Hey folks, cruzin the net, I saw a picture of a crew cab COE and fell in love. The specific one I saw was a '38. I have seen a '41 also. My question for you guru's is what years did Ford make COE 4 doors? Also, where can I read about the history of Ford COE's. I would love to have one. I am listing my question here in hopes they made them in '53. That was the year I was born and the year of the Ford Golden Jubilee Tractor that I have from my grandfather. Would be kinda cool to motor up to shows with a matched set of 53's, don't you think? Any info would be much appreciated.

 

Wynn,
The COE cabs you have seen that are 4 door were not built directly by Ford. Aftermarket suppliers were contracted to make those up, usually ordered by the Ford Dealer. Similar idea to what Marmon Herrington did for the 4x4 conversions they did with Ford for years. Power companies, phone companies, oil drillers etc. liked those crewcab COE trucks. Ford did build its 3rd and last fixed mount design COE during 53,and that basic cab was used until 1956. In 1957 the venerable Ford Tilt cab coe came out and was a mainstay in the Ford lineup for many years to follow, taking the place of the fixed mounted COE trucks that had been built in 3 basic designs from 1938 through 1956. There is a very nice 1953 COE located in Boise, Idaho that may come up for sale soon on EBAY. I looked at it in depth as I was pretty serious about getting one of that year. We never did come to a mutually agreed price. It's a partially rebuilt unit, not a restoration, and does have some issues to consider. Nice truck though.

A great book that shows all the COE designs as well as virutally all other Ford trucks is "Ford Trucks since 1905" by James K Wagner. It's hands down the best source there is. Not cheap, but it is worth it if you are serious about Ford trucks.

Hope this helps,

Bob, the COE builder (grin)
Spokane, Washington

 

Bob, Thanks for your reply and the great information. I saw your "stable" listed in the "what size do you have" thread and was thinking about sending you a pm. You have a very impressive stable if not for just sure numbers. Please keep me posted about the Idaho COE. So because the crew cabs were special order that makes them really rare then. Figured as much as they seem to be hard to locate on the internet. Again thanks for the info and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Anyone else have an old COE sitting around?

Rod
Kent, WA

 

Bob sent me this pic some time ago of a very, very nice COE crew built in IDaho, I think(?). Wish it were mine!

 

Yup that 51 Ford COE was built in Meridian, Idaho, by Del Marcum. That truck really made history last year when it sold at the January Auction in Arizona of Barrett Jackson. It pulled $70000 plus, and I heard it went to the east coast. It was of course a hand built truck, and had the best of everything. Del sat in the truck with me for near two hours in Spokane at the Goodguys show talking over how it was built, what worked best, and so on. He even pulled a 40 foot race car trailer with it sometimes. Nice, nice rig. I was sorry to see it be sold, but life goes on. Not sure if he is building another.

Rod,
I'll keep my eyes out for other 53 COE trucks. Several of the last series are available in the Spokane area, but no 53 at this time. 1 55 , 2 56, and 1 54 I know of. There are a variety of others around too, including one that I just sold.... a 41 COE. Not sure if any can be purchased right now though. Keep in touch too.

Bob, the COE builder
Spokane

 

I have a 1948 F-6 COE 4 door I'm building right now .The cabs are all welded togetter,just finish the bondo on the roof .all the door on ,floor is almost done. I haven't start on the frame,I have a F-1 and F-5 frame. I wish I could post pictures, just will not let me.

 

In the process of building a 56 F-750 Big Job COE Crew Cab, I will be sitting it on a 97 F-450 super duty class A motor home chassis with a 460 EFI and a EAOD trans with only 4000 miles. The cab is put together but still needs a lot more time and money to finish. I have a drawing of what I want it to look like I will try to get some photos posted soon.