I Finally Get a '32

[2935ford]

Made the deal today and get it delivered tomorrow.

Plans are to make it safe and on the road for this summer...then see over the next winter what I want to do for changes.

It's about 99.9% original 33,000 mile pickup that needs some TLC.
It has sat for a lot of years.

[vonpahrkur]

congrats, beautiful truck!

[GreenMonster48]

very nice!

[Barry-ct]

Looks like a fun project!

[Ol' Ron]

I picture a Hall DOHC on that 4 banger.

[DavidG]

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Congratulations! The engine compartment looks about as original as you'll ever find (like the clip for the original wiring harness on the dash [firewall], etc.). It's a really neat pickup!

[jim1932]

Welcome to the club. If you haven't done so, go the the early ford v-8 site and buy the 1932 ford book.

[2935ford]

Thank you everyone
.
I've been told the clutch is "frozen" to the flywheel.
Any ideas on how to free it w/o pulling everything apart?

[2935ford]

Thanks jim1932. I'll have a look.

[2935ford]

Ol' Ron, that would be something, wouldn't it!

[Old Henry]

What a great find!

[ct1932ford]

Lots of work! You should sell it to me
Nice Find!

[Vic Piano]

Very COOL! Have fun with it.

[2935ford]

ct1932ford, you wouldn't believe what I went through to get this!

[bige386]

Now thats a nice looking 32. I regret selling my 29. Those old 4 banger sound so sweet. Have fun with it.

[Mike in AZ]

pretty sweet.....enjoy.....Mike

[2935ford]

Thank you bige386 and Mike in AZ, I plan to.

[kiwitony]

To unstick the clutch just tow it in gear with your foot on the pedal, you'll here a bang and the motor will stop spinning over.Our old truck only got used in the hay season and clutch was froze every time,we would tow it with a tractor and ram it into gear with the foot on the pedal and worked everytime. The first way I descibed is easier on the gearbox.cheers tony.

[2935ford]

Thanks kiwitony. Seems kinda harsh but if it works, I'm happy. Should I have anything to worry about once it's loose or just drive it if there aren't clunking/banging sounds?

[Butch11443]

Nice find!! Lot of possibilities with that B engine.
Butch

[2935ford]

Thanks Butch. I do have a rebuilt 94 and a manifold for it.

[2935ford]

Thanks Butch. Yes and I hope to explore a lot of them.

[kiwitony]

Its only stuck from sitting a long time, if it comes free it will soon polish itself and should work fine.

[2935ford]

Ah, that's good news, thank you. I look forward to getting the truck on the road.

[joe plumber]

Cool ,have fun with it .

[jim1932]

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If it has been sitting your oil probably looks like mine did.......

[2935ford]

Probably and the first thing to get changed.

[jim1932]

Originally Posted by Ol' Ron

I picture a Hall DOHC on that 4 banger.

OK Ron, for us youngster newbies, what does a Hall DOHC look like? I googled to no luck. Is that Hall-scott?

[V12Bill]

If your engine runs, jack up the rear and put stands under the rear. Start the engine and apply the gas and the brakes alternately. This should break the clutch loose also.

[uncle buck]

Thats a nice looking original! Great find. I have had luck breking the clutch loose before by towing with the clutch pedal pushed down on a gravel drive before.

[tiquer]

Originally Posted by jim1932

OK Ron, for us youngster newbies, what does a Hall DOHC look like? I googled to no luck. Is that Hall-scott?

The Hal head was the one to have in the early dirt track days of sprint car racing .They where known as the big cars. A friend of my parents ran a Hal in a Model B powered sprint car In Victoria B.C. Last run in 1958 the first season the track was paved.Western Speedway was a 3/8 mile ovel, and Ken said he would turn 115 MPH down the straights and around 90 through the turns. Ken said the B engine was pushing around 250 HP with 12:1 pistons. One race in 58 some of the cars came up from Wash. and Oregon state. The last two races are divided into large fields of cars the A main and the B main The B main the slower cars in the field. Ken coaxed the B into a third place finish. No not the fasted car there that Satuday night but very repectable considering that all the cars up from the states were running the then new small block chev engines.

