Ibelieve I have a 1944 Ford 1/2 ton, but have been told there is no such thing. How can I find out.

 

There is no such thing. 1/2 ton production was cut short in '42 due to the War, and 1/2 ton production resumed again in early 1945. Perhaps you have a 1945 or a '42. The only '44's were a 1.5 ton 158" and a School Bus chassis.

 

Ron, what are the numbers stamped on the top of the driverside frame rale, between the front of the cab and the axle?

 

My grandfather, father & myself have been registering it as a 1944 since the early 1950's. The vin # is C51C83H3244. I wonder if it was built in Canada. Every piece of glass has Ford 45 etched in it.

 

Yeah, it's a Canadian built '45. C is Canadian and the 5 is year of manufacture (1945)...this info comes from the Canadian Ford Shop Manual. Sometimes things get titled wrong. My brother's '66 Mustang is registered as a '65, has been for over 25 years.

 

how many of these 1/2 tons were built? Is it wourth anything?

 

Not to hijack the thread but rather to respond to Ron's statement.

In some states this was a common and permitted occurrance. Our state used to register vehicles by their YEAR of Manufacture not by MODEL year. So, there were always vechicles running around here that showed a different year on their registration from what the model year was. That could become very confusing later on in a vehicle's life. Especially if it was a vehicle that did not have many visible physical changes from year to year. Like an early Jeep for example or the Fords mentioned above or even the 94-97 Ford Pickups. Once you become involved in researching a particular line of vehicles you get to know the suttle changes each year had.

 

Right, seen this a few times. But in the case of my brother's Mustang, it was simple human error, most likely. California titles by the year model, not the year of manufacture, like my '70 Mustang, built October 15th, 1969, but always titled by the state of Cal as a '70 model, same with my '57 Ford Fairlane, first sold in '56, but titled as a '57. Both these vehicles had the year sold on the titles, listing '69 and '56, respectively. So yes, it is possible they titled it as a '44, however, technically, it's a '45 model.

 

Can anyone tell me how many 1.5 ton trucks were produced in 1944? From the research I have done so far, it appears that the War Production Board began accepting civilian applications for trucks in August of 1944. Those potential buyers who's use of the truck would be crucial to the war effort could apply to purchase a vehicle. So it seems that only 4 or 5 months of production in 1944 would have resulted in relatively few trucks produced, but I'm looking for actual figures. Thanks to anyone that can help!

 

The best site for that info is Library & Archives, The Henry Ford which is the Henry Ford museum., they helped me out doing research several times.

 

Thanks for the info jalopy45. I will definitely check out that site.