Chevrolet photos wanted

[Lang]

Cletrac

That was the general policy but there were many civilian model based vehicles still produced with limited chrome trimming, including the Chev Panel and Carryall. Many of the Dodges also had the vertical centre strips still chrome while the rest of the bars reverted to paint.

Here are some photos of a group of new Chevrolet staff cars in New Guinea in 1944 all with chrome grilles. The posed factory photos of the chrome grille Carryall and Pickup are dated October 42. I suppose they would have had thousands of chrome grilles in the system when the stop order came. Maybe they decided to use them on the light truck orders? Most of these would have been for US home issue or at least rear areas.

Lang

[Lang]

Best photo so far of a Chevrolet in use but a Carryall not very useful! It has chrome hubcaps.

Aberdeen Proving Ground 1943

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hello Lang,

Always amazed by your intercontinental automotive projects. This panel van is a rare beast, it is hard to find a reference in my library which includes books like Fred W. Crismon's U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles. But they were a military vehicle, as listed in TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles (1943). See attached pages for details - TM9-2800_G-616.pdf:

TRUCK, PANEL DELIVERY, 3/4-ton, 4x2
Technical Manual: TM 10-1287. Parts List: SNL G-616
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Motor Div. (General Motors Corp.)
Classification: Limited standard
Purpose : To transport light cargo.

TRUCK, PICKUP, 3/4-ton, 4x2
Technical Manuals: TM 10-1163, TM 10-1167, TM 10-1305. Parts List: SNL G-616.
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Motor Div. (General Motors Corp.)
Classification: Limited standard
Purpose: To transport general cargo

A quick search yielded a reference to a manual listing G-616:

Ord 8 SNL G520, G612, G616 Bus 15 Passenger G520, Car 5 Passenger 4 door (G520), Truck 1/2 Ton 4X2 (G612), Truck 3/4 ton 4X2 (G-616) 1944 102 VG $40

The ad dates back to 2017 but maybe the seller still has it, or you snapped it up already?

This is an interesting class of vehicles: while acquired by the military, these are basically civilian vehicles with slight military modifications like matt paint and possibly military black-out lighting. In the government supply systems they are listed as "Limited Standard" military vehicles, typically to be used at home bases or at least non-combat units. Being basic civilian vehicles, they are better to drive long distances than heavy all-wheel drive military trucks.

I think it would look great in US Navy gloss medium gray No. 123 on all exterior metal surfaces with the exception of chrome plating (source). When repainting vehicles, the US Navy would often paint the chassis and underbody with black bituminous paint.

All for now, looking forward to seeing the restoration progressing - and to meeting you again in Normandy!

Regards,
Hanno

[Lang]

Hanno

Thank you for all that info.

The later edition of the US Military standard vehicles book lists the Chevrolet and Dodge 1/2 ton Panel vans as "Standard" . Maybe when they get a certain number in service they become "Standard"?

Here is a photo that might interest you - a gang of Dutchmen sitting on a chrome grille Chevrolet.

[Lang]

Hanno

Reading your info on Navy grey paint instructions I always thought this Chevrolet Pick-up was an over the top restoration.

The instructions say do not paint over chrome so apart from the whitewall tyres this would be correct. But as it is a Recruiting vehicle, they dressed these up so even the whitewalls might be an accurate restoration.

Lang

[Lang]

Sorry Owen was on your link but I missed it. There is one of my Panel trucks (with chrome grille) in this line-up taken 1944. Also a Dodge like Mike o'Sullivan is restoring in the workshop beside my truck in Texas.

Might be a bit different to have a Royal Canadian Air Force vehicle.

What might be the colors? It may just be the light but the left hand group seem different colors to the right hand group in the front row.

If any of the Canadian team can offer a color guess it would be great.

Lang

[Lang]

I just found the official GM production figures for 1941 and 1942.

Vehicles built for commercial sale had different model codes.

Taking the civilian style Suburbans and Panel Delivery vans produced for the US Government of 1/2 and 3/4 ton 4x2 size:

1941

Model Code and number built.
20A 1/2 ton Suburban 600
20D 3/4 ton Panel 4
No 1/2 ton Panel purchased by government.
Total government purchases for 1941 including pick-ups, telephone etc 1,399

1942

Model Code and number built
21K 1/2 ton Suburban 676
21B 1/2 ton Panel 55
21F 3/4 ton Panel 44
Total government purchases for 1942 including pick-ups, telephone etc 1,641

Some conclusions:
My vehicle from the data plate - 20D - is one of only four government order 3/4 ton panel trucks produced in 1941.

There is now no mystery why there are so many Suburban photos with so many produced.

These figures include about 50 RHD Pick-ups and 50 RHD Suburbans - who were the customers?

Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Lang

Might be a bit different to have a Royal Canadian Air Force vehicle.

What might be the colors? It may just be the light but the left hand group seem different colors to the right hand group in the front row.

If any of the Canadian team can offer a color guess it would be great.

Lang, as far as I know the RCAF basically followed the RAF colour schemes. Pre-1940/1941 that was overall 633 RAF Blue Grey. In the RAF only after WW2 the wings (fenders), chassis and valances were painted semi gloss black.
So I was going to suggest this could be a post-WW2 picture, until I checked Owen's link above an saw it captioned: "RCAF motor Transport Fleet, Rockcliffe, Ontario, 4 July 1944. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3583342)".

So the blue-black scheme is definitely an option, though in combat areas air force vehicles were painted in greens and browns like their army counterparts.

What colour was your panel van originally? Could it be a Navy medium gray? You'd look great in a sailor's blue denim working suit and white cap! ;-)

H.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Lang

Here is a photo that might interest you - a gang of Dutchmen sitting on a chrome grille Chevrolet.

Thanks Lang, interesting indeed! They would not happen to be members of No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF, would they?

Hanno

[Lang]

Hanno

It came off an Indonesian site with no caption other than they were Dutch, I suspect it might be 1946.

Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Lang

It came off an Indonesian site with no caption other than they were Dutch, I suspect it might be 1946.

So that would be during the so-called Dutch "policing actions", as they were called back then - now properly named Indonesian war of independence.
During that period the Dutch troops used a mind-boggling mix of ex-Canadian Army vehicles shipped over from dumps in the Netherlands, vehicles taken over in-theatre from British-Indian troops (which first occupied Indonesia after the Japanese capitulation), vehicles captured from the Japanese Army (which were often captured from the pre-war Dutch Army), to civilian vehicles acquired on the open market.
The latter came into play when the Netherlands became isolated in the international community for trying to recapture their former colony, and they were no longer supplied by other governments. So, that Chevrolet in the picture above may well have been a commercial one with gloss paint and chrome trim.

H.