What is it? Early GMC

[coltfan]

The yellow one on the left looks to be a panel truck. But it has the "pipe" of the top of a typical bed. Yet the roof looks right also. This is really bugging me. I want to know know what it is. Or what it could be.

[Brainchild]

Looks like it maybe one of the old produce trucks.The one with the canvas sides that pop out and make awnings.The vendor is in the bed,and the people walk on the outside to pick out thier goods.

I saw one on speed channel a while back,I can't find a pic though

[TooMany2count]

chevy called them Canopy Express trucks back in 49, if ur able to buy that truck, GET IT ! ! ! it's truely an odd ball & in the 35yrs of going to car shows & swap meets i have only seen 1 maybe 2 of them & maybe that many on TV. basicly what they are is a panel truck w/the side cut out w/part of a P/U truck bed added to it(like u see in the pic). if its for sale & you dont want it let us know because i'm sure myself & others know someone who would buy it.....joe

[Brainchild]

Thanks for a name Joe,ddin't know what to call it.lol.

I have never seen one except on TV,it is a rare truck.

Here's a pic of one.

[3100 special]

That's a rare one alright. Nab it if you can.

[coltfan]

I will check this next week for the price and if I want to go after it. Being that rare I may want to get it. The funny thing is where it is at used to be the gas station owned by my aunt and uncle back in the 80s. Now it has become one of the local repositories for old cars. They also have a couple or 3 old caddies.

[wyatt-erp]

Looks like a cool find.

[coltfan]

It is rougher than it looks from the road. It needs a new floor and transmission. the bed needs both wood and metal strips. The front fenders have dents, the rear ones are pretty rusty. The cab and outside are in pretty good shape aside from the already mentioned fenders. The motor is there. The tires on it are holding air. It rolls, but the steering is not hooked up at least on the passenger side. The frame looks to have only surface rust. The tailgate is probably the biggest concern, it is there but dented and rusted. And being that it is such a different tailgate from the standard trucks I would be concerned about finding a replacement. There is rust, but overall it looks pretty salvagable. drivers door works pretty good. Passenger side just needs a hinge bushing but I have owned and driven vehicles that were a lot worse. It is probably in better shape in some ways than my old cutlass project car.

I am considering the chevy next to it as a parts vehicle. It does not have a front axel, but might have a few parts that I could use. I might be able to hack off part of the rear fenders to replace the ones on the canopy express.

I got the following numbers and information from the door tag. The serial number or what ever it is goes as follows : FC_101_22217. It was rated for 76 horsepower at 3000 rpm. Max gross weight, if I read the hard to read lettering correctly, was 4600 or maybe 4800. That part was kind of hard to make out.

What would you pay? They still were not there. I may have a way to get the phone number, but I may just have to luck out and find them there.

[Brainchild]

It is rough,but concidering what it is,it's worth saving IMO.You should be able to get nearly everthing from donor trucks,panels,and burbs with the exception of the tailgate and canopies.
Rear fenders from a panel/burb should work,and the rest of the stuff from a truck should work.Front patch panels are avalible,and the bed was prolly wood.

It's a cool ol ride,and not many people are gonna have one

http://groups.msn.com/paneltrucks/19...pyexpress.msnw
http://www.stovebolt.com/canopy.htm

[coltfan]

For the side canvas I was thinking of going to a sign company and having a couple made up. Could have some interesting stuff on that. Either religious or other messages.

I found out from the Old GMC trucks website that it is a 48. It has the 116 inch wheelbase. Which fits with what I was seeing, the bed is fairly short.

[55paneltrk]

Very nice project, I know of one here in michigan that is getting a total restoration job done to it. I have a 48 suburban that i'm trying to collect some parts for, I need a right rear fender & the upper clamshell door.

[3100 special]

Sounds like little work but, well worth it.

[dwaite72lnghrn]

A local shop had redone 1 about 6 years back really nice work green. He wanted $9800 for it. I didn't have cash like that back then but it took almost 2 years to sell at that price.

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by TooMany2count

chevy called them Canopy Express trucks back in 49, if ur able to buy that truck, GET IT ! ! ! it's truely an odd ball & in the 35yrs of going to car shows & swap meets i have only seen 1 maybe 2 of them & maybe that many on TV.

As RARE as Hen's teeth and just as valuable, yes, even in that condition. Buy it for what you can and then drag it to a BIG show, drop a $4,000.00 for sale sign on it and let the bidding war begin.

Or drag it home and rebuild a true rare Piece of History.

Finding it and, either, restoring and selling it, you have a "win-Win" situation!! Great find.

[coltfan]

He wants 2 grand, for the 51 beside it he wants 350. If I come into the money from the last of my uncles estate, I will try and get them both.

[Heatwave]

I saw one of these at the Decatur Tx. Swap meet. It was already restored, we didn't know what it was, we though someone customised it themselves. Now we know, learn something new here every day

[dwaite72lnghrn]

Around here they call them "Hucksters" because the salesmen used them as they passed through towns. Plumbing companies used them alot. Rolled heavy canvas down the sides keep their wares dry.

[TooMany2count]

Originally Posted by dwaite72lnghrn

Around here they call them "Hucksters" because the salesmen used them as they passed through towns. Plumbing companies used them alot. Rolled heavy canvas down the sides keep their wares dry.

this is true BUT, they called them that because that's what salesmen who used them were also called at times durning that time in history. look up the word "Huckster" & u'll see. a Canopy Express is what the Chevy's Official name was for those trucks.....joe