f there’s one thing I love when it comes to mid-century and earlier domestic trucks, it’s the Art Deco era and the beautiful design aspects integrated into both light-duty passenger models and the heavy-duty commercial haulers. Whether it’s a COE or CC-Series, General Motors got it right with their full line of trucks in the ’30s clear on through the ’40s—especially the GMCs, which can’t always be said in some years to follow (sorry Jimmy folk!).

Both GMC and Chevrolet had already veered from its standard protocol of passenger car and light-duty pickups, sharing exterior design characteristics prior to the onset of World War II—and that remained GM’s SOP following the war and beyond. But when it came to distinguishing the two brands, that has, and pretty much remains, to be simply a matter of varying fascia aspects: In other words, different grilles/bumpers. And it’s here where some folk, including yours truly, have found the GMC’s distinguishing trademarks to be less than stellar design-wise over the years—not always, mind you. That said, the Art Deco era of GMC pickups does not fall under that category—not by a long shot!

In lieu of Chevrolet’s waterfall-like combination of vertical and horizontal grille bars, the 1946 CC-152 GMC 1/2-ton’s frontal group is toned down quite a bit in comparison, but nonetheless Deco! Coincidentally, while the 1946 AK-series Chevy may have appeared more “deluxe,” in reality, the GMC was the more expensive of the two, having the larger-displacement 228ci inline-six with the option of a four-speed manual transmission. And while General Motors still ruled supreme when it came to sales numbers, due to an employee strike that lasted almost half the calendar year in 1946, less than 34,000 GMC trucks were produced—making them all the more collectible (and desirable!) in the long run!

Jason Davis’ 1946 CC-152 GMC is not only a perfectly re-preserved piece of Art Deco era history, it’s a cherished part of his family history, as well. “The CC-152 was a farm truck, and the farm was a very important part of my grandfather Harry Harden’s life. He built a successful business in the trucking field—I watched for years as he tirelessly worked to provide for his family and knew that, one day, I’d honor him. As he got closer to his retirement, I noticed how much he constantly cherished his past, so I wanted to bring that past alive for him with one of his first trucks,” Jason told us.

With the help of KC AutoWorx and the RestoMod Store (both in Missouri, where Jason resides), the GMC was completely retro’d from farm truck to modern-vintage classic truck—complete with an IFS replacing the old I-beam frontend; 5.3 LS replacing the straight-six; 17-inch Wheel Vintiques smoothies with Coker’s BFGoodrich radial whitewalls replacing the old bias-ply-clad rollers; Dakota Digital, Vintage Air, and leather upholstery replacing the spartan interior accommodations; and vibrant metallic teal and black paint complemented by a painted black bedwood floor bring the exterior up to today’s standards.

Though to date this is Jason’s first and only project of its kind (a mere five years in the making), it’s the perfect way to honor his grandfather’s past.