1941 Ford Truck - Southern Comfort

It's hard to tell from this angle, but the 1-ton models were built using a 122-inch wheelbase and a longer bed than the 1/2-ton trucks back then. The bed and fender design has nice, smooth features to add style to the truck. This bed setup was used from 1937 through 1947.

It's hard to tell from this angle, but the 1-ton models were built using a 122-inch wheelb

Everybody tells Terry Timberman the same thing about his early Ford truck. "That is really a nice truck, but something looks odd. It is a '41, isn't it?" After he informs them that it is a Ford 1-ton truck, they are still amazed. Surprisingly, there were only subtle differences between the 1/2-ton that everyone recognizes and the larger commercial 1-ton version.

A few years back, Terry's wife Linda heard about a '41 Ford pickup that had been sitting in an old man's garage for many years. He was no longer able to drive, so he wanted to sell the truck. She decided to surprise Terry with a new street rod project and bought it sight unseen. Because they have an engine rebuild shop, she thought that the truck would be a nice combination street rod and shop vehicle, plus a nice surprise for Terry. Boy, was it a surprise all right.

What had appeared to her to be a 1/2-ton was actually a 1-ton truck. They hauled the truck back to the shop, where it remained in a side yard with a For Sale sign posted prominently. The price had been reduced to $25, but there were still no takers.

Rear wheels are 15x10-inch Ultra Fin Fans that are fitted with 31x11.50R15 truck tires. This good-looking street rodded truck looks like a '40-'41 Ford, but that front end treatment looks different. The 3/4-ton and 1-ton models use the same front cab and sheetmetal, but are quite different from the regular 1/2-ton pickup that everyone has come to recognize.
Rear wheels are 15x10-inch Ultra Fin Fans that are fitted with 31x11.50R15 truck tires. Th
The 3/4-ton and 1-ton trucks were a little taller and have a totally different grille and hood with long side louvers. The '40 chrome grille trim was used with the '41 hood items. The stock headlight pedestals came with small parking lights, which were converted to turn signals and give the appearance of custom units.
The 3/4-ton and 1-ton trucks were a little taller and have a totally different grille and
The raised bed sides sections were painted a slightly lighter color and are outlined in very thin pinstriping along with the cab beltline that flows down onto the hood.
The raised bed sides sections were painted a slightly lighter color and are outlined in ve

After Terry finished rebuilding a '46 Ford sedan, other members of their New Orleans Street Rod Association continued to tease him about the ugly truck. He caught enough flak about the ugly duckling that he decided to see what could be done with it to make his friends eat their words. The bed was thrashed, but held the hood, fenders, and bumpers. Terry knew this was going to be a real challenge -- one that was against his better judgement. He already owned a '46 Ford Tudor Sedan, a '57 T-Bird, a '64 T-Bird, and a '64 Ford Galaxie XL-500 convertible. A cool street rodded shop truck would round out the collection, but he felt that he should start with something much easier than this one.

The truck was originally in good condition when Linda purchased it, because it had been parked inside most of its years. After the Timbermans bought it, they lost interest and let it sit outside for almost a decade. After deciding to see what could be done with the old truck, Terry turned to his friend Pete Tauffro, who owns Reliable Street Rods. Pete didn't wave a magic wand over the machine to change it to a Cinderella coach. It was more like 13 months of hard work, and now the truck really looks good and gets lots of attention because of its 1-ton chassis. In the end, this was just fine with the Timbermans. The truck has even won some class awards at World of Wheels shows.

The ride height has dropped considerably, as it should on any good rodded truck. The front suspension has a '76 Pacer IFS unit grafted to it. It uses Pacer rack-and-pinion steering plus Pacer spindles and disc brakes. A Lincoln Versailles rearend uses custom leaf springs and Carrara shocks front and rear. The truck has also been fitted with sway bars front and rear. The front bumper is a '39 Ford Deluxe item. The front wheels are 15x6 inches and fitted with P225/60R15s.
The ride height has dropped considerably, as it should on any good rodded truck. The front
Terry owns Quality Re-bore & Ring Service in New Orleans, Louisiana, and did not have any trouble coming up with a motor. He selected a '76 Ford 351 that was bored 0.030 over and built basically stock with a few performance features making it a good reliable driver. The intake used is an Edelbrock with a 600-cfm Holly carburetor. The firewall looks great now, but looked more like a piece of Swiss cheese at the start of the project.
Terry owns Quality Re-bore & Ring Service in New Orleans, Louisiana, and did not have any
It took some work and lots of looking to get this bed and tailgate looking so perfect. The roll pan and split bumper treatment is the work of Pete Tauffro. The bumper started out as two '39 Ford Deluxe bumpers. It's a little difficult to see, but that is an LED third brakelight made by HOE tucked up under the top roll of the tailgate.
It took some work and lots of looking to get this bed and tailgate looking so perfect. The

The whole interior was done using Ford cloth. Work on the interior was done by Ronnie Fredricks, owner of Stitches by Fredricks. He custom made the bucket seats and the center console, which appears to be an armrest in a bench seat. The whole inside of the cab has been covered in a sculpted design using the two different fabrics used on the seats. Sunvisors are late-model lighted mirror units adapted to the early cab and covered in the same cloth as the interior.
The whole interior was done using Ford cloth. Work on the interior was done by Ronnie Fred
The truck has been fitted with all-new bright trim pieces. On the '40 model, the grille was trimmed with chrome. Only the hood side louvers got these trim pieces in 1941. The chrome nose pieces on the hood are also only for '41 models and were hard to find. The windshield glass was V-butted for a cleaner look.
The truck has been fitted with all-new bright trim pieces. On the '40 model, the grille wa
The dash was reworked for a smoother look and the billet aluminum panels carry a ball-groove trim. Gauges are black VDO units. An AirTique AC setup and a Sony AM/FM/CD stereo add creature comforts.
The dash was reworked for a smoother look and the billet aluminum panels carry a ball-groo

A tilt steering column was used along with an '86 Ford F-150 steering wheel.
Pete Tauffro also did the Aqua two-tone PPG paintjob plus the subtle beltline graphics in multi-color webbing that is carried onto the bed sides and the tailgate.
Pete Tauffro also did the Aqua two-tone PPG paintjob plus the subtle beltline graphics in