So this is what just asking will get you "sometimes"

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DozerII

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
4,765
Location
Saskatchewan Can.
This is the 45-46 Chev pickup I mentioned in another thread. After driving by it and wondering for 8 years, I finally found the farmer at the field working on his combine and asked him If I could take a look at what was on top of the hill. His answer was look all you want and take what ever you want.
Can anyone tell me what year it is for sure from the pics, and also where to find a serial # can't find a tag any where.











 
I can't tell you where the serial number is but it looks like the 46 we had when I was a kid. I hope when the farmer said take what you want you took the whole pile.
 
I pass by old car scrap piles behind barns and houses all the time. I am going to start asking. You never know. Lucky dog
 
Not sure on the year either, but it looks to be in pretty good shape! The cab and bed anyway.

Start of your next build? [S[cl[P
 
Probably '45 or '46 like you said. ('41 - '44 is unlikely due to the war.)

I'd imagine you already know, the ID plate(s) were on the passenger side cowl and near the seat base on the (missing) floor, driver side.

Look under the dash, passenger side... slim chance... but you might find another plate or stamped #.

.
 
Looks like a usable cab and box, good score. [cl[cl You have to wonder sometimes how things like the fenders got so beat, farmers would use those old trucks to their limit, though probably a lot of the damage was also from being shoved around by tractors...
I guess a hill is something different in Sask. than we are used to here in B.C. [ddd:D
 
Dozer II

Your info would have been on a plate on the firewall. The plate measured approx. 2 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches and held in place with a pair of brass machine screws. Being a Canadian truck, it had General Motors of Canada Limited in a slight arch across the top of the plate. Under that, the letters GM along with Made in Canada. Below that was the Model #, it would tell you what the truck was intended for from the factory. In your case a pickup. During the war it could be a cab and chassis, fire truck, ambulance, boom truck etc.
Next was the serial #, it would consist of 10 digits, the first number is the year. My truck starts with a 5, so I know it's a 1945 model. Numbers #2, #3, #4 and #5 were the vehicle code, ( I don't have a breakdown for those though.) The last 5 numbers were the actual serial number of that particular vehicle.
Next was the engine # then Body # followed by Trim code # and Paint code #.

There are a few clues that can determine the era of the truck. War time production didn't have any plating, just paint. Windshield divider and grill would have been painted on a war time vehicle. Also the 'gasket' around the filler neck where it goes through the body would have been leather during the war. Rubber was rationed for the war effort during that time. I don't know what other parts were substituted, but there were likely others as well.
Production never completely halted in Canada during the war. Larger trucks 1-1/2 ton and up were built during all years. Mostly for the war effort of course, but farmers were allowed to buy if available. 1943 was the lowest production year of the war to the tune of 380 vehicles in Canada. I don't know of any serial # stamped on the frame or else where. Not even sure if the engine number could be back tracked with any success. There was a terrific info source awhile back called "Brad's 41-46 Chevy" but I think the site was taken down, it had just about everything for both US and Canadian truck info. I think that's about all I have. Best of luck.
 
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Edit: I wrote this earlier and just posted it, so there may be some overlap with Sniper's post.


Your truck is a 1941 Chevy.

They did make 1942 And 1945 trucks in limited quantities, but they didn't use chrome in those years, all the trim was painted black instead. Yours has some chrome bits. 41 had unique park light housings and lenses, which yours has, and was the only year of this body style to have the door lock in the door handle, which yours has.

Now the bad news... See on the passenger side cowl where there is a tag, and 2 holes above it? There should be 2 tags there. The missing one is the serial number tag that would have been riveted there. Unfortunately, I don't believe that serial number is anywhere else on the truck.
 
Thanks for all the great info on the truck Guys. I was a away all weekend but got a chance to check the cab out better last evening. There was a tag under the glove box but it's gone also [S So I guess I have another orphan that will be at the mercy of SGI:eek:
 
Probably '45 or '46 like you said. ('41 - '44 is unlikely due to the war.)

I'd imagine you already know, the ID plate(s) were on the passenger side cowl and near the seat base on the (missing) floor, driver side.

Look under the dash, passenger side... slim chance... but you might find another plate or stamped #.

.

