Driver-quality classics are the heart of the car hobby because most car guys like to put a realistic price on their investments.
In other words, don’t spend so much money you’re in divorce court.
This 1941 Ford pickup stuck to the affordable project plan throughout the whole process.
Jerry Sutherland
Sheldon Thompson is the proud owner of this old workhorse, and he had a simple plan—don’t go over 30K to get it on the road. In today’s world, that’s a small budget because Sheldon contracted out most of the work on the truck.
He worked in consultation with the builder and the game plan was written in stone. They started with an old farm truck that had been in storage for decades. A tree had fallen on the passenger’s side, so that complicated the process.
This truck was a work-in-progress because it sat on a 1995 Ford Ranger chassis, but it needed four years to push it over the goal line. Sheldon said he sent it to a shop where the owner worked on it during his downtime.
The passenger door required some serious metal work that wasn’t hidden. You can see the stitches on the truck under a protective clear coat, because filler wasn’t a big deal on this project.
Sheldon got his hands dirty at every stage of this process, because the builder made him do all the nasty sanding and dirt work to keep the costs down and the process moving ahead.
The truck bed was donated by the 1995 Ford Ranger, and it came with a built-in problem. The bed is wider than a stock ’41 Ford truck bed was–so Sheldon consulted with the builder and came up with a great solution.
They added stacks to the truck and built them big enough to cover the difference in width. The result is a great look that looks like it belongs, and the bonus is the sound—Sheldon loves the rumble, so a problem became a cool solution.
The engine is a 300-horse, 350 small-block donated by a 1983 Chevy 1-ton truck. Sheldon wanted everything about this truck to be reliable, so they set the 350 up with aftermarket fuel injection. The result was everything he wanted because this truck gets 15-17 miles per gallon.
The door locks are another feature of this truck. Sheldon didn’t want to pay big bucks for correct 1941 Ford truck door handles, so they used welder’s chipping hammers to get the look and heavy-duty function of a custom door handle.
The truck also has custom-built running boards with commercial grade protective coating to give this old Ford easy cab entry and durability.
The cab features donated seats from what Sheldon called “some Japanese car”, so he said the driving experience is really comfortable and the wind noise “isn’t too bad”. Sheldon said it drives like a 1995 Ford Ranger—not a ’41 Ford truck.
The biggest issue is overheating. The truck gets hot when it’s idling in traffic because the radiator can’t handle the heat plus there’s no breathing room in the front grille area. Sheldon is planning to customize the hood, so it has outlets for the engine compartment heat buildup.
The truck is everything Sheldon wanted, so the big question is–did it come in under budget?
The short answer is yes—by quite a margin.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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