*No Reserve* 1949 Chevrolet Pickup Wrecker Rat Rod Ratrod or Restoration Project

1949 Chevrolet Other Pickups Old school wrecker *No Reserve* Description

1949 Chevy Pickup Unique Wrecker Rat Rod or Restoration Project
This truck is truly one of a kind. If you are looking for the ultimate rat rod with an awesome patina this would be the perfect project. It would be really great as a parts runner for a hot rod or repair shop.
It is a ¾ ton SWB that was a tow vehicle for an automotive shop here in Oklahoma City back in the 60’s or 70’s. It still has the hand painted repair shop signage on the doors. The “hand operated” draw works on the wrecker bed is still functional although if you actually wanted to use it to tow something you would need new cables & sling material etc. but it is there and operates.
This truck had been setting for 20+ years and is not in driving shape but the motor starts up, runs and sounds pretty good. Dad says that the motor is a rare 261 motor which from what is says is a very rare engine. Straight 6 with a 4 speed in the floor. My dad gave this to me for my birthday last year and I have not had the time to work on it and now I am moving to another state and can’t take it with me. I think with a battery and brakes you could drive it. Its not a driver but its not that far off. I don't think the electric has been converted to 12v so it would prob need a new wiring harness.
Update: There have been questions about the "running condition" so I will elaborate. The truck is a project, not a driver. My dad brought the truck home. He cleaned the carb, replaced the gas tank, added an electric fuel pump, installed plugs and other small repairs to get the motor started to check it out. The motor ran fine, smooth with no smoke. It is full of fresh antifreeze and does not have a cracked block or radiator. The clutch was initially stuck but when the motor started it freed up and the transmission appeared to engage properly. But it has NOT been driven or road tested in any way. The battery and fuel pump were wired in directly just to test the motor out but it may need a wiring harness before it starts & runs properly using the key switch. You are buying a project with solid body that does have some thru-rust in the floor pan around the battery box on the passenger side. The motor will start and run fine. The transmission/clutch has not been tested. It will have to be pulled onto a trailer and taken away, we will not be able to drive it onto a trailer.. This is as much as I know so please bid accordingly.
I am not knowledgeable enough about these old trucks to know if it is 100% original. It appears to be very solid to me. I checked the cab corners and they do not appear to have been patched and they have a couple small pinholes. Overall the body looks solid and cancer free. There is the usual rusting around the battery box and there is some rust inside the cab where side panels meet the floorboards (please see new image added). It has a very thick coat of surface rust (patina) over the hood & cab tops. I know the brakes DO NOT work. It will definitely have to go home on a trailer. The old split rim wheels were bad so we put some late model steel wheels on just so we could transport it to my house on a dolly.
Clear Oklahoma Title in my name, serial # on the title matches the serial number on the truck.When I first seen the truck my first thought was “Mater” off the kids movie “Cars”. It is very unique, the patina (surface rust) is very solid. This truck could be clear coated and left like it is or restored. No major bumps or dings in the sheet metal The rear of the wrecker bed does have a bend in it where someone hooked a chain to pull something, but I believe a hammer can work that out.
I am not an expert on older trucks but if you have any questions or need more detailed photos I will be glad to oblige.
I am not setting a reserve on this truck so bid to win. I will expect $500 deposit via PayPal within 24 hours after auction end and the balance to be paid in cash/certified funds within 7 days when you pick the truck up. It could be arranged to be picked up later if you are coming from out of state but I would need payment via wire transfer or certified check within the 7 days or I will need to relist the truck. Deposit non-refundable.
I have had couple people ask about the dimensions to see if it would fit in a shipping container so I thought I would just go ahead and post them here.
OK. These measurements are not exact but the best I could do by myself and are plenty accurate enough to determine that it will fit inside a standard 20’ shipping container.

82” (208cm) The height to the top of the boom
85” (216cm) The height to the top of the lights on the headache rack. (tallest point on the truck)
79” (201cm) The height to the top of the headache rack if the lights were removed. The lights could be removed but I would not guarantee they would not break in the process.
73” (185cm) The width of the metal bed.This appears to be the same width as the front fenders.They “might” be a little wider.
79” (201cm) The width of the metal bed including the hand crank for the winch draw works.This hand could be removed if needed.
84” (213cm) The width of the headache rack on top of the cab. (widest point)
192” (487cm) The length from the front bumper to the furthest reach of the boom in the rear. This was hard to measure so I padded this measurement a couple inches.

So I checked and the inside dimensions of a standard 20’ Cargo container are
Length 233” 5.91m
Width 92” 2.34m
Height 93.5” 2.37m
So there should be no issues with fitting it inside a standard 20’ shipping container.