1938-39 Tonner Survey

R

revenski

Senior Member
I’m thinking about trying to gather data on 1938 and 1939 Ford One Ton Trucks still in existence today. 1938 was the first year in more than a decade for the Ford Tonner. The 1939 Tonner was similar in style with minor changes and the introduction of hydraulic brakes. In 1940 there were a number of mechanical and body changes.
I own a 1938 Tonner that I did a stock concours level restoration on from the frame up, and I’m interested in getting some idea about what else is out there. The following is a mock-up of the kind of information I would be looking for. The first entry is, of course, mine.

Year 1938
Model Express Pickup
Date Purchased May, 2014
Current Location Canton, CT
Condition Concours restoration to stock
If Restored, When Completed June, 2019
Notable Information Dealer Demonstrator
(Black with yellow fenders, wheels and pin striping. Options: chrome grill and windshield frame, split rear window, 4-speed transmission, 4.11:1 rear axle, 7.50-17 tires, hot water heater)
Your Name Robert Evenski
Contact Information revenski@att.net
860-681-4459
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What are your thoughts? What additional information should I be looking for? How could I best go about this task?
 

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In about 1992 I obtained a 38 tonner express but the running boards had been cut off and a poorly built wood box installed. I traded a cabinet for it. It had been the airport crash truck for the small airport at Friday Harbor on a neighboring island, but had gone through a few owners since that. Mine was also a dealer display with the same paint scheme, chrome trim and options. Sadly, the grille was butchered for a crankshaft driven water pump and the truck was in generally poor shape. The airport manager told me it was given to the port of Friday Harbor by Ernie Ganzler, who was a relative of Henry Ford, perhaps a nephew. He was a well known character at 'The Harbor'. Not sure how he came across it. I later narrowed a box with fenders from a wrecked '47 tonner express and generally rebuilt the '38 for daily driving, retaining the mechanical brakes, which worked quite well. The 4:11 rear was quite modern with those 34" 7.50 x 17s.
I know this does not follow the format you requested. Is there a way to use the form to fill out, or should I just list it in the order that you did? The truck was sold here on Orcas Island in the early 2000s and later shipped to a new owner in Upstate NY, where I hope it lives happily. It has a balanced 59ab with a merc crank , Jere Jobe carb and distributer, 12 volts and a lower grille section made from 1/2" copper pipe, split in a bandsaw and and formed over my knee and joined to a wooden center piece, all painted hammerite silver. Not concourse. ... Revenski, yours is an amazing restoration and I never get tired of looking at the beautiful photos you have shared.
 

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I really appreciate the information. I'll take any information in any form and work with it. I need to figure this whole thing out and see if there's a way to get this "survey" out there in a format that can be "filled in" if it is actually workable.
 
I went back to school (again) in a manner of speaking. I spent my life in education, but got out before much of the distance/ cooperative Internet stuff was developed. Google has developed a number of different programs along these lines. I spoke to my daughter who is a teacher and who uses a number of these programs with here students. I've used some of the Google programs, but she introduced me to a new one - Google Forms. I taught myself enough about it to develop a 'survey' form that can be used to gather the information that I am seeking. Here is a link to that survey if you care to look at it or have data to enter. Just click on it.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhfbWaxz3TClxIcpWXcSaKIFfydfP69WFSSBBBOxC5Wu-2ew/viewform
 
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