The History Of GM NAPCO Trucks
A 1957 Chevrolet '3100' NAPCO (Wheels are not original)
I have reprints of an original 20 page Chevrolet
manual from 1957, titled, 'SERVICING
CHEVROLET TRUCK FOUR WHEEL DRIVE'. They are $10.00,
which includes the mailing cost. If you are interested in getting one, please
let me know.
The first paragraph says, "This manual
is designed to provide owners and service men with essential information
on the construction, operation, maintenance and repair of the factory equipped
Four Wheel Drive". It has exploded views of the wheel assembly and
transfer case, for 1/2, 3/4, and 1 Ton trucks. It contains 7 chapters, with
the following titles: General Description; Operating Instructions; Care,
Maintenance and Adjustments; Major Service Operations; Service Diagnosis;
Specifications; Special Tools.
Taken from an article written by Seth
Doulton, owner of Golden State Pickup Parts.
The exact date of the GM factory 4x4, is not known. What
is known is that in July and August of 1954, NAPCO (Northwestern Auto Parts
Company) was pushing its proven 4x4 conversion on truck upfitters and GMC
dealers across the country. Upfitters were companies that installed upgrades
and accessories like winches, auxiliary transmissions, tandem drive axles,
dump bodies and hydrovac systems on stock factory trucks. NAPCO had been
in business since 1918. During WWII, they focused all their attention on
projects commissioned by prime contractors to the United States government.
Mainly, this meant the production of specialized automotive parts and assemblies
that could be tested on the largest proving ground in the world: WWII. After
the war, the military's priorities changed, and NAPCO re-directed its vast
engineering and manufacturing experience to the production of goods for
private industry. Their two-speed 4x4 conversions were comprised of 85%
GM parts. That meant for the most part they were serviceable by a local
dealer. Complete front axle differentials, brake drums, wheels, drivelines,
backing plates, springs, shock absorbers, and universal joints were all
Chevrolet replacement parts. Their slogan proudly stated that, "Now
you can have a standard Chevrolet four-wheel-drive pickup featuring the
traction power of a tank, or, at the flip of a finger, a smoother-riding,
high-speed, over-the-road truck. Aptly named the Mountain Goat, this full-sized
pickup will literally leap up mountains, as well as carry you through deep
mud, sand, or snow." Some features of this shift-on-the-fly 4x4 were
the unchanged turning radius, a full engine torque P.T.O. option, a rubber
mounted transfer case for long, silent operation, greater ease of steering,
and a guarantee of no damage to the Chevrolet or GMC frame during the three-hour
installation. Yes, only four holes to drill and no torch cutting! In a matter
of hours, you could go from a two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive and the
NAPCO POWR-PAK could be transferred from one Chevrolet truck to another.
This meant that if a dealer had a truck in stock that he wanted to convert
to four-wheel drive by using the NAPCO POWR-PAK, he could order the POWR-PAK
four-wheel drive package. Soon, a wooden crate, 80 inches long, 30 inches
wide and 26 inches deep, would show up on his loading dock weighing in at
1,410 lbs. with all the necessary parts enclosed. Now, take into consideration
that a 1/2-ton, two-wheel-drive pickup listed for $1,548.96 in 1954. The
retail price of the POWER-PAK was $995, which included a dealer freight
cost of $800 from Minneapolis, Minnesota (home of NAPCO). Installation by
an upfitter or equipment company included the cost of the POWER-PAK, and
listed at $1,248. This brought the complete list price of the finished truck
to $2,796.96. These conversions were done on the 1/2-ton, 3/4-ton, one-ton,
and the two-ton trucks, as well as the Suburbans and panels.
If anyone has additional printed NAPCO information, or
original photos, I would like to ad it to this page. So far, I have found
very little about these trucks, and I would like to share with others, what
little information there is, please contact me.
Below is a scan of an original 1956 NAPCO ad. (I left
it at the original size so that you should still be able to read most of
the ad).
