My New 1938 Ford One Ton Express (PICS)

[KeansClassics]

The Story of My New 1938 Ford Pickup!
This last Sunday we went and picked up this 1938 Ford One Ton Express Pickup Truck. This deal had been in the making for a few months and now were able to wrap it up. A friend of mine and I went to the Lancaster Event Center Swap meet in Lincoln, Nebraska in search of car parts. Tom, my friend, had recently purchased his dads old 1938 Ford 1/2 ton and was looking for parts and asking around at the different vendors if they had anything. One vendor pointed him to the direction of a friend of his that was selling an old 1938 Ford pickup. Naturally my friend was excited and he got the contact info to get a hold of the seller of this truck. A few days later Tom and I go up to Malcolm, Nebraska to look at it. We looked it over real good but Tom decided to pass on the deal as very little parts would interchange with his half ton truck. This is were I came in. I went with Tom to look at it the first time to lend advice and since he wasn't interested anymore, I decided that it was something that I was interested in. My dad and I went back a few days later so I could show him the truck and get his opinion. We looked it over real good and decided we had to have it! It was in too good of shape pass up and too complete to take parts off of and part out as my friend wanted to do. Being a poor college student, I didn't have the cash for it at the time, but the seller, being such a nice guy, allowed me to give him a deposit and then after about a month to pay the rest off and come and get the truck, so thats what I did and on Sunday we brought it home. We arrived in Malcolm, Nebraska shortly after noon and pulled the truck out of its home in an old shed, where it sat for the last 20 years, with a bobcat and loaded it on the sellers trailer. The seller was kind enough to use his truck and trailer to haul the old Ford on as I didn't have access to one.
The History
The truck was purchased by the sellers adopted uncle new in 1938 and was used as a farm truck to haul grain. The original owner was a gentlemen who was born in 1886 and farmed all his life. You can see the effects of farm life with the tailgate that has been modified and fit with a lift gate to empty the grain. The reason the truck was parked was because they couldn't get it to pass the State of Nebraska Vehicle Inspection, this occurred in the mid-1960's. For a short while after that it was parked out on a farm and then purchased by the seller in 1988. At that time it was put into this old shed where it hadn't seen the light of day until this last Sunday.
Condition
Overall the truck is in great shape! The engine is stuck, but the seller said that it turned over when it was parked in the shed. My hopes are to add some penetrating oil and try to free it up without tearing it down. It was covered from the elements and I am hoping it has just frozen up from lack of turning over. The tires are all shot and need to be replaced. They are all split rims, so hopefully I can find a shop that will put new ones on for me. There is just a small amount of rust here and there, not too bad from what I have seen others having so that makes it nice. The interior needs some work as the back window at some point when it was sitting outside was broken and water has rotted the seat. The floors are all real solid. I spent the afternoon today cleaning out the interior and can say there isn't any rust through on the floor. One issue that I have is the right door doesn't want to open. Any suggestions on that? There are dents here and there but nothing I can't live with, the dents add character to the truck. The old wood bed it long gone and needs to be replaced. The good thing is all this metal strip dividers are there and in very good shape! The truck even came with two extra right doors in fantastic shape!
My Plans
The plan for this truck is to clean it up and get it back on the road. I want to leave it original, dents and all, as I adhere to the saying that "its only original once”. This truck is a fine addition to the collection and will be well cared for for many years to come. I had been wanting a truck like this ever since my friend Tom got his dads. There is just something about the look of these trucks that is very appealing. I am very grateful to Tom for passing this one up for me to purchase. So far he has found me four cars for my collection, and all were great deals! A 1964 Ford F100 for $50, an all original running and driving 1960 Edsel Ranger for $1500, a very nice Running and driving 1930 Ford Model A Town Sedan for $3500 and finally this 1938 Ford One Ton Express for $1500. You can't ask for a better friend than that! He even came out to help load the truck. Now that the truck is home I can begin the work that is needed to get her back on the road, and I can say I am truly looking forward to it!
I hope you have enjoyed the story of my new truck and I look forward to your replies!
Thanks and Enjoy the Photos!

[Mike in AZ]

good score.....glad to see you saving it....good story, too....Mike

[expavr]

Congratulations on finding a survivor Tonner. They are rare birds. I think you'll find that those rims use a locking ring as opposed to being a split rim and if they're like the 39-40 rims they'll be 17" diameter. You'll have to use a tube tire with a flap to protect the tube on this setup. Before you go to the expense of buying tires have the locking rings magged for cracks. if they check out OK any large truck tire store should be able to help you out with mounting. Coker used to sell a 7:00-17 poly tire that will work on the rims. Its been a while since I checked, but the availability of 17" radial rims with the 5X6 7/8 lug pattern could be a problem. Stockton Wheel offered a radial rim with this lug pattern, but without the hold downs for the large hubcap. Attached are photos of the before and after of my 40 Tonner. Good luck with your project.

[Fibber Mcgee]

Nice truck,I always liked the grill on the 38's

[31chevy]

Nice friend! Good find.
Gary.

[1952henry]

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Good save on a Tonner. Neat to see other people have an interest in the bigger pickups!

[Gumpy]

Andrew youve got a great friend there!...I love those ton-ers could you put stock wheels on the truck and save a few bucks on tires....nice find!

[nospartsman]

To open a door the won't open with the handle, take a large flat blade screw driver on the inside of the cab and pry the latch dog, and the door will open. Slide the driver between the cab and door until you find the dog in the general area of the handle. American Parts

[trulyvintage]

Very nice ....




Jim

[coupe5w36]

Fantastic! Looking forward to hearing / seeing your progress as it heads back to being driveable once more.