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UPDATES TO THIS SITE AND NEW INFORMATION ARE
ALWAYS LISTED IN THE WHAT'S NEW SECTION BELOW
ALWAYS LISTED IN THE WHAT'S NEW SECTION BELOW
Welcome to the 1938 Ford Pickup Truck Project Site.
I am in the process of converting my 1938 Ford pickup from a
rusty old farm truck with a frozen engine to a daily driver.
I'm just a regular working guy and can't afford to "commission" a truck like
those magazine trucks. To save money, as well as have fun and learn new skills,
I am doing as much of
the work as I can, which so far is almost all of it.
This site documents my progress, trials, tribulations, etc., and
lets me share my experiences. It has helped me make a lot of new
friends, many going down the same road as I am.
The top picture above was taken the day
I got my two trucks home
and shows the '38 truck (yellow) and a companion '39 parts truck
(green). I used the cab and frame from the '38 and the best sheet metal from the '38 and '39
to build one truck. The bottom photo shows my truck licensed, inspected, insured, and on the road!
At this site, you can read the story of
how I got my trucks,
check out
my plans
for my truck, follow
my progress as I convert my truck to a daily driver, and
find some
links
to helpful and interesting sites.
I have also included a
photo gallery of old trucks
featuring pictures that I have taken and a list of
information sources
for early Ford pickup trucks. I have put together some of the
original specifications for the truck. Did you know that it cost $590 brand new?
- Ron Sloto
Updates to this site last made on April 13, 2013 
WHAT'S NEW
You probably thought I fell off the face of the earth because I haven't posted anything here for a while. I kinda did fall off the
face of the earth. I spent about a year cleaning out my fathers house, repairing it, getting it ready for sale, and selling it.
It was a 6 hour round trip to get up there to do anything. First came the cleaning out. Have you ever seen the Hoarders TV show?
I filled a dumpster 8 feet wide, 6 feet high, and 22 feet long to the brim. Then I filled another dumpster 8 feet wide,
6 feet high, and 22 feet long to the brim. Not to mention that on every return trip, I stuffed about 20 bags of trash into the pack of
my pickup (no, not the 38). After filling the second dumpster, I could walk through the house to see what was there.... The house needed a lot
of repairs just so it was saleable. All the indoor drain pipes were re-done in plastic. No glue. Duct tape. Apparently duct tape will
work until it dries out. Then everything leaks. Everywhere. I could tell stories for hours. After the house was sold and settlement was
finished, my body and brain went on a sabbatical.
My body and brain are now back from sabbatical, and I am back to work on the 38. The latest job was weatherstripping the doors to
eliminate the wind tunnel effect. I ordered two sets of weatherstripping, one for each door. I bought a tube of weatherstipping adhesive
at NAPA. It turns out that one piece of weather stripping will do both doors. It also turns out that the door weatherstripping is
just the right size to fill the gap between the windshield frame and the body. Hopefully that will eliminate the water
leakage in through the windshield. I will test it as soon as the truck is down off the jackstands where it is awaiting a new starter.
Check out the picture below. It is me driving a NASCAR stockcar at 160 MPH at the Pocono Raceway. For my birthday/father's day/Christmas present, my wife and
kids bought me a stockcar racing experience. I drove 8 laps around the Pocono Raceway in a 650 HP stockcar. Totally Awesome!
1938-39 FORD TRUCKS AT 2012 NSRA YORK, PA June 1, 2012
Send me your comments, questions, sympathy, donation$$$...
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[ ORIGINAL SPECS ]
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[ TECH ]