Some of you may have been following my old thread which I let slip into archives. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_134/1233760_.html In which we had purchased a 1947 Ford 79T 1 1/2 ton truck.  In the thread I had progress or removing the tow gear and stripping and priming the tins. Since then I have removed the front tins and a few other odds and ends on that truck. Nothing special. My father wanted this truck and I was in the process of getting it into my shop for winter.

Well last week I found another fairly local add for a 1947 Ford 1 1/2 ton farm truck in running and driving condition. Plans for the old truck were to build a flat bed with a stake side and paint the cab and nose the original green with off white trim it shipped with. So after some hemming and hawing and a while lot of convincing my fiancée and my fathers wife not to shoot us. My old man and I set out to take a look at the truck. We stopped at my uncles house who lived in the area to visit for a min with him and his wife. He wound up joining us and we went down to check her out.

As soon as we pulled in both my father and my uncles faces lit up with smiles. They knew the truck before even getting out of the car. Both of them had driven an almost identical truck in their youth delivering bundles of news papers to stores and paper boys in their youth. Both of their first cars were fords with flat heads in them as well. The seller was also their age and they yacked it up while I divided my time between petting a beautiful shepherd and checking out the truck. I already knew my father wanted the truck so I took her for a spin ( 4 speed crash boxes are oh so fun) So we struck a deal and bought the truck. A two hour ride home into the sun on I-95 at 45-50 mph with ear plugs in and the windows down on Thursday evening and here she is!







She isn't perfect. Resto was done on her over a decade ago and time has taken its toll of course. The owner used her for towing his antique cars to shows, hauling fire wood and such. Luckily I have the first truck as a parts truck and most everything she needs can be found on the first truck.

I hope to revive the resto of the first truck one some day. We are considering hot rodding it a bit and making a good driver out of it or just stock piling parts for this truck.

Very cool.

That is a beautiful truck!

LOL brother, you GOT BOTH!!!!

Now swap modern drivetrain in first truck, KEEPING it a wrecker!

I love the old wreckers!  Cool!





Here is a 48 F1 I should be working on this weekend instead of posting:

The wrecker stuff was not original. Truck 1 was originally a local tractor out of NY and later converted a wrecker. I cut all that stuff off it. In later pics of the original thread. The hydro spool was busted at its mounting points and was cast. Attempts at some point to weld it up failed and it had multiple breaks in it. Plus atleast in CT u cant reg or insure a wrecker unless its commerical no matter if you plan on using it or not.

We are going to use many things off truck 1 for truck 2 including the glass and doors. Along with having the generator and started rebuild for spairs etc.

Yes we have spoke about using the frame and tins and going with an IFS set up and a coil over set up for suspension and dropping in a bbc and a th400. The priority is to restore truck 2  first though.

Since this photo the spool was lifted off all the tins were stripped and sprayed with rattle can primer and the hood, nose and fenders were removed in prep to send them to media blasting.

Sweet truck!

Awesome truck man. Thanks for the updated thread and new pics. I love those old trucks, Fords are my favorite

I cant believe how easily the damn flatheat starts even in the cold. 1/2 choke and tap the peddle twice. Hit the button and it fires instantly.

We had a old Fire engine, 32 I think. That thing started and ran great. Long as we kept the battery charged we were good to go

I noticed that also. Unless you charge the truck daily it labors to start. especially if you start and stop it on several short trips with out a good run at a higher rpm. I think that is the inherent problem with a generator. If you aren't winging the engine at a high rpm they just don't charge as well as an alternator.

I foresee a 12v conversion coming this winter.

If not needing to keep it orginal then 12v with a modern battery and charging/ignition system is the only way to go.

Yeah Im pretty sure im going to convert it to 12v this winter once I get it inside. I could have my generator re wound to 12v which would keep the original look but an alternator with a built in regulator is a better option. I guess I will have to hem and haw over that for a bit. I really like how original the truck is.

Some things that are incorrect on it right now are the color of the headlight and blinker trim rings.They should be off white. The off white is actually incorrect but very very close

The skinny trim piece center of the hood is some aftermarket POS that is chrome painted over.

the lolli pops on the fenders are way too new

Fuel tank is wrong BUT the owner had the old fuel fill welded up during its resto many years ago and im not going to re cut it. I would not have re installed the tank under the seat but having the filler in the proper location out have been nice.

All the DOT reflective tape is comming off. The truck is not registered commercial.

We also are going to swap doors with truck one and windshield glass. As the driver door on truck 2 is tweaked BAD from someone trying to re weld the hinge and buvkling the door skin. Plus the mechanisms are all fubar an the passenger window has a crack in it. The windshields in truck two have smoke sround the edges. Truck ones are far better.

