While attending the recent Paso Robles West Coast Kustoms Show 'n' Shine, we were stalking some serious big game, hoping to capture some vintage model truck species on film. One of the beautiful classics we spotted was a '39 Ford sitting poised on a quiet side street. Fortunately, we were able to flush it out of the show to a better location for this feature photo shoot.
The '39 belongs to Walt and Vivian Veljacic, who reside in South San Gabriel, California. Walt has been spinning wrenches and busting knuckles as a diesel technician for the past couple of decades. During the past several years, he has built a '49 Chevy Fleetline, '54 Chevy Sedan Delivery, a '46 Knucklehead motorcycle, and his most recent project is this simple '39 Ford, which took him 24 months to complete. Walt builds all his rides to be driven - you won't see him sitting next to a trailer queen.
Back in 1939, this type of truck was meant to be simple and functional, and that's what you see before you. This frame-off effort had the intention of being a driver from the get-go. The stock frame was reworked and powdercoated black to accept the factory transverse I-beam front suspension, including stock Ford spindles and leaf springs. A pair of Monroe shock absorbers damp the road surface's imperfections to make for a soft, cushy ride, and a pair of 15x5-inch '56 Ford pickup steel wheels were squirted popsicle orange and wrapped with P165/60SR15 Daytona rubber.
The factory steering box was rebuilt, and the tie rods and pitman and idler arms were also replaced with new pieces. The factory Ford leaf spring rear suspension is now controlled by a pair of Monroe shock absorbers, and after rebuilding the factory banjo-type rearend, it was stuffed with 3:77 gears. In the rear, a pair of '56 Ford 15x8-inch popsicle-orange steel wheels are wrapped by P235/70R15 rubber. Ford hydraulically activated drum brakes (introduced in 1939) reside on all four corners. The factory U-shaped crossmember was also swapped out for a straight unit to allow for proper ground clearance after lowering the rear 9 inches.
Under the center-hinged hood is a 59A '48 221ci flathead cast-iron V-8 3.6L block and cylinder heads. The folks at NAPA Auto Parts in Chowchilla, California, performed the necessary machining of the engine block and cylinder heads. The buildup used all original replacement internal components, and a reconditioned crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, rings, and camshaft. The original '39 Ford single-point ignition system was refurbished then reinstalled with a set of 8mm ignition wires to deliver the spark from the coil and distributor to the appropriate spark plugs and cylinders.