1938 1939 ford trucks

M

msinclair32

Junior Member
can anyone explain the differences in 1938 and 1939 ford trucks? i have the chance to buy one for $100 to tinker around with but i dont know many details. thanks merle
 
1938 Fords had mecnanical brakes '39 had hydraulic, center bar on 38 had diecast V8 emblem at top and painted bars did not meet the center verticle bar, but met up with a separate painted bar on each side of the center bar. The rest of the truck was the same with only minor differences.
 
AHHHH BUT TO THE TRAINED EYE ! ! ! 38 had an ashtray in the middle of the dash-39 none 38 ,cardboard door panels-39 metal . location of windshield crank different . come on guys lets keep this going ,,,I know I,m missing more
 
I thought the crank on a 38 is on the header panel and a 39 is on the dash rail ? no ? I could be wrong ,wouldn,t be a first! Thats where it is on my 39
 
'39 windshield knob is round and mounted on top of the dash and '38 is a crank and is mounted about 2 '' down facing passengers where a quick stop will remove front teeth.
 
I have a 38 peeeckup. Love it. 38/39 are a different breed in that they have the horse collar grille. Folks either love the look or hate it. previous writers have covered the differences. The big one is the juice brakes. Also the 39 ****** is different. Parts are a little tough to come by, but they are out there. For 100 bux, I hope by now you have it in your driveway. Good luck.
clem
 
msinclair32 said:
can anyone explain the differences in 1938 and 1939 ford trucks? i have the chance to buy one for $100 to tinker around with but i dont know many details. thanks merle
Click to expand...

For $100.00 bucks I wouldn't care if it was 38 or 39. Jump on it if you can even recognize it as a truck. lol
 
Do you mean BigTRUCK as in 1 and1/2 ton AKA Regular or a little pickup? 38 Big Trucks had stainless hub caps front and rear. They were eliminated on the 39. If it's a pickem up the gas tank will be under the bed, both years. Big trucks the tank was under the seat.The hood opening mechanism on the 38 was a higher profile handle and was like stacked graduated waifers. The 39 was sleeker and more streamlined, and set closer to the hood. If you are near CT let me know. I've got a 39 dump truck and a 1 and 1/2 ton panel. Like to see what you got. Thanks ML in Mansfield Center CT
 
Get it quick. Payed $500 for one that had a running engine, no box, basicly no hood and had been converted to juice brakes, and $200 for another that has the box and a much straigher cab, but no front clip at all. Rod



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Buy it! You have a great resource right here for any questions are problems that will
come during the restoration.
 
the truck i am looking at is a 1 ton i believe. what is different about the pickup and 1 ton? i am hoping that the pedals and transmission are about the same.
 
What a great deal! Up here, there's a fella that was selling 3 pickups worth of parts (seemed none had a frame or driveline) for $1500.
 
Ford designated the 1/2 tons as "commercial cars" because they were built on a passenger car chassis. Ford reserved the term truck for the heavier vehicles that were built on a longer and heavier frame. The commercial cars had a 112" wheelbase, wheelbase on the 1 ton express pickup is 122", bed is longer and wider. Commercial cars have the gas tank behind the rear axle and gas filler in LR fender. Trucks have the tank under the seat and gas filler behind the passenger side door. On a commercial car, the door bottoms barely clear the running boards when you open the door; on trucks the cab sits up higher and there is a bigger space between the bottom of the doors and the running boards.
 
Another '38-'39 difference: '38 has a square ash tray in the middle of the dash, '39 does not. If a '39 had an ash tray, it was an add-on piece attached to the bottom lip of the dash.
 
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heres some pictures of the truck i finally bought for $100.
 

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the windshield frame is it the same for 1937 and are the pedals worth keeping since its a truck and not a commerical vechicle? thanks merle
 
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