I can see the tag in his third picture. on the cowl, by the fender. there will be two sets of numbers stamped on it, the two digit is the engine hp and the longer number is the production number. If you sand lightly and read the production number, there are vin decoders that will tell you what it is. my bet is it will start with a number and AK. having that tag is having gold, I bought a 46 and had to scrap it because there was no tag, the guy said "its screwed to the back of my toolbox" so I paid, weeks months later, no tag. snopro you are probably thinking of a gmc tag, with a second tag.

looks like a 41/42, the 41/42 had the passenger door lock on the handle, 45/46 were a separate tumbler under the handle. also, you have the cast turn signal bases on the front headlights, those were 41/42 only, the die casting was replaced with stamped steel for 45/46. I think I see the die cast rear window surround too which would cement it as a 41. its not a war production/army truck, those had an externally hinged windshield, no crank.

there were really only two full years of production, 41 and 46, some 42s squeaked out with leftover spares and late 45s (really early 46s). of what you got the passenger rear fender is worth some duck, then next money wise the other rear fender. the passenger rear is hard to find because with the small rear window the farmers were always backing into stuff. the drivers rear is hard to find because most farmers put on a flatbed.

the 41/42s are rarer because of wartime shortages, most farmers would buy a new truck every couple years but a 4 year war and slow to produce after the war made farmers keep using their old trucks, by the time new models came out the 41/42 were either scrapped for the war metal or were just completely used up.

I have almost every original part you could need to put that together, some parts not in much better shape than yours. prepare for some sticker shock though, I sold a windshield frame (they rot at the bottom channel) for a pretty penny and a repairable windshield crank setup for folding money. want a rolling 1/2 ton shortbed frame? seat? doors? I got ya. :)

for free though you scored big time. a good pair of rear fenders will fetch $1000, a repairable pair even gets close.
 
I can see the tag in his third picture. on the cowl, by the fender. there will be two sets of numbers stamped on it, the two digit is the engine hp and the longer number is the production number. If you sand lightly and read the production number, there are vin decoders that will tell you what it is. my bet is it will start with a number and AK. having that tag is having gold, I bought a 46 and had to scrap it because there was no tag, the guy said "its screwed to the back of my toolbox" so I paid, weeks months later, no tag. snopro you are probably thinking of a gmc tag, with a second tag.

looks like a 41/42, the 41/42 had the passenger door lock on the handle, 45/46 were a separate tumbler under the handle. also, you have the cast turn signal bases on the front headlights, those were 41/42 only, the die casting was replaced with stamped steel for 45/46. I think I see the die cast rear window surround too which would cement it as a 41. its not a war production/army truck, those had an externally hinged windshield, no crank.

there were really only two full years of production, 41 and 46, some 42s squeaked out with leftover spares and late 45s (really early 46s). of what you got the passenger rear fender is worth some duck, then next money wise the other rear fender. the passenger rear is hard to find because with the small rear window the farmers were always backing into stuff. the drivers rear is hard to find because most farmers put on a flatbed.

the 41/42s are rarer because of wartime shortages, most farmers would buy a new truck every couple years but a 4 year war and slow to produce after the war made farmers keep using their old trucks, by the time new models came out the 41/42 were either scrapped for the war metal or were just completely used up.

I have almost every original part you could need to put that together, some parts not in much better shape than yours. prepare for some sticker shock though, I sold a windshield frame (they rot at the bottom channel) for a pretty penny and a repairable windshield crank setup for folding money. want a rolling 1/2 ton shortbed frame? seat? doors? I got ya. :)

for free though you scored big time. a good pair of rear fenders will fetch $1000, a repairable pair even gets close.

Sorry joedoh, but Canadian Chev's and Gmc's both had the two tags. You can see where it fastened on the side of the cowl.
 
I thought you were talkig about the diagonal holes, because all of my trucks, two 41s and a 46 have the second set of diagonal holes.
IMG_4352_zpsj1kap4ce.jpg

IMG_4353_zpsmmoetbgq.jpg


but I see in your 46 pictures there are horizontal holes with a tag. doh.
 
41 Tonner, (or larger). One of my favorites, but I'm kinda partial because I have a 40 Tonner panel.
Just curious but how did you get permission to go on the land and take pictures if you don't know who the land owner is?
 

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