Have used the 1948-56 Ford Trucks parts book on CD extensively over the past couple years in my quest for pieces to go on my F-2. I want to thank Number Dummy specifically for showing me where I could get the CD, one of the best investments I have made for Gertie.

That said, there is one thing lacking in the book, and that is interior and body drawings and part numbers for the '48-52 trucks. The CD only has body and interior listings for the '53-56 vehicles.

Is there a source for the parts book that covers body components for the earlier trucks?

 

There is the Ford Body parts manual
https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_m...s-catalog.html

I'm sure you can find it cheaper somewhere else?

 

Thanks Joe, I didn't know that that book was being reprinted. To me, the fifty bucks isn't all that bad. The $250 for the re-printed paper version that covers the 48-56 Ford trucks does cause palpitations. Which is why I got the one on CD.

Supposed to cover the cars as well as the trucks to '52.

Will probably go ahead and order the thing for my reference library. Will see if any one else has it, as I don't particularly care for Mac's.

 

Should have looked a little harder, but I wasn't sure what title to use for a search. There are several choices out there for the parts catalog. Ended up getting an original in decent condition off Ebay.

 

The body parts book doesn't have everything either. Like bed parts come to mind off the top of my head. And if I may behave like the jaundiced old parts man that I am, you'll find that not all chassis parts can be found on that fancy CD of the 1964 version of the 1948-1956 Chassis Catalog. Ford obsoleted, superseded, and interchanged many parts (and published periodic OSI Catalogs) over the years and simply dropped original parts from subsequent publications. You'll be better served by spending the money on that original old print copy of the catalog. Stu

 

Stu, I worked in a Chrysler dealership for a spell, and found the manuals, whether parts or service, pretty uniformly good. The time I spent at that Ford dealership was another story. Their service manuals quite frankly, sucked. The "H" manual for servicing the EEC-4 system was an abomination. Came in a massive ring binder, and it seemed we were forever having to pull pages as updates came in. Thing was a cobbled mess.

In looking for old original manuals on places like Ebay, it is similar. There are numerous catalogs printed in different years that cover the years my truck was in production. I find it difficult to ascertain which ones to get, and what they cover.

I will closely examine the manual I have coming. It is an original, dated 1955 I think. Will look to see what is in there, and what is missing. The digital CD version of the chassis manual I have is just a scanned copy of the one DC and others sell. So it was made from an original. That said, it ain't all that great, but better than nothing.

 

No disagreement from me. Bill, if he comments, will agree that I've grumbled at him about Ford's number changes and contrasted them with the consistency I find in numbering conventions used by my wheel manufacturers. Maddening. But, admittedly, Ford had to deal with a wider range of systems than simply wheels. Stu

 

1948/52 truck body parts are listed in the 1944/52 Ford Passenger Car & Truck Body Parts Catalog.

This catalog is not available on a C/D, suggest looking on ebay for an original.

This catalog has been reprinted by faxonautolit.com .. but it's 1/2 the size of the original and Faxon wants 75 bucks for it.

 

Thank you Bill. That is exactly the one I picked up on Ebay last night. It is an original copy, complete with a torn back cover and dirty finger prints. The binding looked tight yet, and all the pages are supposed to be there. The photos of the inside looked good. Seller had a 100% rating.

The reprints I looked at just didn't seem right. Also, the sellers of the reprints on Ebay had quite a few complaints about quality issues with other manuals they sold, so I figured there was likely issues with the Ford manual as well.

Shipping was like $3, and the manual was around $40. Cheaper than the reprints. I think I did OK. Given the quality problems with re-popped parts, I am going pretty much with original as much as I can now.