There is just something incredibly fascinating about old work vehicles. Perhaps it is the hard lives they lived or maybe it is how scarce they are becoming? We aren’t sure what it is, but we can’t help but be intrigued by them, especially ones that still wear their old signage. This 1946 Chevrolet Panel Truck was used by “French’s” Lionel Train House and has that aged look that can only be acquired after years of hard service. The fact that it was used by a toy train store just adds to the nostalgia factor for anyone who grew up playing with toy trains. Sadly, at some point in its past someone painted over the original paint and logo. The logo is still visible under the newer paint though. The seller claims this truck runs and drives great. Be sure to take a closer look at it here on eBay.

We can imagine the smiles that this truck brought to children’s faces when it drove down the street and we bet it will bring a smile to the inner child of just about anyone who sees it today. We have to admit though that we wish who ever painted it would have not done so. It would be amazing to see it in all of its original glory. While the new paint job may have added a small amount of protection, it didn’t do much to keep it from rusting. Overall it looks solid, but there is rust in the bottoms of the doors and quarter panels. The mismatched paint will actually make fixing it a bit easier, as matching the paint perfectly won’t be a critical issue.

The seller learned a valuable lesson from this truck and it sounds like they learned it the hard way. Always be sure to check fluids and belts before starting a barn or garage find, even if you think someone else already did it. When the seller took possession of the truck it had changed hands several times. They were under the impression that the oil had been changed, but it hadn’t been touched since at the 1980’s. When they started it for the first time everything seemed to be working correctly and it ran good. On the 30 mile drive home though it blew a fan belt and they also discovered the oil was bad after several pushrods were bent by stuck valves. Thankfully Chevy’s 216 cui inline six is a tank of a motor and the seller was able to fix it without replacing the entire engine. Let it be a reminder to all of us to always check the fluids and belts on any car that has been parked for any period of time. This seller got lucky this time, but it could have been much worse.

While this truck is running and driving it is going to need some work before we would consider it completely road worthy. It’s nothing serious, but we would recommend fixing the turn signals, tail light and headlight before driving it on any busy streets. We wouldn’t mind having it as a parts runner and with a little work we might even use it on a more regular basis. We can only imagine the conversation starter it would make and it would certainly be fun to take to just about any event. So would you leave this truck with its rough and patinaed look or would you do a complete restoration? There are believed to only be about 40 of these left on the road, so either way it would be a rare sight to behold!