Vehicle Description
Worldwide Vintage Autos is pleased to present this ultra rare 1956
GMC 250 with factory installed Napco 4x4. One of the first early
factory optioned NAPCO's Powr-Pak 4x4�on a GMC! Yes! That is right,
this could be one of the first GM FACTORY four wheel drive trucks
in the world (Chevy did not offer factory optioned Powr-Pack Napco
4x4 until 1957!). Compare with auction results from $50-80K and own
this truck at a fraction of blue book (and build cost) "The forward
looking collector will note that classic pickup trucks are just
getting started - and there are plenty of underpublicized specimens
out there" Autoweek Magazine February 2016. We scour the country
for vintage cars and trucks and we rarely come across one like
this! You must see and drive this rare GMC!
HISTORY
This ultra rare GMC with Napco conversion 4x4 predates the arrival
of the all-wheel-drive crossover utility vehicle and the
four-wheel-drive walk-behind mower by more than 50 years. But like
the Jeep CJ, it helped lay the groundwork for both by making
four-wheel drive available to consumers. In the late 1940s and
early 1950s, General Motors did not offer factory-built,
four-wheel-drive pickup trucks, so a vendor from Minneapolis,
Minnesota, the Northwestern Auto Parts Company, or NAPCO, which had
been building 4x4 components for heavy trucks during the war, saw a
niche and decided to fill it.
NAPCO's Powr-Pak 4x4 conversion kits were typically sold to new car
dealers or commercial truck upfitters--businesses that install dump
or utility bodies, winches or snow plows. Armed with the Powr-Pak
kit, a shop could transform a truck from two-wheel drive to
four-wheel drive in just a few hours, with no welding and minimal
cutting needed. The front drive axle in the package was fitted with
tubes modified for constant velocity joints, thus allowing the
wheels to steer. The transfer case was a divorced unit, driven via
a shaft off the transmission, so it could be mounted without
altering or adapting to the stock powertrain.
NAPCO conversions date at least as far back as the 1947-'55 (first
series) GM light trucks. However, prior to 1955, only one-ton and
three-quarter-ton trucks could be converted, because half-ton
trucks used a torque-tube style driveshaft that wasn't easily
adapted to a transfer case. Once the torque tube was eliminated, in
the second-series 1955 trucks, it became possible to use NAPCO
conversion kits on half-tons.
Starting in 1956, NAPCO's Powr-Pak 4x4 was offered as a factory
option on GMC's, while Chevrolet began offering it from the factory
in 1957. The two were identical systems, other than the
availability of a V-8 and an automatic transmission on the GMC
trucks. (The Chevrolet could only be ordered with the 235-cu.in.
six-cylinder and a four-speed manual transmission.) This continued
more or less unchanged until the introduction of the redesigned
1960 GM trucks, when the automaker installed its own
four-wheel-drive system. Source: Hemmings Motor News
SPECIFICS / BUILD INFORMATION
EXTERIOR�
-Newer paint and bodywork.�
-New wood bed and trim.
-Rare factory 16" steel wheels with hubcaps.�
-Brand new factory style "pizza cutter" tires.�
INTERIOR
-Redone bench seat.�
-Painted interior.�
-New arm rests.�
MECHANICAL
-Factory GMC 317/316-cu.in. V-8 (Otherwise known as the Pontiac 316
V8).
-Muncie SM420 four-speed manual.
-Axles: Front NAPCO/Rear Spicer 45.
-Brakes: 11 x 2-inch hydraulic drum.
DISCLOSURE
-There are a few chips / imperfections in the paint. (See detailed
pictures)
Own this vintage GMC at wholesale. You may NEVER find another one
like this. The cost of parts and restoration of these vehicles are
increasing daily. They are not making any more and, therefore, they
are becoming more rare by the day. Buy one complete and ensure your
investment for the future. An excellent investment and something
you can enjoy daily. Collectible vintage vehicles have historically
appreciated at a rate greater than that stock market, gold and
other arts and collectibles as documented by many articles and
auction result tracking.
�
NEED MORE DETAILED INFORMATION? CALL US AND WE WILL HELP ANY WAY
POSSIBLE!�
1-877-422-2940
WORLDWIDE VINTAGE AUTOS [. C O M ]
�
FINANCING:
JJ BEST BANC. COLLECTOR CAR FINANCING
800-872-1965
Please mention you are working with�Worldwide Vintage Autos�in
order to expedite the process.
DEPOSITS:
Deposits to hold vehicles is $500. Upon payment of the $500
deposit, the vehicle�will be held for�7 days pending final payment.
Deposits are non-refundable due to i). the vehicles are taken off
the market and we turn down other buyers during the�7 day period
and ii). there is significant re-marketing costs associated with
relisting / remarketing our vehicles.�Inspections should�be
performed prior to putting a deposit down on a vehicle.�
INSPECTIONS:
We encourage inspections. We disclose known defects and
imperfections but we are not you. Purchasing a vehicle�is very
subjective. Come visit our showroom in
