COE 1941 Ford COE build

Thanks THR1LL3R, I asked about this truck a few days ago, nice photo. The headlights remind me of a project that was here on the HAMB a while back, wonder if it is the same COE?

 

Very cool! Thanks for digging up the pic. The "smoothside" bed is very unique. Roads must have fewer potholes in California than NH.

I measured the outside tire width on Buford and my 99 Dakota last night. The stock COE width was 68.5" and the Dakota was 72". There looks like plenty of room for a 31/10.50 tire in the COE fender even with the extra 1.75" on each side. Also the wheelbase of my extended cab looks about right for what I want. A Dakota frame might be the winner for me.

A full size truck has got to be wider than a Dakota. What did you guys do with the extra width? Are we talking front end mods to shorten the width? Widening the fenders might be cool.

My first choice is to keep Ford power in the COE, but I'm not that familiar with late model Ford engines. Can someone school me on 4.6l, 5.4l, 5.0l differences. I'd like the donor to be late model, low mileage, 4wd, V8 (obviously!) and have some performance parts available. I'll wager the 4.6 and 5.4 family might be overhead valve engines.

thanks!

Rick

 

Started stripping the COE in the past couple days. Hope to have it to media blasting in the next week or two and back before the snow flies. It's coming apart pretty well so far. Right fender simply unbolted! Left one required some bolt cutting. Inner fenders all just unbolted. OH... for those not from SALT regions, that's pretty amazing on a 70 year old vehicle (or a 10 year old one!).

The running board on the left has 2 ribs that are worn completely thru. Each hole is about 3-4 inches in length. I find this truly incredible because it shows just how many times the Coca Cola delivery guy and the farmer got in and out of the truck.. ALOT!!!

No real surprises so far... Outer, right body mount under the door is toasty. Are they reproduced?

I haven't found access to the upper caged nuts for the fenders yet... Ideas?

 

no body mount, but other sheetmetal here:

http://www.northerncl***ictrucks.com/cabover_corner.htm

 

McMaster Carr sells cage nuts. I had to replace som in my Dodge COE.
Don

 

Buford's body is now 1.5" above his frame sitting on 2x4s. also realized how high I'll have to raise the cab to clear the motor and radiator... hmmm...

Could not get the steering column out. Unbolted and removed the clamp near the steering box, unbolted from the dash, but no luck. pulled up inside the cab but it didn't budge. Am I missing something? Is there a trick?

 

I wonder if the COE steering box might be similar to other Ford cars & trucks, where you need to remove the box & column as a unit. Like on the car boxes, the main steering shaft doesn't come out of the box itself until you dis***emble it on the bench - so the clamp at the bottom of the tube is only for the tube, not the shaft inside.

To pull the box on a "regular" truck, you need to disconnect the pitman arm, unbolt the box from the frame, remove the steering wheel, and the whole ***embly can come up through the hole in the floor. Maybe the COE is the same method?

 

Now that you mention it, VespaJay, I think the old Willys Ross boxes were the same way. Wheel, column and steering box all came out together. I had a picture of a later Saginaw box in my head that has a small stub the column can be removed from.

 

Here's the running board wear... Pretty cool

 

This cab mounting setup using a spring, castle nut and cotter pin was pretty weird also. Not sure what the theory was cuz fore and aft of this mount the body is bolted directly to the frame with only a thin cloth-like insulator.

 

there is supposed to be a vin plate on the glove box door.. there is a # on driver side , top of frame about 2 foot back from steering box, also the same number is on the top of the transmission at bellhousing,,, they didnt put the number on the engine, they said engines wore out more often than trans..( this is on my 40 ford coe don

 

heres a couple of pics of my 40 im workin on... using a 89 chevy dually that was already lowered.. AND yes im using the bed!!!( i know alot of people dont like it, but the complete truck was 400.00 . sold parts so im into it 200.00,,, i cant see spending thousands on a earlier style bed. i have way too many high dollar cars so im trying to build this for around4000- 5000........................... the one picture is where the # is on the frame... i already deleated the eng/ trans picture showing where the # was . sorry.. don

 

Don, thanks so much for the pointers and the pics! Your 40 looks awesome! I've seen a couple pics of COEs with modern beds and they look great especially in dually trim. I'm still torn on my final design.. I waffle between sleeper and flatbed to extended cab and pickup bed. I need seating for 4.

