The GMC CCKW

I was just wondering if anyone knows who actually designed the CCKW?

Thanks,

Matt.

Obviously not the same team that designed the Chevy OR the same team that was ordered by mgt to make them different for replacement parts purposes!

I believe the later

Some believe that the open cab CCKW was designed by Studebaker. I believe the original complete design came originally from the first Army 6x6's of the mid thirties and progressed from there. I could be wrong , however, as I am quite often.

I have been told that GM worked closely with the Military commitees during the 30's, to design a truck that would be suitable for military use, but also for commercial sale.

GMC had a 6x6 truck commercially available in either 1937 or 1938.

I havent been able to find out as much detail as I would like, there is some detail on various websites, I dont have any reference as i write this.
It was very similar to the ACKWX.

There is also reference to Major Herrington and Marmon-Herrington company.

There are little pieces of info that I am curious about.

As a for instance, it is stated that the CCKW used an "of-the shelf"
Timken T79 transfer case, so someone was obviously making use of a
3-driven-axle truck...as it would take a fair lead time to design and manafacture such an item. ie if it was in use in 1937/38 on GM 6x6,
design would probably have started well before that.

If you look at the the trucks that GM made for the US army back in the 30's, most were made in very low quanities.

The 1st significant order was for the model 4929 in 1938. This was a 3 ton rated 3 axle truck. It was ordered in much larger quanites than most historians realised. I have researched this truck in a local library after seeing a picture of a number of them in National Guard service in 1941 in NH in a parade. This truck obviously had Timken drive parts coupled to a Chevrolet 4 speed and an Oldsmobile flathead 6 cylinder engine all in a 1938 GMC truck chassis. The cargo body had a narrow body with external fenders sort of like a stepside pickup truck.

Does anyone have a picture of one of these 1938 trucks?
I would love to see what one would have looked like.

Thanks,Matt

I will post one tonight

Is that one in the front?

No

Probably the only one left in the world! Model 4929 This pix was sent to me by someone in California USA a couple years ago. It is not there now...




This site hates me!!! I cannot make it put the picture in here so I have spaced it out from the commands which I have edited 8 times! Click on the URL and you can see the truck.

Thanks Doc I think I know were one is. It might be that one. It too is OD green But I think there was some words on the door.If it is that one. It has been taken apart. Nice to see a picture of one.

Here you go Doc

To post picture you must post the picture not the link to the picture, find the picture you want to post on the internet,right click on the picture then select properties from the drop down menu,look for the location and copy and paste into the box on the forum. If your correct the address you paste will end in .jpg or .gif or some other picture format. Highlight the address after you've pasted it into the forum message then click the IMG tag .

Have fun

There was one for sale around 5 years ago up in North Texas with faint National Guard markings on the doors. If I remember it had crossed cannons on the door, so was probably used to pull artillery pieces. I don't know what ever happend to it. It was missing the bed, front grill, but was mostly there.

Here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

Hey Chappers
Nice photo
Is this a recent picture?
Is this old jewel avail.?
Please, let it be on my side of the pond
Regards
John

Can anyone confirm this truck was availabe in 1937 ? (6x6)

I presume some Sales or Production info must be available that indicates
that it was, otherwise my informant would not have said so, he has had access to data about GM historical production in the past.

I will try and clarify this..

According to Bart Vanderveen: Observer's Army Vehicles Directory to 1940 page 330 it was a 1938.

Having said that, I will try to find my civy GMC book and see if that grill in the pix above is a 37 or 38.

That cab was only made in 1937 and 1938

The 1939 cab "looked" like the CCKW cab and you would swear was the same, but was different and the 1936 cab "look" somewhat like the 37-38 cab but as I recall was shorter and squarer.

The grill on the 37 and 38 are the same its the hood that is different the 37 has slats on it.(Note hood in picture of a 37)The 38 is like the 39,40 hoods. But,I don't know if this is true with the 4929.
They didn't use civilan fenders on the 4929.Looks like they cut off the sides.
The truck in your picture is a 38.
There are two cab types in 36.The high cab is like the 35.
The 36 low cab is the same as the 37 and 38 cab except the wind sheild on the 36 is 12" and the 37,38 is 14".
I think Gmc started building the low cab in may of 36.
I have owned both the high and low cab trucks and I still own my grandfathers 38 wish it was a 4929
Doc what's the differance between the 39 cab and the closed cab cckw?

The 39-40 cab (which I am told are different from each other in minor parts ways) have a completely flat cowl. When you open the hood on a civy or mil 41-46 chev or GMC the cowl juts out towards the motor about 1-1.5" under the hood. This was done to give more leg and foot room.

If you are ever at a civy truck show and see a 39-40 chev or GMC PU truck, look at the cowl with the hood up. This difference jumps right out at you

Thanks for the info on the 37-38 grills. My civy GMC book did not have any pix of 38 trucks.