When I started this project I wanted to make an electric pickup conversion so I was looking for a chassis. I wanted it to have character so a modern was right out. I also wanted it to be something that was deteriorated beyond reasonably restoring as I did not want to molest a stock car. I was leaning towards a Ford because of my grandfather’s 1931 Ford Model A Sport Coupe. I picked up a book that showed every American pickup ever made and gave some stats. I really liked the look of the 38/39 Fords. I finally settled on a 39 as it was a great mix of old and new. It was the last year for the stylized radiator grille, fender-mounted headlamps and roll-out windshield. But, it was the first year for hydraulic brakes. I looked for quite some time and finally found something I could afford – but it was a ’38. I went ahead anyway.
Had it shipped from Washington State
Well, it showed up and what did I find but hydraulic brakes, a ’39 grille, a vertical windshield roll out knob and a smooth instead of stepped hood ornament. The seller did not know what he was selling – what was sold as a ’38 was actually a ’39! I was amazed and overjoyed!!
Disassembly and restoration progressed. Each part was tagged or bagged, numbered and photographed as it came off so I would have some hope of reassembling. Click on each thumbnail for a bigger version.
About the time I had the chassis finished I found a green with black fenders ’39 Ford pickup on eBay – exactly what I wanted. I asked the seller a couple of questions but ended up not bidding and it went for way more than I was looking to spend.
A couple of days later though, he contacted me saying that 3 other buyers had backed out on him and wanted to know if I was still interested. Shortly thereafter I was in Washington state getting my second pickup truck – this one MUCH nicer.
It did not run well. You could not even get it going fast enough to shift into 3rd. New plugs and a coil later though, it ran somewhat respectably. My electric conversion had gone by the wayside – the flathead would stay.
I drove it like this for about 1000 miles but it started smoking and pushing oil out the breather. Finally it smoked so badly that a bicyclist flipped me off on the way by. That is when it was parked for an engine rebuild. The pieces I had restored were put under it at the same time. I sold the frame, cab and doors to free up some space, but the first truck basically became a parts car. I drove it as a daily driver for about 5 years, putting thousands of miles a year on it. As of May 2021 I have driven it about 45,000 miles!
