I went to school with the guy that had this truck setting in his fence row.Another friend told me about it and we went out and picked it up today. It sure is nice to renew old friends and get a truck like this. Some days you get lucky,twice.
Great looking truck. Not sure what all you "rusted out" guys are seeing, I don't see any through-holes anywhere. Roof looks a little rough, but the rest looks to be mostly surface. A few bubbles on the lower door and cab corner, but that's standard on just about any ford truck older than 1980 that's actually been used outside . Frame looks solid, fenders look good too. Still a lot to do, but I'd take it in a hearbeat.
You're from Iowa and you think THAT's rusted out?!? Looks like a good start from here, if those things turn you on, have fun.
Nice to hear that term "jailbar" And I thought it was just us down under guys that called them jailbars... . .
Primo for most SW florida finds. If it sits outside for 5 or more years you have to replace the floor and several inches all the way around. Good find;Good luck!
Looks like a good starting point. The '42-'47 Jailbars are gaining popularity, see more people building them. If you decided to go to a later rear end to get away from the stump-puller ratio the truck came with, you won't have any trouble finding a buyer for the open drive banjo rear or the open drive 3 speed toploader. Engine/trans swapping is much easier than it is on the '41 and earlier models, since you have a straight ladder frame that doesn't taper in at the front, and you don't have to deal with X-member issues or splitting wishbones. The stock beam axle handles well if the king pins and king pin bushings are good, and you can add disc brakes with an inexpensive kit and junkyard parts. If you want independent front suspension, measure the width of an '80s Ford Aerostar van to see if it's in the ball park. The whole works attaches to a single crossmember that unbolts from the donor vehicle. You get disc brakes, power rack and pinion, good parts availability, and any tire store can align it. Henrietta the '38 Ford pickup and Ozelle the '55 Ford send friendly horn honks to your truck.
Looks good! How are the floors? Mine is missing the rockers and the vast majority of the floor. The jailbars are gaining popularity, but they are still kinda hard to find around here. I spent almost 2 years looking for front fenders and a grille for mine that wasn't 300+ miles away. My hood is a '41, but it should be close enough and it's pretty cherry. Anyway, good start! Got any more pics? Tim D.
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