Cool working-class Advance Design tow truck. Full pressure 235 cubic inch inline-6 with 4-speed. New shocks, exhaust, kingpins, wiring harness, upholstery, and much more. Drives well, loaded with tools and accessories. A lot of fun in a heavy-duty package!

You either get this truck or you don’t. If you’re in the “I don’t get it” camp, well, we’ll save you some time and just tell you to move on to the next one. But if you’re like us and really dig the heavy-duty look that only comes from doing a hard job, then this 1950 Chevrolet 3600 totally nails it. It has the right attitude and doesn’t shy away from doing some hard work, although there are surely more effective ways to move a car these days. Whatever you do with it, you’re going to have fun, because this vintage tow truck is a blast to drive and always attracts a big crowd. People seem drawn to its handsome good looks that come from being built for a purpose, and it looks competent. We obviously love it because we’ve spent way too much money upgrading it and have been having fun with it for more than two years now. We don’t know anything about restoration work beyond the maintenance that we’ve done, we don’t know where it spent its life, but we do know that it’s an older paint job in Seacrest Green with a Snowcrest White roof, a traditional look that suits the Advance Design trucks just fine. There’s a Weaver Auto Crane in the bed, and it’s got all the parts you’d need to pick up a car, although we’re not really sure we’d want to try. There’s even a manual crank for the winch. You’ll also find a heavy-duty push bumper up front and a bunch of accessories in the bed that make it look ready for work. And yes, that rotating bubble light and rear-facing spotlights are fully operational. There’s nothing show quality about it, there are plenty of chips and scrapes, the paint is more satin than shiny, and panel fit is just OK, but isn’t that the point with something like this? We added the decals to give it some personality, but if you don’t like them or would like something different, they peel right off. And if you’d like your logo on the door before it ships, just let us know and we can make that happen, too.

Inside, it’s as bare bones as they come. We reupholstered the bench seat in correct brown leatherette that’s durable and stain resistant, perfect for a tow truck like this. Original gauges monitor the vitals and they all work except the temperature gauge, but there’s a modern version stashed in the glove box (along with an auxiliary oil pressure gauge). The rubber floor mat and door seals are new, so it feels complete, and there are more cool accessories inside, including an AM radio from a ’57 Chevy and that awesome Viking Messenger CB radio under the dash (neither is operational, sadly). There’s a correct fiberboard headliner and door panels, but it’s definitely minimalist. Oh, and there’s a new gas tank behind the seat. For a truck designed to work, we think it looks exactly right.

The 235 cubic inch inline-6 was available in the heavy-duty trucks in 1950, but this is a later version with insert rod bearings and full pressure oiling, which is really the one you want to have. It hasn’t been modified or upgraded, so it’s anvil-simple and completely reliable, and it has been recently serviced so it’s ready to go. Pull the choke out about an inch and it fires almost instantly and idles nicely, and once it has a chance to warm up, it pulls this big rig around with genuine enthusiasm—this truck isn’t the rolling roadblock that you might think it is. Impressive. The engine has been painted correct corporate gray with reproduction decals so it looks right, and the electrical system has been upgraded to 12 volts so it spins with gusto and the lights are bright. All the wiring is new, so that’s one detail you won’t have to worry about, and there are provisions in the harness for turn signals if you’d like to add them in the future. There’s also a rebuilt carburetor, a full tune-up, new belts and hoses, and a rebuilt 12-volt generator so things look right under the hood. The 4-speed manual transmission has an ultra-low creeper gear for hard pulls, but in normal use, just start in 2nd instead and use it like a standard 3-speed. It steps off eagerly with 4.56 gears in the rear end and will cruise at 45 MPH without much effort. It also stays cool on the road or sitting in traffic, so the cooling system is robust and healthy. The exhaust system is recent and features a 1-in-2-out design so it has dual pipes out back and the sound is quite pleasing—not the usual 6-cylinder blatt. There are also new shocks to smooth out the ride (such as it is), a fresh master cylinder, wheel cylinders, brake hoses, and brake shoes, plus new kingpins up front and a fully rebuilt steering system that makes steering surprisingly light. Sure, there’s some minor rust in the usual spots, but we wouldn’t worry about it (it’s not like you’re driving it in the winter, right?) and the floors are solid so no worries about structural issues. 16-inch steel wheels are outfitted with modern radials and a set of chrome dually simulators that look awesome.

So you’ve read this far, maybe you understand why we love this big brute so much. We obviously spent way too much money on it, but at the same time, we’ve enjoyed every minute we spent behind the wheel. It’s surprisingly easy to drive, reliable, and fast enough to be used around town and driving to shows without concerns. All the important mechanical bits have been serviced or replaced, making it 100% ready to drive and enjoy. We can’t keep them all and we’ve had our fun, so it’s time for someone else to enjoy this cool old wrecker. We promise you’ll be the hit of any show you attend (this truck won its class at the 2023 Piston-Powered Auto-Rama) and everyone loves seeing this big guy ambling down the road. Give yourself permission to color a little outside the box and find out why this truck is so much fun. Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.