Up for sale at a current bid of $4,900 is this 1937 Ford F-100. The seller purchased the car from somewhere in North Dakota, but it is now in Barnesville, Minnesota. Even so, the truck has a clean, North Dakota title. The seller mentions that the previous owner stored the truck in a barn for over 50 years. The odometer reads 65,000 miles. You can view more about the truck here on eBay.
Unfortunately, nothing is mentioned about the truck mechanically. The seller suggests that the pictures should speak for themselves. What is listed is that it has a V8 engine and a manual transmission, which do not look to be in working order. There are no photos of the undercarriage of the truck, but many of the photos show enough rust that parts of it are visible. An extra grille does come with the truck.
There isn’t really anything inside the cab except rust… The windshield is cracked in a few places. There is very little flooring in the cab, allowing you to see most of the transmission and frame supporting it. There is a hole in the roof just above the windshield. One photo has the wire skeleton that once was the bench seat. Another photo has that part removed. The steering wheel and dash do look to be in decent condition.
Overall, the truck seems solid. It is a perfect project truck, especially for a hot rod. That is what the current owner intended to make out of the truck. It is so cool the way it looks though, that it would be cool to just perform the bare essentials of getting it roadworthy and then actually using it. It would be a shame to see it become a lawn ornament. Then again, that does seem to be the path many vehicles in this condition take.
Definitely do NOT hot rod this thing. It’s got what looks like the original 21 stud engine. 1937 was a transition year; forerunner of the modern flathead. A lot of improvements. They went down the road pretty good as well. These, while someone might like to hot rod them, look pretty good done up stock. If it came my way, that’s what it would be restored as…
I think we’re a dying breed, my friend, be a down right shame to modify this truck. Very rare, one of the nicest styles of the 30’s. Might want to update to juice brakes, even though, mechanical brakes worked fine for what this is, in some cases, even safer than hydraulic, according to Ol’ Henry himself. The author makes the interior seem worse than it is, but that seat frame can be used as a model, and a piece of marine plywood for the floor although, metal replacements are made. Pretty cool, still draggin’ these out of barns. For the 30’s, these V8 Fords were the hot setup, no other truck could match it’s power.
Nice man 👍👏
Put a new floor in, put in a “Tijuana tuck and roll” seat in it, a 292 Y block with a big cam and thunderbird valve covers, Firestone cheater slicks and call it done.
Well I suppose brakes, suspension, and whatever other safety and tightening up items items are required would be a good thing too.
I would definitely Hot Rod it. FYI, the first F100 was in 1953.
I do believe that’s what will happen to it, there just aren’t enough of us old farts that want to keep this original. For today’s driving, it probably makes the most sense. I had a friend that had a 38 Ford 2 wheel drive pullin’ truck. He did remarkably well.
I’m not an old fart yet Rube (that I admit to anyway) but I too vote to keep this old Ford original. She’d be a beautiful truck returned to her original state..the look, sound, smell and feel would be awesome to experience.
How ’bout I meet you in the middle here fellas. My plans for this truck would be
to install a 304 stroker flathead backed by a 4-speed tranny, juice brakes, a dropped front axle, big ‘n’ littles all around. Then cap it all off with a button tufted
leather interior, and a nice hand-rubbed lacquer paint job. Oops, almost forgot
The tonneau cover for the bed!
Great truck I would drive this everywhere!! I’d want to at least upgrade the brake system and go over the motor!! I would leave the flathead though and definitely paint it!!
Yes, keep sort of stock, upgrade brakes, give the engine a tune, probably graft in a four or five speed and suspension drop. Done.
Going with TimM. With as much horsepower as you can get out of a modified street flathead there really isn’t a good case for not keeping it as original as possible. These guys really look good with paint, especially brighter colors than old Henry came up with. Pulled the 4 cylinder and transmission out of my ’32 5 window and put a late ’40s Mercury V8 and ’39 transmission in their place. Car had all sorts of good power and was close enough to original, except the dropped front axle and dearched rear spring, to satisfy most everyone. Car was fun.
Brighter than what might have been the original red? If that wasn’t an original color, it’s nonetheless the one derivation from stock I’d make if I were to get a truck like this!
1948 marked the first use of the F1 designation.
I don’t think that the bed is original to this truck. Both rear fenders and the right (passenger) side running board are from/for a 1937-only factory 1/2-ton stake-bed pickup. The notches in the tops of the rear fenders were stamped, with ‘boxes’ welded in place as reinforcements, and the stake-bed platform set into the notches. All 1935-36-37 regular 1/2 ton pickups had a side-mounted spare tire with a stamped concave recess for the bottom of the spare to rest. The 1/2 ton factory stake-bed had the spare tire mounted on a hinged drop-down bracket beneath the center-rear of the stake-bed and the right (passenger) side running board did not have a recess–it had the same rib pattern as the standard bed pickups but they ribs ran the full length of the running board, just like the left/driver side board. These pieces are EXTREMELY rare as Ford only sold a few hundred 1/2 ton stake-bed pickups in 1937.
I like the idea of keeping it stock. Both upper radiator hoses are missing which to me indicates a engine rebuild and probably new or at least rodded and repaired radiator. There’s no telling where that leads to, nevertheless I still vote to keep it original.
God bless America
Time old story of time n $$$$$.
I’m about out of time n not enough$$$..