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Hatchery Hauler: 1934 Ford Panel Delivery

Every once in a while the collector car world will surprise you.  A lost Bugatti will turn up, a lost race car will be found in a shed, and, most recently, the lost Bullitt Mustang was found rusting away in a Mexican junkyard.  While this find isn’t quite at the level of the discoveries above, this one is nonetheless pretty interesting.  Discovered after a 25 year slumber in a garage, which was preceded by an undetermined number of years in a junkyard, this 1934 Ford panel delivery still sports most of the commercial lettering it carried during its career.  This unique truck can be found on EBay where, as of this writing, the most recent bid of $3400 has yet to meet the reserve for this Meridian, Idaho hauler.

Based on a truck chassis, this panel delivery gives us a good look back to what commercial vehicles were used for back before World War II.  The antique equivalent of a modern Sprinter van, this particular truck was used by a chicken hatchery to deliver baby chicks to farms in and around Mosier, Oregon.  The town still exists, with a population of 485, and rests on the banks of the Columbia River.  It is also almost between Mount Saint Helens and Mount Hood, in one of the most scenic places on Earth.  While riding around with hundreds of smelly, squawking chicks was probably no picnic, at least the few from behind the windshield was breathtaking.

The question on this truck is what to do with it.  My first thought would be to secure and install the proper parts, such as a reproducing the original wooden floor, new glass, a roof, and a set of correct wire wheels and black wall bias ply tires, with the goal of finding a museum to place it in.  My second thought would be to get it running by adding a later model Ford flathead engine and transmission, convert it to hydraulic brakes, and keep the body as original as possible.  In this itineration, it could be driven to shows and would at least be back on the road.  Third would be a full restoration, but I fear that it would require the sacrifice of a good pickup truck to source the parts you would need in the cheapest and most expeditious way possible.  To hot rod, or rat rod, this one would be blasphemy.  Anyone who tries to spray a coat of clear over it should be shot on sight.

Of all the choices, I think just getting a running drivetrain in it and replacing the missing and incorrect parts would be the proper choice.  A full on restoration would simply cost too much, and you would be upside down financially in rather short order.  Ford trucks of this era are still popular, and a lot of parts are still available from the aftermarket.  Original new old stock parts show up on EBay from time to time, and there are a few parts vendors who could likely steer some parts your way.  If you could get the body and chassis for under $8,000, I would imagine another $8,000 would get you on the road and drivable, with many of the missing parts being replaced in the process.

This one reminds me of a guy I met on a trip to the huge Hershey AACA car show and swap meet.  He had a Model A Ford mail truck that he drove up from Florida, very slowly, with the express purpose of going to Hershey for the first time.  He took almost a month to get there, with the driving time being divided up by sightseeing and break downs.  He slept in the back of the truck, cooked his meals in it, and pulled off the road to take a nap in the back when needed.  It was quite an adventure, and he seemed quite happy after spending that month behind the wheel of the ungainly truck.

Maybe this one would be good for an adventure in the Pacific Northwest after getting it back on the road (and adding hydraulic brakes).  Looking in the back, I think you’d have enough room for a cot, a Coleman stove, and some supplies, tools, and spare parts.  Or, maybe a tent and some extra camping gear.  Touring around in an old car can be a lot of fun, and this one definitely looks like a good traveling companion.  Maybe a rolling museum is the best option of all.

 

Comments

  1. Avatar LAB3

    This is a true gem! Love the idea of making it into a road trip vehicle, my favorite destination being right where it now sits.

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  2. Avatar Andre

    I’d put it in the garage, open a beer, and stare at it. All other plans could wait. Super cool.

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  3. Avatar DRV

    I think the graphics are fake which is worse than clear coating in my thinking. Clear coating over fake must be the worst finish short of a rust hole.

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    • Avatar Fred W.

      After studying the photos, I vote “not fake”. That’s true aged, hand painted lettering. Only a few people alive today who can pull that off, one being in my small town in TN. He’s a descendant of a long line of sign painters that still do it by hand. His signs give the town a different character than most. If someone did fake that lettering, they have a real future in the art world.
      On the flip side, I do think they waxed the truck to make the lettering stand out more.

