Check out this great looking truck and its amazing patina! This 1934 Ford can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $7,500. I hope for that price, they include the Esso sign in the background. Located in Searcy, Arkansas, the truck is said to have been stored inside for years. Thanks to Adam C. for the tip on this great truck.
The engine is the original Flathead V8 and doesn’t currently run. The seller also states the condition of the engine is unknown. Hopefully it is rebuildable, but it may be easier in the long run to install a replacement engine. The truck is being sold with no title, which is a disappointment. There are some parts of the country where getting a new title issued is a challenging process. Certainly a factor to be considered for prospective buyers.
The interior looks about right for a truck that is over eighty years old. The upholstery is gone, but it appears the steering wheel and gauges are there. You can also see the floors are pretty much gone. Although there are quite a few holes in this truck, it actually looks pretty solid.
The seller states that the truck is too good to make into a rat rod, but that may be the fate of this truck. The asking price would probably prohibit the average rat rod builder from using this as a starting point for a project. What do you think? Is the fate of this truck a restoration or rat rod? Or?
1st of all, I don’t think it was a pickup, as the BB was a more heavy duty truck,( like AA or TT) stake or dump beds. IDK, something like this should be restored original, even if nobody looks at it at shows ( except us old farts) These are so simple mechanically and wouldn’t take much, everybody has a carpenter friend, could easily make a bed, where as, a resto mod could break the bank and history is lost forever,,,if that’s an issue. Great find, but interest for these is waning.
All I’d want is the body parts and cab the rest I’d sell or give away. I’d look for a Ford diesel wreck that could donate its chassie and drive line. Keeping it brand correct makes a better restomod in my opinion. After restoring the cab and fenders and getting them mounted up I’d fab up a period correct looking truck box 8′ long. I’m not a fan of having spent hunderds of dollars on something that can’t be driven in modern traffic. Besides if you restomod it right you could have it looking original to the untrained eye. As for guys that would know they’d either love it or hate there would be guys in both camps. You would end up with a decent hauler with a better ride power steering and brakes and A/C. JMHO.
Great piece of automotive history. I wish more buyers of old soldiers would restore them rather than rat-rod/resto-mod.These old work-horses have survived this long relatively intact, it’s a shame to lose that history. A common ‘complaint’ is that they’re not capable of keeping up with modern traffic. Why do they have to be ‘interstate-ready’? They are perfectly capable of doing work/play on the local streets. It’s not about getting there fast, it’s getting there with class & style. Will your late model pickup be around in 84 years to tell it’s life story??
So, $7500 for a cab with no title? Pass.
I totally agree Montana that for his asking price the ESSO sign must come with it..
“$7500 or might trade on anything.” That pretty much tells you this guy is clueless about the current market or is hoping there really is a sucker born every minute. I wonder if he’d take a ham sandwich in trade (he did say “anything”)?
Worth asking, but don’t offer too nice of a ham sandwich.
15,000 will buy you a nice driver of the same vintage. This is basically a body and fenders on a rolling frame, with no title. How about 2,000 ?
Maybe…
People comment on the prices sellers are asking, but you can’t blame a seller for trying to maximize what he or she can get – there is money out there chasing old cars and trucks and, for some people at least, this asking price is nothing more than pocket change.
Killed the hobby for me,,,
This is restoration material, without a doubt. I’ve seen a few of these get the cabs transplanted onto newer chassis but they never last and most of them find out that they have taken on far more work than they originally anticipated. Then, when all is said and done, they go to the DMV with all inspections and pictoral histories of the owners jumping through hoops and dealing with miles of red tape, only to have it denied because the chassis was from a write-off. No, something this complete needs to get redone as ‘Henry Built It.’
This could be the original engine but I can’t say that about the carburetor. It should be a Stromberg 48 which should have the fuel inlet in the side of the float bowl. No problem, really, because the newer carbs worked better and didn’t leak as much, which, behind a third-brush generator (and it’s plethora of sparks), wasn’t a great place to be. You’ll need a new fan unless you know someone who is good at restoring them. Whatever you do, do NOT sandblast it, unless you want a blade to go flying out through the freshly painted hood.
Lots of good times ahead for this truck: the restoration and the enjoyment afterwards…..
Uncle Bob, what are these people smoking? You and I love old Fords, but we also understand what they are worth! This is pretty much junk, you can ramble on , “something this complete”, WHAT! Yeah if money is no object and you want to restore something, that won’t be worth a fraction of what you have spent. I think the problem is, all of you like old cars, as I do ,but you see something like this and you assume its rare and valuable, and obviously there are many markets ,marques and prices and they are all different and specialized. The condition of this truck is not good if you are looking for a 34 Ford truck, forget it. But, if this were a 57 Porsche Speedster in this condition, probably a much different story. Old and rusty does not mean restore it at any cost. You have to consider , how rare it actually is and what is the market
value of one in excellent condition. Seems simple to me.
Yeah Joe, see an awful lot of folks out there asking big money month after month after month, advertising in all the well known big, medium, and little marketplaces and they don’t seem to find all those people with “pocket change” willing to throw away say $60k on a car nobody else is willing to pay $20k for……..…….hmmmm. What do it mean?
