1955 CHEVROLET PANEL TRUCK WAGON VAN! 3800 1-TON EXTENDED SUBURBAN STYLE PANEL

1955 CHEVROLET FIRST SERIES 1-TON PANEL TRUCK

If you don't already know, Chevrolet had two body styles in 1955. The older 1947-1954 bodystyle was used in the first part of 1955. This is referred to as a first series. It is alot like a '54 but the grille is different. They changed to the newer '55 bodystyle after about 5 months I believe. This panel came from high desert montana country. It is very dry. One spot of rust on the whole body. These panels are cool for vending trucks, bike haulers, rv's, push rigs, or whatever turns your crank. I had considered making it into a mobile tap room. I've seen them fitting with 4 kegs on each side and the taps coming out the side. They use spray insulation then have some sort of refer to keep things cold. They do weddings, etc. with them. These are great for advertising rigs too with the big sides for signage. Feel free to ask questions. I can help arrange shipping if needed. I have more pics I can send since only 24 fit on here. Thanks.

MECHANICAL
The panel has what looks to be the original 235 inline six cylinder. The motor starts right up, runs nice, and idles well. The choke works as it should. The engine does not smoke at all. It has no ticks or knocks. No noticeable oil leaks. No drips. The lines to the original external oil filter, had deteriorated. I disconnected them. You'll need to put a new lines on it but a newer style external oil filter would be better. The original style oil filter is a cartridge style and somewhat obsolete. The clutch and transmission work perfectly. Transmission is smooth. No jumping or slippage. The brakes work and the parking brake does too. I have just driven this panel on my driveway to test all of the gears. I haven't had it on the highway. This has the original style 17" split rims. It also comes with a matching spare. It needs tires for sure. I put a new water pump on this because the old one was leaking out the weep hole. I would do a basic tuneup on it but the engine runs really nice and has nothing wrong with it. The pinion seal on the rearend is new also, because it leaked. The lights and interior lights work. I didn't check anything else. This was originally 6 volt and I'm not sure if it's been switched to 12v or not. I have a 12volt battery in it now so I didn't leave anything electrical on too long. It's most likely been switched because I believe it was driven up until the 90's. The fuel tank had a rust hole and needs to be repaired or replaced. It's running on a small temporary tank now just to load it. New tanks are probably available for this. Overall, the panel will not need much mechanically except new tires and fuel tank repair.BODY
The body is in real nice shape for an unrestored project. This came from dry high desert montana country. There is only one spot of rust on the panel. That is in the lower kick panel on the drivers side. There is no rust in the outer cowl in that area. The floors, frame, roof, doors, fenders, quarters, side panels, hood, etc. etc. are dry with no rust. The cargo area is wood and in nice shape. There is a bucket thing installed in the floor which is easy to take out and repair the wood there so it's flat there again. The roof is perfect with no holes cut in. This has a wooden bulkhead to protect you from the cargo. All doors and hood open/shut as they should. This has a couple dents but nothing major and most of them should pop out. It needs a passenger side window but I may locate one before it sells and that can go with it. It's flat glass so they're easy to get cut but I'm sure reproductions are available. I don't believe the panel was ever actually painted, besides the primered spots someone did on it. No bondo cracking or bubbling, which leads me to believe it doesn't have any. Old bondo will crack in Montana over time, due to the temperature changes. I've also checked the body over well with a digital paint (and bondo) thickness meter. I couldn't find anything. Overall, it's a really solid body for a restoration and will be an easy one to prep for paint.
INTERIOR
There is very little interior to speak of. The original seats are gone. It has bucket seats out of an older chevy RV in it. They sit a little high, but the pedestals are removeable. The drivers seat is mounted but the passenger seat is just sitting there. I can secure it for transport. A pickup seat would bolt right in this and I may be getting one that I'll include with it for no extra charge. The dash area has not been cut up, which is nice. I do have a glass piece for the one gauge, just never got around to installing it.