Howdy y’all,

Been lurking for sometime on this forum without an account as I have a 76’ Ford Courier but have started a new endeavor.

I have very little information and fewer photos of said truck other than word of mouth. It’s supposedly a 1947 Ford 3/4 ton truck that served my family until sometime in the 60s. It worked hard all over East Texas in the family oil drilling business then drove my family over 900 miles to Illinois where it worked hard again for years doing the same thing as well as earning it’s keep hauling farm equipment/whatever was asked of it. The truck is romanticized in my family and is the talk of many dinner table discussions. I’d like to identify the truck pictured, I’d like to find another and restore it to be a replica of the original as a gift before the older folks in my
family pass. Better yet, find the original… it sounds impossible but I’ve heard and seen it happen, long lost family relics. I’ve got multiple family members digging for any forgotten photos and memories of it’s last whereabouts somewhere in central Illinois, hopefully a Vin number. Any information nailing down the exact year and model would be helpful or anyone wanting to reach out and sell/find a truck.

Thanks y’all.
Bryce

 

Things I know:

• Truck was a dark blue, not sure on exact color codes those years.
• Truck was sold sometime in the 60s… waiting for exact details on when.
• Truck was bought in East Texas, waiting on details on maybe a dealership/location.

 

Welcome. I’m thinking the truck’s hood would suggest 1941 maybe. I’m in central IL too and unless you stumble onto a barn find or hit the farm auctions there aren’t many still around. There are farm auction companies that advertise online that might be a way to find a project truck. Good luck with it. Stu

 

I gotta agree, it looks like a '41, and it's actually a 1/2 ton. The 3/4 ton used a different hood with vents on the side, different fenders, etc. The hood emblem on the side is a '41 only emblem. Still a very neat story, I wish you the best of luck. The '40-'41 half tons are very sought after models.

 

@truckdog62563 @46fordtruck

Question/theory for you both. What are the chances that the local dealerships kept historical documents of trucks sold by name/address or recorded the Vin of that truck as just bookkeeping? How long would they hold those records? Would big Ford have a department that would/could manage something like that?

 

Chances? Slim/none. Ford Motor Company by legend kept no such records, and there is less likelihood of an individual dealer having retained these records (assuming the dealer is even still in business). Back in the 1980s/90s I was able to run title searches through the IL SOS on vehicles I bought and had the VINs on. Even that got outlawed later in the 90s (iirc) when privacy laws were stiffened up. If it was me I’d focus on doing a nationwide CL search, watch eBay, Bring a Trailer, and similar on-line dealer ads. Stu

 

I wish you luck with your search. If you're curious, a blue 41 Ford pickup would have looked something like this, but probably not quite as fancy.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0515-21...1-ford-pickup/


https://www.smartmotorguide.com/L49253720