The Trucks Collection

Rust In Peace is a collection of actual photos that were taken and the stories that go along with them while growing up in south central Nebraska as a young man in the 70’s and then traveling the United States with a lust for rust, presented and told by the author Kevin Houtwed over a 40 year period. In this Trucks Collection you will find all sizes, makes and models of haulers that have ultimately got the job done for the working man or woman through the years either on the farm or in the city across this great nation.

1951 Ford F-1

This little F-1 spent most of its life across the road from a farm I grew up working on daily with my family in south central Nebraska being used by the man that may have bought it brand new back in 51. As I watched it over the years go from running to being pulled around the yard to get it out of the way, I always wanted to rescue it before someone decided to haul it off for iron or just junk it out like so many do out in rural America. I would ask about it from time to time and of course I could never get anyone to decide to sell it until early this spring when I called the grandson of the original owner of the farm and asked him if he would part with it or if it was even there anymore since I could not see it from the road. Yes, he said with a happy chuckle, I will sell it to you if you are interested. You see, I always knew the grandson very well as he and I are close in age and I was hoping the day would come he would be the one I was dealing with, which in my eyes would make it a lot easier to get something done. He told me before you get real crazy you better go out and take a closer look at it since it had been sitting for 30 plus years and he was pretty sure the condition of it was not the best. I took the next Saturday afternoon and headed down to the farm where I found this little beauty sitting right where you see it. It had really deteriorated over the years from what I remembered back when I was down there on the farm. Let’s face it, that was a long time ago and I really need to look in the mirror and see if I have changed in the last 30 years before I talk dirt on this old Ford. I remember when this truck was used to haul small amounts of grain to the local elevator to be dumped with a cable lift hoist that you drove the front wheels up on and they would raise the front of the truck up as you watched the grain dump out of the rear tailgate. One thing that is strange or I would say pretty neat is the storage building I have it in is a government grain storage building I purchased from the same local elevator years ago in my hometown that this very truck dumped corn in. Is it possible there could be some grains or dust from grains along the walls in that structure that this truck hauled to town 50 years ago? It all comes full circle in the end. The best news is, it will never haul anymore grain to town or be used as a truck to irrigate in around the farm since I purchased it from the grandson, cleaned it up and put it away in my storage building to sit until I decide to do something with it or maybe even sell it so it can provide enjoyment to someone as much as the enjoyment I have had over the last 30 years trying to get it bought and put inside. RIP

1949 Ford F-1 Pickup

The day I found this nice little F-1 on a farmyard in southeast Nebraska it was 7 degrees with a strong east wind that was bitting at me like a pit bull the whole time I was talking to its owner and trying to get him to decide if he was ever going to do anything with it or not. I finally came to the conclusion as to why this sweet little truck has been sitting here for years and will be for many more. Do I need to explain that or can you figure that one out yourself? Like so many of these I have found over the years the owners really do not know what they are going to do with them, but they know for sure it will be something and that makes it impossible to get them to put a price on them. I will say the man that owns this one knows it is well worth keeping and will not let it get away to be hauled off for scrap or be ruined in any way. These are really good looking little trucks to fix up and they have so much more room in them than the previous model design of the 46-47 that basically where just 40 Fords with a different front end on them and a few other small changes. Me being over 6’ tall I always look for the extra edge when it comes to size and also the fact that I probably could stand to loose maybe 10 pounds or more according to my wife. At any cost it would not take a whole lot to put one like this back on the road or at least get it moving since it is all there if you had a shop and some extra time. I have found when you take one like this home and put tires on it that hold air and get it sitting up straight the value goes through the roof, at least in my mind it does. I may never get a chance to own this one, but I have had the chance to share it with the rest of the world right here and if the day ever comes that the owner calls me back and tells me to come and get it, you will be the first to know. RIP

