. There are a few nicks and dings, There are no leaks of any kind to speak of, but if you park it on your driveway overnight, there might be a couple of drips, all of the seals, gasket,etc. only have 23k miles on them, but they also have 70 years on them. Please check my feedback for the last several trucks I have sold. I have 100% positive, and you will not be disappointed with this one. I usually say I rescue trucks and find them new homes, but in this case, I had to own this piece of history, at least for a little bit. It had a pretty good home already! I'm sure there will be quite a few questions about this truck, and I am very happy to answer all of them. I do reply to eBay messages, but sometimes don't get to them everyday, so for a quicker response call or text Cort at 620-786-5172. Also, to avoid confusion, I did include a couple of other pictures from this farm sale just to give you an idea of how meticulous this man was. One is a 1972 C-50, another is an 80's model John Deere tractor, neither of which I bought, just a point of perspective, and - after banging my head on the wall for several days, I have decided to make this a NO RESERVE auction, so it will sell. I paid a fair bit to get this truck, and I'm glad I did. This truck is nearly impossible to value, but in the end, it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and hopefully someone (or 2 someone's!) appreciate this truck and the history that goes with it. I'm not very photogenic, and don't normally take or post a picture of myself, but getting a picture with myself, Henry and the old truck will always be a great memory. Thank you and good luck.