[FlatheadTed]

You can also use jumper leads with 12 volt, with the hand & foot brake on clutch in, and in 3rd gear.With the hot wire onto the starter and touch the earth on the housing .

Originally Posted by Ford

Thank you everyone
.
I've been told the clutch is "frozen" to the flywheel.
Any ideas on how to free it w/o pulling everything apart?

[barryfromvictoria]

tiquer--- I`m from Victoria. I had a highly modified b block that I got with a shed full of model a parts in 1973. It purportedly come out of a sprint car. At age 14 in 1961 I remember a guy on Catherine Street who showed me a picture of his full house model b sprint car taken in the 50`s. It would be interesting to know your friends name. There`s a large contingent of old race car drivers from the 40s and 50`s that are alive and well in victoria.---barry

[jim1932]

Ahh.... HAL not Hall..... pretty,,,,

[2935ford]

Speedy Bill's museum in Lincoln, Nebraska has a few of these engines....WOW!

[31chevy]

Nice find, enjoy the restoration it become very habit forming.
Gary.

[Ol' Ron]

The Hal was the poor mans Offy, probably alittle scarce today.Might find a 4 port Ryley. In the 30's early 40's the "B" was the engine to beat. The V8 didn't come into it's own untill the late 40's. Sprint car racing limited displacement to 220 gor OHV engines. I think, things are getting alittle fuzzy now.

[biggeorge]

Very nice find! Free it up and drive the tires of it.

[2935ford]

biggeorge...that's my plan!

[Newc]

Hi; Is that an Original Eaton rad cap? They are the rarest things out there, never reproduced! If that is an Eaton, lock it up, and use a car type in public. Great find! Newc

[D518]

You're lucky!

[2935ford]

D518...thank you but it was a real trick ending up with it. You would not believe the story.

[2935ford]

Well, here it is arriving at my place.

[2935ford]

a few more pics

[2935ford]

and a couple more

[al's28/33]

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BEAUTIFUL truck!!! keep it original, brakes, tranny, interior..........there are too few left to chop it up!!....thanks for sharing.

[2935ford]

al's28/33.....Thank you. Right now...that's my plan. The more I look at it the more it appeals to me in this form.
I don't care for chopped tops....so that for sure won't happen.

[32 Model B]

Hello 2935ford, I am sorry I gave you the wrong info on the front axle, I learned something new also. But I wanted to congratulate you on your find. I chased my 32 pick-up for a while as well and looks alot like yours. We have alot of fun with ours and hope you have the same with yours. Bob.

[2935ford]

32 Model B....no problem. There is a lot to learn that's for sure.
I've Pm'd you about your pickup.

[jerseyboy]

Nice looking pickup!

It looks to have some early production features, like the pull starter on the column drop and only two knobs on the dash (no dash light switch).

Keep V-8ing and 4-banging!

[Panel Pete]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

D518...thank you but it was a real trick ending up with it. You would not believe the story.

Story huh? You gonna share that story or hold out on us? By the way - beautiful truck. You're one lucky fella!

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

Thanks kiwitony. Seems kinda harsh but if it works, I'm happy. Should I have anything to worry about once it's loose or just drive it if there aren't clunking/banging sounds?

If that clutch brakes loose, and I'm certain it will, then drive it. If it starts to clunk then stop driving it. And come back here and tell us how it's acting. We'll diagnose it for you.

[2935ford]

I bet we all have one of these.
The story.....here goes.

I heard about the truck in the summer last year. The fellow that owned it passed. His sister gave it to his best friend. He held on to it for several months thinking about what he would do with it. He decided a month ago to sell it.

I heard it was for sale at our club meeting. As he was a member....I went over and introduced myself and asked if it was in fact for sale? Yes. Could I come over and have a look? Yes.

