The Ford Barn

51504bat · 11-08-2014, 09:04 PM

The front cross member in my '39 pickup was repaired by a PO and the repair leaves a lot to be desired. All that was done was a piece of 1/2 plate was bubble gummed on top of the cross member and a piece on the underside as well. Question: what year cross member will work as a replacement and does it have to be from a pickup or will one from a car work? I've seen some after market weld in cross members that say they will work in a stock frame. Anyone had any experience with them? Or should I just try to repair the member I've got? I'm not the best fabricator/welder around but I've got a couple of buddies who are more than capable. I haven't pulled the motor yet so I'm not positive of how bad the problem is. Thanks for any insight/advice.

39wdy · 11-09-2014, 09:16 AM

Hi, If you are concerned about the quality of the repair on your front crossmember perhaps you could have those patches removed and a more competent restorer could repair it correctly. If that does not seem to be a viable option then replacement is the next best option. You can grind the heads of the rivets off and drive out the remainder with a drift and heavy hammer. A passenger car crossmember will not work as the motor mounts are considerably taller for that year. However, it should not be that hard to find a suitable pickup front crossmember from one of the western junkyards. I might even have one but it is too far to ship a heavy part from the east copast to California. Many restorers will say that you must replace the rivets with correct rivets to allow for slight flexibility in the frame; however, grade 8 bolts welded in place to look like rivets does a very good job. My 39 truck frame was done that way and 23 years later it is just fine even on some of these old gravel roads in rural Vermont. Best wishes, Toby

JSeery · 11-09-2014, 11:12 AM

I am not a frame expert on 39 pickups!!! I do have a 38 sedan and a 41 pickup. The frame drawings claim the passenger and pickup frames are the same for these years, are we taking pickup or truck, the terms seem to be use interchangeably in the pervious post and they are different.

JM 35 Sedan · 11-09-2014, 11:22 AM

If it's the Avatar truck we are talking about, I don't think it is a 1/2 ton. Looks more like 3/4 to 1 ton to me which would be a different cross member than '39 passenger car or 1/2 ton commercial vehicle.

Juergen · 11-09-2014, 11:24 AM

According to the 38-39 Ford book, the 1939 Ford frames were different for the Standard and Deluxe models. This was because the 39 Deluxe used a crank mounted fan whereas the Standard still had the generator mounted fan. The pickup still used the generator mounted fan so it would have the 37-39 Standard front crossmember mount.

51504bat · 11-09-2014, 02:42 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

If it's the Avatar truck we are talking about, I don't think it is a 1/2 ton. Looks more like 3/4 to 1 ton to me which would be a different cross member than '39 passenger car or 1/2 ton commercial vehicle.

No, its not for the Avatar truck. That's a '40 1 1/2 ton which is definitely different. I sold that when I bought the '39 p/u (haven't got around to changing the photo). The Green Bible shows that '38 and '39 pick ups had the same part number for the front cross member and other year pick ups and cars had a different number. Thanks for all the good info so far.

Juergen · 11-10-2014, 02:41 PM

The 38-39 Ford book also points out a difference between the "light" closed car front crossmember and the "heavy" open car and station wagon crossmembers. [The book was told not to cover commercials (pickups/deliveries)]. The light crossmembers were #8 gauge (.167-.177) while the heavies were #7 gauge (.181-.193) . I would expect a commercial frame to also be a "heavy".

11-08-2014, 09:04 PM	#1
51504bat Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: SoCal-Redlands Posts: 3,018	1939 pickup front crossmember The front cross member in my '39 pickup was repaired by a PO and the repair leaves a lot to be desired. All that was done was a piece of 1/2 plate was bubble gummed on top of the cross member and a piece on the underside as well. Question: what year cross member will work as a replacement and does it have to be from a pickup or will one from a car work? I've seen some after market weld in cross members that say they will work in a stock frame. Anyone had any experience with them? Or should I just try to repair the member I've got? I'm not the best fabricator/welder around but I've got a couple of buddies who are more than capable. I haven't pulled the motor yet so I'm not positive of how bad the problem is. Thanks for any insight/advice. __________________ Making the simple complicated for over 30 years.

11-09-2014, 09:16 AM	#2
39wdy Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 226	Re: 1939 pickup front crossmember Hi, If you are concerned about the quality of the repair on your front crossmember perhaps you could have those patches removed and a more competent restorer could repair it correctly. If that does not seem to be a viable option then replacement is the next best option. You can grind the heads of the rivets off and drive out the remainder with a drift and heavy hammer. A passenger car crossmember will not work as the motor mounts are considerably taller for that year. However, it should not be that hard to find a suitable pickup front crossmember from one of the western junkyards. I might even have one but it is too far to ship a heavy part from the east copast to California. Many restorers will say that you must replace the rivets with correct rivets to allow for slight flexibility in the frame; however, grade 8 bolts welded in place to look like rivets does a very good job. My 39 truck frame was done that way and 23 years later it is just fine even on some of these old gravel roads in rural Vermont. Best wishes, Toby

11-09-2014, 11:22 AM	#4
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: 1939 pickup front crossmember If it's the Avatar truck we are talking about, I don't think it is a 1/2 ton. Looks more like 3/4 to 1 ton to me which would be a different cross member than '39 passenger car or 1/2 ton commercial vehicle. __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein*

11-09-2014, 11:24 AM	#5
Juergen Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 500	Re: 1939 pickup front crossmember According to the 38-39 Ford book, the 1939 Ford frames were different for the Standard and Deluxe models. This was because the 39 Deluxe used a crank mounted fan whereas the Standard still had the generator mounted fan. The pickup still used the generator mounted fan so it would have the 37-39 Standard front crossmember mount.

11-10-2014, 02:41 PM	#7
Juergen Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 500	Re: 1939 pickup front crossmember The 38-39 Ford book also points out a difference between the "light" closed car front crossmember and the "heavy" open car and station wagon crossmembers. [The book was told not to cover commercials (pickups/deliveries)]. The light crossmembers were #8 gauge (.167-.177) while the heavies were #7 gauge (.181-.193) . I would expect a commercial frame to also be a "heavy".