Hi,
My neighbor is the second owner of a 1948 F3. He wants to sell, but since he purchased the vehicle so long ago he really doesn't know the market. He also doesn't own a computer, so I am asking on his behalf.

Some facts he has passed on to me about the truck:
1948 F3 3/4 ton
Original owner's manual and radio manual
Always garaged
Original engine
No accidents, dents or bondo
Very low mileage(approx 17093.0). Since the bench seat is original, showing little wear, he thinks the mileage on the odometer is the total mileage and the odometer has not been turned over.
The original bed has been replaced
The truck has been repainted using original colors

Thanks,
Mike

 

It would help to know where yer located. Price is different in different places. And
shipping is a factor as well.

 

Well I'm not much help on value, but the larger trucks are not as desirable as the F1's.
I see that it has Montana plates, fewer buyers in that area.
It has the Ford script bed which is a big bonus.
I love the flat 6, very cool. I don't know anything about them but I like it.
It is a beautiful truck whoever buys it will have a great truck.
I see the rims are newer, that is good since I think the originals were widowmakers possibly. That makes me wonder, is it the original suspension?

Note: If you click on the pictures they open in a Photobucket album and are larger.
I'm not going to venture a guess at price, but there is often a pretty big range.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Located in Kingman, AZ 86409

re: the rims - Yes, I remember he mentioned they were replaced because the originals were split rims. As for the suspension, I don't think it was replaced. Just the newer, safer rims.

And, yes, I did put larger pics on Photobucket and only thumbnails here

 

Welcome to FTE!

That is a fine looking truck. I have no idea of its value, but it looks to be in great condition.

Does it run? And do the brakes work? I don't see that important info in your original post. It looks drivable, and that would increase its value.

 

I thought I put all of the "important" info in the original post

Yes, it runs great and is definitely drivable. He only drives it on a rare occasion.
Judging by the condition of the front end, the brakes work fine

 

$8-10k if it looks as good as in the pictures.

 

That looks like a very nice truck. I agree with 51PanelMan's estimate, but again, pictures can hide a lot. If the truck has issues the price can drop drastically.

Just a note on the heater and radio. Both are correct for approximately 1946 / 1947 Ford passenger cars. Neither is correct for this truck although both are Ford units. It is possible that the original owner paid a dealer to install these when he bought the truck, but proving that would be difficult. It is more likely that someone installed these over the years to make the truck more enjoyable.

 

don't know of price either.. but i have a '49 F2 and its 3/4 ton.. i believe the F3 will be a 1 ton..

 

I beleive An F3 is a 3/4 with heavy duty springs it is a 1 ton.

 

Both F2 and F3 are 3/4 ton, one is light duty the other is heavy duty, the F4 was the 1 ton.

 

38 coupe,
l disagree with the heat not being correct.
I got my truck from the original owner and that is the same heater I have in my truck.

 

Nice truck and I agree with the 8 to 10k estimate. I have seen this heater in other trucks of this time period; my '49 F3 has an original heater with the Ford script on the face. Maybe it depends on where it was built or the dealer. The color looks similar but too metalic for an exact match. All in all a great 60 plus year old truck.

 

Ford Motor Co. made a lot of accessories in the immediate post WW2 years. It was one of the ways for dealers to make a profit on cost controlled cars when people would purchase anything to get a new car. It was almost impossible to buy a 1947 Ford without a radio and heater. Lots of these were left over new in the box when the new 1949 Ford cars came out. The previous design heaters and radios did not fit the new cars well so they were used up by discounting the price and installing them in the trucks.

Ford did offer an accessory heater designed specifically for the new F series truck line in 1948. This heater is a different design from the previous car car heater. Both the previous car heater and the F series truck heater found there way into the new trucks sold by the dealer. Which one was installed depended a lot on how much old stock the dealer needed to get rid of.

The F series specific heater came in both recirculating air and fresh air versions. They look similar, but the fresh air is a lot less common.

Interestingly right now on ebay there is a radio with the Ford bracket used to install the earlier car ratio into the trucks: 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 Ford Truck Radio Speaker Adapter Plate | eBay

The F series accessories including the heater can be seen here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...y-catalog.html

 

Couple of observations:
Why would a truck with so few miles that was always garage kept need to be repainted?
To my eye, the repaint doesn't appear to be the stock meadow green.
Didn't the original seat cover and the interior panels/headliner usually match?
If you do the math, the number of miles per year just doesn't seem likely - 300 miles per year in Montana? Really? Let's say it wasn't used half its life -now we're talking 600 miles per year. Hummm. And the bed and wheels have been replaced. Double hummm.

It is a fine looking truck from the pics. Have my doubts on the history. Based on the location and model, value is in the $5000 to $7000 range.

DW