Hey guys, I did a search but didnt come up with much.. I just bought a 1948 Ford truck, and the dash is missing the two middle peices. Can anyone tell me what they are. I beleive the top one is a radio.. But not so sure about the bottom one. Also. I'm not completly convinced the truck is a '48. Here is my truck, and dash. Pictures would be kool too. Thanks.
The top hole is for a radio. The bottom hole was for the speaker. The speaker was covered by a plastic, cream colored grille. On radio delete trucks, both holes were covered with a cream colored plastic grille. The grilles can be bought new in the cream color, or chrome. The only way that I know of to tell if your truck is a 48 is the serial #. It should be on the frame on the p***enger side just about in line with the steering box on the opposite side. 88RC##### would be a 48 V8 truck. 87RC##### (I think) would be a 48 6 cylinder truck. 49's would be 98RC or 97RC. You definitely have a 48 - 50. Hope this helps.
look at the fender above the p***anger side headlight bucket.. if theres a screen there and a tube that runs back to the side of the cowl then your truck is the "5 star" optioned pickup.. and you have a relatively rare heater to sell to some restorer.. I think (not certain but I think) that the radio for these trucks is similar to a merc from 49 - 51?
The VIN on a 48 will be inside the glove box and on the top of the left side of the frame just in front of the axle.
Well. On the glove box it says 9HC 33**** But it says thatsthe motor #? Could anyone give more information on the "5 star" thing? I think thats what I have. Thanks
Pretty sure the 5-star was for the 51-52 models. It would have stainless trim around the windshield. If your glovebox tag says 9 for the first digit, I think you've got a 49, not a 48. Mine starts with 8. 'R' code signifies a V-8, so I'm thinking you've got an original 6cyl truck.
As I understand it ... 5 star cabs also have arm rests on the inside of the doors and a key operated door lock on the drivers door in addition to the stainless trim around the windshield. This is a 1952 5 star F-1 Notice the SS trim on the windshield and the drivers door key lock ...
Here is a photo of a more original ( less street rod type ) truck dash with the fairly rare radio option. In my area of the South, these trucks are gaining popularity quickly. 1 ) easy to work on 2 ) inexpensive to purchase 3 ) parts are reasonable and easy to find ( especially compared to a LOT of other vehicles ) I would like to own one myself. .
Hey bud. I just attached some pics of the inside of my truck. Now you can see what the factory radio and speaker grille set-up looks like. The second pic is my heater....that's factory also. You'll notice the controls for it in my first pic. For you F-1 guys that want to touch up the paint on some of this stuff, Cub Cadet tan from tractor supply is damn close.
It's a 1950. There's no designation between 1949 and 1950, except by the higher serial number. Your's is above 300,000, which makes it a 1950. You can find the serial number on the glove box door, p***. side firewall (stamped on the cowl is the rest of the info such as build date, plant location, and color), frame rail as mentioned previously, and maybe on the hogshead cover. Also that pickup pictured has flat bedsides, which indicates it as a 1950. They don't re-pop front sheet metal, so don't throw away the front clip and hood. A search should bring up patch panels though for the common areas.
Ive heard that the differences in 49, and 50 were their paint options with one having a red line on the top grille bar, but I may be retarded. Also heard that 50's had the column shift while 49 has floor. can anyone confirm this?
50 had the column shift, might have been a mid-year option, but the 3spd heavy duty was still on the floor. The redline on the grille bar was 48 only, and only on those who didn't get the stainless grille bars. 48 had a tan grille. 49-50 had silver. Visually I think it's nearly impossible to tell a 49 from an early 50. You'd have to check the VIN. There's a lot of lore, and plants in different regions did different things, so I'm sure others will chime in.
good to know thanks! I have heard about some plants putting the ribbing in the back of the cab while others did not.
I didn't know they made a key lock on the driver's side. I need one of those latches for my suburban project. Clark
I have a 1950-***led F1 whose VIN makes it a 1949... but it has the 3-speed on the column (allegedly a 1950 change). I was told that fearing that the Korean situation would turn into a real war, which could force the Ford plants back into wartime production, the 1949/1950 production runs simply ran together as Ford tried to build as many civilian trucks as possible. Our truck also has the original (working!) radio. The 48-49-50 radio was the same as the Ford car radio except that the face of the car radio was chromed while the truck version was painted tan. The Mercury radio is interchangeable however the knobs are different and all the Mercury radios were chromed.
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