Luckily everything i need for truck two is on truck one, original and correct. I cant wait to dig into her

I was talking with the owner of the race team I crew on last night. He told me he found a alternator that looks like a generator in Jegs for the 59AB Flathead, Found it this mornin online http://www.jegs.com/i/Powermaster/713/82011/10002/-1

I have a 46 Ford 1 1/2 ton COE.   It has the original engine.  With a 12 volt alternator on a ebay bracket and an electric fuel pump, the old girl always starts.

sweet throw up some pics! COEs are killer!

My grandpa bought the truck in 1948 and used it on the farm until 1984.  I inherited it about 15 years ago.  The COE replaced grandpa's old Ford Model TT:



I spliced on the back half of a 85 Chev 1/2 ton frame and put an 1951 F2 8ft box on it, but it's got the original motor and tranny yet.  I'll finish it someday.

does she have the flathead in her or the inline six?

She's got the 59AB V8.  I don't think they ever put a 6 cylinder in a COE, just because of room.  I have a 51 8ba V8 sitting next to it with Offy heads and a Offy three duece intake with Stromberg 97s.  The plan was to put a C4 auto behind that engine because of it's removeable bellhousing.

 30 years ago, your average family didn't own a truck. We didn't.  If we needed to haul wood or lumber, we drove to grampas and grabbed the COE.  Some of my earliest memories are sitting between Dad and Grandpa on a little wooden bench, looking out the popped open split windshields, and listening to the flathead roar through twin glasspacks, wide open at 45 mph.  

Why?

Either stick with the Flathead (very cool), or at least stay Ford.


Nothing worse than seeing an awesome old Ford hot rod, popping the hood and seeing a damn Chevy motor in there

I heart this thread. Old trucks are awesome.

There's something honest about an old farm truck.  It wasn't used to look cool, it was used to get the crops in and make the owner money.  As long as it continued to do so, it had a place on the farmstead.

I'm a Chevy guy and I approve this message.

Truck #2 will keep the flathead and crash box without a doubt. The bbc th400 option for truck #1 is for several reasons. Mostly because we have several and tons of parts.  That is a very distant decsion as the green truck will be getting all the attention this winter and truck #1 is being used as a parts truck.  Trust me I already mentioned I wish I didnt sell my dart blocked 347 and glide to a buddy after picking up the truck

Yeah bolth of mine of their Original 59AB engines with 4 speec crash boxes. The green truck has a single speed rear. The while one has a 2 speed in her. The engine is locked up in the white truck tho which I fear is what caused them to put her in storage in 1974. Untill I have time to dig into it I wound know if its even salvagable.

Cheapest way to get 350hp you will find anywhere.  I can build a hot rod Chevy motor cheaper than any ford motor.

Even if I do decide to built truck #1 its not going to be a "Hot Rod" It will be a updated work horse. Even considered robbing the fuel injected 454 and 4L80E out of a 3/4 chevy I have. Its only got 54,000 miles on it but the truck itself is SHOT from plowing and hauling. Northeast winters, salt and other nastys have taken their toll on her.

I agree. Ive always said once I get to rebuild my project cars (someday) I will do a frame off on a wrap around Chevy pickup. Nice and cherry, something so pretty it makes a grown man cry. Then have the hood open at shows showing off the Ford 390 and C6 tranny.



 

Be sure to top it off with a set of snake valve covers for a 428.

It'll make their heads explode.    

DO IT!

350 hp? That's warmed over V6 territory there man.





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Awesome trucks

But I agree. Putting a Chevy motor under the Hood of something non Chevy is basically saying "meh it needed a motor"

Putting in a Chevy 350 "to get horsepower" in that truck is silly on a couple levels. First, for a truck like the OP's you should be concerned about torque. Second, there are plenty of Ford motors that can make torque for days , with decent horsepower. Hell you can get a '71-'72 400ci that will make 400+ torque and 350hp with basic upgrades, and be bulletproof, unlike a Chevy 350. I'd also take a look at a 460/E4OD combo for that truck if it was mine.
 

Just to be clear no one is putting ANYTHING in the green truck. It is going to be put back correct and kept as a restored original.

I've been busy with work. I hope to have some progress to show ya'll in a week or so.

dont be afraid to pop the "hood" and post a few engine pics!

Nice! Love to see old workhorses at shows. You can only see so many billet queens at shows and magazines before they become ho-hum.





SBCs have become cookie-cutter. I don't even bother reading the car mags anymore. Just want people to realize there are a lot of good motors out there that are far more bulletproof. That's all.




 
 

Here is an engine pic of the green truck.

Well finally played musical trucks this past week and got the green 47 into the shop and the side boards removed and stored in the basement. Come to find out its longer than the white one. Right now there is about an inch from the front bumper to the over head door and a foot to the wood stove. So now I have to play musical garage. Which is going to include ripping out my bench and pretty much moving every single thing in there. So I can off set the truck to one side.

ETA Pulled the truck out, it died and fuel pissed everywhere from the ratty old garb gaskets and seals lol.  Had to winch it back into the shop with a come along and choking it with a chain... 1 1/2 hrs later. I got it back in

Time to rebuild the carb