1951 Chevrolet 3100 1/2 ton pick up formerly BC Tel.
This BC Tel unit was found rusting in a field outside of Nanaimo, B.C.
In 1991-1992 it arrived at BC Tel’s 10th Avenue fleet shop in Burnaby. It was totally restored to it’s original condition by BC Tel shop staff.
This style of vehicle (pick-up with box insert) was typical of BC Tel’s standard “Installation and Repair” trucks until the introduction of the commercial van in the early 1960’s. This 1951 Chevy Pick Up truck was restored to commemorate BC Tel’s 100 years of telephone service.
Original Price:
Base price: $1,40.11
Box insert: $ 175.00
Road ready: $1,581.11
Specs:
– Thriftmaster 216 cu. in. 6 Cylinder. 92 HP @ 2400 rpm
– 16 imperial gallon (72 litre) gasoline tank
– 4 speed manual transmission
– Factory standard base colour: Forester Green, The most common colour for this series of pickups.
On Saturday June 28, 1947 Chevrolet released the Advance-Design 1947 series of trucks to replace the AK Series Pickup Truck. The Advance-Design Series was built until midway through 1955 when the 1955 Series II Task Force Series were introduced part way through the 1955 model year.
Interestingly this was General Motors’ first new postwar vehicles and the integrated headlights and horizontal grille made it instantly recognizable on the roads. The upgraded cab was fully welded, 8 inches wider and 7 inches longer than the previous trucks. The fresh air Windshield defrost and cab heater allowed three adults to sit in relative comfort on a fully adjustable seat.
During the war years most vehicle production was for the war effort and most were based on the 1942 design. But the engineers were hard at work planning for the generation of cars after the war was over. New trucks are usually designed after interviews with business owners as opposed to car owners. The biggest concern among business owners was larger cabs and better vision.
It has been written about that the reason the trucks go a design refresh before the others vehicles was that they had been in constant production since 1942 feeding the war effort and that the dies for making the bodies were probably in need of replacement.