1934 Pickup Question

[Flathead Fever]

Hey guys,

I have never seen one of these front splash aprons before. Judging by the holes in it, it goes under the radiator mounts. Does anybody know if this is for the pickups, cars or both?

I hauled home a '34 pickup. Its a full scale model kit and the assembly instructions and parts list were not in any of the boxes. The boxes of parts filled up the '34 pickup cab, the '34 bed, the trailer floor, the back of my truck bed its rear seat.

After a few years of searching for a '34 pickup project I had just about given up. All I found was rusted out and crushed scrap metal that people kept claiming had once been a '34 pickup. This pickup had been stored inside since new and then sold in 1970 to the guy I bought it from. He disassembled it and stored it inside in his Maryland garage. He sold the drivetrain, suspension steering, pretty much everything but the frame and body parts. He was going to make a street rod out of it. He spent a fortune on reproduction parts, the typical billet aftermarket junk, rebuilt 351 Cleveland engine. Chromed four-bar front suspension, powder painted 9-inch rear end, tilt steering column, everything he would need to put this pickup together.

I'm taking it back the other way, to before he got his finger prints all over it. The guy recently turned 75 and realized it was never going to get built so he listed it for sale on Craigslist but not in Maryland, only in Southern California? When I asked him why he said, "that's where all the hot rodders with money live". He wasn't talking about me! That trip to Maryland is the only Vacation I've ever been on.

The ad was about 4-hours old when I found it. When I saw the photos of the sheet metal I immediately made the phone call and told him it was sold. There is not one dent, rust pin hole or even a rust pit in any of the sheet metal, except for this lower radiator splash shield and a hole in the firewall for one of those exhaust manifold cab heaters. The bed, cab, doors, grille shell, fenders running boards and hood are perfect. I picked up the son-n-law and said if want to remain in the will your going on a road trip. We Left on Monday morning after the bank opened and got back Friday at midnight. We drove from Southern California to Maryland, 5510 miles round trip. That was a brutal trip. I had never been past Arizona in an automobile. I got to see the off ramps to a lot of interesting historical sites. I wish I had more time to have explored them.

I'm in the process of robbing the parts I need for the '34 off a rusty basket case '33 I've had for years. Its sitting in the picture next to the '34 which is the one sitting on the ground. Its starting to look like an Early Ford Pickup junk yard around here.

Thanks for your input.

 

[jimTN]

Looks like you have a good start there. You should be able to get a 15 to 1 worm and sector to build that 33 steering gear for your 34. I believe the rest of the mechanicals from 33 would be fine. If you use original brakes, put floaters on them and they are as good as going hyd.

 

[34 ford pickup]

Hey Flathead,
I have had 10 of these 32 - 34 Ford pickups and BB Trucks, and only one of them still had that lower radiator splash apron on it ... Probably over the years people tossed them out, but a barn find truck I came across that was unmolested still had it on from the factory. My guess is they were only used on the pickups and trucks but maybe someone else can chime in if they have seen them on cars. up until now I have never come across anyone else who had that apron besides me. Surely a rare piece.

 

[totto]

I have one on my 1934 pickup and not sure if it just for pickups. Goes under radiator as you stated and then you have a front splash shield that goes below the grill. The same front splash shield was used for both '33 and '34 pickups and the 1 1/2 ton trucks had a splash shield very similar to 1932 cars. That's what I know.

Henry

 

[DavidG]

Not used on passenger cars as there was one specifically for those as shown below (both '33 and '34 versons).

 

[ktowler]

any extra drivers doors by chance you will sell?

 

[ktowler]

any extra drivers doors you may sell?

 

[flathead34]

I have one on my '34. Believe '34's are the same. I read somewhere they are being re-poped in fiberglass. send me your email and I will send you pictures of it. Can't seem to post the picture on this reply. mjfehniger99@gmail.com Mike

 

[DavidG]

United Pacific offers reproduction steel doors. If they are as accurate as reported regarding their '32 5-window coupe bodies and body parts that would be another alternative, although an expensive one.

 

[Flathead Fever]

Hey guy, thanks for the splash shield education.

They are reproducing '34 pickup doors for around $2000.00 each. For that price I'd just put a door on the side your going to display! There is an old-timer here that ran a wrecking yard since the 1940s. He saved all the old pickups and trucks and kept them on a separate property and never sold a one. I've gotten in there one time and its incredible what is in there. You can't believe a place like that still exists. From Chain drive trucks to Model T pickup, rows of them. He has a reputation of not selling stuff. Before I bought this '34 pickup I recognized him at a Model A swap meet and asked him if he had any '34 cabs in his vintage truck junk yard. He said he had several '34 cabs but none of them had any doors. The reason he said the doors were missing was because the orange grove farmers around here would remove the doors from their pickups because they were constantly getting in and out of them. He said he would sell me a '34 cab for $1700.00 without any doors. I was getting so desperate to find a '34 pickup I almost bought a cab from him and was going to convert my dad's '33 into a '34.

I do have one spare passenger door but its not that great. I just glanced at it and there is a large dent that probably would pop out. The door skin has a little tear and is folded backwards behind the lower hinge. It came off the '33 pickup which was actually my dad's project. He bought a better door to replace it with at a swap meet at least 25-year's ago. It was hard to find a nice door even back then. He paid either $300.00 or $400.00 for that one after he had just about given up looking. That was a lot of money for a door at the time. You could buy a whole cab with doors on it for that price. But the doors were almost always rusted out at the bottom along with the bottom back of the cab and the bottoms of the cowl sides. That's here in sunny Southern California where everything is suppose to be rust free.

 

[nobey]

Good info Jerry, of all the 34 pickups I've seen, not one had that splash apron under
the grill. I learn something new everyday. Thanks Ford Barn....

 

[2ndgeer]

I was surprised to see this radiator pan still attached to a junked 1934 BB truck I was disassembling in 1970 in a junkyard in Carson, CA. I had it powder coated and it is now on my '34 pickup. I've been attending swap meets for 50 years, including Pomona, Hershey, LA Roadsters, etc and I've never seen one for sale. I saw a rusty one on eBay in 2008. Just think how many thousands Ford made and most have been tossed...amazing.

 

[michael a]

That's quite a journey we once went from Kansas City to Yuma for 40 Ford pick up over Thanksgiving weekend but I have one question you couldn't find anyone to go with you beside you sonin law I would rather pick up a Hiker than take mine!