Hot Rods 1940 plymouth pt105

Hey guys new to the forum, just bought a 1940 plymouth pickup was told be the previous owner it was a ww2 truck just wondering if there is anyway to verify. It has the rear gas tank under the bed, a rear window protector, spare tire on the fender and dual wipers, he told me those are all trademarks of a military truck. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

That sounds familiar. Check out :

39-47Dodgetrucks.com They are a wealth of info.

 

Might want to ask over here: http://p15-d24.com/
The folks on that forum are really good with the history on these old ChryCo's.

 

Another good source for information on old military stuff... http://www.mvpa.org/

 

Will do thanks guys.

 

Not sure what defines a wwII truck. For it to have been manufactured during U.S. involvement in the war, it would need to be '42-'45. However, a '40 model could have been a military vehicle and, as such, would have surely been used in the war. Not sure how a military would differ from a commercial vehicle, but I am sure someone will come along with the info. Would be really interesting to get ahold of government bid specs for wartime vehicles.
Good luck in your quest.

 

The story that came with the truck is that it was originally U.S. army truck shipped to France in the war and the driver of the truck liked it so much that he bought it at the end of the war and shipped it home. It does have military paint and all stainless and chrome had the same paint on it. It also has a gas tank under the bed, spare tire on the rear fender and a heavy duty wire grate protecting the back window. The gas tank i read somewhere was only a military option, not all military trucks had it but all that have it were military. Just trying to figure out as much as i can about it before starting repairs, it has the original 201 and 3 speed that runs and drives.

 

Your 40 has been around a long time, lots of stuff could have been done to it during its history. It could have been a military truck from the beginning, or it could have been a civilian truck converted to a military truck at any time between when it was new until before you got it.
Maybe the guys over a www.vintagepowerwagons.com can help you identify things that may identify its military past. They deal with WWII and exported military trucks all the time. Gene