1940 D2 International Pickup

This old International has been sitting right where it is for as long as I can remember through the years on a vacant farmyard that I drive by a few times a year. It sits far enough off the road that I always thought it was a 40 Ford truck, but this winter I hiked back to where it is and soon found out I was wrong all those years. I actually like the front ends on these Internationals of this era, but think they should have done a better job with the box and rear fenders when they were designing them. Thats just my opinion and should mean nothing to anyone else. In the past few years I have started seeing trucks like this one showing up at car shows around the area and they really are doing some neat things to them that as far as I am concerned puts them right in line with any other truck of the same vintage. I went to the farm down the road to ask about this one and they did not seem to know who owned it or who to even ask, but told me they were pretty sure it was fine to take a few pictures. I am 100% sure this is a truck that spent its life on this very farm until it was parked right here one day when they up graded to a newer model. One of the reasons I say that is because of the wooden side boards on the box sides. They are a dead give away that this rig was used to haul small loads of grain for the farmer that owned it. At any cost this truck will more than likely see the road again someday as it really is in pretty decent shape for what it is, that is if someone takes the time to find the owner and strikes up a deal. For now it is just going to remain a beautiful piece of artwork waiting for the day it gets pulled out of the painting it is stuck in to become someones pride and joy like it has been for this farmer since 1940. RIP

1948 International Truck

Who cannot say they do not just love what some of the guys are doing with these big old trucks. You talk about something we never thought we would see being made into daily drivers or a street rod. 
This old International was setting in a pasture northwest of Grand Island, NE. for years.
I was back by it a few months ago and it was not there. I sure hope the right guy got his hands on it as it really was in good shape.
Growing up these things littered many old construction sites and were considered a vehicle thought of as how we ever going to get rid of that beast.
Here we go again, Never under estimate the future of evolution and the possibilities by those with a creative mind.
I am so glad people have found the beauty in these old trucks simply because they really have character when done right. My hats off to you guys and your imaginations. RIP

1955 GMC Panel Delivery ( Sheet metal suicide model )

A few years ago I was out scouting for future stories with my brother in law just outside of Hays Kansas. 
He told me about an old panel truck he knew of that everyone that ever owned a gun within 30 miles of it had stopped to leave their signature via lead. 
We turned down a very questionable dirt road and to my surprise, there it was, or there most of it was. 
I could not believe the holes in this panel delivery that GM rolled out of Detroit back in the 50's to find its certain death on the plains of western Kansas.  
I think a rig like this should actually be put back on the road just like it is as a rat rod. 
Could you imagine the looks you would get when you pulled up to a crowd or maybe at a convenience store?
After a little inrustigation, it was obvious this truck had been sitting for quit a while and who ever parked it there had no plans of doing nothing with it ever. 
At any cost I could make up a story to go with this truck, but to be honest, I know very little about this one as we stopped by for only a few minutes to check it out and all I can say is, there is no wonder we have had a shortage in ammunition in the past few years.
Hopefully, before it is absolutely to late the owner of this panel will find time to get the lead out and deliver it from evil. RIP

1956 Ford COE

Traveling down Route 66 over a past Christmas I was pulling through a little town in southern Missouri when I decided to roll the window down and get some fresh air. As I pulled through that old boarded up main street with the awnings looking like Festus Hagens brim and most of the windows looking like his right eye, I got a whiff of some rust that was calling my name. 
I took the next left and wheeled around through the alley to find this well hidden 56 Ford COE ( Cab Over Engine ) just begging to become famous.
Now, I am pretty sure you ask, how can you just assume there is something like this sitting a half block off the main drag where it has been sitting for years, hidden by the old buildings of the main drag just waiting for me to find it.
Its like this, there is so many signs when you are traveling that scream out to you if you just know or learn to look for them that are pointing you right to this kind of stuff that it is unbelievable.
It does seem like I am out a lot and find some really good stuff, but the truth is, I only go out on the weekends for the most part this time of the year, since it is a time in my business that allows me to get away a little more. It also helps that I have been doing this all my life and like all you professionals that know how to build the perfect engine and tune it to sound, after a while it just comes natural. 
I know how popular these old COE trucks have become and that tells me this truck is not for sale, or it would be long gone. I asked a person about a block away about it and they said, good luck with that one. 
So, for now we just have to enjoy this old Ford as it sits there waiting to be rescued and wonder, is this the only picture that has ever been taken of this once pride of that famous highway hauler? RIP

