there is a 55 panel truck on ebay that has a window in the back. The owner says it is stock and Ford called this a "Handyman Special". He says Ford made 350 of these. Here is the link: Ford : Panel Truck : eBay Motors (item 120541055377 end time Mar-14-10 08:31:26 PDT)


Any of you ever heard of this? I think he is confused with Chevy's Handyman Special in their 55, 56, and 57 sedan deliveries...

 

I've never heard of it (but thats not saying much), but, from looking at the pic that window doesn't look right for 1955. The styling of it just doesn't look right

Bobby

 

I wouldn't call him a liar, but I would like to see his documentation that it is stock. I've never heard of one, either.

 

Well, I think if it were that rare, then someone would buy it for "what it's worth."

I agree the window looks like a PO "Add on."

I'd like to know this guys source of info. Shoot when most folks are looking for this kind of information, people tell them to come HERE!

Chuck at Chucks Trucks would probably know!

 

I think that window looks awful - doesn't fit the rest of the styling at all

 

When I was growing up, as "handymans special " was some POS the needed a lot of work. Kinda like ran when parked.

 

I'm gonna email Mark Mossell and ask him to comment. He's got the only known Ranger survivor of the mid-year era and would have heard of this "option" if true. I agree it's probably B.S. Stu

 

There are two companies listed in my Hildys manual with pictures of a very similar window installed. One company is called Armbruster Automobile Conversions and the other Franklin Body and Equipment co.

Its not stock from FORD

 

When I Googled "handyman special" there was a lot of references to Ch**ys, mainly the Nomad station wagons.

 

Stu,
I have heard the term "special handymans truck or wagon" before, in reference to station wagons and Panel trucks. The Chevy 210 station wagons were called that most often, and I think, had no modifications or special "factory" designations, I think just a term that caught on. I suppose because you could carry enough material and tools to do smaller "handy man type jobs" with these multi purpose vehicles.
With any beating from materials or tools from the inside, it would probably not last, and any excessive pressure on the inside, would pop a window right out.
The side windows in this truck are obviously just holes cut in the sheet metal, that have no depth or roll in, like the other windows. I think Ford designers would have demanded a little better looking less flimsy hole be put in their trucks than that.
Anyway, if Ford was going to do a window like that at the "factory", that had no slant, making the right and left sides the same rectangle shape, they would have only had to make one dye to press that opening into the side panels before they were assembled to make a body, and would have probably punched out a same, smaller piece, to mirror it on the inside giving it a flange, and rigidity, like the window openings in the panel truck rear doors. Not likely something Ford would think acceptable, or done to the standards and lengths they were accustomed to going to. Just holes cut in by a specialty shop, for a flat glass type installation, for which then the size was limited, by the curving shape of the body. Not very "Ford" like.. Mark

 

Did you guys ever see Sy's panel from Mid-Fifty's with the side windows?


Michigan Rick

 

I found a 48-52 ford panel in Florida down the road from my place ,and it was suppose to be a hearse. It was really nice and had side window in it. Wish I would have taken pic of it.

 

 

Bob,

right click and save, right click and save, right click and save.....

it seems like half of the time when you post to a thread I find myself right clicking and saving....lol

Thanks for the cool flyer

Bobby

 

The owner of the 55 panel emailed me some pictures of his truck. I emailed them to Bob and he put a hyperlink to them so I could post them. Thanks, Bob! I think we all agree the window are not stock. They could have been added by an after factory company like Armbruster or Seibert or a PO could have cut them in. Look at these pics, I think a PO put them in himself.