Coachbult.com - Bailey Body Co



Bailey Body Company, 1920s-1930s, St. Louis, Missouri; 1929-1930s, Decatur, Illinois

Bailey Body Company, 1920s-1930s; St. Louis, Missouri. Satellite assembly plant in Decatur, Illinois 1929-1930s.

Supplied production bodies to the St Louis Chevrolet truck plant and operated an assembly plant in Decatur, Illinois for Frede Chevrolet, one of 7 Chevrolet zone office located around the country. The the Decatur Illinois Chevrolet Zone office which was run out of the Frede Chverolet.

W.V. Bailey, President of Bailey Body Co. of St. Louis; E.M. Bailey vice-president?

Decatur was selected as a Chevrolet zone office in 1929 and knocked down truck bodies were shipped from Bailey’s St. Louis plant for final assembly in Decatur where they were mounted to Chevrolet Truck chassis en route to Mid-west dealers.

7-1-1929 Decatur Dailey Review

“Decatur to Get Second Auto Truck Body Plant

“Bailey Auto Body Co., St. Louis, to Open Assembly Branch Here.

“With the opening of the Chevrolet zone offices Monday come the announcement of a second auto truck body company’s assembling branch in Decatur, that of the Bailey Auto Body company, with central offices in St. Louis.

“W.V. Bailey and E.M. Bailey, heads of the firm, came to Decatur Monday morning to select a site for the local branch, and to attend the opening of the Chevrolet offices.

“‘Our purpose,’ E.M. Bailey said Monday, ‘is to open an assembling branch in Decatur, where we will have on display and ready for mounting various types of commercial auto bodies.’

“Establishment of the headquarters are to be pushed as rapidly as possible, with expectations of opening sometime in July. The assembling plant here will be under the direct supervision of W.V. Bailey and his brother, though there will be a local manager, yet to be named.”

7-1-1929 Decatur Dailey Review

“Other Firms Coming

“Already the establishment of the Chevrolet offices here has brought inquiries from other manufacturing interests in the automobile industry. At present the Bailey Body company and the Herman Body company are both investigating the field with the intention of locating its offices here. These two concerns are both manufacturers of truck bodies built to specifications that correspond with those under which the Chevrolet trucks are built.”

8-6-1929 Decatur Dailey Review

“ANOTHER SHIPMENT TO BAILEY BODY CO.

Local Plant To Hold Formal Opening For The Public.

“The second of a two-car shipment of auto truck bodies, received from St Louis by the Decatur branch of the Bailey Body company was unpacked Monday and is being assembled at the plant on East William Street. A general opening to which the public will be invited has been announced by E.M. Bailey, director of this district, the date to be set later.”

3-15-1930 Decatur Dailey Review

“BAILEY BODY CO. TO NEW LOCATION

“The Bailey Body company has moved from 429 East William to 412 East Prairie

The Prairie street building was formerly occupied by the William Frede and Son used car department. E.L. Bailey of factory was in Decatur Thursday and today inspecting the local branch, of which C.E. Granfield is manager. The old location of the body company will be taken over by Talbott Motors.”

4-20-1930 Decatur Dailey Review

“Roughly, fifty families were brought to Decatur with the opening of the office, and two other concerns have been established here, as a direct 'result of the zone headquarters.

These are the Bailey Body company and the Herman Body company, both of which supply special commercial bodies for the Chevrolet chassis.”

For more information please read:

G.N. Georgano & G. Marshall Naul - The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles

Albert Mroz - Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks & Commercial Vehicles

Denis Miller - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trucks and Buses

Tad Burness - American Truck Spotter's Guide, 1920-1970

Tad Burness - American Truck & Bus Spotter's Guide, 1920-1985

Robert M Roll - American trucking: A seventy-five year odyssey

David Jacobs - American Trucks: A photographic essay of American Trucks and Trucking

David Jacobs - American Trucks: More Colour Photographs of Truck & Trucking

John Gunnell - American Work Trucks: A Pictorial History of Commercial Trucks 1900-1994

George W. Green - Special-Use Vehicles: An Illustrated History of Unconventional Cars and Trucks