G506 bed characteristics redefined...

[retro-roco]

I got "schooled" on G506 beds this morning, and it turns out I don't know as much as I thunk I did!

These pics of a Chevy bed break all the "rules" I've been told about G506 beds:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=3466

Note the stencilling on the front of the bed, and the reference (hard to read) to USSR. Apparently designed for lend-lease??

[pfarber]

I saw a composite CCKW bed and some sort of covered body.

[retro-roco]

It is apparently NOT a cckw bed, per the stencilled information on the front, and also the body builder tag on the corner of the bed. The other enclosed bed is for a Chevy G506 telephone maintenance truck, which is rare in its own right.

Here is a pic of the stencilling, (Note the reference to 1-1/2 ton 4x4 CHEV, and the drawing number E7064270):



Now here is a pic of the builder tag on the corner, in which it is referred to as Body Model 7064270 (top tag):



According to this info from the SNL G506, bodies for cargo trucks (7107) after June 1, 1943 and bodies for cargo trucks w/ winch (7117) after Sept 1, 1943 were NOT furnished by GM.


The only standard size steel cargo bed listed in the SNL G506 is a steel bed (70x108), p/n 3665745. There is no part number listed for a composite, or all wood bed, even though I've seen them, and know they exist. I have always used the sloped rear bed corners on any steel bed as an indication that it was Chevy, and if it didn't have the sloped corners, presumed it to be a CCKW 352 bed.

Apparently that is not ALWAYS the case...

My schooling continues!

[pfarber]

The 8 September 1943 Manual of Instruction for Assembling wood cargo bodies packed for export"

Shows 70x108 wood body, but no part numbers. Whats odd is that the CCKW 80x108 and 80x144 beds specifically state "Yellow Coach and Cab" trucks.

Looking at the data plate is does not agree with page 302 of the 25June45 SNL-G-508

But the SNL only lists TWO 70x108 part number for NJ,NM,ZM,NP and ZQ

I have no dog in this fight, just offering a possible explanation.

Its a bolt together composite bed (not the front photo does show bolts on front sides. It also has a very specific filler tube cut out on the front panel.

BUT, look at the spacing of the stake pockets on the side. Every, I mean EVERY purpose build body had had equally spaced stake pockets. This bed does not.



Note that it looks like the took a composite CCKW bed, cut off the fist few feet and bolted on the Chevy front. No other body has that 'partial panel'... they are all equally spaced.

Could they have been a post war recycling of other beds?

I guess you really can't say what until you uncover that drawing and look it over. Good luck with that.

[pfarber]

The contract number on the bed does not fit any of the contracts in the SNL.

The manufacturer is FER. The SNL only lists one manufacturer that starts with 'F' - FHB Fisher Body Division.

[pfarber]

Looking at the rear sill.. my idea is plain wrong. Oh well... they are not recycled CCKW bodies.

I can't see how up to this point no other composite Chevy bed has never been found.... but till some documents are found to put some provenance to this, its a weird one off or special purpose bed.

[pfarber]

http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=155670
http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=155089

Threads from 2-3 years ago.. they said the composite bed is on 44 and 45 Chevy's.

If that's the truth then there should be SNL or photo of it somewhere.

[retro-roco]

The photo of the front of the bed struck me as familiar. I know I've seen a bed stencilled like that before, but perhaps not as clearly as these pics. I have been going through pics Ive saved over the years, but haven't found it yet.

I remember telling someone that there bed was a cut down cckw bed, due to the irregular spacing of the stake pockets, and the vertical rear pockets... maybe it seem s that was not true??

did you not the very faint black lettering that says USSR? Maybe these were intended for lend-lease export??

[retro-roco]

Oddly, the 1945 SNL g506 does not seem to include any reference to composite or wood bodies. What is curious is that my 1943 SNL G506 has a section titled DOUBLE UNIT BODY PARTS-CARGO-DUMP, which lists Chevy (CV) and Yellow TrucK YT parts, and most parts, include"(wood cargo)" in the description. These parts are listed for models NJ and NM.

[pfarber]

The photo of the wood bed above is from the TUP for wood bed... so in 43 there was an all wood G506 bed... that is proven.

Yes, I saw the USSR stencil, but didn't really key in on it because the biggest 'red flag' I see is the spacing of the stake pockets.

The CCKW composite bed is 10 inches wider than the Chevy bed dimensions. So that's when I looked at the rear sill to see if the cutouts for the lights the taper were the same... they are not. The taper is completely different, so they did not modify the rear sill (like simply make is narrower) for this bed... its either from the steel bed or a new part.

The main reason I was told they went to a composite bed was because the wooden ones were not holding up (there are plenty of photos showing loaded wooden beds with bulging wooden sides.. so its plausible) so they came up with the composite bed. I think that same logic could be applied to *any* wooden bed. So that's why they made a composite G506 one.

Now, the bigger questions are: why isn't it in ANY of the documentation? Why is the manufacturer not one of the listed ones in the SNL? Even Army Motors is mute on the subject (although if you have the January 45 issues it does have an article on stake pockets and it DOES show two chevy beds).

If that is a production bed, the profile is so unique that it will be easily spotted from photos.... so, find some photos with that bed installed on a WWII G506.