Hot Rods '40 pickup - what would you do with it?

I'm on the fence with this one. I've had it basically this same way for about four years. Time for some changes. What would you guys do? I just had the hood louvered, but still haven't put it back on. I went with a 283 with dual quads (looks like a vette engine) when the flathead died, so there is a 50s/60s theme there already, somewhat.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

Paint - leave it alone? Satin ford blue or burgandy? Red oxide primer?

Wheels/tires - chrome reverse/blackwall, stock '40 wheels 'n caps w/ bias plys whitewalls?


Or . . . just leave it the hell alone (this truck gets used as a TRUCK all the time, plus travels hundreds of miles to car shows and serves as my commuter car). Except for the wheels, this is how the truck looked when I found it in a field, parked since '57.

Thanks for the input.

 

I'd put the hood on, take the spot lights off, and call it done.

 

40 deluxe front fenders and grille.

-jim

 

Put the hood on and drive the wheels off it. Passenger car fenders don't fit the truck.

 

yup looks nicer with a hood paint it black an drive it

 

When Henry made that truck for you he just wanted you to drive it.

deluxe parts dont fit

 

Hood on, spots off, wide whites on black or chrome reverse rims. Nice truck, by the way.

 

Maybe detail the interior. Paint the dash (if its not done) upholstery - maybe red & white, red & antique white, maroon & antique white, black and white - tuck & roll - You louvered the hood= awesome - Thats a cool looking truck - after that its pretty much done. My opinion of course.

 

Throw the hood on it shoot it with a basic single-stage black paint job. Gloss black. No sparkles, no stripes, nada. Then use it as a truck, to hell with scratches. If it gets beat up too bad, reshoot that portion. Not a biggie with plain-jane enamels if you just stay away from fancy paint effects.

Good luck and have fun. Great ole truck

 

option 1. make it look like the first photo again + detail a little and freshen up interior, etc.
option 2. strip it all down and give it a proper shiny paint job and nice basic interior

On the fence on the spot lights. Generally not my thing and I would take them off just to clean up the lines and simplify a little. But, they don't bother me too much on that truck. I probably would still take them off or at least one and make it slightly asymmetrical.

 

Ditto. This one's done, so you can put that energy into the next project.
Personally, I'd lose the spotlights and I like blackwalls - but it's your truck.

 

Yep, Hood and basic paint job, It's a killer truck as is. The hood will finish it off.

 

They do but leave a 1/2" gap at the cowl mounting area. My pickup had a truck fender on one side and a car on the other. Nobody noticed it but me. I have since changed that.

 

Actually it would require 40 pickup fenders with a Deluxe grill. Deluxe car fenders don't fit the cowl area real well. It would take a***** load of work on the hood to fit that to the deluxe grill also. So no hood. Better yet, leave it as it is and continue to haul wood.

 

'40 Deluke hoods are totally different from the pickup hoods. You have a '41 hood on that with a '39 deluxe grill & headlights. Just put it back to stock and drive it.

 

Put the now louvered hood on. Leave the paint, spotlights, etc. as you found it. Change the wheels and/or hub caps if you want. Hmmm, bias ply tires and the desert in the summer? Idahno, but the tires on it look fine from here. Interior, if that's what you're into.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

x2.............. nice useable ride.

 

You can give it to me if you are really tired of it?

 

Paint looks good, hood looks good, but I like it without the hood.

Just drive it, and be glad youi can!

 

I went a much different route with my '46.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347767

 

i would say leave it you cant buy or recreate real life patina but i guess im kinda bias! anybody cant paint a car or truck to me once theres paint then the history is gone just my two cents ,heres mine

 

Do the interior like it was, find some old pictures of it, build a Model A racecar, and ...

NOTE: Not necessarily in that order.

 

If it were mine I'd paint it that '56 Ford Truck green with cream grill and wheels.

 

Hood off says "Hot Rod" to me

The hoods on these trucks seem high or tall in front to me. Dad's 47 looks the same (probably worse due to the chop)...Maybe the hood could be slightly sectioned??/Fun, fun

Anyway I think your truck looks killer w/out the hood!

 

If it was mine id put on some nice wheel and tire package. Lower it a few inches and maybe do something different with the headlights like bucket style lights. Id repaint it high gloss black or maybe a dark purple color. Im thinking about selling my 52 styleline to buy a 40's or 50's chevy truck. Just not sure yet.

 

40 DeLuxe and Standard use the same fenders.
40 Pickup fenders are different.

40 Deluxe Grille and side panels and 40 Standard/Pickup grille fir the same hole.

40 DeLuxe Hood is the odd man out here. It may be that a 40 Dlx hood nose could be transplanted onto a 40 Pickup hood?

 

Paint the wheels black and drive on.

 

I put '40 Ford car taillights in the rear fenders of my '38 Ford pickup (same rear fenders '38-'41). I'd keep the patina, put the hood back on. I like the looks of a truck lettered for some business (real or fictional). Henrietta the '38 Ford pickup (avatar photo) is lettered as a shop truck for Drake Motor Co., the Ford dealer here 1928-1956, phone 13, that really was their phone number back then. Find a really good sign painter who can make the lettering look old and faded out.

 

that truck is uber****y, drive the absolute piss out of it, i dig the exterior, but if it is still the original interior, i would re do that with some nice french pleats, unless it is in good condition for an original then just driv drive drive drive drive