The GMC CCKW

Have a look at the truck on this web page. It's obvious that the truck was used and abused.

http://www.bigoldiron.com/cranes.html

--Nick

Annie's extended family. Mabel, Moe, Boomer, Iron Mike, Nuts and Heckle.

These old trucks were used for everything needed in the civilian world following the War. Sadly they were used up and to collectors like us it is shameful, but to the companies that used them , making a profit was what these trucks were relegated to. Poor old Betty Boop was actually in worst repair than this truck when I started on her restoration.

It is very sad indeed that trucks were surplused to contractors and private individuals, but on the plus side, it kept the need for surplus parts alive in the USA for 50 years. They were a market in a magnitude that the collectors will never match. They bought thousands of trucks and made large dealers like, Alretta, American Auto Parts, Bergs, Willenskys, Dixie Parts, Rex Tex, Down Town Truck, Memphis Equipment, Harry Reiter, Sam Winer, Mott Haven, Merit Truck Parts, Mutual truck Parts, Highland Auto, Houston Truck and Equipment, GM Wilson, NAPCO, Ring Brothers, Firestone Motors, Maury Klyne, Red River, Sarafans, Si Kloner, Supreme Surplus, Southeastern Equipment, Transportation Parts Owl, Southern Parts and on and on. Where are they now? Without these places there would be nothing left for the smaller dealers of restoration parts that have little in compared to what has been. For all of these large dealers, there were dozens of other smaller dealers that they wholesaled to, the smaller dealers were well spread out within the lower 48. There was also a network of dealers thruout the world that bought surplus from the military. That is another story.
You gotta think big and that is hard to do with today's avarage collector with his one rescued truck.
Don't get me wrong, as some collectors do get out and scour the world for good trucks and unique parts. That list is alot smaller though.

About seven years ago I was visiting with an old guy in my hometown in Louisiana and we were talking about the CCKW's. He related the story of Bayou State Oil Company buying 8 of them from the Red River Arsenal in 1947 and he was one of the dlrivers that drove the trucks to Louisiana to be fitted with oil well work over rigs. Of course over the years the old trucks were abused and used up and eventually left to rot in the various oilfields around North Louisiana.

Are you familiar with the Monroe Louisiana area?

Interesting with cranes etc. There are what I call English cranes like Annie and American cranes. Annie has the cab/controls on the "wrong" side. Some time in the 50's I believe that changed to the operator to be on the "correct" (American) side