Here’s one we don’t often see: a 1947 Ford box truck, spotted by Barn Finds reader Peter Rettig. This unusual design has a body by Ward in New York, according to the seller, and wears an all-aluminum skin. The truck was discovered in Maine and is now listed for sale in or near Fall River, Massachusetts. The old Wonder Bread branding is even still visible on the very flat front end. Find the Ford here on craigslist for $3K with a fair amount of work already done; as always, go here if the ad disappears.
This van is somewhat near my neck of the woods in Rhode Island, and I learned a bit about local racing history as a result of this ad. The seller says he had the inline-six flathead gone through by a gentleman named Ray Helger, who owns a shop based in Little Compton, Rhode Island, a very picturesque little beach town in our fair state. Turns out Helger is quite a legend in the drag racing world, and I’ve put it on my list to visit his speed shop one of these days. To read more about the history of the shop, click here (it should also make you feel good about owning a rig that his hands have worked on.)
The interior is fairly spartan, as you’d expect, with a manual transmission and not much else to entertain you. I found very little information about this particular era of box truck, and would welcome any info from our readers about the construction or coachbuilder responsible for its unusual design. It reminds me of the Chrysler Airflow, with its extremely windswept front end to aid aero efficiency; while this is anything but windswept, I’m guessing the flat nose was innovative for its time, at least compared to other working class trucks.
I tend to see these old delivery vans as important anecdotes to history: yes, we were once able to operate large, heavy vehicles with manual transmissions, no safety features and limited handling abilities, and still make it home every day. Speaking of, you’ll want to rebuild the master cylinder before driving it too far, as the truck currently has no brakes. The seller will include some unfinished body panels and the original wheels, but you’ll still need to find replacement windshield and side glass. Is this Wonder Bread machine a good buy at $3K?
Nice write-up Jeff. Very cool piece of history. I haven’t had Wonder Bread since I was 11 or so. Yuk. Worst bread ever. It was like rubber. My parents owned a deli/grocery store in NY. Wonder Bread would fly off the shelves. We always “Wondered” why people would buy it. Love the van.
“Helps Build Strong Bodies 12 Ways”
Interesting truck – does anybody know if this was made by Ward Body Works that manufactured school buses for many years?
Ikey, I don’t think so. Ward buses were made in Conway Arkansas beginning in 1933. Made truck bodies for Uncle Sam from 41-45 and then concentrated solely on school bus bodies.
Cool truck. Great platform for hauler, camper, food truck, mobile man cave.
The front end is flatter than my first girlfriend.
the glass is flat so no problem getting some safety glass cut to fit,
i remember the ‘bifold door’ they had on curb side,
whata trip!
No chair, stood up…howja steer around a corner? you’d get centrifigal force throwin the body to the outside of the corner (hangin onta the wheel for balance) makin ya steer a tighter circle? C’mon now, a milkman’s life wuz already tough – up at an ungodly hr, gettin thrown around in the delivery van…no wonder they’d stop in at Mrs. Jones for an ‘extra delivery’…
8^ 0
yuck, yuck, yuck, yuk, yuck, wooo woo
I would convert it to Electric adding a Warp 11 motor, Telsa Batteries and a Powerglide Transmission. You could take the flathead 6 and put it in a drag racing museum touting who worked on it.