Late ’30’s and early ’40s COE (Cab Over Engine) trucks are a very hot item for restomods, usually overdone. But this Ford, shot by roadabr, is different: a working truck, and tastefully done. I’d be happy to own this useful hauler.
The appeal of this vintage Ford, with its big oval grille, is obvious.
The interior tells the tale. But then realistically, who really wants to drive an original ’39 Ford truck, on a daily basis, other than me?
I love the bed; very tasteful. Looks like they’re hauling some salvaged slabs to make a table or such.
Interesting web site (https://www.chapelarts.com/contact) for this Vancouver BC company. They also have an old Chevy truck.
If I were driving a truck like that on a daily basis, I’d definitely want a more comfortable seat in it. My dad learned this very quickly when he got what is now my ’89 Dodge Dakota with the most miserable bench seat ever put in a relatively modern truck. It reminded me all too much of the seat in a Ford Model A I once sat in. Even if you don’t have back problems, you will. My dad’s solution was to go to the junkyard and get colour matched seats from a 1989 Dodge Dynasty which took surprisingly little modification to bolt into the Dakota. Way more comfortable for long trips.
Count me in as one who would love to drive an original on a regular basis. But this one is well done. I really like the use of wheels in the same orientation front and rear. Maybe choose a cheerier color than satin black. That Ford dark blue of this era looks great on these old trucks. I like this?. Curious as to what frame & running gear is underneath.
Definitely a cheerier colour, say a medium-light green, blue or grey? They’d be period-appropriate and look much more visually interesting. The satin-black look is overdone.
Great to see this survivor–the grille/stying always appealed to me. The other vehicles in the photos give me some sense of scale, but I’d still like to see this ’39 side-by-side with a 21st-C. truck. And I’d probably be shocked to learn how modest its horsepower is!
I think almost all of the truck makers offered a COE for at least a short while in the 30s. I love them all.
The driver came out while I was taking these pics. He said the owner had brought it to Vancouver from Saskatchewan about 20 years ago. I didn’t ask about modifications, but the truck is now used on a daily basis.
The company is a wood-working enterprise (the load bed apparently is Purple Heart wood).
Extra points – they’ve made a bike carousel for a downtown hotel.
https://www.chapelarts.com/bicyclecarouselyvr
I’ve seen this truck around town. It pulled in at an Esso station while I was filling up my car some years back; the driver pulled up at the island across from me, saw me looking appreciatively at the truck, and seemed to deliberately wait quite a few minutes until I finished filling and got back in my car until he exited the truck. Guess he wasn’t in a mood to talk about it.
The streamlined flatbed really makes the look of the truck but the cab would benefit from some contrasting paint or pinstriping on that the character lines which would be more period correct than the current “murdered out” look.
Just about the perfect resto balance. The bed reminds me of those funky early 1960’s european factory race car transporters. The right amount of swoop in all the right places. Only thing I would add are some holes in the wood bed for quick release side stakes. The stakes would be steam bent to match the rounded bed. For how much those gorgeous wood slabs go for I wouldn’t want any chance of losing one.
I’d hate to have to change a rear tire!
Like it theres a modern chassis under there though which would be compulsory and powertrain to match.
The CC effect…I’ve never paid much attention to COE trucks, but was watching a 1938 French film (Port of Shadows), and couldn’t help noticing this impressive Renault.
I’m not a truck guy, not at all. But I do like this one, it’s waaaaaaay cool. I do wonder how big it is, none of the pics really give a good perspective on it’s size, though I bet it’s not all that big. But have to drive it anywhere? Say to the lumberyard 30 miles away? At likely 45MPH? Uh, no thanks. But I’ll gladly drool over it at a car show.
thats my truck, enjoyed the comments. FYI its a 1 ton chevy chassis, nice flat platform with a 383 stroker mid engine and a hydrolic dump body on the back, super easy to work on . i like to say its my first new truck as everything is new less the cab and i built the body /deck 25 some years ago (still not finishedlol) its been on the road in service for all these years. when purchased from a wrecker in northern sask it was on a dodge chassis with a chevy motor Frank (instine) a ford chevy dodge lol it still has some dodge parts that just had to be put back in for the pedigree lol its the same size as a full size pick up but with a great large bed I drove it into the ground with the last 1/2ton frame over loading it , it works hard and doesnt complain when scratched just hit it with a flat black spray bomb Artomobile at work