This big Ford truck has been in John’s family since new! His great grandfather was a moonshiner and was quite successful. So, when he needed a new truck to haul his whiskey, he bought this truck. It’s been in the family ever since and while it needs work, this is one cool beast of a truck. It’s located in his Father’s barn in Fort Wayne, Indiana and you can bid on it below!
From John – This 1935 Ford Truck originally was on our family farm in Hastings, Pennsylvania. It was used to haul cases of whiskey which was made in a cave on the family property by my great-grandfather after prohibition ended. My great-grandpa was good at making whiskey. He developed a fan base in the region which meant that production went up and the truck was needed for transport. This particular truck and others like it were popular for transporting illegal whiskey during and after prohibition. Buying a brand new vehicle like this during the depression wasn’t such a good idea as it attracted too much attention. My great-grandfather ended up going to jail. The entire family was part of the business but he took the fall and did the time. My father took the truck when the farm left the family. At one point in the 1980s, the cab of the truck was vandalized with a molotov cocktail. The fire was contained mostly to the cab. The suspension is still solid. There is surface rust in places. All the wiring will need to be replaced but thankfully these things weren’t as complicated back in the 1930s. The title is clear.
As you can see, there’s a lot of work to be done here, but it actually looks to be solid and complete. The flathead V8 is a durable engine, so hopefully with a little work you can get it running again. Of course, you could just install a modern powertrain in it and make it into one heck of a rat rod! Given it’s past as a moonshine runner, it already has an interesting past and is actually a cool piece of American automotive history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBmOYv_VCA4&feature=youtu.be
- VIN: BB181252295
- Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Title: Clean
Bid On This Auction
fatherof7 bid $950.00 2019-10-30 10:46:44
Sberridge13 bid $850.00 2019-10-30 10:43:25
Patricksmithis bid $800.00 2019-10-30 09:26:12- fatherof7 bid $750.00 2019-10-30 09:22:10
- Sberridge13 bid $500.00 2019-10-26 08:16:19
Litespeedman bid $300.00 2019-10-25 20:51:24
B1ll bid $250.00 2019-10-25 19:16:11
andy@fatmansgarage bid $200.00 2019-10-25 13:48:53
Auction your car here on Barn Finds for just $99!
Nice story but prohibition ended on 12/05/1933. It may have been used to deliver moonshine but not during prohibition.
The post has been updated. Thanks for catching that!
This one is going to be a challenge to restore. Looks like the fire wiped out everything inside the cab. Definitely not impossible but there are some items that will be difficult to find. I would like a job like this but realistically I’ve already got more than I can handle.
This is actually a pretty neat truck, despite it’s history, which is pretty cool in itself. I read, even though prohibition ended, moonshine continued in the south well after the war. Junior Johnson , before his racing exploits, ran moonshine in a 1940 Ford. Nothing is said about the dump hoist, maybe Gramps was going to “dump the load” if things got too hot, but seriously, a great addition, very handy. However, sadly, no interest. I also read, odd year Ford trucks ( ’33, ’35, ’37) were not as popular as even years for some reason. This is a great find. Complete, good ol’ days price, looks rough now, but they all do “as found”, and it wouldn’t take much to spiff this baby up, if I had a place, I’d go for it.
Barn Find Auctions? Is this the beginning of the end?
@John – The end of what? We’ve been doing auctions for a couple of years now. They work great for collections like this where the seller needs to move a bunch of cars and isn’t 100% sure on the price.
Really cool story and the truck as well!! Nothing in the cab is just like geomechs said!! Hard to find!!! Would be a cool project though!!
This would look great as is @ the DoubleEagleSawMill.com in
Central Florida.
When does the auction end?
What’ll it take to make it happen?
@C W Bailey – Yeah, it would! The auction ends tomorrow morning.
The VIN has been added to the listing.
Here is a video I made tonight to give you a better view of all the details on this dumptruck. I hope this answers any question anybody might have, thank you!
https://youtu.be/oBmOYv_VCA4
I have a pair of NOS front fenders that I will sell for this truck, just as an FYI.
The auction ended at $950, but unfortunately, the reserve was not met. Perhaps we can work out a deal between John and the high bidder. Thanks to everyone who showed interest.
i am the high bidder and would like to talk with John if i could
What was the reserve?
Have owner contact me & maybe think
“Florida Vacation” to drag it down.
Still waiting, i would like the seller to contact me if he could regarding selling the truck, my number and email are in my profile
@fatherof7 – You can now make a second chance offer by clicking on the “Make Offer” button above.