Danbury Mint 1937 Chevrolet

Anyone who ever visited our forum knows I have a love, no make that a passion for old trucks. They are like a seductive woman standing on a street corner calling my name. I'm weak what can I say, for old trucks that is.

I can't help myself I just love them and nobody does old trucks in 1:24th scale better than Danbury Mint, nobody. Therefore, when one crosses my desk and I fondle it for the first time I am a kid all over again, in love that is.

You see I grew up in the coal-mining region of North East PA. Most folks back when I was a kid just scraped by to exist. There were no fancy cars here. If you were lucky enough to own a vehicle it had to do it all. Therefore, a truck was the mainstay in any household that could afford one. It served as the family car, truck and any thing else you might conjure it up to do.

Our neighbor, Andy, added a homemade pulley and belt to the rear wheel and used it to power a table saw. Many a day he would yell across the yard to my mother to send the kid over for a while. I always jumped at that chore; I sat in the truck giving it gas to power the blade all day. As an added bonus Andy allowed me to stack the lumber once it was cut.

My merit didn't go without pay I was no fool. I received a whole nickel for my labor, which was generally eight hours. Not bad, not bad at all. I was able to afford a fudgesicle when the ice creme truck came around. As you can deduce I was a very bright kid and I am still as sharp as a tack today.

So now my home is full of old die-cast trucks. Visitors often ask me, which is my favorite. Without hesitation it would be the 1937 Chevrolet Half-Ton Pickup Model GC in Bordeaux Maroon with Black fenders. This is the sexiest truck I own. Pretty strong words for a truck but I assure you she is.

She seduced me the first time I laid eyes on her. I new immediately I had to have her no matter what the cost. I pondered how we could begin our affair? I planned on sneaking her into the house once my wife left for work. My plan succeeded and it wasn't long after our eyes first met I held her in my hands for the first time and adored her like no other. I am ashamed to say our affair rages on after all these years. The passion for her is still as strong as when we first met and she always makes me smile no matter how bad the day is.

Chevrolet's modern pickup era began in 1937 when management filled in the holes in the model lineups. Prior to 1937 the company produced a Commercial model (1/2-ton) and a Heavy Truck (1 1/2-ton). The gaps were closed with the introduction of 3/4- and one-ton models. Actually these new models came late in the model year in July 1937. Another interesting development was that the trucks again shared the styling traits of automobiles.

Available bodies included pickup, stake, and platform. The new pickup body had an inside length of 78-inches, an inside width of 45 3/4-inches and an inside height of 14-inches. Its capacity was 32.2 cubic feet or an increase of 13 percent over the 1/2-ton model.

The OHV truck engine, for all models, was increased in size to 216.5 cubic inches. Compression ratio was at 6.25:1. Brake horsepower increased to 85 at 3200rpm and torque was at 170 ft-lbs.

In 1937 Chevrolet also offered a Commercial Series built on an automobile's chassis. Included were the Sedan Delivery and a Coupe Pickup. The Coupe Pickup was simply the Master Series coupe with a slide-in pickup body. The trunk lid could be removed when using the pickup box. The Coupe Pickup dated back to 1936 and the Sedan Delivery was a modified two-door Chevrolet Sedan. Chevrolet's exclusive Suburban station wagon was in its third model year in 1937.

Basically, this is the one that turned the old workhorse pickup truck into something that the family wasn't ashamed to drive to church on Sunday. Come Monday it would be hauling a load coal, my kind of vehicle.

Danbury Mint captured the beauty of this truck perfectly. What's not to love look into those eyes, I mean headlights. They twinkle at you full of love and passion. Maybe it is the accent of the fog lights that makes this model so appealing or its slopping shield like grille. No, it has to be those big round fenders that make her look like she is smiling at you. Whatever it is, she sure is beautiful.

The finish on this model is glass like. Fit on all panels is tight with the doors snapping closed tightly. The hood sports the Chevrolet bow tie on each panel and it opens from either side. Once open you will be impressed with a beautifully detailed Chevy straight six-cylinder engine.

Peering into the interior you will find the same quality and craftsmanship with readable gauges, stick shift, parking brake, manual windshield wiper, spotlight handle and heater.

Now I said she was hot, but you don't know how hot until you lift her seat cushion. You are sitting on her gas tank you have to move the cushion to fill her up with gas. I hope you didn't smoke when you were tooling around in this ole girl, you might really make her mad if you know what I mean.

The bottom line is you are viewing one of finest pickups that Danbury Mint ever made. If you are like me and love old trucks, place this one on your list of must haves you won't be sorry, I promise.