1952 Chevrolet C/K 3500 Series

1952 Chevrolet 3800 Series 1 Ton Stakebody Truck The 1952 truck sales brochure was geared towards the commercial world, but that didn't stop designers from filling it with colorful illustrations of the extensive and entire line of heavy duty Chevy trucks. In fact, it took 31 pages to cover the complete line with technical illustrations of specifications and mechanical components. It touted, battleship construction, alligator jaw counter balanced hood, adjustable seat, and new door handles.  For consignment, a 1952 Chevrolet 3800 series 1 ton stakebody truck showing 68,999 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This truck now packs a 350ci V8, runs on 12 volts, and recently served as a delivery truck for rustic furniture!  Exterior The period combination of Forester Green, especially in its single stage application, looks just right on this big truck with the grille guard, fenders, running board and visor presenting in complementary black. The 19.5-inch wheels are also black, lending to a rugged profile on a truck that looks unstoppable. Those wheels are carrying fresh tires, with a date code of mid 2022. Wooden stakes that line the bed and bed floor are not fresh, which is perfect because their patina tells a thousand stories consistent with the overall vibe of this working man's truck. Out back, a diamond steel plated apron with embedded tail lights is accompanied by a hitch receiver, all balanced by the grille guard and robust bumper up front that protects the green bars of the grille. A big visor and cab lights top the truck and a single side mirror swings way out to see around the bed. Other than overall patina, paint chips are noted and peeling, occasionally with some surface rust, along with some bubbling in spots.  Interior Gold painted steel and black inserts drip with patina and lead to a clean bench in black vinyl that spans the cab and is in very good condition. We're sure the three spoke steering wheel has some stories to tell and it looks the part, fronting a two gauge instrument panel that relays six bits of critical information and in the center of the gold dash is an AM/FM radio while the ribbed design runs through the speaker and over the glove box. Textured rubber flooring is where we'll place our dirty boots, and a tall shifter rises from the floor to meet the driver's hand. The black vinyl headliner is wavy in spots and a sun visor is provided to the driver nearby.   Drivetrain Under the big alligator hood is a 350ci V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor putting out 150 horsepower. Esthetically, we would call it driver quality which is consistent with the truck. Meanwhile, it's mated to GM's heavy duty SM420 4-speed manual transmission that sends power to the dually rear with 3.73 gears. Our consignor tells us newer kingpins are in!  Undercarriage Relatively clean and straight underneath with the typical coating of surface rust. The dual exhaust looks fresh and runs through glasspack style mufflers just before turning east and west and exiting to the sides. Drum brakes occupy all four corners and heavy duty leaf springs are front and rear. From our vantage point, the underside looks dry.  Drive-Ability There's no doubt that this is not the first time a stakebed truck has been traveling in Morgantown PA, and it suits our fair town full of farmers and working people! The truck provides decent power for its size but you won't be winning any red light rallies. Visibility from on high is impressive and the view out the back window is only partially impacted by the stakes. We note the horn, wipers, gas gauges, brake lights, and turn signals are not working. We find the radio finicky. Beyond these things, all remaining functions operate as they should and we return to the mall to find a nice, big spot under the lights!  While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of y