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1940 Ford Ore Truck, 1931 Model A Roadster Cowl, Fwd Grille, Caterpillar 60 Seat on 2040-cars

Year:1940 Mileage:99999
Location:

Bozeman, Montana, United States

Bozeman, Montana, United States
Advertising:

     This very unusual truck/tractor and trailer combination was built to haul ore at a gold mine near Jardine Montana some time in the 1950's. I am not yet sure about the vintage of the truck/tractor but I hope to figure it out soon. I looked all over the front frame rails today in hopes of finding a serial number but could not find one. This truck has hydraulic brakes and I am sure it is a Ford of some year. The front cross member is specially made to fit the pair of flathead V8 front motor mounts so this almost has to be a Ford chassis.  

     The truck/tractor has a 24 stud late (1949 and newer) Mercury flathead engine that still turns over fine but I have not yet tried to make it run. I believe the transmission is also a stock Ford component from the same era. The rear axle is a two-speed unit and is shifted manually with the short lever located in front of the seat. The steering gear does not match any Ford steering gear I can recall seeing so it may be a larger unit from a larger truck.   

     The grille guard appears to from and old floor furnace and had a cast bronze WW I FWD truck of 1918 vintage emblem on it. The cowl and hood are from a 1930 or 1931 Ford Model A roadster or phaeton. The ornate cast iron seat assembly is from an early Caterpillar crawler tractor. I believe it is from a Model 60 but am not sure yet. I have no idea what the windshield assembly is from yet but I am guessing the back of a sedan from the later 40's or early 50's. I suspect the old non-sealed beam type of headlamps are from a 1935 or 1936 Chevrolet pickup or truck. Please help me out here on the positive identification of any of these components if you can. 

     The back of the truck/tractor has a large chunk of concrete cast into the back of the truck frame for more traction. The only hitch is located at the back of the frame and mates with the hitch on the front of the trailer as you can see in one of the photos. 

     The trailer has a dump box that has a hydraulic hoist under it. You can see the pipes and hoses for the hydraulic plumbing running up to the hitch of the trailer. I can't find any evidence of any hydraulic pump or reservoir ever having been mounted on the truck/tractor. The axle under the trailer has 5 hole Budd wheels so it is probably from the rear of a 1-1/2 or 2 ton truck from the 40's or 50's. I am sure this trailer originally had dual wheels and tires on it and someone borrowed a pair of wheels and tires for another application.

     I bought this very special combination because of the combined value of the interesting components about 8 years ago but am loosing the storage I had for it soon so I have listed it here. A friend told me that the long stroke Mercury crankshaft that this engine most likely has is worth $750 or so. I believe the Mercury engine in this truck/tractor is the 1949 and later version which is now becoming quite popular with street rodders again. If  you need or want this engine, you can buy the combination, swap out the engine with a smaller Ford V8 and resell the combination to someone who is not interested in the larger displacement and horsepower Mercury engine.  

     I think there is a lot of history in this old gem and that it deserves to have a permanent home in a Ford truck collection or a mining museum somewhere. I have seen a lot of trucks in my 61 years but I have never seen anything like this anywhere else. I have referred to the truck/tractor as being the "Mongrel" which is kind of what it really is. 

     I will be adding better photos and more information soon. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn - phone 406-799-1847 in Bozeman Montana  

Auto Services in Montana

Lyle`s Auto Body ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting
Address: Lyle S Auto Body, Vaughn
Phone: (406) 453-1296

CARSMART ★★★★★

Used Car Dealers, Wholesale Used Car Dealers
Address: 4513 Saint Barnabas Rd, Yellowtail
Phone: (301) 363-4375

CARQUEST Auto Parts ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Accessories, Battery Supplies
Address: 425 N 7th Ave, Bozeman
Phone: (406) 587-4233

Best Rate Diesel Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Towing, Engines-Diesel-Fuel Injection Parts & Service
Address: 1380 Amsterdam Rd, Ringling
Phone: (406) 388-1861

Alt`s Automotive Towing Recovery LLC ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Automobile Restoration-Antique & Classic
Address: Big-Sky
Phone: (406) 600-7906

Trumps Repair ★★★★

Auto Repair & Service
Address: 520 S Lincoln, Olive
Phone: (866) 595-6470

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Major automakers post mixed US June sales figures

Mon, Jul 3 2017

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV posted declines in US new vehicle sales for June on Monday, while major Japanese automakers reported stronger figures. Once again, demand for pickup trucks and crossovers offset a decline in sedan sales. Automakers' shares rose as overall industry sales still came in above Wall Street expectations. The US auto industry is bracing for a downturn after hitting a record 17.55 million new vehicles sold in 2016. Analysts had predicted that overall, US vehicle sales would fall in June for the fourth consecutive month. As the market has shown signs of cooling, automakers have hiked discounts and loosened lending terms. Car shopping website Edmunds said on Monday the average length of a car loan reached an all-time high of 69.3 months in June. "It's financially risky, leaving borrowers exposed to being upside down on their vehicles for a large chunk of their loans," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of industry analysis. GM said its sales fell about 5 percent versus June 2016, but that the industry would see stronger sales in the second half of 2017 versus the first half. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." GM shares were up 2.4 percent in morning trading, while Ford rose 3.3 percent and FCA shares jumped 6 percent. "US total sales are moderating due to an industry-wide pullback in daily rental sales, but key US economic fundamentals clearly remain positive," said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." Ford said its sales for June were hit by lower fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses, and government entities, which fell 13.9 percent, while sales to consumers were flat. But it sold a record 406,464 SUVs in the first half of the year, with Explorer sales increasing 23 percent in June. And sales of the F-150 had their strongest June since 2001. On a media call, Ford executives said an initial read of automakers' sales figures indicated a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of around 17 million new vehicles for the month, which would be better than 16.6 million units analysts had predicted. FCA said June sales decreased 7 percent versus the same month a year earlier.

Alan Mulally talks about why Ford's Falcon had to die

Tue, 20 Aug 2013

When Ford made the decision to end production of the Falcon sedan and Territory CUV in Australia, it wasn't a popular move Down Under. The large, four-door Falcon had been in production for 50 years, and while Ford has reaffirmed its commitment to the Australian market, it's understandable that some people still aren't all that crazy about the Blue Oval's decision.
Speaking to CEO Alan Mulally after Ford's Go Further event in Sydney, Australian site Go Auto reports that the decision was not one made lightly, and that the automaker is doing everything possible to respect the Falcon and Territory's "stakeholders." It's an interesting piece that shows a softer side of a corporation, while demonstrating that Ford is doing everything in its power to make the end of production as smooth as possible for all parties.
Head over to Go Auto for the full series of remarks from Mulally, and then let us know what you think of Ford's handling of the Falcon and Territory discontinuations, in Comments.

Ford announces bevy of recalls, 2 of which are recalls on recalls

Tue, 04 Nov 2014



Ford has announced five separate recalls, affecting 202,000 vehicles built between 2005 and 2014.
It's not been a great couple of weeks for Ford. On October 30, the company announced a 205,000-unit recall, and yesterday, it was revealed that the Ford brand's year-over-year sales were down over 5,000 units while the company itself was down 3,000 units over through October. Now, the company has announced five separate recalls affecting 202,000 vehicles built between 2005 and 2014.