A forgotten in plain site 1936 Model 51

[Scavenger One]

Hello and thank you to the admins for approving my request to join the group.
My name is Jeff and I am sure that my story is similar to many others. I was recently given the opportunity to save a 1936 Ford Model 51 that once belonged to my wife's Grandfather who passed away about a decade ago. Now how this truck came to be parked under an old oak and surrounded by young pine trees here in Northern Virginia leads to many different answers depending on the family member that you are talking to at the time. “He hauled it home from Washington D.C”…..” He Got it from a farmer over in Maryland”…. “His buddy asked him if he could park it there for a little while”…..
Regardless of which version of the “Story” you hear, one thing is consistent, “It has been sitting right there in that spot for the past 40 or 50 years”.
So after getting the ok to pull it out of it’s resting spot, the clearing of old boats, lawnmowers, and the cutting of trees began. The exterior door handles were frozen solid so I finally gave in and removed the glass from the passenger door and was able to open both doors from the inside. (Whew! The smell of really really old gasoline hit me like a brick wall) The key was still in the ignition but again the lock was frozen in place. Lucky someone in the past had replaced the plug that retains the lock cylinder in place with a bolt and removing the bolt allowed me to remove the lock cylinder. Once I jacked the front wheels up out of the ground that they had sunk down into after all those years, I was able to turn the steering wheel to straighten the front wheel right up and she was ready to be pulled out.
A few weekends later I coordinated with a friend who was willing to haul it home for me.
Unfortunately, both axles were frozen so none of the wheels would rotate at first. The front wheels eventually came free but the rears fought us the whole way onto the trailer like it thought it was being taken to the big metal crusher in the sky. It ended up taking us 2 ½ hours, 2 trucks, a 10,000 lbs winch, and a couple of snatch blocks, but we finally got it up on the trailer. It came off the trailer at it’s new home a whole lot easier.
So, this is where I tell you that I am new to the antique 1936 ford world and I am sure I will be asking lots of rookie questions. I have learned a lot from y’all already by just reading through old posts and taking lots of notes.
The truck is rough, has some rust issues of course but is actually more solid than I was expecting. It's going to be a lot of work but overall it looks to all be there. (I removed the floor pans, driver side long extension mirror, drivers side fender mounted horn, and seat bottom prior to transport) I was able to find all of the stake bed posts and a few of the brackets that connect them together as well. ( I am going back with a metal detector to see if anymore of the brackets are still in the dirt where the truck had been parked)
So the 10,000 foot overall plan at this time is to just get it mechanically sound so that it is safe to drive or atleast move under its own power. Paint and body are last on the list except for what has to be done for safety reasons. First things first though, just it being able to roll would be a huge accomplishment. Getting the transmission out of gear ( or at least disconnected) and some wheels & tires that will hold air ( just inexpensive rollers for right now, they don't have to be street worthy yet) and anything else needed to help it roll easier is first on the list.
If you have looked at the attached pictures, I am sure that many of you have noticed the yellow paint peeking through here and there and on the inside the cab. And while very hard to read, the passenger side panel on the stake body does in fact read “The 1936 Ford V8 Truck, Test This Truck With Your Own Load”. I found this by accident with my LED flashlight the night that I got the truck home.The LED light helped the letters to stand out against the remnants of paint and rust. ( I can only barely make out “1936” on the drivers side panel) Taking a picture of it with the flash on and then playing with the camera's filters helped the lettering to stand out even more and then comparing to the pictures of the known survivor from up north that I found by searching Google convinced me what it says and what it is.
So to me it looks to have been a Demonstrator. What I haven't been able to make out yet is the dealer name at the bottom of the sign.
The truck was obviously painted over a few times during its lifetime. I can see some light blue on the inside of the doors. Some dark green on the door frames. A darker (faded) blue on the fire wall, and maybe a faded dark green or faded black on the overall body and dashboard. Based on the dark green I see on the door frames, Did the US Military own it at one time? A couple of the tires and the spare tire do have US military marking embossed into them. Hum? Or did the old farmer just have some dark green paint and a couple of old surplus tires laying around?
The nice part is, because My wife”s grandfather never drove the truck or did much with it ( other than “protect” it from the crusher) I am pretty wide open to what to do with paint once I get to that point, no emotional attachment to any particular color or paint scheme. While paying homage to him was my first thought ( if he had owned a business, what would it have been called?), but if it is in fact a “Demonstrator” , Then Yellow & Washington Blue might be it…… but I have a long way to go before I get there and have to make those decisions.
Anyway, I don't plan on setting any time records , but I will post my progress when I can find the time to make progress. Like I said the first goal is simple...getting it so that it can actually roll. Any suggestions, ideas, or the pointing of direction to acquire at least 4 wheels with tires that will serve the purpose of rolling around the yard and into the barn would be a big help and greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and I promise my future post won't be a book.
Jeff