I went over and liked what I saw. Asked what he wanted for it. We finally got a price (a knockout price to low to mention) and I said I'll take it. He then tells me he couldn't sell it to me as he had promised it to a friend of his who would act as the middleman for the sale. I was a little frustrated to say the least. I left.

A few days later, yup, that's right, the middleman calls me. He wants more money (of course). We haggled and finally settle on a still better than average price. Good, I thought, an agreement albeit verbal, but a done deal. Now I'm excited.

Two hours later.....he calls back to tell me it sold to someone else. Ok, now I'm pissed! How does this happen? Simple. Another club member told the middleman he wants this as one of the ones the middleman owed him for buying lots of cars from him in the past. I knew this fellow was going to just turn it over for profit as he doesn't build or work on cars.

A week passes and I find out from a friend of mine that's exactly what happened. It sells to, now follow along here, to another club member who builds cars. This fellow knew the original fellow who had passed and was the one that picked up the truck and delivered it years ago to the fellow that had passed.

Are you still with me?

So, knowing it will get street rodded, I called the lastest owner and asked about the truck and what his plans were.......yup, street rod......but not for awhile as he has other projects on the go. What are you going to do with the original parts, I inquired? Sell them he said. We agreed on a price.

Well, it just kept going over in my mind. I called him back a few days later and asked if I could come out and see the projects he was working on.. Sure, come on over.
During my tour and conversation the truck came up. Right away he asked if I wanted to buy it. Well, by now......it was more than I had but it gave me hope.

As I was about to leave, the thought hit me of a trade. I told him about my '28 Tudor and by golly, he was interested.

He called two days later wanting to look at it. He came over and basically said yup, I like it, let's trade. The very next day we went to DMV and did the paperwork and yesterday we went and picked it up and brought it to my place.

I also found out, he had offered to buy the truck from the first fellow way back when. He was told he could buy it under the condition he would not "hot rod" it. Well, he couldn't promise that so he didn't get it.

Phew! That's the story.

[2935ford]

garrisonm89.....thank you...I will.

[2935ford]

Originally Posted by Newc

Hi; Is that an Original Eaton rad cap? They are the rarest things out there, never reproduced! If that is an Eaton, lock it up, and use a car type in public. Great find! Newc

Newc....here's a couple of pics of the cap.

[2935ford]

I've found out the truck came from the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia. It was used in an apple orchard for years then tucked away in his barn.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by Ol' Ron

The Hal was the poor mans Offy, probably alittle scarce today.Might find a 4 port Ryley. In the 30's early 40's the "B" was the engine to beat. The V8 didn't come into it's own untill the late 40's. Sprint car racing limited displacement to 220 gor OHV engines. I think, things are getting alittle fuzzy now.

someone told me, that your memory is like a big file cabinet, the older you get,and the more stuff that you learn and do, the more files that you put into your file cabinet.it just take more time to sift through all those files!

[al's28/33]

LOVE the story and so happy you were persistant with all those guys........too bad an "A" had to be sacrificed but ANY original '32 is worth the trade. It should be illegal to chop these cars up. Please keep posting pics.

[2935ford]

al's28/33....thanks....I thought so to.......pics, will do.

[2935ford]

Anyone know if this is the original horn?

[2935ford]

Is it possible this could be the original upholstery?

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

Thanks kiwitony. Seems kinda harsh but if it works, I'm happy. Should I have anything to worry about once it's loose or just drive it if there aren't clunking/banging sounds?

Nice find. Congrats.

Believe me, doing that trick to get the clutch unstuck is nohing what those old trucks have gone through; regardless of how nice they appear.

Short from taking it apart, that is a good way to free it up if it's just stuck. Sometimes the throw out bearing is messed up or other issues, then it needs to come apart.

Once you get it home, take off the cover that goes around the shift tower. You'll see the bell housing for the trans. There is a little cover held on by two screws. Take that off and take a peek in there. If nothing looks crooked or messed up, more than likely it's just a frozen clutch.

Sometimes you can break it free by rocking the truck back and forth, but be careful once it breaks free.