Unfortunately Uncle Bob, I think it means the old car market is making a correction, due to supply and demand, and many sellers haven’t recognized it or don’t want to. They are hopping there are other people out there, that don’t know the market is changing, certain markets are going down, others still going up. Just because certain cars and years are deprecating isn’t the end of the world or the hobby ,its just math, and it always has been.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again cars and trucks for the most part make poor investments. Like it or not this is currently scrap metal and the price should reflect that. It’s not a jewel or even a diamond in the rough. Truth is if you want a return on your dollars invest else where. If you want a cool old vintage truck to restore the Cheeper the better because after you have it that’s when the real spending starts and rarely are they worth more then what you have in them. In most cases it’s quite the opposite, so do it for love of the hobby and don’t count on getting all your money back. I wouldn’t pay any more than $500.00 for this but then I’d only want the cab and front sheet metal off of it the rest I’d sell or give away what ever it to to get rid of the rest.
Ok, I can’t sit back, and listen to anyone that says this is junk, what are YOU smokin’?( although, I hate that phrase, because even straight people do stupid things) I mean, what do you expect to find today? It’s almost 2020 for heavens sake. We’ve literally run out of examples like this, and to even see one grace this site is rare. Sure, there was a time when every farm had one of these in the shed, for years, we’ve all come across them if you spent any time in the country, and seeing this, we all clearly regret not picking everyone up we saw and not sure where you guys live, but there simply can’t be many left. The farm I lived at in N. Wis., for years, had a AA dump truck back in the woods, similar to this, only it had the dump body. When I moved there in 2016, 1st thing I asked, was where was his dad’s dump truck? The doofus said, “Duhhh, I had a scrap drive a few years back, and got rid of the truck,,,,” WHAT?? Oh, I was pissed, but that’s what we’re up agin with these. I say, this a great example to start with, and yeah, you want it today, this is what it will cost you to start off. I will agree it’s nuts, but this isn’t junk, please.
When I look at these old trucks, listed here and elsewhere, I seldom look at the asking price. It’s still a free-enterprise system and the vendor is entitled to get whatever he can. Price is wholly dependent on location, demand, and how much you watch the BJ car auction. If I was truly in the market for one like this, and this was the only one available, I’d have no choice but to dig down and pay, for the truck, and to get it home.
Now, at least for me, I’m pretty fortunate to live in the western plains, because there’s still a few of these around, and you could get them for a heck of a lot less than what this guy’s asking. There’s a ‘34 and a ‘50 sitting side by side in a field. The motor is out of the ‘34 but the hood and rad are in the box. About five miles away is a ‘37. It’s rough but complete, and fixable. I was on a service call and saw a ‘38/‘39 Ford 1,1/2 ton in a farmyard. So they’re still out there.
It seems there are lots of opinions on this LARGE 34 truck ,and some are in response to my comments. In my defense, I am sorry, I offended Howard , with my smoking comment, I have never smoked in my life, so it is my go to phrase ,SORRY. Also, Howard it is not junk, but it isn’t the Holy Grail, Its a commercial truck, very low demand, except many parts interchange with a 1/2 ton pick-up. Seventy five hundred dollars for what’s there, is out of sight, not even close, maybe $750. I agree 100% with “canadainmarkseh”, he is exactly right. I sometimes wonder by some of the comments if those making the comments have ever restored or re-built an older car, do they really have any idea what’s involved and how expensive it can be. The less you start with and the more you pay for it, the more money you will spend. Not everything is worth the time and money that it will take to save it.
Hi Joe, no you didn’t offend me, I just try and stay away from catchy phrases. Really, I’m on your side. I , too, wouldn’t pay more than a grand for this, and rest assured, the finder didn’t pay much more either, if even that. We aren’t the buyers this person is looking for, because we know what it’s worth. Of course it’s not the ultimate find, but apparently, people got money. I just don’t get from where, what, does everybody make $100g’s/year now? Being CL, we’ll never know what it really sells for, and if someone is going to pay even half that, I’d bet dollars to donuts, it won’t be done up original, because it’s mostly about money today, and to put $20 or $30 grand into restoration, it better have some LT-1 motor, and fancy insides, as an investment, as in 10 more years, that’s what will resell, not a stock BB.
Like the truck, won’t pay the price. Like the rest of you, I agree that this
could be restored to original condition and hopefully no dumbass will
turn this into a rat rod. It’s far too good for that. I see it redone in
Washington Blue with Black fenders with Cream pinstriping and
either Cream or Black wheels. I also see it as a stakebed with factory
dual rims on the rear of this truck as well. Inside, I see either a tan or
Cream interior and the original dark Blue dashboard. The only modern
cosessions I would make on this truck would be steel floors and 3D
printed parts to replace the wood in the cab and hydraulic brakes for
safety’s sake. To me, this truck would look good that way. Sadly, the
asking price is waaaaay out of line for what you get. The closest I
can come to this truck is the ’34 Ford truck kit from AMT!! As for what
they’re smokin’, it’s gotta be pretty damned good for what they’re asking.
Something like this. As an old trucker, I’m always partial to dump trucks, and it could be done with this. Again, person wants $50g’s, so it’s there,,but you got that kind of change for something that really can’t be used?
https://oldertruck.blogspot.com/2016/01/1934-ford-dump-truck.html