The Advance-Design is a light and medium duty truck series by
Chevrolet, their first major redesign after WWII. Its GMC counterpart was the GMC New Design. It was billed as a larger, stronger, and sleeker design in comparison to the earlier
AK Series. First available on Saturday, June 28, 1947, these trucks were sold with various minor changes over the years until March 25, 1955, when the
Task Force Series trucks replaced the Advance-Design model.
The same basic design family was used for all of its trucks including the
Suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...
, panel trucks,
canopy express, and
cab over
Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting ab ...
s. The cab overs used the same basic cab configuration and similar grille but used a shorter and taller hood and different fenders. The unique cab over fenders and hood required a custom cowl area which makes the cab over engine cabs and normal truck cabs incompatible with one another while all truck cabs of all weights interchange.
From 1947 until 1955, Chevrolet trucks were number one in sales in the United States, with rebranded versions sold at
GMC locations.
While
General Motors used this front end sheet metal, and to a slightly lesser extent the cab, on all of its trucks except for the
cab over
Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a semi-hood, with the cab of the truck sitting ab ...
s, there are three main sizes of this truck: the half-, three-quarter-, and full-ton capacities in short and long wheelbase.
Differences
1947 - Gasoline tank filler neck on passenger side of bed. No vent windows in doors. Hood side emblems read "Chevrolet" with "Thriftmaster" or "Loadmaster" underneath. Serial numbers: EP ton, ER ton, & ES 1 ton. Radios were first available in Chevrolet trucks as an "in dash" option on the "Advance-Design" body style.
1948 -
Manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear chang ...
shifter now mounted on column instead of floor. Serial numbers codes: FP ton, FR ton, & FS 1 ton.
Early 1949 - Gasoline tank now mounted upright behind seat in cab; filler neck aft of passenger door handle. New serial number codes: GP ton, GR ton, & GS 1 ton.
Late 1949 - Hood side emblems no longer read "Thriftmaster" or "Loadmaster", but are now numbers that designate cargo capacity: 3100 on ton, 3600 on ton, 3800 on 1 ton. Serial number codes remain the same as on early 1949.
1950 - Telescopic
shock absorbers
A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
replace lever-action type. Last year for driver's side cowl vent, its handle is now flat steel, not maroon knob as in previous years. New serial number codes: HP ton, HR ton, & HS 1 ton.
1951 - Doors now have vent windows. Mid-year change from 9-board bed to 8 boards per bed. Last year for 80 MPH speedometer, chrome window handle knobs, and chrome wiper knob. New serial number codes: JP ton, JR ton, & JS 1 ton.
1952 - Outer door handles are now push button type as opposed to the previous turn down style. Speedometer now reads to 90 mph and dashboard trim is painted instead of chrome. Mid-year, Chevrolet stops using the 3100-6400 designation on the hood and changes to maroon window and wiper knobs. New serial number codes: KP ton, KR ton, & KS 1 ton.
1953 - Last year for the
216 in3 inline-six
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...
. Hood side emblems now only read 3100, 3600, 3800, 4400, or 6400 in large print. Door post ID plate now blue with silver letters (previous models used black with silver letters). Last year to use wooden blocks as bed supports. New serial number codes: H ton, J ton, & L 1 ton.
1954 - Only year for significant design changes. Windshield now curved one-piece glass without center vertical dividing strip. Revised steering wheel. Revised dashboard. Cargo bed rails, previously angled, now horizontal. Tail lights round instead of rectangular. Grille changed from five horizontal slats to crossbar design commonly referred to as a "bull nose" grille, similar to modern Dodge truck grille. Engine now
235 in3 straight-6
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bal ...
. Serial number codes unchanged from 1953.
Hydramatic
Hydramatic (also known as Hydra-Matic) is an automatic transmission developed by both General Motors' Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. Introduced in 1939 for the 1940 model year vehicles, the ''Hydramatic'' was the first mass-produced fully- ...
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gea ...
is available for the first time as a paid for option.
1955 First Series - Similar to the 1954 model year, except redesigned hood-side emblems and modern open
driveshaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft ( Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to conne ...
in place of enclosed
torque tube
A torque tube system is a power transmission and braking technology that involves a stationary housing around the drive shaft, often used in automobiles with a front engine and rear drive. The torque tube consists of a large diameter stationary ...
. Serial number codes unchanged from 1953 and 1954.
File:Chevy thriftmaster 1948.jpg, 1948 Chevrolet Thriftmaster pickup truck
File:1952 Chevrolet Pickup PBC612.jpg, 1951 Chevrolet Advance Design
File:1954 Chevrolet 3100.jpg, 1954 Chevrolet 3100
File:1954 GMC 100 truck in red.jpg, 1954 GMC 100
File:1951 Chevrolet 3100 Panel pic4.JPG, 1951 Chevrolet 3100 panel van
File:Chevrolet_3100_LA.jpg, Chevrolet 3100
File:1949 Chevrolet 3100 Suburban Carryall, front right (Hershey 2019).jpg, 1949 Chevrolet Suburban
GMC HC-Series
The GMC HC-Series is a
medium/heavy-duty version of the Chevrolet Advance Design
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
. The truck was mostly used as a semi-truck although smaller versions were also made and were available. The truck had a narrower hood and fenders compared to its lighter counterparts.
Air brakes were a feature included in this truck. The truck could carry
GVW
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
Curb or kerb weight
Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...
or
GCW depending on the version of the truck.
[>] A
cab-over version based on the HC-Series was also produced, under the ''HF-Series'' name, although it was popularly nicknamed the ''Cannonball'',
[2>] after a
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...
featuring it. It continued until 1958, when it was replaced by the GMC F/D "Crackerbox".
Styling legacy
With the truck proving to be very popular in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, the same "Advanced-Design" styling was used on other trucks, made overseas by
General Motors's divisions such as
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA ...
and
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
. The re-designed 1952
Opel Blitz
Opel Blitz (''Blitz'' being German for "lightning") was the name given to various light and middle-weight trucks built by the German Opel automobile manufacturer between 1930 and 1975. The original logo for this truck, two stripes arranged loose ...
was similar in appearance while
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a brand of vehicle manufactured by Vauxhall Motors, then a subsidiary of multinational corporation General Motors. Established in April 1931, Bedford Vehicles was set up to build com ...
imported a Chevrolet Advance Design truck to study its design and use it as the basis for their upcoming
Bedford A-Type truck.
[8>]
During the retro-craze of the 2000s, the style of the Advance Design was used for the
Chevrolet SSR
The Chevrolet SSR (Super Sport Roadster) is a retro-styled retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006.
The 2003 and 2004 model years used General Motors' 5.3 L 300 hp '' Vortec 53 ...
and later for the
Chevrolet HHR
The Chevrolet HHR (an initialism for Heritage High Roof) is a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive crossover designed by Bryan Nesbitt and launched by the American automaker Chevrolet at the 2005 Los Angele ...
crossover SUV
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ...
which lasted in production until 2012; finally ending the legacy of the Chevrolet Advance Design trucks.
References
External links
*
{{Early Chevrolet Trucks
Pickup trucks
Advance Design
1940s cars
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
1950s cars
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Vans
Panel trucks