Vehicle Description
Sharing highly attractive frontal styling and handsomely rounded fenders with the Ford passenger-car line-up and benefiting from the styling prowess of Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie, the 1940 Ford light-duty trucks remain quite likely the most attractive vehicles of their kind ever produced. They also mark one of the finest and last expressions of the aesthetic prowess of Edsel Ford, a renowned stylist in his own right who infused styling excellence to match Ford Motor Company’s traditional emphasis on engineering and mass-production leadership. Behind the attractively rounded frontal styling, which continued the basic cues introduced for 1938-39, the 1940-41 Ford light-duty trucks featured sturdier cab construction, wider and more spacious cabs, and fixed windshields with cowl-mounted wipers. While highly capable vehicles when new with Henry’s legendary Flathead V-8 engine powering them, Ford’s prewar pickup trucks also provided a great basis for hot rodding, a tradition that continues today.
Handsomely finished in Cloud Mist Grey, a factory paint color, this 1941 Ford ½-Ton pickup maintains its great original appearance with far more power than stock from a new and not rebuilt 1996 Chevrolet LT1 fuel-injected 350 small-block V-8 with electronic fuel injection, matched to a GM 4L60E overdrive automatic transmission for cruising ease. The healthy engine is further equipped with polished GM aluminum heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold, and Throttle-Body Injection. The ignition system has been converted to a LS-style setup with individual coils for each cylinder, providing improved reliability, and engine accessories are efficiently driven by a March serpentine bracket and pulley kit mounted on the front of the LT1. The engine breathes nicely through a custom-built 2 ½-inch full stainless-steel, mandrel-bent exhaust system, which looks great to boot with a brushed finish. Cooling is handled by a new US Aluminum radiator with airflow enhanced by a custom-mounted SPAL electric fan. The pickup’s chassis is original Ford, with the addition of a TCI Mustang II independent front suspension with power rack-and-pinion steering gear and Wilwood disc brakes. At the rear, the classy pickup is equipped with a new Currie 9-inch Ford rear end with 3.70:1 limited-slip and drum brakes at each side, all nicely located by a TCI rear leaf-spring kit. Braking is vastly improved over stock with an electronic power brake system the brake-actuating pump mounted on the frame and the electronic controls mounted under the pickup’s bench seat for easy service access. All frame and chassis components were powder-coated and a full set of Bilstein shocks rounds out this smooth pickup’s updated underpinnings.
The pickup’s interior retains a remarkably original and striking look and overall feel, with the pickup’s vital functions monitored by a Classic Instruments gauge cluster for a great period appearance. Also mounted under the dash is a custom Vintage Air unit controlled by Dakota Digital climate control. The steering column and vintage-appearing steering wheel were supplied Limeworks and include a custom turn-signal switch. The stereo incorporates a Bluetooth amplifier from Re-audio and connects wirelessly to your phone for easy musical enjoyment. The front seat was made by Glide Seats and features multiple adjustments for great comfort and a central armrest. Stock-appearing but vastly updated to provide far greater performance and drivability, this righteous 1941 Ford pickup was restored and built with virtually no possible expense spared and it shows!
