History 1938 Ford Roadster Pick Up - A Story...

[Ryan]

I've always heard tales about Argentina and rare Ford stuff. A few years ago, there were all kinds of rumors floating around about a warehouse that was discovered housing crates of NOS Ardun heads. Before that, it was a rumor about 1000 replacement ...

To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.

[AHotRod]

Now that's a cool looking truck, great to see something different now-a-days.

[JohnJoyo]

That is really cool. There is a good amount of that old tin down there. Is George going to restore it to stock since it's rare, or hot rod it?

BTW....it's Argentine.....as opposed to Argentinian.
As in "There was a Russian, a Canadian, and an Argentine...."

I know a few Argentine folks on this board.....any of you know if the factory still exists? If so, any of you wanna take some pictures and post them up? That would be awesome......

[Hot Rods Ta Hell]

Sweet truck!
Wonder if there's any "knock down" kits that were left unbuilt (an NOS Model T) or any of the T stamping dies survived?
Some of the 50's/60's So. American Chevy trucks are real funky looking.
I read once that Argentina was producing early 60's Falcon/Rancheros well past the early 60's-true or false?

[oddrodgarage]

That's bitchin'...I have always heard stories about that stuff...hope we are kept up to date on the progress on this one

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Hot Rods Ta Hell

Sweet truck!
Wonder if there's any "knock down" kits that were left unbuilt (an NOS Model T) or any of the T stamping dies survived?
Some of the 50's/60's So. American Chevy trucks are real funky looking.
I read once that Argentina was producing early 60's Falcon/Rancheros well past the early 60's-true or false?

TRUE. Ford Argentina opened back up in 1957 to build trucks. They sold the falcon from 1962 until 1991... However, they weren't something you or I would be all that excited about.

[wlspdshop]

Man is that cool!!!! Love it.

[Tman]

They even nailed the proportions!

[HOTRODSURFER]

that thing is bad ass !!

[Dirtyest Devil]

That truck is amazing! I know of a shit load of cars on a farmers ranch there. Need to get that stuff...

[Rough Stock]

That is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Nice score George, I look forward to seeing how being in America will affect that cool little truck.

[31whitey]

Dated and Argentine woman for awhile...

Best looking women ....Period.

Alot of fantics in that country....harley stuff is very big.

Great beef....sorry TX....did I mention the women....WOW.

[Anderson]

Might have seen it in the other post, but we did get it running last night. Well, George, MarkX, and Elrod did most of it. Mark took some video with his phone but don't know if it turned out very well. It sounds pretty good and makes a neat fireworks show with all the junk in the tailpipe

[Chris Baker]

Fabulous!

[Labold]

Right hand drive and all. That is one neat little truck!

[alchemy]

Looks like the leftover front half of a convertible sedan. That would explain the cast parts in the top. I'd bet the B pillar from the convert sedan is in there too. Maybe with a handcrafted back panel welded and leaded to it. The bed doesn't look very "Fordish". Maybe it was a local manufacture from their own dies.

A truck was probably much more saleable in Argentina than a convert sedan anyways.

[Asphalt Outlaw Hero]

There is some pretty cool stuff down there.I bought out a motorcycle shop in 1991 in Buenos Aires.There were some cars in there too.
Mid sixties falcons were everywhere.Evidently they bought the tooling. They are very skilled craftsmen too.Remember,Peron cut off tade with the world in ~1950.People had to learn to manufacture their own parts.Some in desperation were botched,others were fantastic.I watched a guy hand build an oil tank for a Norton Manx (motorcycle) in four hours AND shoot the breeze with me.
When you see something like the pickup,you can never be sure if it was real or a creation.They are very creative.

[Harry Bergeron]

Originally Posted by Ryan

TRUE.... They sold the falcon from 1962 until 1991... However, they weren't something you or I would be all that excited about.

But the Falcon's competition WAS exciting. The Torino coupe was a Rambler Rogue with that OHC 230 hemi 6 from late-60s Jeep pickups, restyled by Pininfarina and given 6 barrels of Weber and a ZF 4-speed, good for 220 hp and 127 mph, they said.

With Juan Fangio in charge of the factory team, it was successful in international sedan racing, winning a third place at the Nurburgring in 1969.

The Falcon greatly outsold it, being cheaper and much more practical.

[fab32]

What a teriffic find, and more than likely a 1 of 1. Doesn't get any better than that.
This is one "barn find" that I would NOT leave "as found". Here's the scenerio:

1. Careful disassembly with many photos and written discription.
2. Restoration of every piece.
3. During the rebuild "hot rod" the components as per late 40's early
50's theme including a proper Flathead w/ hi-perf goodies.
4. Careful reassembly with a fresh coat of chrome where appropiate
and a nitrocelluos Laquer paint job (black comes to mind) topped with
Gaylord style top and interior.
5. Drive the wheels off it.

A dropped axle and wide whites might also go into the mix but the goal would be a cover shot of a 50's magazine.
I can see it in my mind now, and I'm heading out for a drive.

Frank

[Slide]

If I ever build a late-30s/early-40s truck, I am so painting the inside of the bed white. Who knew that would look so cool?

Very cool truck, IMO. If sheet metal could talk, I bet this one would have some stories to tell.