Description
When your grandparents were working hard for a living to build this great country of ours, trucks like this 1941 Chevrolet ½ Ton were responsible for all the heavy lifting around town. Capable of moving massive loads, they were perfect for hard work in the days before Eisenhower brought home the modern highway system, resulting in regular interstate travel. Today, they're fun and practical, especially when restored and upgraded to the level of this particular beauty. With a bright paint job, custom stake bed, modern interior, and a 350 V8 crate motor under the hood, this converted 4x4 truck is one of the coolest pre-war haulers we've ever featured.
Chevy restyled their 'AK' series trucks just in time for the war, so this was the freshest face in the workforce. It remains one of the most popular looks, and it's easy to see why with the popularity of Art Deco design today. Sleek and modern, particularly compared to the trucks just a few years earlier, it has an honest face that looks like it doesn't mind a little hard work. The bright orange paint is nicely applied to a driver-grade standard, not over-done, but about what you'd expect from a blue-collar worker like this. Black fenders and running boards tone things down a bit, in a good way, and they give the truck a very unique look that doesn't keep it trapped in a foregone era. In 1941, chrome was getting expensive and scarce with the war exploding overseas, so to find so much shiny stuff on a truck like this is an absolute treat. The iconic front grille sets the tone up front, with the flanking headlight surrounds, hood trim, and front bumper all adding to the flash. Out back, the modified wood stake bed is practical as well as handsome and is perhaps the most appealing aspect of an old truck like this, combining natural materials and their warmth with a vintage look that most folks find hard to resist. And unlike most stake beds, it actually has a roof and rear tailgate, so this truck can be used year-round, regardless of the weather. For safety, that's the fuel tank relocated to under the bed and shined up to look good, because the original lived behind the driver's seat. Whether it's used to promote a business, or to haul the family unit coast-to-coast, this Chevy is going to look darn good doing it.
Open the big steel doors and you'll see that there's not a lot of pre-war left inside this 4x4. High-back captain's bucket seats were swapped in up front (likely from a Suburban or similar vehicle from the looks of them), and a matching rear split-bench was neatly installed in the back. These are heavy-duty seats wrapped in durable materials that wear like iron, but they're still supple enough to provide the all-day comfort people demand from modern SUVs. Custom door panels and a gray-metallic dash add to the custom feel inside, and a big custom center console splits the seats up front and provides plenty of storage space. Down below the flooring is heavy-duty and protected with thick rubber floor mats, and although it's designed to take a beating it still manages to be sophisticated enough to feel very classy inside. The reworked dash has a lot to do with that higher-end feel, with a full array of AutoMeter gauges and a Grant GT steering wheel atop a modern tilt column anchoring the cockpit. Other options include an under-dash Vintage A/C unit that blows ice-cold R134a air, seatbelts, a column shifter, and a Pioneer AM/FM/CD/AUX head unit that pumps tunes through the update speakers inside. Out back, there's enough room to carry several tons of cargo, and it's all been finished to a very presentable level with finished panels and diamond plate flooring.
Now some of you might be alarmed that there's no flathead V8 under the hood, but that's nostalgia getting the better of you. If you really want to drive this truck and enjoy yourself, there's nothing better than the 350 V8 small block crate motor powering this hauler. This SBC Chevy is as reliable as they come, without the associated overheating problems that plague some of its V8 siblings, and it's certainly powerful enough to handle all that added weight. With only 1,918 miles on the 2019 build, it's ready to work for years to come, and if it ever needs to be serviced any Chevy dealer can certainly handle the work. Power steering and power front disc brakes drastically improve the driver's experience, and with long-tube headers feeding into a true dual exhaust, the sound is unbeatable. The powerful small block spins a 700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive, and with a durable 10-bolt rear end with 3.73 gears inside highway cruising is definitely on the menu. Underneath, the lifted 4x4 suspension is heavy-duty enough to support a railroad car, and it's also tall enough to go over just about any obstacle in its way. Slick 17-inch alloys match the bodywork perfectly, and they're wrapped with 265/70/17 General Grabber radials with plenty of tread.
Heavy-duty haulers like this are the next big thing in car collecting, and this restomod '41 Chevrolet 4x4 is one of the better examples we've ever seen. Call today!
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