[2935ford]

Tim....thank you. The floorboard by the seat is already out. There is a hole in the angled floorboard where the cover you are talking about is exposed. I'll take that off and have a look.
What happens that I should be careful once it breaks free?
I've heard of folks breaking axles when they dragged the car to free the cluctch! Don't wanna do that!

[jim1932]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

Anyone know if this is the original horn?

Looks like the one on my Tudor. That is the sort of stuff that is in the 2 volume 32 ford book. Lots of photo's and specs on all the model in incredible detail. It was great for me in answering all the "Is this original" questions."

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 2935ford

Tim....thank you. The floorboard by the seat is already out. There is a hole in the angled floorboard where the cover you are talking about is exposed. I'll take that off and have a look.
What happens that I should be careful once it breaks free?
I've heard of folks breaking axles when they dragged the car to free the cluctch! Don't wanna do that!

If you're doing it on a hill, it will immediately start to roll forward or backward or over the person helping you rock it back and forth.

I just don't want to see you smash up that great original tin or run over your "helper" trying to get the clutch free.

Do you have a dirt road you can drag it on? I would assume that should be a little easier on the axle than pavement.

I would also think the axle key would break or shear off before an axle let's go, but I'm sure anything is possible.

[2935ford]

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Rust thru and bullit holes!
Both doors close real nice. Two clicks with a slight push.
Window channels need some work. They roll down but have difficulty rolling up.
The drivers door bottom is real rusty. Close that door and sand sixe peices fall down.
It appears that side of the truck got rain/snow from maybe only partially covered.
I know the person who passed that owned it drove it with poor brakes and we believe he had a mishap of sorts that took him off the road. The passenger side radius rod is bent and poorly welded and now crooked. As well, both wire wheels suffered some spoke bending in the mishap. The truck was put away after this mishap and not used again. That was back in the 70's. It has been off the road all this time.

All part of the trucks daily life on the roads back then.

[2935ford]

jim32...thanks....I need to get that book.

Tim.....yes, there is a dirt road very close to me. No, I don't want any accidents with people or tin.

I am more inclined to pull the engine as I want to have the rad cleaned. So, with it out of the way....it's no big deal to me to pull the motor/trans.
I have to work all the brakes and rods as well.

[Ol' Ron]

Does The engine turn over in neutral?

[38 coupe]

My favorite method to free up the clutch is to take a stick (or some thing heavy) and push the clutch lever. Leave the clutch lever pushed down for a couple weeks. This releases the force holding the pressure plate to the disk and lets the disk expand slightly. Next start the engine up in neutral and let it warm up until it is running well. Turn off the engine, put the transmission in high gear, aim the truck down a deserted road, hold your foot on the clutch, and start the engine. Alternately accelerate and brake while holding the clutch down. This is much more gentle on the rest of the drivetrain than towing, plus you get to drive the truck.

[2935ford]

Ol' Ron....thanks good point. I haven't tried anything yet. I'll let you know once I get a battery and I'll try to kick it over to see what happens.
One of the fellows before me said they had tried but he didn't know much of what happened. I'm not sure he was there when they tried.

[2935ford]

38 coupe...thanks. My problem is...I have no brakes whatsoever. Most of the rods are in the bed of the truck.

[DavidG]

2935ford,

Regarding your earlier question about the upholstery, judging from your photos it would appear not to be the original, which was a two-tone brown and black artificial leather and noticeably darker than what shows in the photos.

How is the floor of the bed, condition wise? Unloaded, these pickups tend to sit higher in the front than in the back and as a result rain water gravitates toward the front leading to rust damage over the long term. As a result, often one sees a sheet of plywood over what's left of the original steel floor in the bed of survivors.

Rust is very commonly encountered in the door bottoms of the '32-'34 pickups and panel delliveries (same doors all three years on both those body types), but I understand that specific patch panels are available these days.

Judging from the bolt-on roof panel and the originally chrome-plated engine turned instrument panel it would appear that the truck was produced on the back side of mid-model year production.

