lump Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 (edited) My participation in antique car hobby began in the fifties. I have dash plaques from events I attended in 1958, riding in my parents' Hupmobile. My earliest car-hobby memories began when my dad and some family friends made a little gas-powered car from lawnmower parts. I drove it among a line of antique cars in a St Patrick's Day parade in Middletown, Ohio in 1957. The car was well built, and I drove it around the my grandparents' place for several years. My mom painted it and added details. There are lots of stories from that little car, and the special rocket that I towed behind it. ANYWAY, I remember the old blue Dodge pickup truck that my grandpa owned, which is shown in the background of this photo. That old truck hauled me and my cousins all over my grandparents' property, and into town and back. I loved riding in the bed of that thing. I ASSUME it's from about 1939 to 1941, but I note that it seems to have a soft roof in the photo. Any responses will be much appreciated. Edited January 4, 2017 by lump (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 well, the soft roof is of interest. I have a title for a dodge convertible pickup from about 1936 in my stash. I think you are correct with either 39 or 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_in_nh Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Tell us more about that "special rocket". Love the car and truck, by the way. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30 Hupp Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Maybe made into a pickup from a station wagon? Iowa dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 4 hours ago, tom_in_nh said: Tell us more about that "special rocket". Love the car and truck, by the way. Tom LOL. Well, here goes. The year was 1957, and the Soviets had just launched the Sputnik satellite, which some of you may be old enough to remember. There was a lot of concern and apprehension in our country at that time. My dad was a sheet metal worker, and he built the body for the car, and a "missle," which he mounted in a wagon, painted green to match my "Shamrock Special" car. Then Mom lettered a sign reading "Middletown's Sputnik" for each side of the car. When I slowly towed past the crowds along the street, people laughed and howled and applauded. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Following is a photo of me driving the car in the parade that day. I was only three, so my young father was worried that I might have some kind of accident. He reminded me again and again to maintain the exact same distance between me and the brass-era touring car ahead of me...stopping when it stopped, and resuming whenever it moved again. Of course, he walked the entire parade route keeping pace with me along the sidewalk, just in case. That's him in this photo. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 4 hours ago, tom_in_nh said: Tell us more about that "special rocket". Love the car and truck, by the way. Tom 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Equipped with a seat belt too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 The 39 Dodge pickup was changed from the 38 to this basic styling. Plymouth also had a pickup that was a near twin. The head lights were still bulb under glass in 39 mounted in the valley between the fender and the hood. 40 trucks had sealed beam head lights, still in the valley. In 41 the head lights were put up on the crown and the center grille trim was changed slightly. This form was brought back after the war for 46 and 47. This truck could be any year from 41-47. The truck shown was labeled as a 41 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleek Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 The grille in the truck does not look right either. Maybe grandpa did some custom work on it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Thanks so much, Dave Mellor and each of you. I rode all over the place in the bed of this truck, and sometimes rode in the cab when we went to town. But I was too young to appreciate any details. Grandpa tinkered around the house, doing lots of gardening and some woodwork. But he was not much of an automotive-type mechanic. So whatever was done to this old truck happened before he got it, I'm sure. I'll have to look through old boxes of photos, and see if I can find more photos of the old truck. You guys have me wondering now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 11 hours ago, lump said: It looks like you got your first flathead at the age of three. Pretty cool parents! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Dodge offered a canopy express truck that had a soft top from cab to over the box in those years. Around my area they were also known as huckster trucks as they were used by door to door fruit and vegetable vendors. The truck in the photo might have been one of these that was later converted to a pickup body. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Maybe it's a regular pickup with the roof painted black? Camera angles can be tricky. The roof lines and rear window look stock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Here's my '39 for comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Wow, thanks to everyone for your help so far. Now I am fascinated with finding out more about Grandpa's old pickup. I may have other old photos packed away in boxes, although it will always only be an incidental background subject. No one ever purposely photographed the truck itself, as far as I can recall. I am very grateful for everyone's help, and now I can FINALLY tell the difference between 39-49 and 41-47 Dodge trucks. Thanks, guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomcarnut Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 So JIm, are you going to drive the Shamrock special on a SOC tour this year? Tom Muth 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Lump, I think car guys lives run in parallel universes. Other can probably attest to that too. My first car came on my 3rd or 4th birthday (Hard to remember that far back for specifics). We lived in Minneapolis MN and I got the car pictured below in October, must have been the 3rd Birthday in 1948. Then by the summer of 1950 we had moved to Princeton NJ where my Grandfather built a "Jeep" body for my first car. Not flathead powered, but pedaled by 2 boy power. A few years later my brother and I helped my father build a big yard car with a 5 HP Tecumseh engine that weighed so much it wasn't fast enough for us, but Dad was happy. The 1950 Ford steering wheel from that car ended up on my 26" English bike by age 10. My Dad taught me to drive a real car on my 12th Birthday and I've been hooked ever since. