The White company first produced sewing machines then steam powered cars and then switched to gasoline power in 1911. After World War 1, they switched from producing cars to trucks and buses. Perhaps the best remembered vehicles of the White Motor Company are the buses built in the 1930s for the national parks. Somehow this old bread truck listed on eBay has survived. The Bradford Bread name is still visible in several places. Can you imagine a time when bread as well as milk, ice and such were delivered right to your house? There’s no information provided about this truck except they feel it’s worth $14,500. It would be interesting to know if it runs.
Imagine all the fresh bread that was delivered out of the back of this van.
It looks complete and original under here. That’s an interesting generator bracket. Is that wooden firewall really plywood?
The underside looks solid from here. It appears they used a ball and socket instead of a u-joint.
It would be grand if this old truck could be preserved as it is, perhaps in a museum. It could also be great for parades. It has survived this long. I hope it can be preserved somehow for many more years. Do you think it should be kept as it is or restored?
I like it
It will have to be painted
It’s primer not patina
And the colors have changed
Find what colors Bradford used
Great looking truck
Cool truck. I used to work for Snyders of hanover pretzels. They had 3 antique trucks, that they used for promotional events. I would restore it to its original beauty. Oh the days of home delivery, they’re coming back, but not it’s FedEx, ups, and soon…..drones.
HA! I was humored by the title “White Bread Truck”, what, as opposed to a “Wheat or Rye Bread Truck”? Seriously, White was the biggest truck maker for many years. That is a hefty generator bracket, but remember, vehicle electrics were in their infancy at this time, and the fact it has a generator, means it must have a “self-starter”, almost unheard of during this time. And yes, that is a plywood firewall. Trucks of this era were shipped just as a front end and chassis to truck body facilities, and they would construct a body for you, in this case, a bread van. ( although, in most cases, these had a “C” cab, so it may have been something else at one time. Cabs were considered a luxury in 1920) It should be restored for a company promotional piece. Some companies are very proud of their heritage, and this would be perfect. Great find.
It would be a crime to restore or worse yet just repaint this piece of history. Restoring it to original would not restore its story but rather it would erase it. With survivors it is all about the story.