1946 Chevrolet COE Cab Over Engine 350 V8 Automatic Custom Patina TRUCK

"BIG BOB"

Big Bob has been in our family fleet since 2006. Bob started his life about 1946 in Nampa Idaho working for Tiller Coal Company. Mr Howard Neil owned Tiller Coal at that time. Bob was equipped from new with a coal box that was on a 14 foot scissor lift hydraulic mechanism. Bob was well known around the Boise / Nampa area for many years. Tiller Fuel & Lumber Company is still in business on 2nd street in Nampa Idaho. The company decided to retire Bob in 2005 for some newer equipment and he was sold to a local person, ohn Campbell who bought it to resell. Bob was then sold to a Steel and Metals distributor in Oceanside CA. They were going to do a frame off restoration and deliver steel with it until they got the quote back to have it restored and it exceeded their budjet. I then purchased it from them in late 2006. I was attracted to the great patina this truck had as well as how complete the truck was. Originality for the body sheet metal was very important to me. When I looked at the truck I was pleasantly surprised at the small amount of surface rust.......I had looked at a few COE's before I bought Big Bob.

Bob was transported to San Juan Capistrano California where the work began. I found an old time mechanic in Ontario California who was willing to take the project on. We discussed my vision to keep the outside looking like it was with a few enhancements. The bed was the first thing to be removed to lighten up the project. We then started the re-power section of the built. We chose a 200 HP GM crate motor with a RV cam to get the power and torque curve in the right place. We then installed a rebuilt GM TH350 transmission with a LOKAR shifter. We mounted the engine amidships to get the correct balance. This worked out fine. I also wanted to be able to cruise to car shows at 70 MPH and tow my car trailer too if needed so we had a heavy duty trailer hitch installed. We sourced a Heavy Duty Chevrolet two ton rear end, ith 4.11 gears that was rebuilt from a 1985 Chevy 2-Ton truck. It fit like a charm. The drive shaft is about 12" long and has held up fine. The radiator was rebuilt with the original upper and lower tanks and mounting brackets but we added a current Heavy Duty desert 4 row core to keep Bob cool. The radiator is connected by 5 foot long stainless steel pipes with short rubber hoses on each end. There is not a mechanical fan on the motor but a high volume electric fan mounted to the radiator and is thermostatically set to come on at 180 degrees (its adjustable). We added to the crate motor some block hugger headers, agna flow mufflers, DELBROCK performer manifold and 4 barrel 600 CFM EDELBROCK carburetor. The throttle pedal is connected with 8+ foot longbraidedwire in a plastic jacketed cable. The transmission is also connected by wire cable to the LOKAR shifter. We also dressed up the motor with EDELBROCK accessories, HEI distributor, emote transmission cooler, new wire harness T3. The access to the motor and transmission is through the aluminum fabricated black cover in the bed...as well as a smaller aluminum diamond plate cover in case you would need to take the engine or transmission out from the top of the bed. The brakes are hydraulic with large new shoes front and rear. A complete brake job was done with new wheel cylinders, aster cylinder and a rebuild Bendix Hydro-vac power assist unit. This truck stops on a dime! The king pins, ie rod ends and the drag link and steering balls were just replaced. We beefed up the drag link with an extra steel gusset support.

The all-aluminum bed was custom fabricated to my specifications in Ontario CA. We used rectangular 1/8" wall 2" by 3" 6063-T52 Aluminum and 1/8" wall 2" by 6" 6063-T52 Aluminum tubing for the frame. The headache rack was CNC routed from one large sheet of quarter inch thick aluminum. It was then sent to a large rolling factory to have the corners rolled to simulate the art deco designs of the 1930's and 1940's. The edges were rounded too. The structure was then powder coated gloss black. We then CNC cut the 3/16" thick bright diamond plate for the bed surface. The diamond plate in attached with special waterproof aluminum rivets. We finished off the bed with LED marker lighting on the sides and faux streamlined amber & stainless steel lights on the headache rack. The bed was then lifted onto the truck with crane and attached directly to the frame rails with long carriage bolts. We then added two era correct vintage "UTILITY" badges to the side rails. We have had up to 4000 pounds on this truck and it would carry more if needed. I have included a photo of the bed while it was being fabricated. The bed cost well over $5000.00 to fabricate 8 years ago.

Big Bob got his name from some history in our family. My father-in-law was a truck driver in Medfield and Millis Massachusetts back in the day and drove a rig like this. He would hook up to a 30 foot flat bed and haul roofing supplies from Massachusetts to Maine. My father-in-law's name was Bob and Bob was 6'4" tall......hence "Big Bob". I dedicated this truck to him as he was instrumental in providing a lot of details as we restored the truck. Bob passed away in 2008 when the build was finished.

