Yesterday, we decided to play storm chaser with the family and headed down to the ocean to see all of hurricane Irene’s fury. Well, the storm was built up to be this near doomsday event in New England and it wasn’t even close. Yes, the sea was churning pretty good, but in the past we have made the same trip and seen waves breaking five and ten feet over the sea walls. They were throwing some mist up on Sunday. We made our trek to the town of Hull, Massachusetts, which sticks out into the ocean as kind of an L-shaped penninsula. During big storms, one side or the other usually gets hammered.
After standing in the big wind, getting wet, and scaring the daylights out of our children, we strapped back in for the ride home. Shortly after setting off my son and I spotted the same truck at the same time. Immediately, I knew what it was. Old White Motor Company cab over trucks have a very distinctive shape and look. That’s what this is, a 1964 model.
White gets the credit for the first modern cab over truck, introduced in 1932. Over the years they were always in the thick of the cab over business, especially for single axle trucks that were short haulers or did work like deliveries (search Google for White trucks made for LaBatt’s in Canada, they are wild!) or in this case, moving.
The truck appears to be all original, although we’re wrestling with that assessment when it comes to the motor. The engine is a straight six diesel design, which is perfectly fine, but there’s a turbo strapped to it and we’re thinking that in ’64 it would have been a naturally aspirated diesel providing the grunt for the truck. We could find very little info out there to back this idea up or shoot it down, so we’re not sure. There’s a big W cast into the valve cover as circumstantial evidence! There is a two speed rear, as the button can be see attached to the shifter in the truck. (The cab photo is bad, but this was a guerilla cell phone mission!)
The truck is fully hooked to the trailer and we have actually seen it out working a time or two in recent years. We think that it rules the truck still gets worked out and isn’t sitting in a lobby or shop corner somewhere. These same guys also have a 1970s GMC cab over truck that we didn’t get a chance to shoot photos of.
Here’s the truck, looking stately while protecting the building from hurricane Irene!
I believe the truck in question is likely a 1954 not a 1964
http://www.blastolene.com/Work_in_Progress/deco.htm these guys are using that cab for their decoliner, looks amazing!
Actually, that same cab goes back to the late 1940’s, and as new as 1965 that I’ve seen.
It sure looks great!!!.And in daily use too..i love it!!
OMG! There was a HUGE head in the cab in one shot. SCARRY!!!!!
Are you sure that wasn’t a “M” cast into the valve cover? Like as in Mack? The reason I ask is that I don’t remember White making their own powerplants, at least in recent history (like, post WWII). Remember that trucks may have been fitted with pretty much any engine (or trans or rear end), depending on what was specified on the build sheet. Wish we could buy cars like that!
That said, I’m not sure White DIDN’T make any of their Diesels.
Dan
It’s great to see this old work horse on the job. I was born and raised in New York City where most homes use heating oil in the winter. Trucks like this with tanker chassis were abundant. I wonder where they all went? Also in the late summer before school starts in the north east the schools were heated with coal and rows of REO trucks would line the block surrounding any school to load the coal bunkers before winter set in. The old REO trucks looked very angular like the front of a WWII army half track. I felt sorry for the guys who dove those. No power anything, they were painted black and did their work in the hot August sun.
Wish I could find some photos of Jim Lytle’s White cabover that was powered by an Allison! I loved that guys stuff.
I stand corrected a 1964 series 3000 not as I stated earlier :
(I believe the truck in question is likely a 1954 not a 1964)
could easily be a ’64–the engine could be a Waukesha diesel. they had a W on the valve cover. the injectors fit their look. My brother drove one in the midwest from chicago in 1960. it was powered by a Cummins jt-6—inline six with a turbo–approx.160-180 horses. the trans could be a fuller 8 speed electric shift roadrangeras was his–not a 2-speed axle. also had A FACTORY made sleeper cab. till recently I owned and drove a ’62 Mack b-61 with a flathead mack en-401 six. not fast but steady worker