Nice truck! I second the earlier wish that you go for keeping it original.

Dave

[2935ford]

Dave....thank you. All this info sure helps.

[2935ford]

Here are a few more pics. When I pulled the pass seat out and flipped it over...it confirmed a reupholstery job by the tag attached.

The bed is wood like an A.

I need to find out if this is a Canadian truck. Don't know the differences?

[DavidG]

As for unique Canadian characteristics, unlike in the case of Model As, there really aren't any noteable ones. The original VINs for Canadian production were unique and in the case of the fours, there were two different groups with different prefixes. The first group had a prefix of CBG followed by a number ranging from 1 to 5,000. The second group had a prefix of CBQ followed by a number ranging from 1 and up, but less than 5,000 (the last '32 Canadian four's number has remained something of a mystery). I'm guessing that your pickup's original VIN had a CBQ prefix and a number below 3,400, but it's only a guess.

Hopefully your truck still has its original VIN stamped on top of the left frame rail near the front of the foot of the dash (firewall) and on the top of the left side of the flywheel housing.

Judging from the finish on the seat spring in your photo and its construction, it would appear to have been replaced at the time of the upholstery job.

The 90MPH speedometer is consistent with the late side of mid-year dating of your truck's original production date.

Dave

[2935ford]

DavidG.....thank you. I'll see what I can find out on the serial #.
The wood bed must be a repacement as well.

[DavidG]

From your photo, it looks as though the bed in the box is the original, i.e. steel. I'll bet it rests on a continuous series of oak planks directly underneath, which are likely also to be original.

Further along in the dating "game", attached at the extreme ends of the chassis frame are there two or four brackets supporting the bed on each side? (If two, each will be on the outside of the frame rail.) Lastly, do the rear fenders have stamped steel braces running from the chassis frame side rails to the out lip of the fenders (one per side behind the center line of the rear wheels)?

P.S. All of this stuff is in the two volume book mentioned above.

[2935ford]

I'll check.

Here is the crusty, rusty underside rear.

[peewee2you]

2935 Ford, that is one nice ol' 32's, quite a story you gave back there on the purchase and chain of event, not sure about your club members, loyalty and lookin out for each other, I know dog eat dog world. I'm thinkin there is more to the story on this ol truck, I say this only because for 33,000 miles, I noticed that every clamp is modern and not the original ol style, perhaps someone pulled the motor at one time, or drove it later in years, and changed hoses and clamps just to be on the precautious side, not sure if that's a word, but I will use it anyway. Very nice I'm happy for you.

[2935ford]

peewee2you.....thank you. Yes, not knowing it's complete life history in detail....you bet there is plenty more to the story....I always look at it this way. I have know idea what has happened to a vehicle this old. The possibilities are endless of what may have gone on.
I don't worry to much about it. To me with these, 33k - 333k miles makes no difference.
I do all that is necessary to get it in top form for safe reliable driving. At the same time try to keep the integrity of the original vehicle, at least on this one.
It will, with me at least, never, ever, be a points car nor trailer queen. Just a cool daily summer driver that hauls some stuff once in awhile.
I have no intention of painting it or doing anymore body work on it other than to make the cab as free from flowing water as possible. I like a dry seat! I get enough water with my roadster!!!

[2935ford]

Oh, club members......it's just the way it goes. I know what they do now.....I just should have acted quicker the first time around. As soon as I hung up the phone on the first deal....I should have zipped over with money in hand.

[ratamahata]

What a nice truck!! I like the idea there's more out...

[2935ford]

ratamahata....thank you.

[2935ford]

Well, I've started in on the front drums and brakes. I'm going to pull everything off and inspect them for wear. I'm hoping I have enough meat on the drums to turn them.
I have a complete set of front and rear '34 drums/shoes/backing plates etc as a possible backup.
I'll blast it all and repaint everything that gets painted. Use new shoes/wheel bearings etc.
Next are the king pins.

Then go for the tough ones......the rear! I have a good puller to get those drums popped.
Get those sorted out, cleaned up and painted....make sure the bearing races are good along with the axle keyways and slots.

