Barn Find 1934 Ford panel delivery truck

Hi Everyone, I recently bought a '34 panel delivery truck, and I'd like to share the find. Is this general HAMB discussion forum the right place to post? It won't be a true hot rod project per se, more of a preservation with some 1940s updates. It was a true barn truck with a neat history and I'd like to share. Let me know, and I'll start posting in this thread. Thanks!

 

This is EXACTLY the right place to post! We'd love to see pictures of it and hear how you "discovered" it and its history. Remember: without pictures, it didn't happen

 

where the hell have you been Don?...seems like you haven't posted in a coons age

as for the 34 panel...hell yeah!...better than some of the shit that's being posted on here lately

 

there he goes, disappearing again
post the pics don!

 

post it up please ! thank you

 

OK Don,we are patiently waiting. HRP

 

Haha, I'll post up photos later today.

After starting work on putting together a '32 pickup together from collected parts, I started to realize it would be a lot better to start with a complete vehicle.

My wife and I saw the panel trucks that made it to TROG in 2015 so we searched. They are hard to find, and usually in bad shape. After trying to buy a project from Canada, but it not working out, I found one much closer in central PA.

This truck has been in one family until now. It was a huckster selling fruits and vegetables around Philadelphia. I'm trying to get some more specific details from the family. It was on the road until the 60s then parked. Just getting it out of the barn was a chore.

Pictures soon...

 

Such a tease. You're killing us here!!!

 

As we all are

 

Are you having the photos developed in a photo mart? Or painting them?
You shouldn't tease old men....

 

️️️️️️️

Rotf LMBO

 

Oh man, you guys are tough! The photos were on my last phone, and I had to offload them.

My buddy Joe was nice enough to take a day off work to drive the 150 miles out with me to help recover it. I told him there was a 50/50 chance we might leave empty-handed. We had to wait until the snows of winter were gone, the ground was dry enough to drag a dead truck across dirt, and in between spring rain (and mud). The truck has been in this barn since 1988, and the barn had settled down around it. The door opening was lower than the truck, even with the tires completely flat. We hooked up a recover strap and dragged it out backwards. Joe stood on the bumper and goosed it each time I crept forward. We got it under the door frame, then it scraped for about 12 inches until the roofline dips down. It popped out. Best thing: the wheels were all actually free and rolling (with flat spots, a good thing, so it didn't roll away) AND the steering box was free. We were in business to drag it out to the service road and get it hand-winched up onto a trailer.

The day was getting late and we got it strapped up, including taping and strapping the body so it didn't blow up on the highway. It has no roof, no floor and no windshield, so the chance of it exploding from air pressure was there. Just as we finished, it began to rain. A quick stop for gas and food and we were on the road. Late into the trip, a strap cut loose on the turnpike, and I saw the body buckling in the light of the car behind me. We pulled over for a fix and then got home near midnight.

After getting the trailer turned around in my driveway the next day -- no small feat since I had to jackknife it and drag it around -- I got the truck unloaded where it now temporarily sits in the corner of the drive.

It's rough, but it's mostly there and since it's rare, I'm excited to save it and get it on the road again. I'll post up my plans in the next message. Until then, enjoy some photos. I think it's pretty cool...

 

Great save!

 

HELL YEAH

why am I yelling

 

Man, that would make a cool floorsanding work vehicle for me.... nice find.

 

My biggest hurdle is the wood. I don't have experience with a wood-structured car, and the wood along the bottom is missing. I can see what it's supposed to look like, so I plan to template everything and go from there. No kits exist, so I'll consult with some guys with experience.

Also, I'll need to figure out which parts may be different than the 1/2 ton pickups. Same or different?:
- running boards
- rear fenders (look different since they attach at the top to the fender well)
- patch panels (anything close I can use for the rear portions?)

Body will be diagrammed and templated, then removed so I can restore the chassis. It has frame rot, so I'll have to get it blown apart to know whether I'll be building a new frame. I would like to switch to '40s hydraulic brakes (I have those parts). I'll get to the flathead last, but I have a few blocks here to check.

I never move very quickly on these things, so I'll be checking in with people for advice along the way.

 

Very nice find! Someone else also posted a 32-34 Panel find recently.

 

Dang, nice find and sorta in my part of the world. Jealous!

 

Cool beans

 

Nice start to a panel build. Seems that there have been a few other project panels that are coming out of their hiding places here on the HAMB! My father has a 32 panel that started out in about the same condition in 1974. Please update the thread when you start making some progress.

 

A bit rough,but doable.Please keep us updated.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Wife......."Why in the world did you buy that old piece of junk?"

Good save.

 

Big project, but like you said they are pretty rare and it can be saved. Except for the rusted or rotted away parts, the truck seems to be complete, which is a great help. Especially for the panel truck specific pieces.

 

Cool beans! and Don is a neighbor (neighborish).

 

56don -- Actually, my wife is on board. I've been collecting parts for years and was gathering for a '32 pickup. She liked the panels better and when I found one, I did expect her to say, "Should you really be spending money on that..." but instead she said, "You have a lot of parts. If you sold some you could afford that pretty easily." So I sold a motorcycle for a lot more than I paid for this.

I should mention that it's already titled in my name, so it's clear for work. It is rough, but I know what I'm looking at having collected a lot for the pickups.

 

Help me out identifying a few things that were in the truck.

First, the seats. Panel seats are super hard to find. Do I have panel seats here? Even so, they are probably too far gone for me to save. I have all of the feet in a box, and there were some receiver plates in some rotted wood floor boards.

Next, what is this big bent metal piece? Looks like a center console/driveshaft cover...? I don't imagine it goes with this. EDIT: Kevin Fritz tells me it's a hood for a "B" model John Deere tractor!

There's also a rounded cover, looks like a cat converter cover. I'd like to get rid of anything I don't really need.

Let me know what you think.

 

Sneak peek of what this might look like with '40s steel wheels (6.00 and 7.50 tires). I plan to also keep the 17" wires but would like to switch to hydraulic brakes and I already had these wheels and tires. I'll want a little more tire on the front, but it looks pretty good!

I also had a less-rusty hood that I dropped on there. It was also blue.

 

That's certainly a nice one to build. Congratulations on the find.

 

Yup, lots of work but if it was easy monkeys could do it. Really like it!

 

cool.....nice save