1941 Studebaker Pickup

A few years ago, I was digging around down south of Grand Island, Nebraska and found this really nice old Studebaker pickup in an open front lean on the side of a barn. 
I spoke to the owner and it of course was not for sale at that time, but I am sure it has been sold since as the barn is not even there anymore.
The owners were not collectors of anything like this, they just happened to back it into this shelter sometime back in the early 70's and that is where it spent the rest of its life as it knew it on that farm.
Talking about a Studebaker on the farm, that is who the Studebaker Brothers started manufacturing wagons for in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana, back when the farmers needed wagons, then they built the wagons for mining and later the military. The brothers then jumped into the automobile industry in 1902 with an all electric car. It was in 1904 they introduced a gasoline model vehicle to the line. 
I thought since I changed my cover picture to a snowy Stude, I would do the story on this lightly covered with snow gem that has spent more time inside than out. And also Mother Nature gave us a nice shot of that white stuff yesterday here in Nebraska.
A truck like this can sit in a place like that lean on the side of that barn for years without being found or noticed. I am really glad nobody did seek it out as in the early years of vintage tin as there were many of the hunters that would not have been interested in a Studebaker and may not have given this truck the life it deserved after a they got it home.
It is so neat that today, people have realized how cool a truck like this can be restored in any fashion. Of course, that is what has given the non-Fords and Chevy's the green light to be rescued and put back on the road.
I can honestly say, I never knew of a Studebaker pickup like this or any model running around yet when I was a kid growing up in south central Nebraska. That does not mean they were not around, that means, I never saw one in my area.
This truck was as straight and rust free as you could find. It was all there from bumper to bumper. I am sure if the farmer would have parted with it, we could have brought it in and had it running in a few hours. 
Do not be afraid to check out those old side sheds and very small lean to additions on the side of some of those old barns that are left out there. You may never know what you will find.
To say the least, the Studebaker Brothers had us rolling for many years as this great country has progressed along the way and I believe a truck like this has all the right in the world, to be out on the road, reminding people that you can get passed by the past if you do not take time to realize the great people that have brought America to the point its at today. If you do not care or understand the past, you need not worry about your future. RIP

1959 Chevrolet Apache Pickup

Out in western Kansas the other day, I found this nice old truck setting on the prairie day dreaming of better days when it really was being used by its owner to get the job done. 
I think of a truck like this and have to ask myself, when did its owner decide to park it or quit using it? 
They are so easy to work on and the parts for them have never been hard to get, as far as keeping them running. 
How many of these had a clutch or water pump problem and just got parked, thinking, we will get it going after wheat harvest and next thing you know 25 years go by?
I would bet it might scare us to death if we knew the truth as to why a lot of the vehicles we find were ever parked. 
I am almost 100% sure that many of them got put to pasture, simply because that new one with power steering beats the heck out of that old one with out, or something like that. 
Most of the stuff we find looks like death warmed over, because someone decided after it was parked, it was a free flea market for them to pull parts off of over the years. Usually what goes along with that, is the guy that decides to rob and run, never has the right tools with him to take the part off and they destroy 1/2 the car to get a $20.00 part off that they will never use anyway. 
So, I will say, always try everything you can to get permission before you decide to pull parts from any vehicle in the wilds. When you do, most of the time the owner will say, if you can get it out of there, you can have the whole thing. 
If he catches you taking parts without permission, I can guarantee you, it is not for sale at any price. You then get your education from him on stealing. 
You stop by a pharmacy on the way home, buy a surgical needle and thread, and sow it up, best you can. 
On top of that you will be able to drive by your find for the next 20 years and watch it rot into the ground, thinking to yourself, what if I would have just asked first?  
Maybe I could have saved that one, if I would have done it right to begin with. 
ALWAYS ASK. RIP