Still no joy on a serial number in the places you mentioned. I pulled the body this AM and found nothing on the left frame rail or the bellhousing.

However, I did find some numbers on the sides of the tranmission. One side had 2 oval shaped raised areas, 1 with just an F and 1 with something like L310. On the other side of the ****** I found 01T-7006. Is the latter the serial number, by chance? T for 1.5Ton truck?

thanks,

Rick

 

I looked again at the frame area you show your 40's serial number, Don and it looks like there might be some numbers, but they are VERY faint...

The body has been seperated from the frame in prolly the first time in 70 years!

 

Wasnt the dood from staorage wars driving that ?

 

I think so,Barry Wiese.I think he is Jesse James' uncle.But a cool truck.

 

Off to media blasting... Hopefully the results don't come back in just a coffee cup!

 

the VIN/serial number on the 41 COE's I have is on the front crossmember under the radiator. My 47 wasn't on the frame at all, but was on the top of the "chin" under the grille, as they changed the radiator design during the war, going to a longer radiator that covered the crossmember.

 

I took a quick-ish look under the radiator area, but will look closer. Thanks!

 

AARRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! How did I miss that one!!! sigh...well, guess I'll have to keep looking.

 

Been thinking about something along these lines, except single axle, flatbed and a little less bling...

 

First drive?? I can dream, right??

 

Buford is at media blasting right now. Due back this week in primer.

I've been thinking about the track measurements and watching pickup trucks drive by... Most modern trucks seems to have the tire's outer edge right about at the outside edge of the fender. The COE's stock tire is well inside the outer edge of the fender by maybe 5 inches or so. I'm thinking I want the tires pushed out as far as I can for handling, but I also want the truck as low as I can get it. I know I'll probably figure this out when I place the cab on a new ch***is, but what have you guys done with respect to this?

Also, what's the deal with air bags? Does the donor need to be coils and not leafs or torsion bars? What happens to towing abilities?

thanks,

Rick

 

I have a 1947 Ford 1.5 ton truck sitting on a 1987 GM P30 (old doritos delivery truck) ch***is...

It had indepdent front suspension and disc brakes...and I made my own disc brakes out back on the GM 14 bolt dually.

Air bags can hold no position so it would have to be coils up front in order for bags to be utilized (or a bag over leaf system etc)....

I have bags up front and out back but I also designed my own 4-link as well.

This one is built to tow with hydroboosted disc brakes in all 4 corners, a 6 cylinder diesel and eaton fuller 10 speed transmission...but for width wise...here is how my truck looks all slammed down.....



And her at full ride height.....

 

Thanks for the pics of the '47. It's really sweet! I appreciate the bagging lesson too. After some delays at media blasting, I pick up Buford tomorrow. I can hardly wait! I haven't seen him yet.

 

i would buils like this but with steelies and firestones

 

PICTURE TIME..... GIMME GIMME! (Or did it come back in a coffee cup?)

 

No coffee cup needed. Only a couple areas I didn't realize where holey. I'll try to get some pics, Buford is resting comfortably in an enclosed trailer right now awaiting a donor ch***is to show up.

Also, if anyone has a line on a vintage-ish sleeper, please let me know. Dimensions should be about 80" wide, 36" deep. Alum or fibergl*** and corners that are similar to the COE.

 

Unless you want it sticking way out each side you'll need to narrow one. They are about 90" wide. I had one I put on a 48 Chev coe and narrowed it about 22". I didn't want the sleeper wider than the widest part of the cab. Your 41 cab will be even narrower.