Better Late than Never: 14,000 Mile 1947 Pick Up

Barn finds - as I learned all too recently - often fail to live up to their potential.  Bats live in barns.  So do chickens, rats, racoons, mice,  and bugs, none of which are particularly good for longterm car storage.  But sometimes, the car in the barn is all you could hope for.

 Such is the case with this incredible 1947 Crosley Pickup that popped up on Ebay a couple of weeks ago.  The truck is a southern California car that was put away about a half century ago with 14,000 miles on the clock.   Pulled out of storage recently, they replaced the tires and radiator cap, boiled the gas tank, added a fuel filter and replaced a missing emblem.  Paint, interior and gauges are 100% original!

The engine is also listed as original, but as we all know,  this fella would have come stock with a CoBra engine that probably started to leak before they'd used 50 tanks of gas.  I'm no Barry Seel, but the block currently in the car looks to me like a late model- not one of the '49 blocks that was offered up by dealers as a swap to cure the CoBra's ills.  The Crosley script on the block looks 'late' to me and I don't think that particular oil filter assembly was available on the early motors - but I could be wrong. One way or the other, the seller claims that the car runs/drives nicely.

I'm fascinated by the interior.  The door panels are in amazing shape, as are the matching seats.  I'm so used to seeing the red interiors that the tan is really intriguing.  Looks great with the door inserts.  The floor mats are also a wonder- I don't recall ever seeing originals in this kinda condition- just amazing.

The body is pretty straight, and the bed is REALLY straight- and note that classic cheapo Crosley touch: the fuel filler goes right into the cargo area because it probably would have cost an extra $1.50 to reroute it!

Meant to get up a link to this auction  while it was live last week, but time got away from me and next thing I knew it was over- but no worries.... Reserve wasn't met at $5200, and the $12,900 Buy-it-Now is, uh, 'optimistic.' As of today, the truck is still available at San Diego Classic and Musclecars in Escondido, CA.  Call (760) 781-1473 and ask for Joseph M Petralia.