1934-35 International Truck

How can you just not love these old early International trucks? I have seen them for years and almost like them as well if not better than the Fords and Chevrolets of the same vintage.
It seems many of these went unnoticed over the years by many builders that thought the only thing to build might be the ones mentioned above. 
When you look at styling, the grill on the Internationals was just plain beautiful in my eyes. 
This truck may be one of the lucky ones that was found by a friend of mine a while back in the Sandhills of Nebraska while shopping for early iron. It is just by luck sometimes that one like this gets found and saved when they are hidden away in the hills so far out.
Speaking of far out, I know this truck will one day be there if it gets the right treatment, which is the only treatment it deserves. RIP

Looks like an Indian raid on a wagon train from back in the settler days. 
When you find only parts of a truck like this way out in the Sandhills of Nebraska, you just have to wonder what the story is, or if it had a story at all. 
As I came upon this sheet metal surprise, I stood there and tried to piece together a story or I guess like I always say, inrustigate the scene, the only thing that I could come up with was that this was just the final resting grounds for what is left of this old truck. 
Obviously, someone had taken the parts they needed and left what you see for a guy like me to come upon like the guy in Dances With Wolves that looked down at the dead guys bones full of arrows on the prairie and said, somewhere back east, someone is saying, why don’t he write? 
The difference here is, this would have been left by the white man on a hill that the red man more than likely stood with great pride and watched some of the most beautiful sunsets off in the western skies without a clue that one day his horse and way of life would be compromised much like the Life of this old stove bolt Chevy. RIP

1934 International with home made boom.

I find it interesting that in 1934, International made this truck with easy to read controls. They were not a flashing led light on the dash or a voice that digitally spoke to you, it was casted right in the metal foot pedals on the floor.
Think about how many people may not have been able to read and write back in 1934 and the owner of this operation told him, get in and read the pedals, you cannot screw it up, as he chuckled and watched the new guy walk away.
I found this old truck on a farmyard west of Grand Island, Nebraska a while back on one of my Sunday afternoon outings, just driving through the country side, like I do so many weekends when the season is right. 
This old rig had been made into a boom truck back in the day, by a do it yourself'r farmer that needed it around the farm.
I looked at the 3/8" log chain he had used for years, to lift any loads this old girl ever lifted, and let me tell you what, I cannot believe someone did not make the news paper with it, as every link was stretched to the max, just waiting to break and go flying and hit you like a bull whip with goliath on the other end of it.
I look at home made hospital testers like this one and ask myself, how did anyone survive the early years in this country. You know how they did it? They were TOUGH and did not worry about a pinch or a metal filing cut in their hand. I guess you could say, like our elders did in our families back in the day, OH JUST WALK IT OFF. RIP

Home Made 1946 Chevrolet Dually

Found this old truck last week in Taos, NM just basking in the sun, looking out at the Rocky Mountains with nothing but yesterday’s memories running through it’s rusty veins of a day when it saw plenty of use hauling anything from livestock to logs. 
At this point it is being used as farmyard art from what I could tell. 
It really has a nice stance sitting there in that field with its dual rear wheels and pretty straight body. 
Maybe one day it will get a chance to have the wind whipping through its grill and around those protruding headlights, but for now it is just going to have to hope for a strong east wind to do that as it sits there enjoying the sun rise every morning over those beautiful Rockies and gazing across the high desert to the west through its rear view mirror as the sun goes down each day with the hope of maybe tomorrow mechanical adoption will come its way by the man that understands how important it is to turn it loose one more time. RIP

