1942 Ford 1/2 Ton Utility Bed – Light-duty Ford trucks in 1942 drifted from the car-derived styling that made the 1940-1941 blue-oval trucks among the most highly regarded in history. For 1942, the front clip was redesigned along flatter, more contemporary lines. The prow-shaped grille was replaced by a distinctive waterfall type. Headlamps were completely faired in and mounted inboard of fender-end parking lights, while a heavy hood molding and side hood louvers were adopted. Door handles and headlight bezels started off chromed, but became painted toward the end of the abbreviated civilian model run, which ended in February 1942. The resulting appearance was more truck-like, but the neat lines of the 1940-1941 Ford half-ton pickups was gone. Still, the workaday styling of the 1942-1947 Ford half-ton pickups was consistent with their rugged, ladder-type chassis with four cross-members, which provided greater strength and more body mounts. We don’t inventory many classic Ford trucks but when we do, they’re the good ones. With a very limited production run in 1942, the 1/2 ton trucks are a rare sight. Combine that with the specialized utility bed and you have a classic Ford truck we bet you won’t see anywhere else for a long time. What we find really great is that because of its use over the years as a maintenance vehicle and then later as a display in a collection, this truck has under 36k miles from new! The Flat 6 starts up easily on every try, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t have any major leaks, the 3 speed shifts smooth, and it’s really a fun truck to drive around town. The paint is what you would expect on a military vehicle but the body is straight and there is zero rust. The horn, lights, and even the spotlight on the roof work as they should. The exhaust is relatively new and the Goodyear Wrangler tires have plenty of life in them still. Probably the coolest feature is the utility bed that features tons of storage along with several pull out drawers and compartment
