1931 Ford Model AA hot rodded tilt bed truck

Unusual and Rare

 

Body: 

         1931 Ford model AA with original rare tilt bed with portable hand crank dumping mechanism. Body & front fenders are original steel.  Rear fenders, full running boards and aprons are new steel from Sacramento Vintage Ford added in 2006.  Dump bed shortened to refine the proportions.  All steel rust free. There are no dents or dings in the body.

 

         A Flip up rear license plate hides the trailer hitch and elec hook ups.  New model A stainless steel front bumper, spacers, clamps, & bolts, and a lowered stainless steel headlight bar from Sacramento Vintage Ford were added in 2006.

 

         The radiator stainless steel shell was straightened and polished in 2006. Front window tilt glass mechanism works.  Lockable wood storage box is inside the bed. Included is a custom fitted Covercraft Weathershield HP Car cover.

 

Paint: 

         PPG Black urethane and Ford Explorer Pacific Green, emulating original colors.  Green painted in 1999, Black repainted in 2006.

 

Interior: 

         Custom tan vinyl upholstery, rolled & tucked on seats, doors, and cowl sides.  Tan fabric upholstery headliner and cab rear. 

 

         Green painted dash above a custom 3/4 ” thick wild cherry wood lower dash containing a VDO 5 gauge cluster and VDO under dash tachometer. 

 

         Custom wild cherry wood overhead storage bin with toggle switch operated courtesy light. 

 

         Billet aluminum door handle and window cranks; Gennie shifter, boot and Th 350 knob.  Green carpet.

 

         Sony under dash cassette AM/FM car stereo.

 

Steering:

         Flaming River polished stainless steel steering shafts, tilt steering column with dimmer/turn switch, V8 horn button, and column drop with key switch.   Juliano’s ’40 Ford Deluxe Banjo steering wheel.  Vega steering box.

 

Brakes: 

         Power assisted brakes with 9” booster located below the cab. Stainless Steel Brake Corporation Billet aluminum remote master cylinder reservoir located under the tilt bed for convenient access.   Front brakes are disk brakes; the Rears are drum brakes.  Emergency brakes are rear drum.

 

Chassis:  Original heavy duty Ford model AA frame, modified.

          

 

Front Suspension: 

         Magnum 4” lowered I beam axle and transverse springs were installed in 1999. Tube shocks.

 

Rear Suspension: 

         Leaf springs, tube shocks

 

Wheels:  15” Torque Thrust wheels by American Racing, front & rear.

 

Tires: 

         Goodyear Eagle HP P205/60 R15 in front; Falken Ziex S/TZ P255/70 R15 in the rear.

 

Drivetrain:  

         350 cid Chevy V8, engine code K0624CNV.  The code indicates a 1970 350 cu in engine, originally a 250 hp. 350 turbo hydramatic transmission, in a Chevy Caprice.  Rebuilt in 1999, now has 7,990 miles on it.  New Edelbrock polished aluminum timing cover.  There are no leaks from the engine or transmission.  Chevy Nova rear end.

 

Exhaust:

         Ceramic coated exhaust headers, dual aluminized exhaust, stainless steel tips.

 

Cooling:   

         Walker Radiator, electric fan. Temperature never exceeds 180 Farenheit when in motion, even on 100 plus degree days; electric fan needs to be turned on with toggle switch when idling for extended periods.

 

Fuel:

         A 17 gallon aluminum gas tank is located under the bed, between the frame rails.  A fuel shut off is located in the engine bay, driver side.

 

Transmission: 

         Chevrolet Turbo 350 automatic transmission.  

 

Tilt Bed:

         Original steel tilt bed with original steel tilt mechanism and hand crank.  The bed has been shortened from original to improve the truck’s proportions.  New oak support sleepers have been installed as part of the resto/mod work.  Tailgate chrome deluxe tailgate latches from Sacramento Vintage Ford installed.

 

Electrical:

         Optima battery, located under the bed.  Accessible by raising the bed. Dual Battery shut off switch is located between the cab and bed, passenger side. (2 batteries can be switched, if desired).

 

Comments: 

         The Ford Model AA had the same cab as the 1/2 ton Model A pickup, but with a heavier & larger frame. The previous owner had the truck professionally restored & modernized, and installed a newly re-built chevy 350 V8 in 1999. The previous owner stated the pickup had always been garaged, never driven in wet weather, and had only been dusted and waxed, and never washed with water. 

 

         I purchased the truck in 2005, and further improved it in 2007 by adding a new polished stainless steel tilt steering column, polished stainless steering shaft, and Juliano’s banjo steering wheel, replaced the rear fiberglass fenders with new steel fenders and new full length steel running boards and apron. I had the bed shortened to improve the overall proportions, re-placed the front bumper with all new stainless steel parts and replaced the headlight bar with a lowered stainless steel bar from Sacramento Vintage Ford.  I added a billet aluminum remote master brake cylinder reservoir for easy access, and added a flip up license plate assembly to hide the trailer hitch.  During my ownership from 2005 to now, the pickup has been kept garaged and has only been driven in good weather, and has never been washed with a water hose.  There is no rust.

 

         1931 Ford truck cabs are very tight on leg room.  The previous owner put in very low seats, which makes the leg room even tighter.  It was my intent to install higher seats more leg room.  I have developed seat profile drawings for this purpose, which will go with the truck. The cab should be sound & heat insulated, and the carpets need to be replaced.

 

         The electric cooling fan thermostat is not working and needs to be replaced.  Fan can be turned on with a pull switch under the dash.

 

        

 

Questions, call 559-353-4637 or email jim_ish@yahoo.com