As with most writers here, the personally unfamiliar subject is the subject most daunting to write about, with opportunities galore for failure and embarrassment. However, sometimes the unfamiliar is also extremely interesting and it’s a shame to just leave pictures to gather pixeldust in a hard drive as happens all too often. So when I drove by this truck on Saturday afternoon and quickly swung off the highway to double back and check it out in more detail I told myself that I would not let this one languish. So here I am on Saturday evening trying to come up with some text to accompany a few pictures. I’ll be a little light on some details, and may very well be wrong in regard to others but no doubt someone out there knows much more than I do and can fill in the blanks or correct me which is perfectly fine as well.
This is a heavier duty version of Ford’s basic post-war truck, I believe it’s a 1946 but it could be a ’47. It looks like the 158″ wheelbase version and as such with the regular cab would be the 698T and carry a 1.5 ton designation along with the dual rear wheels although this one has the outside rear wheel dismounted currently. The basic truck evolved into the first F-series truck, and as far as I can tell this would have been an F-5 if it was a ’48.
This is how I found it, on a trailer behind an F-350. Parked in front of Willie’s Diesel Service off Hwy 85 just south of the Wyoming border there were several other Fords on the lot, most with For Sale signs. I don’t know if Willie just buys, sells, and works on Ford trucks, but he seems to like them, although the only diesel I saw outside was this tow-rig.
The ’46 though was much more charming to look at. Behind that interesting grille and peaked hood probably lies a Flathead V8 producing 100hp although it’s also possible that this was powered by a six producing 90hp.
Caked in road filth from yesterday’s storm and today’s melt it nevertheless looks pretty complete bar some trim rings and a bumper. The grille is striking as are the decorative pieces with the Ford logotype on the hood itself.
The large diameter five-lug front wheels are so simple but look so purposeful, they’ve rotated for some 72 years now and look like they could go another 72 easy. Nothing special, just gettin’ the job done.
The back is basically a platform or stake-bed design although the curved metal supports make it look sort of dumpbed-ish to me, I can’t think of another reason why one would need the top of the walls to flare out like that. However based on the underside it likely isn’t and is probably just how things were done, just like today’s trucks having higher walls than in days of yore. It does add another point of charm to this truck though and reminds me of someone splaying their hands in a “what, me worry?” type of gesture.
I wonder where the outside part of the wheel setup is, I can’t imagine it’d be easy to find replacements although perhaps it is. This angle shows the bed wall supports a little better.
I love the little screw holding the logo on, someone obviously noticed it falling off, but the “d” seems determined to make a run for it. Well, little d, don’t worry, it looks like the whole truck is bound for a new set of adventures and probably a lot more affection and TLC than it’s received lately and you’re already featured on a website instead of being locked up on a hard drive!
A lot of these big trucks lost their sheet metal to fix up the more popular lighter duty models. I wouldn’t be surprised if this truck ended up parked in front of some trendy winery in California.
I would definitely restomod this with an entire Airstream for a camper; maybe a big 6.7 liter Cummins Diesel
Sweet old truck. Beds commonly flared like that back then. The pickup beds invariably did. I assume it made it easier to load stuff from the sides, especially if it was being dumped in. I’ve seen old horse drawn wagons with beds flared like that too.
I’m wondering if the other pair of wheels is in the back of the pickup. Looks like it wouldn’t have fit on the trailer with them on. Of course they could have be liberated long ago for another vehicle on the farm.
Wide 5 wheels, of this particular era are getting hard to come by as are the proper tires. There are people out there that do make new SRW versions to order, maybe they can do the DRW version too.
I really like that old rig. But what really piques my interest is the baby blue Ford behind the tow rig. I love the stance and I wonder what’s under the hood bulge. It’s about where the turbo would be if there was a 6bt under the hood.
Out of my depth here, but is this a cleaner version of the same thing ? Built in Fords’ Cork plant, and maybe the wheels aren’t original. It has the flathead V8 though.
Those flying buttress ribs are attractive and practical. Plenty of room in that hole to tie a heavy rope or hook a comealong. The usual tiedowns are inadequate for those purposes.
Those 3ton Fords were very common when I was younger many of them were the ex lendlease V8s sent here during war time a six was unheard of out here Fords were V8s or fours the only six came from the UK, there was a conversion kit for the V8s to fit a Fordson tractor four cylinder diesel engine it was a popular swap but they were slow a friend had one it could hit 50mph on flat going given long enough but returned 48 mpg which was the whole point and that was in a 15cwt pickup a 3tonner would have been a lot slower, Nice ol truck I hope it gets revived.
Jim – when I started reading this I was hoping that the news was that you bought this truck for yourself – in Nunn, Colorado.
Yep, that’s where it was/is and no, not mine! 🙂
Those are split rim widow maker wheels. Buyer beware!
I have read some guys on some Studebaker forums who say it’s almost impossible to find anyone willing to mount tires on those split rims any more.
Actually, as far as multi-piece rims go, these are a decent design; a simple two-piece type.
They are not the dreaded “split rims” of the type which two rim halves lock together near the center.
Instead, the rim is formed of one continuous piece having an integral flange to seat one tire bead. To this piece a single lock-ring is “snapped” to make a second flange, which completes the assembly.
Barring rust and abuse they’re a decent design which ages well and is not prone to spontaneous separation.
Oh… It looks like one of the missing outer wheels may have been behind the rear axle buried in snow for photo #8, the other may be seen stowed behind the cab in #2.
I guess I am the only one here so far who has actually driven one of these.
My family owned a grain elevator in the 1960s in southern Indiana. I worked there as a teenager and got a lot of the dirty jobs. We had a ’47 Ford ton and a half with a dump bed as a cob truck. Back then a lot of smaller farmers brought in their corn on the ear to either sell or to have made into livestock feed. We always kept a beater truck to haul the cobs off and other jobs. The Ford was one of these. I remember it as being pretty worn out, but I liked to drive it and listen to the flathead’s exhaust note. We also had a chicken operation and once when I was hauling a load of manure on a hot July day about lunch time, the tailgate came loose in the middle of main street of our little town. I left a trail of chicken crap for two or three blocks before I noticed. The volunteer fire dept. had to come down and wash it away. My dad and the chief of police were not amused. Well, it was a crappy job. I learned a lot working there about life and hard work. I also learned how to drive something larger than my car as well as a tractor. Good times.
Pretty cool truck there. When I was driving down US 5 to Las Vegas I passed a beautiful creamy Wimbledon White 1956 F-100 towing a small same color camper. They had Canadian plates so the truck was far from home. Seeing that really made my day and I gave the driver a big thumbs up like the ones I get in my 65.
About 10 years ago now, I was tempted by a half-ton ’46 that had been sitting for a long time. It was a super cool truck, priced at about three grand. I remember thinking that the amount of work and expense just to get it roadable wasn’t worth it, so it must have been pretty far gone mechanically. The body was decent.
A lot of people don’t like the front end on ’46/7 models, but I think it’s cool.
I even bought an ad just like this one to commemorate my almost buying the truck. The truck I was looking at was even the same orange.