The original sign painters ghost lettering still adorns the truck......and it creates a nice part of the patina. I had world famous artist "JIMMY-C", and letter "Big Bob" on the passengers upper door and the vintage look wheel with wings on the hood. I also had him letter on the drivers door "IVO"......because that was the name of the 1946 Chevy conventional cab truck I rode around in the 1950's. My father owned Mueller Bros Neon on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles CA and we would take "Ivo" out for the day to hang signs up and down the pacific coast of California.

This truck is one of the most dependable in my fleet of antique trucks. It starts right up and drives down the highway at 65-70 MPH. I recently took it on a 130 mile trip in the summer and it was a joy. The air temperature on that trip was 108 degrees and the water temp on the truck got up to 206 degrees ....it usually hovers around 180 degrees with normal air temperature. The airflow into the cab is handled by a crank out windshield, owl vent and two side cowl vents which all work well. There is not a heater but it stays warm enough in the cab for comfort in our climate. The windows channels have been replaced as well as the side window regulators have been rebuilt. The gauges are Dolphin brand and they work with the exception of the speedometer which reads but has not been accurately calibrated. The odometer shows 4000+ miles which is correct and was put in when the motor was installed. The fuel gauge, ater temperature gauge, mp gauge and oil gauge all work fine. I use the tachometer when I drive and 3000 RPM equates to about 65 MPH. They read running; Oil 50 pounds, mps 13-14, emp most of time 180 and gas gauge according to level of fuel. Bob has an 18 gallon saddle tank which was boiled out and coated. The 8.25-20 tires have 4000 miles on them with plenty of tread to spare. I do have a spare tire and rim which is included. The wheels were powder coated gloss black and the centers were chromed. The seat was recovered with new brown vinyl and seat belts have been installed.

I had 33 Antique trucks in September of 2014 and am now down to 18. As I slowly slide into semi-retirement I need to sell 10 more vehicles and get down to 8 because of space requirements. The truck is currently registered, icensed and insured. The California title is in my name and on hand ready for the lucky bidder who will win this. I encourage inspections or have your hired inspector come and look this over. This truck is turnkey and can be driven home to just about any location. Please keep in mind that this truck is 69 years old and rides like a 2-ton truck. The 109" wheelbase works great on smooth roads but it's not fond of big bumps. It is sprung heavy....like it was in the day. There are no shocks.....it never came with any. The steering box is in good shape but has not been rebuilt. The COEs in 1946 had a 23 to 1 ratio so steering this beast is quite manageable. Bob has two horns....both are actuated by remote switches clamped to the steeringcolumn. The horn button on the steering wheel is complete...just not working. The first horn is an original 6 Volt horn running on 12 volts. The second horn is an air horn that has its own compressor and is mounted on a 1/4" steel plate where the engine originally was. This horn is loud and will clear the way like a diesel locomotive. We upgraded the whole electricalsystem to 12 volts including the cab marker lights and the Halogen headlights. Please look at all the photos to see many of the other upgrades that were done.

Because of its age the truck is sold AS-IS, here-IS with no warranty expressed or implied. This sale takes place in California and is subject to its jurisdictions. Please bid ONLY if you have the money on hand to pay. The new buyer will need to deposit a non-refundable $500.00 deposit by Pay Pal within 24 hours of winning the bid or we will relist the truck or sell to the next highest bidder at ourdigression. The balance is due in Cash or a Certified Bank Cashier's check in 7 days or less. NO EXCEPTIONS....no games. Please have your funds ready and ask your spouse for permission to buy this Icon BEFORE bidding. We do not disclose the reserve to be fair to all bidders........just bid what you can afford. The truck needs to be picked up in 20 days or less after Auction end. If you need more time we have a storage yard by us that charges $300.00 per month and you can contract directly with them. ALL funds must clear the bank before the truck will be released. Please ask any questions about "Big Bob" before bidding. You can call us at 949 492-8702 during regular business hours Monday through Friday Pacific Standard time. The truck is located in San Juan Capistrano CA. Transportation is the responsibility of the new owner. We will help in any way deemed reasonable.

We also have all of the build receipts and can furnish photo copies upon request. The YOM rear 1946 Plate and FOX Hollywood frame are in my name and not included in the sale price. If a California bidder is the winner and wants to purchase these, e willnegotiatean acceptable price to both of us. The YOM plate and frame do not go to out of state bidders.

History of COE's

Chevrolet started marketing COE's Cab Over Engines in 1937. The 1937 & 1938 models were made for them by the Yellow Truck & Coach company (GMC). In 1939 Chevrolet started building their own bodies. From 1939-1946 Chevrolet installed 216.5 CI in-line six cylinder motors and offered as an option a 235 CI low press motor also. These COE's were a hit with industry because of their short snub noses and short turning radius.

Here are some approximate dimensions of the truck:

Wheelbase 109"

Overall Tread width 76"

Overall height 89"

Overall length 185"

Weight before bed 4320 pounds

Approximate overall weight with bed & fuel 5110 pounds

This is a safely built truck made to drive every day. This is not a show queen. YOU will get thumbs up and lots fo attention at car shows. No Billet, o shiny paint.....just clean fun!