More than 80 years ago, the redesigned 1935 Model 50 pickup truck helped Ford outsell Chevrolet nationwide—though Dearborn's lead would backslide the following year. It's no wonder light-truck buyers stepped up to buy these great-looking haulers that incorporated some clever updates making them appear years newer than the 1932- '34 trucks they were based on.
These pickups also came about at an interesting time in Ford history, as Henry Ford was still steering the company but devoting less and less time to the auto business. A Fortune magazine article written in 1933 titled "Mr. Ford Doesn't Care," depicted the 70-year-old industrialist as spending his days visiting his soybean fields, his museum, or Greenfield Village. At lunch he'd typically meet with Edsel, Charles Sorenson, and other company officials to discuss business, then be off again to tend to one of his hobbies. Increasingly in his later years, Ford—who once famously said that history is bunk—clung to the past and resisted change suggested by his top executives. As a result, from the middle of the 1930s to the end of the decade, Ford Motor Company struggled to regain market share it'd lost to aggressive rivals General Motors and Chrysler.
The flathead V-8 was considered Henry Ford's last triumph as an innovator, and it has become one of the world's most legendary powerplants. But, you have to wonder if the allure of an affordable V-8 that drew Ford car buyers had the same pull on commercial truck owners. The V-8 was a vast improvement over the Ford four-cylinder in terms of power, but the efficiency of the Chevrolet Stovebolt six's overhead-valve design can't be underestimated as a buying consideration for business owners who valued fuel economy. Henry Ford, however, was no fan of overhead-valve designs, as he thought they were noisy, and he wasn't fond of six-cylinder engines either.
The 1935 restyle included moving the pickup’s spare tire from the front fender to the bed side.
This makes for an interesting juxtaposition with what's going on in the light-truck market today. Ford's F-Series has been America's best-selling truck for more than 40 years, and the current crop of engines includes technology never before offered on a domestic light hauler.
Imagine what a stubborn, old-fashioned Henry Ford would think of one of his company's most advanced pickup engines— the 2018-spec 2.7-liter EcoBoost? At 165 cubic inches the EcoBoost is 56 cu.in. smaller than the 221-cu.in. flathead V-8, yet it produces almost four times the horsepower and three times the torque. The latest EcoBoost is a technological tour de force with twin turbos, and two injectors per cylinder that help it make 120 horsepower per liter. Yet, coupled with a 10-speed automatic transmission a 2.7-liter-powered, four-wheel-drive F-150 carries a fuel mileage rating of 20 mpg city/26 highway. For anyone heaping miles on a pickup, even a modest fuel savings is like money in the bank—especially if there's no power penalty. That was as true in 1935 as it is in 2018.
We'll never know if Ford would've outdistanced Chevrolet in the 1930s with a "high-tech" overhead-valve light-truck engine of its own, but one thing is for certain today: Flathead-powered Ford pickups are darlings with collectors and truck enthusiasts. The 1935-'36 editions are particularly attractive with styling cues lifted from Ford's passenger cars and markedly different than the 1937-'39 "barrel-nosed" trucks.
When the Model A was phased out, the improved 1932 Ford trucks filled the void, but the flathead V-8 wasn't available until late in the model year. The four-cylinder soldiered on, benefiting from a number of upgrades that increased its horsepower and durability. The trucks also sported a longer bed (than the Model A), additional hood louvers for better cooling, the now-iconic deuce's grille, and more. Ford used some creative measuring in order to claim that the truck was riding on a 112-inch wheelbase, though it was the same chassis as the passenger car's with a 106-inch wheelbase. Pickups were offered with either open or closed cabs in the 1932's inaugural year as well.
For 1933, the pickup looked almost identical, but rode on a 112-inch wheelbase, and the box sides were reconfigured to accommodate the stretch. Henry Ford's flathead V-8 had been improved with running changes to reduce oil consumption and was rated at 75 hp. The sturdy and thrifty four-cylinder was also available for buyers who valued economy over power.
The '34 truck was almost identical to the '33 model, but likely because it was a transitional model leading up to the redesigned 1935 truck. In the spring of 1934, the four-cylinder engine was dropped, and the V-8 became standard-issue.
For 1935, Ford's trucks rolled out with all-steel cabs boasting curved roof lines and sloped windshields. A graceful heart-shaped styled grille and radiator surround led the way, and the cargo bed was reconfigured to move the spare tire from the front fender to the right bed side. The only engine offered in 1935 Ford trucks was the 85-hp flathead V-8.
This month's feature truck belongs to Jim and Christy Chatham of Prescott, Arizona. Jim has owned the truck since the 1980s, when he purchased it from his brother, who'd had the truck since the early 1970s. "My brother bought it from a San Diego State University student in 1974, so it's been in our family for quite a while," Jim said. "When my brother bought it, he was looking for an old truck to use on the weekends. I always liked it, and when he decided to sell, I'd been looking for one to have as a play truck."
Jim describes the truck as a good-looking driver, and he gives it regular workouts. "It shows and presents really well, but I use it as a pickup," he said. "I've moved furniture with it, and I haul lumber with it fairly regularly. I try to drive it as much as I can. When weather permits, I drive it multiple times a week, so it gets used."
Jim estimates he's piled on between 20,000-25,000 miles, and the original still-functioning odometer shows 43,000 miles. When Jim bought the truck, it was in primer so, in 1985, he treated it to some body work and the black paint that it still wears today. About 15 years ago, he removed the V-8 for a rebuild and a repaint. While the truck was apart, he refinished the firewall as well.
The engine that has long served this pickup is a 1937-vintage "21-stud" V-8. It's entirely stock and only recently, Jim swapped the original generator for a 6-volt one-wire alternator in a bid to brighten up the headlamps during occasional evening trips. The truck also runs hydraulic brakes from a '39 vintage Ford.
Other updates include a new floormat and stock-type interior door panels. The seat, which was reupholstered decades ago, is due for a reskin, Jim said. No surprise given this truck's record of service.
"People are always dazzled, because it's an old vehicle and I'm really using it as a pickup. It's been a fun truck to have—it's like being in a parade wherever you go. We get a lot of people passing through town, so it's been in a lot of tourists' photos."