1950 GMC Pickup

Every time I find a truck like this, I always ask myself, who, why and when was a truck like this left for dead? 
The truth is, I see really nice restoration projects start with a lot less than this old 5 window Chevy has left on its rusty hillside pasture rails. 
However, this old truck is going to a good home very soon according to the man who presently owns it. 
I have always liked these 5 window chevy's and let me tell you I know there is no shortage of people who feel the same way. 
In 1982 when I was fresh out of high school a man that worked for my Father left one by our shop building that was so nice and straight it was unbelievable. 
It sat there for about 1 year when I tracked him down and asked if he ever planned to pick it up. He told me he would take $25.00 for it but it needed to be cash as he was not going to share any of it with his x-wife. 
I only had $10.00 on me, so I told him I would be back in a few days with the right amount. 
I messed around and did not get back to his place he called home for about 2 weeks and guess what? He was nowhere to be found. 
The truck sat there for a few months and one day I drove over to our shop and noticed it was gone. Someone had hauled it out of there in the middle of the night. 
Never saw it again and never heard where it went, or who took it. I know everyone has those stories, but I still kick myself for not buying a running and driving 5 window 53 Chevrolet that looked like a preacher bought it new and put every one of the 28,000 miles it had on it between home and work. 
Back in those days it was not a sin to let one like that get away, but just think if I would have bought it and saved until now to use as a project, would that make me a sheet metal Savior? RIP

1946 Chevrolet Pickup

A while back, I decided to go for an evening ride close to home just to wind down a little. I do this a lot when my day has been busy. Everyone should do this, it is better than any prescription known to man.
I turned down a road less than 3 miles from my house that took me out in the country to an area I have never explored. To tell you the truth, I really was not exploring, like I said, just winding down. 
Well, that is when you find yourself not looking, but finding one like this truck that has been parked for over 20 years out of sight to the average person, waving a red flag at you, begging to be found.
That is exactly what happened on that ride. I could not believe, this close to home and I had never seen it before. Goes to show you that we really do not have to haul ourselves all the way across the nation to go to Disneyland, if we just make the best of what is right at home on OURLAND. 
I remember the trip to Disneyland with my family when I was 8 years old in 1970. I really do not know who drove on that trip as my Dad was over the front seat the whole way, twisted like a quadruple jointed person trying to keep one of my 3 older brothers and myself from killing each other in the back seat.
He would not have seen a jumbo jet with 300 people in it go down, 200 feet off the road right beside us when I think back of how many times he was over that seat, explaining the consequences to us 4 sweet little fellers. How could this have been fun for our parents?
You ever ask yourself, how come we do not have many pictures from that trip? Why wasn't he smiling?
We had just bought a new Oldsmobile Delta 88 4 door that was really a very nice car, and since we were farmers and it rained for 2 days in the middle July, guess what? we planned a trip. That is how farmers do it. No rain, no vacation. No vacation, no problem for the parents. Vacation with 4 boys between 8 and 15 years old in July across Death Valley, PROBLEM. 
Back to this nice little Chevy truck setting less than 5 miles from my house.
I stopped and talked to the man that lives at this location and he told me that this truck was the only brand new vehicle his wife's grandfather had ever bought. He also told me that after her grandfather had passed, the truck was brought down here from the Loup City, Nebraska area to be stored at his place. That was over 20 years ago.
It had been taken pretty good care of, while her grandfather was still alive, as he always had good intentions of keeping it running, or restoring it.
All the parts that are off of it, are in the box behind the cab and are in really good shape. 
I was told by the owner the truck was not for sale, as a few people over time have spotted it back there and wanted to purchase and restore it or make some kind of a rod out of that nice old Chevy. 
I can appreciate that, with the fact it has been in the family since it was new, which is pretty hard to find on a truck from 1946, or any rig that old.
The owner told me he was originally from Montana. I asked him how he got down here from Montana, he told me he was pretty sure it was Bud Light, along with a few friends back in the day, on a road trip in search of some place a long way from home. Could this have led to a problem?
I told him he should grab one of those friends, some Bud Light, a toolbox and go to work to breath some new life back into this old tree line relic and give it a road trip a long way from here. RIP

