Pete - that COE post is old you know, right? There is, however, the crew cab COE in South Dakota that has been relisted on Craigs List. Reading the listing, the guy has had plenty of interest but no takers. Here's the link:

1940 Ford 3-Door COE Marmon-Herrington 4X4

 

stu, never looked at the date. need to pay more attention! checked out the 40, been thinking on it. thanks, pete

 

Relisted, yep. I was looking at it the first time around as well. I don't have the $$$ but wish I did. Same goes for GVM's F1's. Afterall, once again I am reevaluating my vehicle priorities.

 

The problem with both is the $$$$ that would be needed to put them back to service. The F-1 's asking price is obviously way over the top, but even the COE at it's fairly reasonable purchase price would take a killer investment to put back together. There's a '38 COE MH up near Bob Jones that I'd love to have too, but it's so far gone that it'd be a life's work putting it back together. But I guess it doesn't cost much to dream.

 

i can rebuild the complete driveline, no issue. the cab? it can be done, just too much time refabbing. there is a killer late 30's 6 tonner in colorado that i would love to resto, but someone else has 1st dibs. if i could find a really unique mh body, or ford coe, 30's-40's, i would give it a go!

 

Hi all So how many marmon herringtons were made? I know of 3 still running in nz 2x 39 v8 and my 40 but there were more here ,as now and then photos turn up I was told mine was a tractor unit when new? Towed a gun in ww2 , Then worked in a quarry But as far as the marmon herrington bit goes Really i know nothing about them

 

Did the Marmon Herrington still make the 4x4s after 59?
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or maybe Ford made Napco Convert them from the factory?
I have pics of a old Ford Napco COE,but its a 66...
I could have sworn it was a 56...
Oh well...
I guess,I'll post up the pictures anyways...(Never heard of Napco,is that another company?)

 

M-H is still making 4x4's today! Do a search on this forum and you will find lots of M-H info. Here is the M-H home page. http://www.marmon-herrington.com/
NAPCO is another company that did conversions. Primarily Chevies I believe. Do a google search on NAPCO and you'll find a lot of vehicles like these ones.

 

How many were made? Not sure anybody knows. Especially for those made during the war years for the military worldwide. Experts Chuck Mantiglia and Don Chew put their heads together several years ago and figured that about 200 of the half tons were done per year. Most were done at the factory in Indianapolis but a few were done as kits (available after 1948) to allow a dealer to do the installation under oversight. Chuck wrote "to order a kit, the dealer had to provide a serial number from the truck that was to be converted. No kits were stocked for random installations".

As for the Bonus Built 3/4 ton models (F-2/F-3) Chuck says they figured about 400 to 500 per year were done. Like the big models the 3/4 tons had to come completely apart to allow frame modifications to be made. They would have, therefore, been done on the assembly line along with the big models. Because of the nature of the work the big trucks were intended to perform many more of them (F-4/5/6/7/8) were produced than the smaller half tons and 3/4 tons. When I asked Chuck how many of the bigger models were converted he thought "thousands" per year. In his emails Chuck didn't focus on the pre or post Bonus Built years but logic would suggest that similar numbers would apply. He did say in one email that so few of the F-2, F-3, F-250 and F350s were done that after 1956 none were done until the 1970s.

Today we hear about the bigger models pretty regularly, but I've only heard of one F-4 that's known to have survived. The man who knows of that truck is trying to buy it and won't say where it is. I have records on about two dozen F-2/F-3/F-250s that survived, or at least survived long enough to have appeared at some time on the web. That number includes bare drive train components. Our member Mark Mossel (thechassisman) is putting together a Marmon-Herrington Registry, so you might look him up to allow him to record your truck's information.

After 1959 M-H continued to do AWD conversions on all of Ford's big models. Ford only took the half ton and 3/4 ton business in-house. That relationship continues to this day. Matter of fact, M-H moved their assembly operation from Indianapolis to Louisville and located it near the Louisville Ford plant. M-H also does conversions for all the manufacturers today.

You don't hear much about Napco, Fabco, and American Coleman today so I'll assume they were absorbed into other mega corporations. They did the AWD modifications for all the manufacturers during that era. Here's the Napco web site it you want a more complete answer on that.

Rab - Don't leave out Studebaker. Stu

http://napco4x4.org/

 

Hi were on the M H do i look for some serial numbers?

 

All the MHs that I've come across had a data plate that contained the MH serial number. On the bigger trucks it was over the windshield on the right side. It had the MH model as the first portion of the number, followed by the individual Ford number of the truck. For instance, one of my trucks is R32-4- (which is the model) followed by 31490 which is the Ford number. Some, though, had this plate mounted below the dash in the center of the truck. I've seen it in that location on the half ton panel trucks. Stu

 

mine has a badge on dash showing high and low shift pattern Thats about all it has It is missing the bonnet badges How hard are they to get? It sits nice and proud tho its on 825/20s

 

The hood badges have been reproduced by Chuck Mantiglia of Chuck's Trucks in Connecticut. If you don't find the large MH serial number plate that I described, and find no holes to suggest it's missing, maybe export or military trucks didn't have them. Interesting. Here's a link to Chuck's web site. Stu

http://www.chuckstrucksllc.com/startframe.htm

 

Hi thanks for that I will get some better photos up
David

 

Resurecting the old thread once again!

As I was looking at these pictures I am wondering about the yellow MH F-1 truck
IMG_4104 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_4082 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

He calls it an F-1 but has the f-2 and up front fenders on it, is this so they can fit bigger/taller tires on it?? (of course the tires on it in this picture make the opening look huge, of course having the body sitting on blocks really exaggerates the look im sure)
were all the f-1 MH conversions like this?

Also the bed is short (not the f-2 f-3 long bed) but it's a smooth side bed like the 51 52's? maybe it was swapped out since the color of bed does not quite match the cab??

anyway, anyone know were this truck ended up? hopefully someone is restoring it but does look pretty rusty.

Later

Josh