The 1933 Ford pickup was built during one of the most challenging decades in North American history.
The Wall Street collapse of 1929 set the table for a long period of economic chaos fondly known as The Great Depression, a time when jobs were scarce, and people were desperate to get one.
Jim Sutherland
Throw in a long period of drought during the 1930s and one also had a recipe for financial disaster on the farm front. The 1930s marked the end of the line for many high-end vehicles but spared the humble Ford AA pickup because these vehicles were built for hard work and fit right into the 1930s culture where hard work meant you held onto a job or saved the family farm.
A 1933 Ford Model AA pickup was a primary example of a practical and affordable workhorse during that era and helped the Blue Oval boys survive the Dirty Thirties. The ’33 Ford pickup was also popular during the post-war era when it became a part of the early hot rod movement during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The legacy of the early hot rod movement continues to this very day, including a ’33 Ford pickup owned by a car guy who was not even born during the early days of the hobby. Greg Storey is the proud owner of a subtle ’33 Ford Model AA truck that pays homage to the past because most of its components are from a bygone era.
For starters, the truck has a flathead V-8 engine donated by a 1951 Mercury, a popular choice for early hotrodders who wanted to give the pre-war trucks a post-war boost in performance. The dual carb setup has a vintage vibe to it, but Greg told MyStarCollectorCar the engine still has its original fuel pump to deliver gas to the carbs.
The ’33 Ford pickup also has a four-wheel drum brake system, along with Ford-built headers to help it breathe easier under load. MyStarCollectorCar readers will likely notice the retro pickup has an original style steering wheel that looks right at home in it.
The truck also has a 1930s-era passenger cooling system that comes in the form of an opening windshield and an opening front vent on the vintage pickup’s cowl.
Less noticeable is the truck’s upgrade to a 12-volt electrical system and a switch from vacuum windshield wipers to electric wipers, along with a 5-speed T-5 manual transmission to drop the flathead’s RPMs on the highway.
The comfort and function factors are important to Greg because he loves to get behind the wheel and drive his old school hot rod. The flathead delivers solid performance-and the 5-speed tranny helps keep the revs down on the highway, a combination that allows Greg to more than keep up with modern traffic.
The ’33 Ford pickup is very reliable and very cool in both the literal and figurative sense, so Greg enjoys every minute of every trip in his truck.
Now he has the perfect vehicle to celebrate old school hot-rodding.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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