New '39 COE owner questions

KCTA Chris

KCTA Chris

Senior Member
Waited for the right one so last week when a 95% complete running '39 became available, my neighbor and I grabbed it. Overall we're very happy with the truck it looks like it had an easy life, pleased with no major sheet metal damage or rust or scale with a healthy flathead and scoots down the road just fine. It did receive a farm rehab and paint job about 25-30 years ago and thats ok. Of course this means questions! Searching I gained a lot of info but noticed some links to parts were dead as well as advise that may not have already been covered.

Specifically: I'll need to add the headlight wire harness and assume a '39 reg. truck would but may need to extend the wires? The horn and bracket are missing and would like to see a pic of what to look for. The speedo cable and for whatever reason the fuel sending unit are missing too, If anyone knows what would fit that would be great, thats about all we lack. The rubber parts are still there but could use a new filler neck grommet, fender step and the rubber oil fill cap/gasket if anyone is making these again?

The plan is just drive it for now and winter will involve a shortening of the stakebed. At some point I'll need to find a 2-speed rear axle and swap to gain a little mph. Any info on what to look for would be appreciated too.

Thanks!
 

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Any Eaton and controls from F6 Ford Trucks up to 1955 should work. The 41 and earlier trucks I have seen had a mechanical shift with a lever in the floor. The 55 and under trucks would have a vac shift. If you were around here I would sell you one.
 
There were no less than 8 different models of COE truck for 1939. That one looks like a longer version but I can't tell if it's a 134" wheel base or a 157" wheel base. They also were available with either the 85HP 221 CID engine or the 95 HP 239 CID engine. The 95HP would be preferable but a 221 would be OK too. By now it may have a later model engine in it anyway.

I think the 1938 & 39 trucks with 2-speed used the Eaton/Ford model 1250 manual shift two speed axle. Finding one of those babies and all the shifter parts plus the drive shaft pieces, might be a difficult task. Not to say it can't be done but definitely will take some poking around. It may be easier to find a later vacuum shift type. The axle can come from any Conventional or COE model truck but the drive line may require a shaft modification to get it to work. Nothing that hasn't been done before but it helps to have a good drive shaft shop around your area. Some of the 2-speed set ups also had a ratio changer mechanism for the speedometer so it would indicate some where near the correct speed.
 
jimTN said:
Any Eaton and controls from F6 Ford Trucks up to 1955 should work. The 41 and earlier trucks I have seen had a mechanical shift with a lever in the floor. The 55 and under trucks would have a vac shift. If you were around here I would sell you one.
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Wish we were closer too, upgrading it with a vacum shift might be nice!
 
jimTN said:
Any Eaton and controls from F6 Ford Trucks up to 1955 should work. The 41 and earlier trucks I have seen had a mechanical shift with a lever in the floor. The 55 and under trucks would have a vac shift. If you were around here I would sell you one.
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rotorwrench said:
There were no less than 8 different models of COE truck for 1939. That one looks like a longer version but I can't tell if it's a 134" wheel base or a 157" wheel base. They also were available with either the 85HP 221 CID engine or the 95 HP 239 CID engine. The 95HP would be preferable but a 221 would be OK too. By now it may have a later model engine in it anyway.

I think the 1938 & 39 trucks with 2-speed used the Eaton/Ford model 1250 manual shift two speed axle. Finding one of those babies and all the shifter parts plus the drive shaft pieces, might be a difficult task. Not to say it can't be done but definitely will take some poking around. It may be easier to find a later vacuum shift type. The axle can come from any Conventional or COE model truck but the drive line may require a shaft modification to get it to work. Nothing that hasn't been done before but it helps to have a good drive shaft shop around your area. Some of the 2-speed set ups also had a ratio changer mechanism for the speedometer so it would indicate some where near the correct speed.
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Thanks for the info, vacuum shift sounds easier to find and and install. But the early axle numbers help put me on the path of what to look for if I do stumble across one. We have some time so thats a plus. Yep this is the longer chassis, but with the original 95 powering it. At first there was talk of shortening the frame when changing the rear axle, but we think just shortening the large non-factory bed will make a big difference.
 
