Chevrolet G506

Also known as

Chevrolet G-506
G506
G-506
Chevrolet G7100
Chevrolet G4100
Chevrolet G7107
Chevrolet G7117

The Chevrolet G506 was the U.S. Army Ordnance supply-catalog family for Chevrolet-built 1.5-ton, 4x4 trucks of the G4100 and G7100 model series. During the Second World War the trucks served U.S. Army, Army Air Corps, and Allied logistics needs in cargo, dump, panel, telephone-maintenance, airfield-lighting, tractor, and M6 bomb-service configurations.

Chevrolet G506, 1.5-ton 4x4 military truck series, Support Equipment

Image source: G506 panel delivery.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Role in Conflicts

Side: Allied Powers

Chevrolet G506/G7100-series 1.5-ton 4x4 trucks were standard U.S. Army and Army Air Corps wartime support vehicles, with further Allied Lend-Lease deliveries including large Soviet receipts.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: United States
Built by: Chevrolet
Type: 1.5-ton 4x4 military truck series
Service note: World War II
Designer: Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors
Designed: 1940
Produced: 1940 - 1945
Number built: More than 160,000 G-506 trucks are described in modern publisher summaries; U.S. acceptance summaries and specialist references also cite about 154,204 Chevrolet-built trucks within the wider 1.5-ton 4x4 procurement class

Specifications

Payload class: 1.5-ton military truck class
Drive: 4x4 with two-speed transfer case
Engine: Chevrolet BV-1001-UP 235 cu in inline-six gasoline engine
Power: 83 hp at 3,100 rpm
Transmission: Four-speed manual transmission
Wheelbases: 125 in, 145 in, and 175 in configurations reported
Cargo body: 9-foot wood or steel cargo box on standard cargo variants
Fuel capacity: 30 gallons on cargo-truck references
Axles and tires: GM banjo axles, dual rear wheels, and 7.50-20 tires on standard models
Range: About 270 miles
Speed: About 48 mph

Body Configuration Logic

The G506 entry is best read as a truck-family page. War Department and specialist references use the G4100/G7100 model numbers to separate body, wheelbase, and winch configurations while retaining the same Chevrolet 1.5-ton 4x4 family identity.

Cargo and dump bodies

G7107/G7117 cargo trucks and G7106/G7116 dump trucks split mainly by winch fit, with Military Trader identifying the G7117 cargo truck as the winch-equipped cargo model.

Signal Corps bodies

G7105 panel, G7163 earth-borer, and G7173 telephone-maintenance bodies moved the same truck family into radio, line-construction, and field-communications support work.

Airfield service

The G7128/M6 bomb-service truck used a shorter wheelbase, open low body, hoist, and winch so airfield crews could handle bomb trailers and work under bomber wings.

Variants

G506 was a supply-catalog family rather than one body style. The G4100/G7100 designations grouped chassis-with-cab, cargo, dump, panel, tractor, telephone, cab-over-engine, long-wheelbase, and M6 bomb-service bodies.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
G7103 chassis with cab	Chassis-cab base model	Listed in War Department TM 9-805 as a 1.5-ton 4x4 Chevrolet chassis with cab. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943
G7105 panel body	Signal Corps panel-body truck	Panel-body version associated with Signal Corps K-51/K-70 van roles and listed among Chevrolet wartime truck bodies. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War, G506 panel delivery.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
G7106 dump body	Dump truck without winch	Military Trader identifies the G7106 as the hydraulic dump-body truck without the front winch. Sources: When Chevy Went to War
G7107 cargo body	Cargo truck without winch	Standard cargo body with a 9-foot bed, wood or steel cargo box, side-rack pockets, and canvas-cover fittings. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War
G7117 cargo body with winch	Cargo truck with winch	Cargo model fitted with a front PTO-driven Garwood or Heil 10,000-lb winch. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War
G7113 cab tractor	Fifth-wheel tractor	Cab-and-chassis tractor version for hauling military semi-trailers. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War
G7116 dump body with winch	Dump truck with winch	Winch-equipped dump model paired with the non-winch G7106 dump truck. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War
G7128 bomb service truck	Army Air Forces bomb-service truck	M6 bomb-service variant with a 125-inch wheelbase, open body, low airfield profile, hand hoist, and 4,000-lb winch for handling bomb trailers. Sources: When Chevy Went to War, G506 bomb servicer.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
G7163 telephone earth borer	Signal Corps pole-setting truck	Telephone-body version with earth-boring equipment for erecting poles. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War, G-506 4x4 Chevrolet G7163 Earth Auger, Polesetter pic1.JPG - Wikimedia Commons
G7173 telephone maintenance truck	Signal Corps maintenance truck	Telephone-maintenance body listed in TM 9-805 and described by Military Trader as the field-phone maintenance configuration. Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943, When Chevy Went to War

Timeline

Chevrolet G506 Key Events

Jan 1, 1940
Chevrolet military truck production expands
Chevrolet was producing early U.S. light- and medium-duty military trucks in several 4x2 and 4x4 bodies before full U.S. wartime conversion.
Sources: When Chevy Went to War
Dec 30, 1943
War Department manual issued
TM 9-805 formalized operating and maintenance instructions for the 1.5-ton, 4x4 Chevrolet truck family.
Sources: TM 9-805 1 1/2 Ton Truck, 4x4, Chevrolet, 1943
Jan 1, 1945
Wartime production closes
Open Road and David Doyle publisher summaries frame the G-506 as a 1940-1945 wartime truck family, with postwar survival and collector use following its U.S. Army and Lend-Lease service.
Sources: U.S. Army Chevrolet Trucks in World War II - Open Road Media, U.S. Army Chevrolet Trucks in World War II - David Doyle Books