The Ford pickup truck, there’s something so quintessentially American about them, perhaps it’s the bold styling, or the blend of power and genuine rugged capability? The one thing that's absolutely certain is that they’ve been an absolute hit since day one in 1917. 

After the successful launch of the model T in 1908, the Ford motor company began to notice many coach builders, converting the cars for commercial use, and so they began selling the model simply as a rolling chassis. It was then in 1917, that Ford introduced their first purpose built “1 ton chassis”, a reinforced steel frame with heavier duty suspension and altered gearing, designed specifically for commercial use. By 1925 Ford were making trucks with fully enclosed metal cabs, and the pickup trucks we know today were beginning to take form. 

Flash forward to 1942, and the world was introduced to a new, redesigned Ford pickup, lacking in the more car derived styling of its predecessors, the 1942 model didn’t see great success simply due to a lack of need from the general public during the war. The majority of the models found their way into the hands of the military, and in February of that year, production ceased so that Ford’s efforts could become more focused on the war. 

It wasn't until 1945 that Ford were given full authority to resume making trucks, at which point they created a series of heavy duty trucks available in a variety of different payloads with either an inline six or the more popular v8. 

The model we see here, named the 7GY, is something of a rarity, combining a high 3 tonne payload with the inline six motor. 

While little is known about the Ford’s early life across the water, we do believe it was a Kansas state truck. Those familiar with American vehicle imports will of course be up in their seats upon hearing this, as Kansas is famously a dry state, precisely the sort of location one wants to import vehicles from due to the lack of rusting seen in the cars and trucks. 

The exact point in time is not fully known, but the truck was imported from Kansas into the UK, by another person who unfortunately passed away, at which point the truck was left sitting in a field by the family of the former owner. It was then around 2014 when the current owner, an avid classic car enthusiast and seasoned restorer, upon their search for a new project, found the truck sat in this field, and a deal was struck to purchase the Ford. 

Upon purchase, the truck was subjected to a full and highly extensive restoration at the hands of the current owner, hence we see the Ford in such wonderful condition today. 

As the restoration work was all done in house by the current owner, there isn’t too much in the way of paperwork. We do have the correct V5 document, and all of the relevant paperwork documenting the truck going through the UK registration process. Buyers will note the truck sitting on British number plates, indicating the truck is fully registered and legal for road use.

Being a 1947 truck, the new owner can register it as both tax and MOT exempt due as a result of its historic status. This can be done by filling out the relevant DVLA documentation.

Certainly on the more simplistic side of things, we find ourselves looking at a neat well trimmed interior upon opening the doors of the truck cab. A wash with colour matching factory green paintwork, the cabin boasts just a minimalistic bench seat, which naturally has been reupholstered in a fitting green material, and is of a brilliant factory fresh standard. At the sides sit two bare door panels, also finished in matching green paint. Holding just the two important pieces of door furniture, the handle and the window winder, the doors are in great shape, the paint is of a high standard and the small dashes of chrome have a good shine to them. 

The moulded, near flat front dash piece, aimed at maximising space for passengers in the cab, has, like nearly everything else on the truck, undergone a full refurbishment, and now sits proudly in its dark green finish. The few pieces of switchgear that place themselves on the dashboard are also in good, clean condition. At the front of the truck we also find the reconditioned gauge cluster, and glove box door which proudly presents it’s original Ford factory plate, which denotes this as a 3 tonne truck, with a carrying capacity around 6600lbs. 

Coating the cab floor is an original factory 7GY black floor moulding and up top is a new neatly upholstered roof liner, both of which are in great shape.

A truly remarkable sight, and a testament to the quality of the current owners restoration work, the exterior of the mighty Ford is absolutely exquisite. The standard to which the truck has been restored is so incredibly high, and this is no more obvious than in looking at the gorgeous sculpted lines of the bodywork.  

In absolutely terrible shape upon purchase from the local field, there was certainly a fair bit of work ahead for the Ford, and thus what proceeded was a strip down to the chassis at which point all of the aspects of the truck could undergo the required restoration work. The cab and body panels were all sandblasted after which the necessary repairs could be carried out on the truck. With the truck’s wings having taken a thorough beating in their previous life, it's rather astounding to see them sit proudly in like new condition on the truck today.

With the Ford being a dry state truck, very little was needed in the way of rust repair, and so soon the truck was receiving a much needed coat of paint. The choice was made to return the Ford to its original factory green, and so the paint codes were tracked down and the truck resprayed in a lovely deep green hue. Certainly, it was the right choice to return to factory colours as the truck looks absolutely marvellous in this shade of green. Complemented excellently by all of the refurbished and repainted trim pieces, coated in a wonderful cream colour scheme. The paintwork itself is of an excellent standard, and still provides a wonderful finish, a million miles away from the truck it used to be. The pairing of the green and cream was possibly the perfect colour combination for this truck, we can think of one no better!

At the rear, the choice was made to give the truck back its wooden side panels. These were of course missing from the truck, as was nearly all of the wood from the truck bed, so the current owner made up both new side panels and a full new bed for the truck out of oak, all of which sits proudly in the rear section of the Ford.

The fine toothed front grille was straightened out and refurbished prior to its fresh coat of cream paint, and a new rear bumper was installed. A set of side indicators were installed on the truck as well in order to make it more usable on modern roads.

The truck sits on four black finished steel wheels with original chrome hubcaps, there is also a full size fifth spare wheel installed on its hanger on the side of the truck. All five wheels are in great fresh condition. 

Naturally, the current owner couldn't carry out one of the finest exterior and interior restorations seen on one of these trucks, and then leave the mechanics untouched. The 3200cc inline six motor, an incredibly rare option on these trucks, especially paired to a 3 tonne body, was removed and then full stripped down to its bare bones, at which point the block was repainted in the brilliant shade of bright blue, and the whole engine was restored, reconditioned and rebuilt. As a result, the engine now fires into life almost immediately, settling into a comfortable idle, but rather surprisingly providing an incredibly subtle engine note, to the point one would even be forgiven for questioning whether the truck was running. 

Thanks to the extensive rebuild, the truck runs well and provides an excellent drive, paired to a smart manual transmission, you can see why the original owner specified this body to the straight six engine, as if requested the truck could carry immense weight and sit at consistent speeds, courtesy of the motor and the gearing. 

The mechanical restoration was left exclusively the engine though, underneath the chassis was sandblasted, undercoated and then fully resprayed, and the suspension components front and rear were removed, reconditioned and also repainted. As a result of this highly extensive work, the truck presents in a like new condition not only on the outside, but underneath as well. 

It would be safe to say that just a glance at the beautiful lines in their brilliant green paintwork would be enough to sell anyone on this truck. A truly breathtaking piece of automobilia, made even better courtesy of an incredibly extensive restoration conducted to the absolute highest standards. This is a truck which is immaculate from top to bottom, inside and out. Without question an absolute show piece. 

This is nothing short of an incredibly rare truck. Those in the know will understand that while smaller v8 1 tonne payload post war Fords are more of a common sight, a 3 tonne truck with a straight six is something that is just not seen, so to find one here in the UK, in such remarkable condition is an opportunity too good to miss.


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