40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

Did this pickup come standard with 3 on the column for a three speed? Or, were they 3 spd on the floor, or 4 speed on the floor? Thanks!

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

Three on the floor was standard.
Martin.

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

My '41 pickup had a factory column shift. It started as a six cylinder. Hard to imagine a half ton of anything in that small bed. Makes me think that half ton was very optimistic. Good Luck: Fred A

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

Factory column shift? That must have been a special order job. Half a ton, easily. I've had lot more than half a ton in the bed of a half ton pickup, many,many times. Talking Ford's here, not them saggy arse brand X trucks.
Martin.

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

If memory serves me correctly (which it doesn't do as often as it used to :rolleyes:) Ford pickups did not start using column shift from the factory until the F-100's came along: 1953.

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

That's what I thunk.
Martin.

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

I recall a few threads about '41's and having column shifts.

Here's a thread pertaining to it:

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...hlight=shifter

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

In 1940 the 1/2 ton trucks were called "commercial vehicles" and were essentially built on the same frame and made available with the same features as the cars including the new for 1940 "Finger Tip Gearshift on the Steering Column." This isn't to say that they were sold exclusively with column shifts since there is reference to the availability of the 3 and 4 speed floor shift transmissions in the truck section of the Salesman's Reference Manual.

Re: 40 Ford 1/2 ton
 

Ford only offered the option for a short while after the "remote control" shift was introduced in 1940. When they change the commercial frames to open drive, the option faded out for one reason or another. It didn't make come back until the early F series trucks around 1950 or so and it wasn't even all that popular then.