1948-49 Chevrolet Truck

By 1949, the Chevy truck still looked much the same as the '47, at least on the outside.

Apart from some functional changes to the 1949s, the 1948-1949 Chevrolet truck was similar to the 1947 model, and in fact Chevy's 1948 trucks were nearly identical to the '47s. To make more leg room for center passengers in 3100s and 3600s, the gearshift lever migrated from the floor to the steering column, and the parking brake was activated by a pedal operated by the driver's left foot, as on Buicks. At midyear, inside-door-handle action was reversed: You now pulled up to open the door.

A switch from poured to precision main bearings was made to increase engine durability, half-ton models got stouter front leaf springs, and the four-speed transmission was now fully synchronized. Otherwise, with Advance-Design trucks selling briskly, there was not much incentive for change.

Since the frame-mounted fuel tank interfered with certain body types on the 1947-1948 chassis, for 1949, Chevrolet moved it inside the cab on pickups and chassis/cabs. The new tank was long and thin, and stood upright behind the seat.

The cab itself, which had previously been attached to the frame at three points via shackle bolts and rubber mounts, was now mounted at four points. The idea of the three-point system was to let the frame flex without affecting the cab. This worked well, but the single forward mount put too much stress on the front frame crossmember, so two smaller shackle mounts were set on the forward chassis rails instead. The cab was still unaffected by frame flexing thanks to the lessened tension of the shackle bolts.

Frame flexing had caused other problems as well. There'd been complaints, for example, that the 1947-1948 radiator support in the 3100s tended to twist and shake loose after many miles on rough roads. This caused splits in the radiator core, and cracks in front-end sheetmetal. For 1949, Chevrolet added X-bracing to the radiator support frame, reinforced the bottom channel, and mounted the entire assembly more rigidly.

Hood shake had been another complaint, so a set of cross braces was installed. These ran diagonally across the inner front corners of the hood. Under the hood, compression ratios went up by 0.1 point to 6.6:1 in the 216.5-cubic-inch Thrift-Master Six. To prevent stalling when the engine was cold, the carburetor received a fast-idle cam for the hand choke. The carburetor accelerator pump got moved down into the float bowl so the leather piston would stay wet.

The previous standard tool set was discontinued for 1949 (except for the jack and lug wrench), and more-durable Vinylite sparkplug nipples replaced the previous rubber ones. Engine-timing gears were now pressure lubricated, and the ignition switch was modified so it no longer had a keyless start position.

Door weatherstrips now slid into channels instead of being held onto the sheetmetal with screws. The 1949 taillamp was brighter, brakes got riveted rather than bonded linings, and wiring junctions now used tubular slip connectors instead of the bayonet type. New options included a combination fuel/vacuum pump for more consistent uphill windshield-wiper action. A nine-leaf rear spring was available optionally for heavier loads.

Cosmetically, the inner surfaces of all grille bars were painted white for 1949, and there were no more pinstripes across the outer bars. Also, series were identified by four-digit chrome numbers on both sides of the hood.

1948 Chevrolet 3100

The 1948 Chevrolet Trucks again featured the Unisteel cab styling.  Besides the optional chrome grille bars, not much else had changed from the previous year.  The grill featured five horizontal bars topped by a hood ornament with a blue bow tie and Chevrolet lettering.  The windshield was larger and came in two-pieces with a black rubber seal and stainless steel divider bar which helped improve vision on the inside.  The interior still had wide seats and an instrument panel with electric type fuel and battery charge indicators , pressure-type heat indicator and an oil pressure gauge.  The ¾ ton trucks, as well as the 1 ton trucks, received the same new styling but had a longer wheelbase and bed.  Also available for the year was the 3700 Series (3/4 ton) and 3900 Series (1 ton)  Dubl-Duti Forward Control Chassis Truck.  This allowed the buyer to add their own truck body.

Options included rearview mirrors, oil bath air cleaner, heavy-duty clutch, wide running boards, heavy-duty clutch, chrome grille equipment, Tru-Stop brake equipment, inside fuel tank, deluxe cab equipment and various tire options.  Dealer options included (but not limited to), radiator cover, windshield defroster rubber blade fan and bracket, tissue dispenser, guide spotlamp and bracket, cigarette lighter, tire traction mat, hood ornament, Delco receiving radio set plus antenna, electric shaver and left-hand or right-hand maroon door armrest.

1948 Chevrolet Pickup Production Numbers

Chassis Data

1949 Chevrolet 3100

While the five bar grille remained unchanged for the 1949 model year, other features such as appearance and finish had changed.  Inner bar assemblies were changed to a Waldorf White finish.  Trucks that featured a rear corner window, a different rear roof panel section were used.  The windshield still came in two-pieces with a black rubber seal and stainless steel divider bar.  The interior featured wide seats, large windshield, side and rear windows.  The instrument panel displayed fuel gauge and ammeter, pressure heat indicator and an oil pressure gauge.

The ¾ ton trucks, as well as the 1 ton trucks, received the same new styling but had a longer wheelbase and bed.  Longer running boards were featured on the 3600 & 3800 series. Also available again were the 3700 Series (3/4 ton) and 3900 Series (1 ton) Dubl-Duti Forward Control Chassis Truck. This allowed the buyer to add their own truck body. Calendar year production for the 1949 Chevy Pickup totaled 383,543.

Options included rearview mirrors, genuine leather seat trim, chrome radiator grill, long running boards and rear fenders, dual tail and stop lamps, oil bath air cleaner, heavy-duty clutch and various tire size options.  Dealer accessories included a rod type radio antenna, locking gas cap, gasoline fliter, outside air heater/defroster, matched horns, underhood lamp, non glare rearview mirror, hood ornament, windshield scraper plus a tool kit bag and tools. 

1949 Chevrolet Pickup Production Numbers

Chassis Data