1960 Chevrolet Fleetside Pickup

I bet everyone thinks I sure find a lot of these early 60's chevy trucks. 
The truth is I do, and I think that is because I am usually looking for them, but do not get me wrong, my eagle eyes are looking for any old pile of rusty sheet metal that needs to be made famous one more time.
This old truck is setting in a little town in north central Wyoming, looking like it was not that many years ago that Wall Drug bumper sticker was in your rear view mirror on those long straight away's that take you across the great state that has some of the most beautiful scenery known to man inside its borders.
Speaking of the Wall Drug sticker, I have found them on old cars and trucks as far away as Louisiana. I am for sure that the people that are promoting that tourist spot in South Dakota are pretty good at what they do.
I have taken my family there a few times to check it out and of course get the free glass of water, Wall Drug was and always has been so famous for.
The best part of going there is taking the highway south out of town a few miles to the Badlands. This is a huge area that looks like the moon surface. I mean to tell you, it is something to see. Laced with rattlesnakes, eagles and mountain goats, you will not be disappointed.
Back to the truck, My oldest brother had one of the early double bump hood chevy's like this one when I was a little kid. 
It was a short box step side that he put a pontiac 455 with a turbo 400 transmission in, along with the pontiac rear. 
That thing was lethal to drive. It really was a real sleeper, as he never had anything on it for mag wheels, just the original 15 x 6 steel rims. Most people would have thought it would have been sporting the 6 banger 3 above the knee it came out with, until he would light up the tires and almost turn them to ditch powder.
My Grandfather, Jens had been used to driving the old truck around the farm with the original drive train in it. After my brother changed it out, he told grandpa that the shift was on the floor. Fair enough, the first time he got in it and headed down the road, he pulled the little home made shifter set up all the way back and took off. It was in 1st gear, he was confused thinking he need to shift after he got up to around 35 mph. So he, without thinking, pushed the shifter all the way forward, putting the truck in park. 
After grinding it to a stop about 1/2 from the house, he bailed out and walked back to the yard and told us, that thing has something wrong with it, it does not shift right. 
He never drove it again. We all laughed and were just happy it did not do any damage to speak of.
Its memories like that we all need to think about when we spot an old truck like this, not the memories of irrigating out of them when it was 100 degrees in the shade, or any other type of nonsense we got roped into out in rural America back in the day.
But, lets face it, the work we called nonsense is what has made us and this great country what it is today. What will the kids of today say about memories that formed them into what they are in 2045. 
Can you see a few of them sitting around saying, remember that post on the old you tube site, back in 2017 that showed those guys actually getting their hands dirty working on that old, I think it was a Camaro or something like that in some garage with their own tools? The one guy was actually bleeding on his hand from hitting it, or pinching it somehow. 
Yeah, Who would do that? I do not know, but it kind of looked like fun, seeing what a car looked like that actually burned gasoline or some kind of fuel to make it go down the road. 
Now, do not laugh, I am pretty sure that conversation will exist someday in the future, and I am also pretty sure a good old truck like this one will still exist also, even without an APP to tell us when to get it out and go for a ride. RIP

