I Finally Get a '32

2935ford said:
Thanks kiwitony. Seems kinda harsh but if it works, I'm happy. Should I have anything to worry about once it's loose or just drive it if there aren't clunking/banging sounds?
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Nice find. Congrats.

Believe me, doing that trick to get the clutch unstuck is nohing what those old trucks have gone through; regardless of how nice they appear.

Short from taking it apart, that is a good way to free it up if it's just stuck. Sometimes the throw out bearing is messed up or other issues, then it needs to come apart.

Once you get it home, take off the cover that goes around the shift tower. You'll see the bell housing for the trans. There is a little cover held on by two screws. Take that off and take a peek in there. If nothing looks crooked or messed up, more than likely it's just a frozen clutch.

Sometimes you can break it free by rocking the truck back and forth, but be careful once it breaks free.
 
Tim....thank you. The floorboard by the seat is already out. There is a hole in the angled floorboard where the cover you are talking about is exposed. I'll take that off and have a look.
What happens that I should be careful once it breaks free?
I've heard of folks breaking axles when they dragged the car to free the cluctch! Don't wanna do that!
 
2935ford said:
Anyone know if this is the original horn?
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Looks like the one on my Tudor. That is the sort of stuff that is in the 2 volume 32 ford book. Lots of photo's and specs on all the model in incredible detail. It was great for me in answering all the "Is this original" questions."
 
2935ford said:
Tim....thank you. The floorboard by the seat is already out. There is a hole in the angled floorboard where the cover you are talking about is exposed. I'll take that off and have a look.
What happens that I should be careful once it breaks free?
I've heard of folks breaking axles when they dragged the car to free the cluctch! Don't wanna do that!
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If you're doing it on a hill, it will immediately start to roll forward or backward or over the person helping you rock it back and forth.

I just don't want to see you smash up that great original tin or run over your "helper" trying to get the clutch free.

Do you have a dirt road you can drag it on? I would assume that should be a little easier on the axle than pavement.

I would also think the axle key would break or shear off before an axle let's go, but I'm sure anything is possible.
 
Rust thru and bullit holes!
Both doors close real nice. Two clicks with a slight push.
Window channels need some work. They roll down but have difficulty rolling up.
The drivers door bottom is real rusty. Close that door and sand sixe peices fall down.
It appears that side of the truck got rain/snow from maybe only partially covered.
I know the person who passed that owned it drove it with poor brakes and we believe he had a mishap of sorts that took him off the road. The passenger side radius rod is bent and poorly welded and now crooked. As well, both wire wheels suffered some spoke bending in the mishap. The truck was put away after this mishap and not used again. That was back in the 70's. It has been off the road all this time.

All part of the trucks daily life on the roads back then.
 
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jim32...thanks....I need to get that book.

Tim.....yes, there is a dirt road very close to me. No, I don't want any accidents with people or tin.

I am more inclined to pull the engine as I want to have the rad cleaned. So, with it out of the way....it's no big deal to me to pull the motor/trans.
I have to work all the brakes and rods as well.
 
My favorite method to free up the clutch is to take a stick (or some thing heavy) and push the clutch lever. Leave the clutch lever pushed down for a couple weeks. This releases the force holding the pressure plate to the disk and lets the disk expand slightly. Next start the engine up in neutral and let it warm up until it is running well. Turn off the engine, put the transmission in high gear, aim the truck down a deserted road, hold your foot on the clutch, and start the engine. Alternately accelerate and brake while holding the clutch down. This is much more gentle on the rest of the drivetrain than towing, plus you get to drive the truck.
 
Ol' Ron....thanks good point. I haven't tried anything yet. I'll let you know once I get a battery and I'll try to kick it over to see what happens.
One of the fellows before me said they had tried but he didn't know much of what happened. I'm not sure he was there when they tried.
 
38 coupe...thanks. My problem is...I have no brakes whatsoever. Most of the rods are in the bed of the truck.
 
2935ford,

Regarding your earlier question about the upholstery, judging from your photos it would appear not to be the original, which was a two-tone brown and black artificial leather and noticeably darker than what shows in the photos.

How is the floor of the bed, condition wise? Unloaded, these pickups tend to sit higher in the front than in the back and as a result rain water gravitates toward the front leading to rust damage over the long term. As a result, often one sees a sheet of plywood over what's left of the original steel floor in the bed of survivors.

Rust is very commonly encountered in the door bottoms of the '32-'34 pickups and panel delliveries (same doors all three years on both those body types), but I understand that specific patch panels are available these days.

Judging from the bolt-on roof panel and the originally chrome-plated engine turned instrument panel it would appear that the truck was produced on the back side of mid-model year production.

Nice truck! I second the earlier wish that you go for keeping it original.

Dave
 
Here are a few more pics. When I pulled the pass seat out and flipped it over...it confirmed a reupholstery job by the tag attached.

The bed is wood like an A.

I need to find out if this is a Canadian truck. Don't know the differences?
 
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As for unique Canadian characteristics, unlike in the case of Model As, there really aren't any noteable ones. The original VINs for Canadian production were unique and in the case of the fours, there were two different groups with different prefixes. The first group had a prefix of CBG followed by a number ranging from 1 to 5,000. The second group had a prefix of CBQ followed by a number ranging from 1 and up, but less than 5,000 (the last '32 Canadian four's number has remained something of a mystery). I'm guessing that your pickup's original VIN had a CBQ prefix and a number below 3,400, but it's only a guess.

Hopefully your truck still has its original VIN stamped on top of the left frame rail near the front of the foot of the dash (firewall) and on the top of the left side of the flywheel housing.

Judging from the finish on the seat spring in your photo and its construction, it would appear to have been replaced at the time of the upholstery job.

The 90MPH speedometer is consistent with the late side of mid-year dating of your truck's original production date.

Dave
 
DavidG.....thank you. I'll see what I can find out on the serial #.
The wood bed must be a repacement as well.
 
From your photo, it looks as though the bed in the box is the original, i.e. steel. I'll bet it rests on a continuous series of oak planks directly underneath, which are likely also to be original.

Further along in the dating "game", attached at the extreme ends of the chassis frame are there two or four brackets supporting the bed on each side? (If two, each will be on the outside of the frame rail.) Lastly, do the rear fenders have stamped steel braces running from the chassis frame side rails to the out lip of the fenders (one per side behind the center line of the rear wheels)?

P.S. All of this stuff is in the two volume book mentioned above.
 
2935 Ford, that is one nice ol' 32's, quite a story you gave back there on the purchase and chain of event, not sure about your club members, loyalty and lookin out for each other, I know dog eat dog world. I'm thinkin there is more to the story on this ol truck, I say this only because for 33,000 miles, I noticed that every clamp is modern and not the original ol style, perhaps someone pulled the motor at one time, or drove it later in years, and changed hoses and clamps just to be on the precautious side, not sure if that's a word, but I will use it anyway. Very nice I'm happy for you.
 
peewee2you.....thank you. Yes, not knowing it's complete life history in detail....you bet there is plenty more to the story....I always look at it this way. I have know idea what has happened to a vehicle this old. The possibilities are endless of what may have gone on.
I don't worry to much about it. To me with these, 33k - 333k miles makes no difference.
I do all that is necessary to get it in top form for safe reliable driving. At the same time try to keep the integrity of the original vehicle, at least on this one.
It will, with me at least, never, ever, be a points car nor trailer queen. Just a cool daily summer driver that hauls some stuff once in awhile.
I have no intention of painting it or doing anymore body work on it other than to make the cab as free from flowing water as possible. I like a dry seat! I get enough water with my roadster!!!
 
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