Late 31 Pickups

Downeaster

Downeaster

Junior Member
Looking for a late 31 CCPU to keep my 31 Delux Tudor company. I need some help with how to identify the differencs in the late 31 pickups from other 31 pickups. My Tudor is a late 31 with the indented firewall. Would I assume that all late 31 pickups have the indented firewall also? Was the wide bed with three tail gate hindges an option or was it on all late 31 Pickups? I see some 31 pickups with a factory installed steel roof. Was this an optional roof on the 31's? Were soft top roofs also available on late 31 pickups? I've heard that the Budd body company was the maker of pickup bodies with the steel roof, true? Are there any other differences to look for to know that I'am looking at a true late 31 pickup and not an earlier model or a mix and match truck?
Thanks All, 114 days to 1st show!
 
I have a "late" 31 PU. It has a factory steel top, and indented firewall. However it does have the narrow bed (the one with 2 hinges). I have been told that when Ford was making the switch, they used up what parts were already in the line, therefore right about the change they had steel tops with narrow beds, steel tops with wide beds, fabric tops with wide beds, fabric tops with narrow beds, ALL with the indented firewall. I have no authority for the above, just what I've gleaned from here and there.
 
When I was looking this past spring, i came upon a steel top, indented f/wall with a new narrow bed. I passed on it because I thought it should have had a widebed.
CarlG thanks for enlightening me.
Paul in CT
 
I may be wrong but the old timers here around me when I bought mine years ago said that the late 31's had the hard round cab, square bed, narrow fenders, fenders of which only fit those pickups no other car would they fit, no mention was made of tailgates, wide or narrow beds and no soft tops.
 
Our 31 widebed does not have an indented firewall or hard roof.

It does have the square box and I believe a 3 hinge tailgate with no script.
 
I have a '31 steel top without indented firewall and with a narrow bed. Of course, I have no idea how many cars and trucks contributed to this one. It has a 2-piece apron on the left side and a 1-piece apron on the right side. It has car running boards and no welled front fender - no place to put a spare tire. Oh, and of course it has 16" wheels. When I bought it, it had a '29 engine. Now it has a rebuilt '30 AA engine. It's a mutt, but it sure is fun to drive!
 
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Yes sir you are correct, but I believe the key to this discussion is late 31's, not just any 31 only the last of the A pickups had all of the above mentioned, I'm just going on what these old guys passed on to me and a couple of them have been gone for years, but were pretty up on there hobby.
 
Oh great.

Ours has wide fenders with a widebed. Where there any widebed PU's made with wide fenders during a changeover or is ours an older frame with a newer bed? Where any mods made to the frame between 1930-1931?

I'm kind of concerned as I ordered the wood bed sills for a late 31 going by the type of bed it has. I hope everything fits
 
I believe the frames are the same. Wide bed fenders are scarce, available in f/glass though.
Paul in CT Bed sills are probably the same.
 
I just noticed the truck on ebay has the same type of ignition cable I found on our A PU.

03579560-17sm.jpg



Is this an old aftermarket style one or was this actually used by ford at one point?
 
That's aftermarket and much easier to work with than the original heavy spring cable. My 28 Phaeton has the same as in the picture and I will leave it until I restore the car some day. The aftermarket switch that came on my car is the typical switch used with this thin cable, and it gave me a lot of grief until I took it apart and made the contacts a bit better.
 
In my three year search for a widebed pick up I ran accross all permutations as far as bed and cab combinations are concerned. So I think any combination was possible depending on manufacturing date and location. I finally purchased a soft top, wide bed, indented firewall sn#46400704. Built in Long Beach.

The small diameter ignition cable was the Ford issued replacement assembly for all the popout style switch and cable assemblies.
 
Pmsqrd said:
In my three year search for a widebed pick up I ran accross all permutations as far as bed and cab combinations are concerned. So I think any combination was possible depending on manufacturing date and location. I finally purchased a soft top, wide bed, indented firewall sn#46400704. Built in Long Beach.

The small diameter ignition cable was the Ford issued replacement assembly for all the popout style switch and cable assemblies.
Click to expand...
My widebed has the indented firewall and steel top but the number is around 4,400,000. I always thought that later ones would all have the steel top but I guess I'll keep learning.:)
 
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