Remember the 2 speeds are direct and UNDER. You might not ever want to be in the low range so shifter linkage might not be that important. I know the single speed rear was 6.67 as I used to have a 39 COE chassis with a 40 cab. I think the 2 speed ratio is something like 5.57 which is slightly better for driving on today's roads.
 
I have no first hand experience but looking at the Ford axle repair manual
and the parts book it looks like you would be better off with the high speed
single speed rear axle (5.14 to 1 ratio). The two speed axle shows the ratio in
bevel gears as 5.83 to 1 and the ratio in reduction gears as 8.11 to 1.


Bob
 
If you bob the tail, it will look a bit shorter. The 101 wheel base COE trucks of the era were the short ones. They made dump type boxes for them too.

We had a 1939 COE when I was a kid. It was a hand me down from a great uncle after he passed. It wasn't Ford though. It was a Chevy with the little 216 6-cylinder. It was one of the first dump bed trucks in the county I grew up in back in southwestern Kansas. They used hoist beds or scoop shovels to move grain before that. Not an easy life back then.

The single speed axles would likely be Timken types. They are near impossible to get gears for. Even a later electric shift 2-speed axle could be used but the electric parts would all be 12-volt most likely.
 
This is great info. and helps in a makeover plan. Also the brakes will be going over before its driven much, Is this a shared brake M/C or specific to heavy trucks? Anyone sell reman or rebuild kits?
 
KCTA Chris said:
This is great info. and helps in a makeover plan. Also the brakes will be going over before its driven much, Is this a shared brake M/C or specific to heavy trucks? Anyone sell reman or rebuild kits?
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The Green Book might be helpful in determining what car parts might crossover to the COE. There was a free download version available at one time on the V8 Club site. But I find the CD version helpful myself. I am not aware of large truck specific catalogs, but there my be some.
 

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I have a copy of the 1938 thru 41 Ford & Mercury Chassis Parts Catalog and it lists the different trucks in there for those years. It is not inclusive for trucks however so the green bible would be the best to accompany it for all parts.

Brake linings can be had for about any truck brake ever made so the shoes can be relined. The rubber parts may be available but the big truck guys will have to chime in on that. I've worked on a lot of those old trucks but it's been a long time since. A person may be surprised to find some of the chassis stuff was continued in usage to well after the war years. I think the brake master & wheel cylinders were used from 1939 up thru 1947. Brake boosters & stuff like that might be a bit harder to source parts for if it is so equipped. Drums might also be harder to source if needed.
 
KCTA Chris said:
Specifically: I'll need to add the headlight wire harness and assume a '39 reg. truck would but may need to extend the wires? The horn and bracket are missing and would like to see a pic of what to look for. The speedo cable and for whatever reason the fuel sending unit are missing too, If anyone knows what would fit that would be great, thats about all we lack. The rubber parts are still there but could use a new filler neck grommet, fender step and the rubber oil fill cap/gasket if anyone is making these again?
Click to expand...

I rewired my COE using a pickup wiring harness as a starting point. In general, wires going in front of the COE firewall will need to be shorter than a pickup or non-COE truck, while wires going to the rear of the COE firewall will need to be longer.

Since doing that I've heard that COE wiring harnesses are available. I don't need one now, and it sounds like you don't either.

I just made up a single wire to run from the fuel gauge to the tank. For some photos see:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1443993-coe-gets-new-gas-tank.html

I used a fuel sender from Bob Drake. It stays near full for a long time and then drops rapidly as the tank nears empty. But it is a whole lot better than nothing.

I'll have to take a photo of the horn and bracket. It is mounted under the floor on the inside of the right side frame right next to the starter.

Edit to add: A guy in the Seattle area was making the fuel filler rubber gasket and the oil filler cap rubber cover. But I think he doesn't do that any more.

Tom
 
Tom great info and the pics in the blog answer several other questions I had not even thought of. Keep it coming and thank you!
 
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