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Vinyl top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 18 hours ago, 30 Hupp said: Maybe made into a pickup from a station wagon? Iowa dale The station wagon used the car front end, which was completely different from the truck front end. That's definitely a truck, not a cut up station wagon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 1 hour ago, Paul Dobbin said: Lump, I think car guys lives run in parallel universes. Other can probably attest to that too. My first car came on my 3rd or 4th birthday (Hard to remember that far back for specifics). We lived in Minneapolis MN and I got the car pictured below in October, must have been the 3rd Birthday in 1948. Then by the summer of 1950 we had moved to Princeton NJ where my Grandfather built a "Jeep" body for my first car. Not flathead powered, but pedaled by 2 boy power. A few years later my brother and I helped my father build a big yard car with a 5 HP Tecumseh engine that weighed so much it wasn't fast enough for us, but Dad was happy. The 1950 Ford steering wheel from that car ended up on my 26" English bike by age 10. My Dad taught me to drive a real car on my 12th Birthday and I've been hooked ever since. Wow, Paul, you must be correct. My little brother and I spent much of our youth "driving" around in one vehicle or another. I was hooked on cars many years before I could think of driving one. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 Jack M...maybe you're right. A vinyl top on a rough old farm truck like this seems unlikely, but it certainly looks like it could be right. On further reflection after studying the tiny original photo at home, the roof seems to be dented, or at least a little too "flat" on top center. Maybe it got a vinyl roof applied to hide roof damage...or maybe even to cover holes to prevent leaks? I note that the stainless steel grille trim is definitely damaged, looking at the photo under magnifying glass, and see dents in both driver's side fenders. This was an old farm truck when the photo was taken, not a "collector's item..." at least not yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 1 hour ago, tomcarnut said: So JIm, are you going to drive the Shamrock special on a SOC tour this year? Tom Muth Tom, LOL, well the old Shamrock was given to another family in our old car club back in the day, when I got too large to sit behind the wheel. (About age 12, maybe?). I'm pretty sure I could NEVER fit into something like that now. I'll have to hope that our old 23 Hupmobile will satisfy requirements for SOC tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Maybe the Dodge started out as one of these.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 28 minutes ago, keiser31 said: Maybe the Dodge started out as one of these.... We may have a winner here. If you zoom in on the OP's photo, the pillars behind the door appear to be wide, like the ones on this canopy express. Good call! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 That's a good ID on that truck. I'm going to go way out on a limb and speculate that the back fenders don't look Dodge and may be, from the curves of the fender and the wheel opening, International circa 1953 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleek Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Keiser to the rescue again ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 3 hours ago, keiser31 said: Maybe the Dodge started out as one of these.... WOW! Now I've just GOT to dig around and try to find more photos of that old truck. How interesting this has proven to be. You guys are AWESOME. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 I found a couple more photos, so far, but not much help. The old Dodge is a little closer in this photo, taken at the same time and place, but from a slightly different angle. I'll keep looking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 This has been great fun for me, and I want to thank you all again for helping me to learn more about the old truck from my childhood. I finally found another photo, and this one is a different view, plus full color. However, it was shot from a long distance away, and the truck is partially blocked by the first car I remember my parents owning...a 1955 Chevy Bel Air 4 door sedan. Does this photo help at all? Are there any more clues for us here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 I know this photo won't help ID the Dodge truck, since all we can see is part of the grille and a homemade bumper. But this photos fits the story line, right? Thanks again, car-hobby friends! I am very grateful for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 54 minutes ago, lump said: This has been great fun for me, and I want to thank you all again for helping me to learn more about the old truck from my childhood. I finally found another photo, and this one is a different view, plus full color. However, it was shot from a long distance away, and the truck is partially blocked by the first car I remember my parents owning...a 1955 Chevy Bel Air 4 door sedan. Does this photo help at all? Are there any more clues for us here? That looks like a regular pickup in this photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLynskey Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I agree the blue one doesn't look like the same truck. And I'm not sure that's a Bel Air Chevy. Looks to me lika a 210 series with a Bel Air style repaint. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 On 1/5/2017 at 4:40 PM, keiser31 said: Maybe the Dodge started out as one of these.... the truck in Lump's pic is considerably larger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 The blue Dodge truck in the long-distance photo with the 55 Chevy is definitely the same truck as the one in my first photo. In fact, the color slide and the b&w print bear the same year dates on them. I lived with my grandparents that year, in Trenton, Ohio, and would have known if he sold the old truck I loved to ride in. Besides, Grandpa didn't build cars or paint them either. The truck was a second vehicle for him and Grandma, used very little...mostly around the "farm." In his lifetime (that I was a part of), he occasionally bought an older, cheap vehicle as a 2nd car and utility device. The odds of him having two different Dodge trucks, both blue, in the same year at the same home....highly unlikely, I think. Nevertheless, I truly enjoy everyone's input. I've been sick for several days, but I plan to keep digging out dusty old boxes of photos, looking for more images of that truck. I'll share anything I find. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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