Next go after the rods and brake shaft.

In between all this...drain the oil out from the pan and have a look.

That's probably enough for the time being.

[DavidG]

Looking back over your photos, I notice what appears to a patent plate in the upper right corner of the firewall. It is in the usual place for one, but what makes it unusual is that Canadian built '32s normally did not have a patent plate (all of the patents listed on the plate were U.S. patents, not international patents). The four holes for the plates were there, but not the plates. Interesting. I look forward to hearing about its VIN.

Your bed is only supported by the outboard brackets at the rear of the frame, not by both outboard and inboard support brackets. The inboard brackets were released in mid-August, 1932, which along with it still having a hand controlled starter switch suggests that your pickup was built in the month of June or early July.

[2935ford]

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Thanks DavidG.
This could be a US truck?

Let's say June....my birth month.

[2935ford]

Here is the right front drum, shoes and backing plate etc.

The shoes are still pretty thick.

These should restore nicely.

I'll get a measurement on the drum but it appears to have a lot of steel there.

[DavidG]

Given your latest photos, early June looks like a contender. Your front brake backing plates are the early version.

[2935ford]

Thanks DavidG.

[Gumpy]

please tell us the story of what you went through--- to acquire it...very nice find a super rare!....congrats!

[2935ford]

Gump...thanks
Please back up through this thread....I tell the tale there.

Is that your 40?

[32 Model B]

Another guy that has a nice original patina 32 pick-up is Dick Spadaro. He usually cruises it around at Hershey. I don't now if anybody answered you on the horn but I will take another shot a this and say that is the right horn for a early 32 but the later production models switched to a beep-beep horn. Maybe Dave G. could back me up on this one?

[2935ford]

Thanks 32 Model B.......it looks just like others I have seen on 32 trucks.

[DavidG]

I agree, the horn that is in the photos is just the ticket for the evident timing of the production of this truck.

[2935ford]

Thanks DavidG

I'm getting ready to move it into the back shop so I can get some serious work done to it.

I'll be updating soon.

[Mart]

Brakes look in good shape.

I'd tend to just re-use what's there after cleaning up.

Mart.

[2935ford]

Me to Mark. I just make sure everything is good. As I am not a brake man I take it to someone who is. Shoes aren' that expensive nor is drum turning. That way I know all is well.

[2935ford]

Sorry Mart...not Mark.

Nice place where you live in England.

[Mart]

Thanks. The drums are 80 years old. If they do not require turning, don't do 'em. Once you turn them you can't reverse the process and put the metal back on. If you keep the shoes on the same hubs, they are already bedded to the drums. You said the linings are thick - I don't think they degrade with age, if they are serviceable, just use 'em. It's a B model and the nmech brakes should be perfectly adequate.

Mart.

[DavidG]

Yes, they do work well when properly adjusted, etc. I can't tell from the photos, but if the linings are molded rather than woven, you may wish to consider changing them to woven linings as they are the type that were both original and work best with mechanical brakes.

[2935ford]

Thank you.
I'm pretty sure they are the molded type.
I had woven on my A and with everything set up right.....I had GOOD brakes.

There are some small, fine "grooves" on the drums.....does this matter if changing over to woven?

[DavidG]

If the cast iron meat is there, have them turned so that you start out with the optimum surface.

If you do not yet have a copy of the '32 service bulletins in reprint form, I recommend that you purchase one and follow the brake adjustment procedure on pages 2 through 5 of the June, 1932 service bulletin. The relationships of the pedal, cross shaft, and levers on the backing plates to one another are critical to good brake performance (as you likely already know from your Model A).

[2935ford]

Thank you DavidG.

Yes, I went through all that on my A. What a difference when done.

[2935ford]

Well, I got her moved from the front part of the garage to the back shop area.
Now to get at her.

[Chris]

Great looking pickup! My 33 is in similar shape, just a nice old survivor.

[2935ford]

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Yes, very nice Chris. Thanks.