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      • Avatar DRV

        Along with faking other kinds of antiques, there are more than a few who do this faking. If it is, they did a great job, yes. I’m guessing at least baby chicks is wrong. I have a friend who travels the coast and paints boat names and gold leaf names. Freehand and in less than an hour for 500 bucks is the average job.

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      • Avatar Carlos

        That truck was either waxed or sprayed with some sort of clear coat to arrest the rust and further decay. Wise move.

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    • Avatar Wayne

      I’m hedging my bets…..looks like one side is fake, but the other isn’t. Paint wearing off UNDERNEATH the lettering but not the lettering itself is truly unique!

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  4. Avatar Van

    Great truck. I like your ideas. Hydraulic brakes would be wise. Although I’m not using my dinning room. Would the wife notice a new garage door. It’s all good baby I will have the running boards at table hight, what color should I paint the lifting blocks.

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  5. Avatar JW

    I love old trucks and Fords being my preference. Would love this one since it’s a panel truck.

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  6. Avatar Jay E.

    I like your idea of a period camper for touring the back roads of the PN West. Be sure to have a leakproof roof. Enough power to keep up with a VW bus and brakes that safely stop it should about do it for running gear. It does sound like a single guy adventure though.

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  7. Avatar jw454

    On the right side I think I can see and earlier paint job that says “Bread”. Also above Baby it says “Bread” and above Chicks it says “Cakes”. Anyone else see this or am I seeing things?

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    • Avatar leiniedude Member

      Great eye jw454. I see some of it.

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  8. Avatar Chris

    My father and I restored a regular 34 truck 20 years ago. Lucky to see no rust where the headlight attached to fenders. Leave the flatty in it and enjoy!

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  9. Avatar geomechs Member

    Something like this is a restoration project for sure. That said, I would never have a problem with someone installing a newer flathead and maybe fixing it up to run on modern roads. With proper adjustment the mechanical brakes will work just fine; too many people get bent out of shape with converting them to juice. What a lot of people don’t realize is that juice brakes need adjustment too. You can lock up a mechanical system with little effort. This project needs to go all the way….

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    • Avatar Howard A Member

      Hi geomechs, we can agree here, I hope it remains stock. Sure is a blank canvas for someone. The flathead V8 would be fine, maybe a 2 speed axle and the mechanical brakes are adequate. A skidding tire is a skidding tire, no matter what stops it. Fact is, mechanical brakes are almost safer, knowing that after replacing every rusty brake line in my Sonoma. I guess there’s still a lot of stuff in them thar barns.

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  10. Avatar Joe Haska

    I have two 53 Ford pick-ups, that I built. They both have the “Patina” look. They were both half and half, when I started they had patina, I just gave it a little shove, and most people seem to think its real. I am not sure why they think that, because after doing it, and looking at all the supposed Patina vehicles, I am of the opinion most are fake or enhanced. I suspect this 34 Panel is too, if you look closely, it just doesn’t add up. One give way if it looks too good it, it probably had a little bit of help. I would say this 34 has had a little bit of artistry applied for the effect.

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  11. Avatar Jeff

    This is in great condition! I can’t see much rot in the pictures. The VIN checks out as a ’34 “B” model. I’ve got a ’34 pickup with mechanical brakes and a flathead V8. It’s not very fast, so the brakes are fine. Not much for the freeway, though. If you’d plan to run this on freeways, a Mitchell 2-speed and hyd brakes would be a good upgrade. Put some 1935 16″ wires on that with big/little tires and run the SNOT out of it…

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  12. Avatar Dennis W Epperly

    Sorry for the previous typos. If you look closely above the word chicks on the back door the word cake is barely visible.

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  13. Avatar lawrence

    I has been for sale before………

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  14. Avatar Dennis

    Where is it today 6 years later? BTW, it’s not on a truck frame – it used the same frame as all the passenger cars. I know because I own one and it’s frame is now under a roadster and the roadster frame is under my 34 panel.

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