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It’s A “Happy” Truck: 1950 Ford Bread Truck

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It’s a bread truck! This 1950 Ford truck was converted when new for the Happy Home Bread Company in Denver, Colorado. It seems to be really solid and I really like the unusual look. It’s for sale in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is listed here on eBay.

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It’s almost as if a step van ran into the rear of a pickup truck! I’ve never seen a conversion like this before. I was able to find out that the Happy Home Bread Company was around for a long time, and there’s even been a toy Model T bread truck of theirs that’s been modeled before, so they must have had some history with Ford. This particular truck has had the front panels stripped and repainted in the early 2000’s, long after it was taken out of service in 1966.

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Whatever it may have been, it’s certainly functional now. I found an earlier listing for what I’m pretty sure is the same vehicle here. Apparently it was modified to sell espresso, but the coffee equipment was sold before this seller listed the truck. The previous seller did go into a lot more details on the modifications, and apparently was responsible for many of them.

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The interior of the truck features a seat done in what looks like 1950’s diner vinyl; I’m not really sure what they were thinking with the orange and green combination. I’m comparing this simple seat that someone sat in all day long with a modern power bucket seat with adjustable lumbar support and I’m guessing there were a lot of delivery person backaches!

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Under the hood we have a what? A Chevrolet V-8? Yes, that’s right, it’s a 283 out of a Chevrolet Bel-Air. A lot of other mechanical changes were made, apparently in an effort to keep the truck reliable for delivery purposes. So I have a question for you: pretend you were given this truck! Would you use it as a parts hauler, restore it, customize it and take it to shows, or what? Let us know in the comments below!

Comments

  1. Avatar grant

    Well, the first thing that would happen would be a swap to a proper small block Ford.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Wayne

      Right Grant. I was very interested until I saw that valve cover. INSTANT let down…

      Like 1
      • Avatar Mike

        Now guys, somebody thought of a way to go from having to tow the truck, change out the motor to a Chevy engine. That way you won’t have to worry about carrying a tow chain, for breakdowns, because the Chevy engine will keep going, and going and going!!!!!!!!

        LOL

        Like 0
  2. Avatar RON

    pretty well agree. deends om what you aew ging to do with it/ the crrent swap is ok if you aregoing to do a lot of over the road driving. if not i would do a first class strong flathead conversion and drive it every day.

    depends on how you will drive it. if over the road regular the chevy is great. if local and for fun, a properly built flathead would be great!!!

    Like 0
    • Avatar JW

      Hey Mike I just had to post this. Ha .. Ha !!!

      Like 1
  3. Avatar Len

    Is that a section of exhaust pipe being used as an upper radiator hose?

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Joe

    In the front view photo it looks like the real life version of a cartoon character from the movie “Cars.”

    Like 0
  5. Avatar TBall

    JW – Couldn’t agree more, had me interested as well until I saw the motor. Why?!? If you’re going to swap in a more dependable V8, Ford has some nice, dependable Windsor motors that would work.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar duke

    i am so very tired of wrong manufacturer drop in engines-leave it stock/original !
    no need to further comment-

    Like 1
  7. Avatar mike young

    A nice 352-390 Ford (of course) would be my choice…..

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Chebby Member

    I’d do something like this with it.

    Like 1
    • Avatar dave57210

      Best part is that it already has the right engine swapped in – saves me having to do it!

      Looks like the PERFECT truck to pull a trailer to take one of my show cars to an event and I could sleep in the back of the truck. Some overall paint theme is needed……

      Like 0
  9. Avatar RON

    now that is a cool alternative with the russel stover truck. and if you find the right use such as business related you can recoup a lot f that restore cost. for me an air conditioned body, with a nice advertising commercial paint job turned into a swap meet vendor truck!

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Andrew Minney

    Put back a Ford motor and restore it as a bread van. No need to mess about with this one!

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Jason Houston

    “Happy Home”? That sounds like some 1950’s sit-com fictitious place! The truck looks like the offspring of a marriage between a Brinks Truck and a School Bus.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bob Yeager

      I grew up in Aurora, CO and the Happy Home bread man would call on my Grandmother weekly.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Howard A Member

    I like it and while I too think it should have a period correct motor, I’d probably leave it the way it is. These “merchandiser” bodies were very popular with milk, bread, and parcel delivery, and the seat is correct ( maybe not the color) but these were for short city deliveries only, and very little time actually driving them. I’m not sure what the heck to do with it? Deliver bread, maybe?

    Like 0
  13. Avatar RON

    the early flatheads and through the end even the radiator hoses were 2 short pieces of rubber hose at each end of the connections both at the radiator and the heads. much of the time they were stainless or chrome plated for dress up under the hood and also the water outlets we chrome plated. most of the later years came with molded ford logo hoses

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Jason Houston

    MIKE:

    … until a Ford guy finds it and puts it back together the way it was meant to be!

    I love both Fords and Chevrolets, but I wouldn’t cross-breed these endangered species any more than I’d put a Yugo transmission in a ’55 Nomad.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Matthew schneider

    Ok ok I own the truck I bought it from the guy that built it this way he loves Chevy 283s it does run great if I were to keep it I would have put a 300 inline 6 in it or a flat 6 all the motor mounts are still there nothing’s cut as it though the original builder drove 30-50 miles a day with it its on the second 283 if someone were to offer good money I will include a period correct engine for it 6 or 8 your choice or a ford FE it drives nice for a old truck looked better when the paint was new they were originally black and white and had a big ugly bumper on the front yes that’s exhaust for a rad hose connector also not my doing I would have used a molded hose it would sell ice cream or coffee I have half the equipment as well

    Like 1
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      What good would a Ford FE do? That’s no better the leaving the 283 in it.

      Like 0
  16. Avatar Martin

    There’s a reason over half of old fords have small block chev in them ,the simple fact is there the best engines ever built .Ford guys just have to live with it .

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Aden Garrett

    My family owns the brother of this truck. Ours is a 1948 that came form a junkyard that had another one similar to it. My grandfather bought it and later was called by some coffee company who wanted to buy it for the same price my grandfather bought it for. He told them a much higher price and they didn’t call back. Ours does still have a ford though

    Like 0

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