1929 Chevrolet Series AC “International1/2 ton Pick Up:
• The Chevrolet AC series of trucks was introduced in 1929 and replaced the AB Series.
• The AC had a new overhead valve 6 cylinder engine, the first since 1915 for Chevrolet.
• Heavily advertised as “A Six in the price range of the Four” costing only $10 more than their 4 cylinder.
• The new 6 cylinder got it’s nickname “Stovebolt 6” from the external slotted-head fasteners similar to those on wood burning stoves.
• 1929 was the first year an enclosed cab was offered by the factory.
• 847,053 Series AC trucks were built in many areas of the world.
• With the “Stovebolt 6” having 120ft.lbs. of torque, Chevrolet dropped the one ton model in favour of a 1.5 ton truck.
• With many improvements the “Stovebolt 6” was still in production up until the 1980’s
• There were 10 body styles available for the Series AC Chevrolet trucks.
• The gas gauge was located on the gas tanks, not moved to dashboard until the 1930 Series AD
• The trucks had 4 wheel hydraulic brakes
• Steel disc wheels replaced the still common wooden spoke wheels.
• Canadian models built by General Motors of Canada were slightly different.
-Canadian models have smaller windows.
-Canadian models doors have nickel trim attached
-The Canadian trucks used the roof from the 1928 design with a diferent mounting for the roof visor.
• The Series AC Chevrolet trucks were built in the US, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Belgium.
Introduced new in 1929 the Series AC International replaced the AB series of 1928 and was the first Chevrolet with a 6 cylinder since 1915. Advertised as “A Six in the price range of the Four” it was only $10 more than the outgoing AB 4 cylinder. It also had an overhead valve head and eventually was referred to as the “Stovebolt 6”
A total of 847,053 Series AC were built and this “GM A Platform” was assembled in many location throughout the world. 1929 was the first year for a complete enclosed cab being offered from the factory.
It had a 107 im wheelbase and curb weight ranging from 987–1,173 kg (2,175–2,585 lb) The new 194 cu in (3,180 cc) six-cylinder engine, producing 46 hp (34 kW) @ 2400 rpm. was backed by a 3 speed manual transmission. But truck aficionados know it is torque that is required and the new Stovebolt 6 had plenty. The new design produced 120 lb-ft of torque starting at 800 rpm: With this increase in torque Chevrolet was able to drop the one ton model in favour of a 1.5 ton and all pickup boxes were built by outside suppliers.
Advertising of the day promoted the new engine as “a six for the price of four”
Original Price:
$650 cab and chassis
$545 chassis only
Introduced new in 1929 the Series AC International replaced the AB series of 1928 and was the first Chevrolet with a 6 cylinder since 1915. Advertised as “A Six in the price range of the Four” it was only $10 more than the outgoing AB 4 cylinder. It also had an overhead valve head and eventually was referred to as the “Stovebolt 6”
A total of 847,053 Series AC were built and this “GM A Platform” was assembled in many location throughout the world. 1929 was the first year for a complete enclosed cab being offered from the factory.
It had a 107 im wheelbase and curb weight ranging from 987–1,173 kg (2,175–2,585 lb) The new 194 cu in (3,180 cc) six-cylinder engine, producing 46 hp (34 kW) @ 2400 rpm. was backed by a 3 speed manual transmission. But truck afficianados know it is torque that is required and the new Stovebolt 6 had plenty. The new design produced 120 lb-ft of torque starting at 800 rpm: With this increase in torque Chevrolet was able to drop the one ton model in favour of a 1.5 ton and all pickup boxes were built by outside suppliers.
Advertising of the day promoted the new engine as “a six for the price of four”
Original Price:
$650 cab and chassis
$545 chassis only
31 – 37<>
The new 6 cylinder got it’s nickname from the external slotted-head fasteners used that looked like those on wood burning stoves of that era. The name stuck and the engine was improved over the years and increased in size and still in production up until the 1980’s It was also referred to as the “Cast-Iron Wonder” because of its cast-iron pistons.
Trucks were just beginning to come into their own and after the huge success of Ford’s roadster pickups, Dodge aquired Graham Bros trucks and Chevrolet started to develop small pickups. These trucks were still a sort of ad hoc affair with all boxes having to be supplied by an outside manufacturer and usually after the truck was sold. Some were added on the production line but GM had not yet committed to a full closed cab and box design. This was still an improvement over plunking a pickup box onto the back over an early 20’s Chevy automobile and calling it a pickup.
For 1928 Chevrolet introduced a roadster pickup late in 1928 and it’s radiator shell, hood panels, cowl and doors were taken from a Chevrolet convertible passenger car. The windshield was two inches taller than the car and was able to flip down and swing out. The roof was stretched over a rigid frame made of wood and steel and a back wall was added to complete the cab. Complete with fenders and running boards the little trucks sold for $515 but did not include a pickup box. Roadster pickups popularity was waning and the model was dropped in 1932, two years before Ford gave up on the roadster pickup model.
There were 10 body styles available for the Series AC. Interestingly, the fuel gauge was located on the fuel tank and not moved to the dash until 1930’s new improved Series AD which sold 200,000 less nits than the 1929 model. The trucks had Mechanical Four Wheel Hydraulic Brakes. Steel disc wheels replaced wooden wheels still commonly in use in the 20’s. The truck was also offered in a variety of colours.
Aditionally,Complete bodies were offered by Martin-Perry provided cabs and boxes from their cataloques.
The Canadian produced trucks were slightly different than the American models. The American models have large square corner rear windows while the Canadian Models have smaller windows with a large radius curve to the corners. The doors and side panels of the US trucks have two ribs stamped in the sheet metal while the Canadian doors and side panels have nickel trim attached. The last big difference is the Canadian Trucks use the 1928 American roof design and a different mounting for the roof visor.
No indication which model was built for assembly overseas. This wesite, http://home.znet.com/c1937/Prod.htm indicates Chevrolet built 32,086 bare chassis and 124,744 Cab and Chassis for a total of 156,830 trucks in 1929
Oshawa, Ontario Canada,
Osaka, Japan,
General Motors South Africa,
GM Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
GM Belgium, Antwerp, Belgium,
Oakland, California,
Tarrytown, New York,
Flint, Michigan,
Norwood, Ohio
St. Louis, Missouri
The successor to this truck is the Chevrolet Series AD Universal
Facts for 1929
US Population 121.8 million
Price of a gallon of gas, $0.21
Gallon of ilk $0.56
Average househould income $1,582
Price of a new home $7,246
http://media.gm.ca/media/ca/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/ca/en/2017/Sep/0927-100-years-iconic-trucks.html
http://www.chevytrucklegends.com/us/en/100-year-history-of-chevy-trucks.html
http://www.gm.com/mol/m-2017-nov-1113-great-moments-in-torque.html
https://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/gallery%2016%2035.html
https://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/taylor%20jim%201929.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Series_AC_International
https://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/taylor%20jim%201929.html
