While the Chevrolet styling studio was busy creating the 1955 new Task Force design trucks, Chevy was introducing the facelifted Advance Design truck. For the first time in Chevrolet's history, they planned to announce the new truck on 500 radio stations coast to coast on November 27, 1953. The radio spots were 18 second and 50 second spots with room for local dealership identification. If the local dealership had TV in their area they could contact their local Chevrolet zone office for an announcement film.
The dealers got a sneak preview of the trucks early in November at different locations in their dealer zones. The stage was set for the new truck showing on November 28th "truck announcement day." Shipment of the 1954 truck started around November 15 and security was tight. Announcement brochures as well as trucks were kept under cover until this day.
Not only did Chevrolet want the likeness of the new look kept secret, but also the feature information as well. Speaking of likeness, as you may expect, even with something seemingly as simple as a front end face lift, the styling studio was kept busy drawing proposals and making full size front ends to show the powers that be their ideas. Management had informed styling that they wanted a much stronger, tougher grill as well as a more noticeable name plate on the front end. The catch was that they wanted to use the existing front end sheet metal. As you know by now, Chevrolet went with a bull nose center in the grill, but any of these designs could have been the winner. The choice had to do with a couple of variables.
One - it had to be cost effective. In other words, the tooling for the new parts could not be excessive. At this time styling was well on their way with the 1955 major overhaul and they knew that this face lift would only be used for 1-1/2 model years.
Looking back at these proposals or models you can see some of the final design in each of them. That's how every car and truck evolved. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of drawings and models combined to make finished products. If you ask my opinion, I think that these designs looked too close to the 1947 through 1953 grills and that is why they went with the bull nose design that ended up to be the 1954 truck.
The other big change in the 1954 model proved to be one that GM kept for an unprecedented 33 years. Little did the designers know back then that the stepside bed design that they attached to the 1954 truck would last all those years with only fender and step changes.
What had become standard in the light truck field became a slower option in the 60's with the introduction of the fleetside bed in 1958. Along with these major changes, their were also some subtle differences like a completely new dash, steering wheel, and hub caps.
When you look at the completed truck it did look different enough using the same basic sheet metal. Keep in mind that General Motors had the exact same truck from 1947 through 1953 except for the updated doors to which they added vent assemblies in 1951.