Abandoned 1941 Chevrolet Truck Sees Daylight After 50 Years, Still in One Piece

When it arrived in 1998, the Silverado replaced the C/K, a series that made its debut in 1959. Before that, Chevrolet offered the Task Force, which replaced the Advance Design series in 1955.

Both the Task Force and the Advance Design are sought-after among truck aficionados, but not so many people remember the AK Series. Built from 1941 to 1947, it was Chevrolet's second real truck since haulers preceding the Master trucks were based on cars. More importantly, the AK was the first truck that didn't share a common appearance with the passenger car it was related to, in this case, the Chevy Deluxe.

AK trucks aren't very common nowadays. Granted, they're not exactly rare, but you need a lot of good luck to find one in very good condition. Chevrolet built many of them, but they've been treated like workhorses, and most of them were abandoned in junkyards, sent to the crusher, or forgotten in storage.

And needless to say, well-maintained and restored AK trucks aren't cheap either, with prices usually exceeding $30,000. I've also seen a few go for more than $50,000 in recent years.

Value aside, seeing an AK series on the road is a really rare event. As is seeing one come out of storage after many decades still in one piece. Like this 1941 flat-bed example unearthed by YouTube's "Adventures Made From Scratch."

If you're not familiar with the channel, the owner makes a living from cleaning properties and junkyards, which often include crushing old cars. Fortunately, this old truck will have a better fate and won't be turned into scrap.

Amazingly enough for a vehicle that's been in storage for half a century, the hauler is in pretty good shape. Sure, it's all covered in dirt, but it shows a surprisingly small amount of rust. All the trim seems to be there, and the frame is still in one piece. And even the wood that makes up the bed has survived the test of time rather well.

The cabin has been home to several rats, and the bench is covered in twigs and debris from nests, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a thorough cleaning. And yes, the original straight-six engine is still under the hood.

Chevrolet sold these trucks with two mills, displacing 216 and 228 cubic inches (3.5 and 3.7 liters), both paired to a three-speed manual gearbox. This one likely packs a 216 straight-six, which was good for 90 horsepower and 174 pound-feet (236 Nm) of torque when new. Yes, it doesn't turn freely, but these mills are easy to fix.

So what's in store for this truck? Well, apparently, it already has a buyer, but this AK may not make it back on the road because it will end up as a display vehicle. But that's still a better fate than a few years in a junkyard.