1946 Diamond T COE: Rare Texaco Service Truck! Rat Rod Gasser Petroleum oil gas.

Description

1946 DIAMOND T COE CABOVER TEXACO SERVICE TRUCK
This is a neat old truck. It's not easy to find a 40's cabover in general, but this is the only one I've seen with a service bed still on it. Great patina on this. I don't know the history of the truck, but I believe it to be a retired texaco truck. Most likely used at a service station, mechanic, or bulk fuel/oil supplier. The texaco stickers are still on the tailgate and look old. The doors had signs on them that look identical to some texaco signs reproduced also. Most of the ones I found in this particular shape, are Texaco oil distributor signs with the specific distributor on them. I'm sure you could have them made custom with your info on them. This has a bed on it that looks to have been built to haul cars if necessary. It is a very sturdy bed and has diamond plate where the car wheels would sit. With HD aluminum 8' ramps, I think you could load a car on it easily. It would be a cool truck for show or race cars. Bonneville hauler/push rig maybe? This truck is very complete, it has very little rust, and a clear title in my name. I would personally put a different motor/transmission in it and drive it as-is. It's got great patina and I like the look of the original dayton wheels. Here are all the details on the truck. I have a dropbox file with many more pics. I have shipped larger vehicles like this and it is not difficult. I can help with the process and pricing. A lowboy is not needed. Regular car haulers will haul it no problem with a wedge or flatbed trailer, it just can't go on a stacker trailer. Thanks and happy bidding. Feel free to ask questions. I have more pics also.
MECHANICAL
This truck has what appears to be the original drivetrain. I have not tried to turn the motor over. It looks complete, including the original air cleaner. The spark plugs were out of it when I bought the truck, and it just looks like it probably needs rebuilt. It may turn over and may run though with some work. Looks don't really mean anything. I just don't know for sure. It is the flathead six cylinder with manual transmission. The transmission shifts and does hold the truck on a hill. The clutch works. The truck rolls and steers fine and the tires hold air. I would guess the truck was under-powerered with the flathead six, so I planned on a newer engine and auto transmission. Besides that I would just do brake work and maybe wiring and drive it as-is. I like the way the truck looks now, but these look good just about any way you do them.
BODY
The body on this truck is exceptionally nice for an un-restored truck that is 72 years old. It is very straight and nearly rust free. It does have a little, which I'll detail. Anything else you see in the pics that looks like rust, is not. There is light surface rust where the paint has come off all over. There is also paint peeling everywhere on it that kind of makes it look crusty, but I have looked it over extensively. The rust is: Minor rust on the vertical metal between the running board and the door, on the drivers side. This is flat metal, and easy to repair. There is also a spot in the very bottom of the cab, in the rear. This is vertical flat metal also. This spot is larger. About 4"X24" approximately. The drivers side cab corner has a little rust that will need repaired. Passenger side has very small bubbles so it may need a small. The doors both have rust in the bottoms and a little on the inside of the drivers door. They are not bad but will need some repair. The doors shut and latch fine. One tiny spot of rust on the bumper filler. No rust in the jams, and the hinges aren't screwed up or rusted. The front windshields roll in and out still! Normally the windshields on a truck this old would not operate without some work. All the glass is flat in this. It needs door glass but the rear glass and windshields are usable. Passenger windshield is cracked etc. but usable. Flat glass is generally cheap to have made though. The hood (doesn't open. None of them did), fenders, steps, jams, floors, dash, cowl, floors, engine cover panels (don't know if that's what they are called), engine access covers, etc. are in nice shape. Frame is nice. The bed is nice also but the bottom of one of the tool boxes is rusted out. I'll check double check the others also. This is normal for these toolboxes and easy to repair with flat metal. The bed needs some new wood decking, which is easy to do and I may even have some older boards that would match the patina but I'm not sure. I'll check, and include them if I have some. The grille bars need rechromed but are in nice shape. The vertical support/mounting bar for the grille is slightly tweaked, but primarily needs adjusted a little. Overall, the body is really nice and solid for a project. It's surprisingly straight for a work truck this old, which nice if you plan on a restoration. Especially the fenders. You can get a lot of hours wrapped up into straightening dents in these old trucks, but this one will be relatively easy.
INTERIOR
There is not much interior to speak of in these trucks. This has seats that are in decent shape actually and comfortable. Very usable for a driver rat truck. The gauges are all in it and the dash is not cut up. Everything looks original. No carpet or floormat, and the floor pans and engine cover are nice. Windshields roll in and out. The cowl vent operates a little but needs lubed up.
Very cool old truck. Used and sold as-is.