A trio of old trucks

Old trucks are like a magnet drawing me in and in our travels we come across a great number of them. In this pass we see a couple old GMCs and a real gem, an ancient Fargo. All of these appear to be old farm trucks, not surprising given our location here on the prairies. Two were found in small town Alberta and one in our home base of Calgary.

The first truck we see is a Fargo, dating from the period 1939-1947. I am afraid I can’t narrow it down more. I am an avid truck photographer but my IDing skills are pretty basic. If someone reading this knows the exact year it could be from, as always I invite input.

A Fargo was essentially a re-badged Dodge truck that could be purchased at Plymouth dealers. Outside of emblems and hood ornaments and other minor details, most everything was interchange between the two lines, even tail gates, although each was stamped with it’s respective brand name. Seen in Canada, where they seemed to be quite popular (based on how many we come across), and other select countries, they were not found in the US. This makes them relatively rare overall, even in spite of selling fairly well in our country.

By the time production of this model wound down in 1947, it was a rather dated looking design (IMO), especially the headlights which sit above the fenders old school style instead of being incorporated into them as was the trend at the time.

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The Fargo brand dates back to the late 1920s although I believe it came on the scene a bit later in Canada. Produced up until 1972 (in Canada), afterwards Plymouth dealers took to selling Dodge trucks.

You will note this trucks has only a single windshield wiper – the other is not missing, it was never put in – and this was not all that uncommon when it was new. What farmer wanted to spend money on something so frivolous as a second windshield wiper? It looks like the signal lights were added later too, and again old trucks did not always come from the factory with such “luxury” options. When peering inside I saw the speedometer went to 80mph – wishful thinking I’d say! In all likelihood, given the rough roads of the day and the hard working nature of the truck, it was doubtful if it ever went even remotely close to that speed.

This beauty was seen in Champion Alberta in February 2013. It appears mostly complete, although the interior is rough, perhaps partially the result of a missing side window. There are some dents on the fender and roof and other minor ding, but overall it appears solid and it would make a really nice restoration project.

The second truck is the ubiquitous GMC half ton from 1948-1954 (again my IDing skills are not good enough to date to the exact year – help anyone?). This model, along with its Chevy counterpart was called the “Advanced Design” and is likely the most common half ton to be seen on the prairies. Many of course were old farm trucks and most of the ones we see today around here likely have that lineage.

This example, seen in Carmangay Alberta in February 2013, is obviously under restoration and is drivable. At least somewhat as in the time it took us to walk around town, it had been moved. It looks like the makings of a nice a nice project.

The third truck, a GMC seen in Calgary in January 2013, dates form the period 1941-1947. This one too looks solid, complete and restorable. There appeared to be faint remnants of a sign painted in the doors but it was impossible to make out. Like the Fargo mentioned in this report, this truck has only a single windshield wiper. I guess the passenger didn’t need to see anyway.

Interestingly, GMC trucks from that era in Canada were often called Maple Leaf (1930s-1950s?). Oddly I have also seen where Chevrolet’s were so labelled and this author has no solid data on why some were branded one way one way and others another, and I’d be happy to hear from our readers if they known more about this.

To see more old truck articles, follow these links…
Vintage vehicles found on a wonderful long weekend.
A treasure trove of old trucks.
Old trucks of the Crowsnest.

If you wish more information on these trucks, by all means contact us!

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1939-1947 Fargo truck

This Fargo truck dates from 1939-1947.

Fargo emblem

Fargo was essentially a re-badged Dodge truck sold at Plymouth dealers.

Fargo world hood ornament

Fargo was sold all over the world, except in the US, hence the globe hood ornament.

Fargo pickup interior

The interior looks complete but rough.

Fargo truck

The exterior looks solid too.

GMC pickup

Probably the most common old truck seen on the prairies, the ubiquitous GMC pickup.

GMC pickup truck

The truck must run as it moved in the time it took us to walk around the area.

1941-1947 GMC truck

This GMC truck could date from 1941-1947.

1940s GMC truck

It too appears fairly solid and complete.

6 responses

  1. tony says:

    Hi Chris,
    I have a 1939 Fargo and my headlights are on the fender but in toward the hood not in the centre so it has to be newer. 1937 and 1938 were also different from the 1939 they protruded from the side of the grill.

  2. Ivan says:

    I have a 1947 Fargo, and would be interested in acquiring that hood ornament. Any info you could provide on the location would be appreciated.

    Thanks.

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      This truck is not in my town and I am not sure who owns it, however I am not certain this truck is ready to be parted out just yet. It looks complete and in not bad shape. None the less, I’ll send you what I know. Have great day!

  3. Big M says:

    Can you tell me about that Fargo? Like do you know who owns it or at least can you show me where it’s at? I am a truck collector and am interested in it. Thanks,

    • ChrisBigDoer says:

      I don’t know who owns it but I’ll email information on where it’s located. What a nice truck and I am sure with a little (heck a lot) of TLC, it would be quite a show piece. I wish I had the resources to tackle some restoration jobs like this.

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