Baby boomers will relate to this hot-rod 1955 Chevrolet Good Humor ice cream truck. Younger folks may not get it.
Three old-fashioned bells
A Drag-Racing Ice-Cream Truck?
We told a brief history of the Good Humor truck when a rare original model was auctioned on eBay in 2018. But the modded 700-hp model for sale on eBay is a break from tradition.
The Chevy, offered by an Arizona dealer, started life as an actual Model 3100 Good Humor truck. A 261-cubic-inch six-cylinder engine and a three-speed manual once provided the motivation. But then, it got a massive injection of steroids.
A blown (supercharged) 496-cubic-inch V-8 tied is now under the hood. It’s linked to a Turbo 400 transmission and—in classic hot rod fashion—a Ford nine-inch rear.
This truck once tooled around with a six, and now it’s blown V-8 produces 700 horsepower.
The combination puts out 700 horsepower. Instead of tooling around suburbia, this hot-rod ice cream truck is set up for drag strips.
The truck is beautifully done, lowered, and sporting massive Mickey Thompson “Pro Street” drag tires in the rear. The blower and Edelbrock carb poke out of an opening in the hood.
Serving Free Ice Cream
The freezer is still there, in all its chrome-hinged glory. The open interior is the business, with black bucket seats, aftermarket instruments, and a floor shifter. The body color bumpers and grille were on the original trucks.
According to dealer Mark Hubbard, the Good Humor truck was built for a collector, now 85 years old and no longer driving. In earlier days, the owner took his unique hot rod ice cream truck (which is signed by noted customizer Gene Winfield, though probably not built by him) to Goodguys racing shows, where he would hand out free ice cream.
The freezer is set up to use dry ice. It doesn’t have its original equipment.
The freezer still works—if you put dry ice in it.
These were originally six-volt vehicles with generators. But all that’s been updated. The signage looks original but was modified to avoid running afoul of copyright laws. Now it reads: “Good Human I Scream.”
The Sweet Legacy of Ice Cream Trucks
The seller says:
It’s a pretty unbelievable vehicle. You can spin the tires easily.
This 1959 Shorty ice cream truck would make an outrageous hot rod.
There are still a lot of stock 3100 trucks out there. eBay sells these iconic vehicles in many forms, from pristine concours restorations to rough projects. And parts too.
There are even a couple of other ice cream trucks.
Some ice cream vendors are still providing service. They broadcast the maddeningly repetitive music that elicits a Pavlovian response in kids. But Good Humor got out of the truck business in 1976, when it sold off its fleet for prices ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.
The problem was higher gas prices cutting into company profits. Instead, Good Humor concentrated on its grocery business and was profitable again by 1984.
Nonetheless, the Good Humor truck retains its iconic status. In 2015, the company announced it was sending a fleet of classic trucks on the road again, summoned by tweets instead of clanging bells. The “Welcome to Joyhood” tour stopped in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Boston.
On that tour, the trucks blasted pop and rock tunes to announce their approach.
However, the hot-rod ice cream truck for sale on eBay doesn’t need speakers. It can be heard from blocks away—when a throaty supercharged V-8 emits its delicious engine note.
