Projects 1934 Ford Open Cab Pickup Barn Find Project

Just the start of this project is about 5 years in the making, or more. I've known about the existence of this dismantled open cab pickup for a bit longer than that, but it's taken until now for me to get my hands on it. If you want to read the whole thread about how I just now came to own it, you can check out my original thread over here:

Mystery Truck Cab: 32 Ford RPU?

I'll do a quick backstory for those who don't want to wade through that old thread. I originally had the body for my 28 Ford Coupester stored at a buddy's old barn behind his repair shop in NJ. Because his father was a hot rodder back in the day, he'd gotten the bug as well. When I first stored my car body in that barn, I discovered what I thought was a 32 RPU body, turns out it's a 34 (perhaps a 33, but *pretty* sure a 34)....a rare bird *indeed*. Back then, it couldn't be bought. However, late last year I saw that he was selling some of his father's old projects. I was *sure* that this project had likely been sold already, but I figured why not ask anyway?

Here's how I found it, 5-6 years ago:










Turns out, he DID still have it stored in the same spot as when I'd last seen it! I asked him how much he wanted for it, and it was quite reasonable, so a deal was struck. He had the complete cab, hood, two grill shells, and some other misc parts. He also had a 34 frame out back as well. I had no idea how I was going to get it from NJ to TN (where I'll likely be moving sooner than later), let alone get it out here to where I currently live in CA. However, several months after posting a want ad here on the HAMB, HAMB member xxWELDERxx answered the call.

*Side note: If ANYONE is looking for a great transport or relay experience, I HIGHLY recommend him. He's as honest as they come, and I'll DEFINITELY be using him again! He scoped out the parts before travel day, worked out how they needed to be loaded, and made it happen.....no muss, no fuss, no amount of rain, Knoxville traffic, or threat of apocalypse stopped this man from his appointed rounds!

Back to the story.....*flawless* loading, travel, and delivery of the parts. The frame was too large to transport this time around, but it'll make it down to TN at some point.

Transport day! :





After being covered with a heavy duty tarp, it was on its way!!

So....plans, summed up in one pic:



I already have an 8BA that's being rebuilt over at Burbank Speed and Machine, almost completely stock. I'll be running an upgraded late Ford toploader with the Jeep tower mod behind it. I'm definitely going with an open drive banjo rear, perhaps a quick change if I can locate one. As I don't have a bed for it, if I can locate an original, I'll leave it be....if not, I'll pick up a repop and I would love to do it the way NealinCA did his 32 RPU, with the folding jumpseats for the kiddos. However, I won't be doing ANY cutting or mods to the original parts....NADA. I just want to restore it to its original state, as much as possible.

Here's some eye candy of the individual parts:










Not that I think it would ever have a chance at winning an award in Pomona, but I have pie-in-the-sky dreams of seeing it in the Suede Palace one day!!!

 

Great start, don't think I've ever seen one before.
I'm in.

 

Watching, I'm glad you were finally able to buy the RPU. Now start building.

 

Unflippin believable!! That's the kinda stuff dreams are made of.

 

Cool, nice score.
Al.

 

Really great find, and it is also nice to know you are the proper caretaker for it. Good luck with the build, look forward to following it. Bob

 

Find of a lifetime!

 

You going to paint it or leave that patina on it with the old door writing?

 

Very - very rare ! No rust out ? Amazing find ! Have fun !

 

I'm not sure yet. Part of me says yes, the other side says no. I get torn between history and doing a higher end finish.

No rust out that I know of, as it didn't have any 5 years ago, and it's been kept off the floor and covered all that time....surface rust only I think.

 

who cares about awards at Pomona?build it for you.subcribed

 

Great find and well done on getting it home.... enjoy the build...

 

If you do paint the RPU, it would be cool to recreate the writing on the doors, but totally up to you of course. Will be watching.

 

That is going to be really cool

 

Hey West Coast guys, quit stealing stuff on the East Coast!!

 

I never knew that Ford made RPU's post-1931. My education continues here on the HAMB.

 

That is a totally cool find - awesome deal and it looks like it has landed in the right pair of hands!

 

Great find, watching!

 

"Persistence pays off",congratulations. HRP

 

I really like that idea. In regards to a car with history, I'd hate to erase all visible signs of that.

 

I'm keeping the body elsewhere at my folks' place as I don't have any room here in Burbank at the moment. My A takes up all the space in my garage, but it won't stop me from building up the chassis.

Here's some better pics post delivery:



















The red hood is obviously not a 34...from what I can tell. I think the separate side panels and the Railway Motors panel are the appropriate year. I can't exactly tell what the other text is under the topmost text on the door, though.

 

I remember seeing the earlier thread, cool you could finally purchase it. Like your plans for it.

 

Brief update on the engine that will be going in the truck, a 1950 8BA:









Mostly stock, .030 over, with a late toploader going behind it. The tranny is an early 70s 3 speed that I did the jeep tower conversion on so the shifter will look traditional. It doesn't have OD, but it'll do for now.

 

Thanks for the update, any progress on the body? Bob

 

Nice solid looking start...

 

I have some questions about these 33/34 open cab pickups. I know they were the last years the model was offered, and that they were the cheapest of Ford's lineup. However, I had no idea that the doors were mostly wood!!! They're not like Model A doors at all, just metal skins, latches, and one diagonal sheet metal strap.



I've also discovered that the dash is weird on these, too. I do indeed have the original dash, but am missing this thin piece of trim that covers the seam where it nests into the inner lip of the cowl. If you look closely, you can see it in this pic of a complete one:



Other than that, I've found that the lower 1" of the rear corners and back of the cab are rotted, but there are patch panels available. Not bad at all considering it lived it's life in the Northeast.

Still no luck determining its past life. The earliest text on the doors says "FAIRPLAY" and "BKLYN". Nothing documented of the sort in Brooklyn, though.

 

There is no trim piece between the dash and the cowl. The dash just bolts to the cowl, under the lip that faces the passengers.

Are you meaning the part that bolts to the cowl top and is basically a spacer under the windshield frame? It has the windshield posts bolt to it on each side. That piece is another wooden piece with tin over it. Just a part to take up the gap and add a bit of stability to the windshield posts. You will NEVER find one just floating around for sale. If you can't make it yourself it's probably best to call up Bobby Walden and have him make it for you.

 

AHHH...ok, I see it now. I do have the piece of metal that connects the stanchions that you mentioned. The wood on the inside was completely rotted, so I'll dig it out and do steel reinforcments instead. I got confused because on the portion of the lip that faces the passengers, there's bolt holes going around it like there's supposed to be some trim there. In the pic I showed in my last post, I interpreted it as being a missing piece. Perhaps they mounted something custom there in its previous life, similar to other strange holes on the cowl section that I'm assuming were for side mirrors that obviously weren't stock.

I also found some great pics of the one that Fullerton Fabrication sold a couple years ago:

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=47104

 

Any updates?

 

Man what A find. Looks like a great start. Those roadster pickups are the Bee's!