The last CCKW

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:25 am

With the vast amount of knowlede on this site, does anyone know when the last CCKW left GMC and the last serial number of the series.
I assume it is August 1945 but I could be wrong. Thanks for any information that might be available.

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 9:41 am

Try 562750 give or take a truck or two.

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:52 am

Thanks Joel.

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:02 am

About 50/50 W/Winch, WO/Winch.

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:51 am

How about the last month of production, Joel. Is it August, or did they make them longer?

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:03 am

There is only one person that I can think in the MVPA or collector community who has had access to and published CCKW Data/History, and that is Bryce Sunderlin and his sidekick Lloyd White. Fred Crismon may comment on it in his book "US Military Wheeled Vehicles" that was published a few years ago. have a CCKW Data plate Collection of about 20 plates, there is a 1945 Plate or two, but I misplaced them 20 years ago.

42cckw · Post by **42cckw** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:34 pm

I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS CORRECT OR NOT BUT THE IMFORMATION THAT I HAVE SHOWS MAY 1945 AS THE LAST PRODUCTION MONTH FOR THE CCKW STARTING WITH SER# 538373 AND ENDING WITH SER# 562750. SO IF THIS IS CORRECT THAN 562750 WOULD HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING THE LAST GREAT CCKW THAT GMC EVER PRODUCED. BOY WHAT A FIND THAT WOULD BE

HOW ABOUT IT DOES ANYONE HAVE IT OR KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO IT

. ITS PROBABLE STILL IN NOS CONDITION AND JOEL HAS IT TUCKED SAFELY AWAY SAFE FROM PRYING EYES

JIM 42CCKW

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:17 pm

There's actually a very good chance that it does survive if it was sent to Europe following WW2,on the other hand it could have ended up in Korea or Vietnam(with the French).

Matt.

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 5:05 pm

Unused CCKWs of all body types were sold direct from storage by the hundreds immediately after WWII. We bought USA 4819485, a 1945, at a sale at Boston Army Base in 45 or 46. Last time I saw it in the early 60s it was a Crane Carrier. The mate to, another New 1945 CCKW from the same sale, burned in a fire (1995) at Stetson Maine when lightning struck the barn it was in. Some of its Splash Shields are on my CCKW. The Maine National Guard turned in a mixture of early and late CCKW LWB Cargos in 1952 that they processed for shipment to NATO in Europe. Just because an excess CCKW was new, did not mean it was kept until the used ones were sold, surplus trucks were being dumped from storage all over the US. Look at all the 41-42 SWB trucks from Norway, and the assortment of LWBs of all years from that same country. There was no pattern.

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:29 am

Now I am more confused than ever. Therefore I have to make some assumptions. I have a data plate from a CCKW tipper I found not far from San Antonio, that is the impudice for this thread. If the last month of production would be May of 1945 with the last serial number being around 562750 then the assumption would have to be that the DOD of the truck to the Army could be more than 6 months after the date of manufacture. Would this assumption be correct?

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:46 am

It has been explained that a cab and chassis may be parked in storage for a considerable amount of time while awaiting the subcontractor to install a specialized body. In this case the end product was a dump truck.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:57 am

Hi AD,

It could be as there is evidence that chassis were made and stockpiled to a degree at least. the earlier trucks are easier to pin down as to date because of the detailed production data in the early TM 10 manuals,the earlier trucks did match their manuals quite well but with the late closed cab and open cab trucks it gets much harder. unless some form of documentation comes to light any attempt to tie down exactly when production ended will always be based on guess work.

I have tried to get info from GM but they are not at all helpful. another approach to try would be to attempt to find records with the military of orders placed with GM but I have no idea where to start looking or if those records have even been kept.

Matt.

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:16 am

National Archives. You can celebrate many birthdays there while researching. It could also be done at Aberdeen Proving Ground back years ago when records were available. In 1962, when I was stationed there, there were civilian employees that had been there since WWII.

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:21 am

As with any research it's knowing where the records are located,and I have found that in the US things are far easier to get hold of then here in Britain.

I got all the records for the 1229th QM Co(AVN) which is the unit my Command Car was with,after one email to the USAF records center.

Matt.

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 12:11 pm

therefore, in going with Joel's train of thought. the serial number might have been stamped on the frame and dataplate and the DOD sometime later when the Army took possession of the truck. Would I be correct in assuming this?

joel gopan · Post by **joel gopan** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 9:04 pm

The last of the 1945 Cargo trucks had Composite Steel Body with the "Linked" Splash Shields on the Rear ONLY.
Joel

The GMC CCKW

The last CCKW

The last CCKW

THE LAST CCKW