1939 Ford COE

A few years back I was road tripping up highway 2 here in western Nebraska when I stopped in a little town called Mason City to buy a cold drink. As I was paying, a good ole boy walked in to that station and struck up a conversation with me about old cars in the area. 
Of course, I was all ears, especially when he told me about an old black truck that the cab was above the engine. 
He was not sure what it was, but he gave me directions right to it. As far as I was concerned, I did not care about his accuracy, I was interested in the chase. 
As I pulled up to it, I could tell this was a home run. Sitting in that tree line was the most beautiful COE Ford truck that I had ever seen. 
Trucks like this are so hard to find in any condition, and I am telling you this thing was in terrific shape. There was just one huge problem, it could not be bought at any price. 
I stayed on it for a long time and there was no way to convince the owner to sell. 
I hope someone knows something about this awesome puller that ruled the highways in the late 30's, more than likely right up and down that very highway 2 that I travelled on to find it, since it was gone the last time I went to check on it. 
I sent this very picture in to American Rodder magazine back in about 1994 right after I took it. Shortly after they published the photo in the magazine, a man from up State New York contacted me for a copy of it. 
It was not just any copy, but the largest copy that could be reproduced at that time. Between him and I we found a company in Toronto Canada that made a photo for him that was around 4' x 6' from my negative. 
I thought it was poor in grade, but he loved it. That photo was mounted above his fireplace in his home for him to enjoy, since his father had hauled him many miles as a young boy going with Dad in a truck exactly like it. 
Did this old truck die right here in this windbreak hoping someone might find it someday and give it another chance to be the hero of the highway, even if it is just in stories told by the son of a man who grew up on the passengers side 1,700 miles due east? 
Or is it still among us being restored or just stored, waiting the next go around? Maybe someone out there can give us that answer. RIP

1954 International Pickup

I remember when there was still a few of these old double rear window International pickups running around my home town of Ruskin Nebraska that were real similar to this one. 
The one that really sticks in my mind was the one a mechanic at the local John Deere shop drove for as long as I can remember. 
His name was Elmer Lipker and he worked at that shop the whole time I was growing up. 
The thing I remember about Elmer was he had smoked a pipe for so long that his mouth had almost grown around it on one side. 
He was a great mechanic and also took good care of his old International pickup up to the day he could not drive any longer. 
I often wonder where that old truck ended up when I drive by his home there in Ruskin where he and his wife lived their lives, raised a family and were very good friends with my parents. 
It’s amazing how we thought back in those days, if it was not a Ford it was not worth thinking about and today people are making any model including Internationals look fabulous. 
It just goes to show you, they all deserve a second chance and this one that has been planted in this Sandhills pasture is just sitting there dreaming of the day it gets to make its national or International debut on the streets again. RIP

1946 Chevrolet Truck

A few summers ago while doing a little inrustigation in northeast Nebraska I came across this 1946 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup that has been keeping the grass from growing under it for many years. 
I spoke to the owner of the land and he told me a good friend of his owns it and needed a place to park years ago and guess what? He has been mowing around it ever since. 
I like these old Chevy's, but it has not been that many years ago most people would walk right by one like this to get to the Ford. 
One thing that is neat about the vehicles that were manufactured around WW2 is that parts were used that were left over from other cars by the manufacturer, since parts and steel was a premium at that time. 
For instance, did you know the park lights on the top of the headlights of these trucks in 1941 were left over from 1939 Pontiacs? 
By 1942 Chevrolet ran out of those Pontiac parts and then designed a park light that was manufactured exclusively for the truck, which is shown on this 1946. 
There is not much difference between a 1941-42-46 and 47 Chevrolet truck. 
Most people cannot tell them apart. 
One thing that is a for sure identification in the field is the 1941 had a lock in the passenger door handle only and the 1942-47 had the lock on the passenger side under the door handle. They never had the drivers side lock accessible from the outside. 
Think how that has changed, when it comes to convenience. 
I always though it was odd that the 1941 models had a rubber gas tank grommet, while the 42-47 used a leather grommet. You would think it would be the other way around. 
At any cost, some of the decisions made back in the day while manufacturing may not make sense to us today, there is one thing for sure, a truck like this that rolled out of Detroit in 1946 was destined to be used for what it was by a man that probably came home dirtier in one day than most of us do in a week all put together. 
These Art Deco trucks truly were the back bone of America during this era just like the men and women who are out there today using their trucks to get the work done, coming home late and starting early to keep this great country rolling, making it the best place on the planet to call home. RIP