FORD TRUCK

Ford Motor Co. (1903-present)
Detroit, Michigan

This is a Ford V8 truck hood side emblem (1935-1936)    mjs
Size: 140mm wide 120mm high   

After some years of experimentation and the design of race cars, Henry Ford started serious production of passenger cars with his Ford Motor Company in 1903 (see Ford). His Ford passenger car business was so successful, that there was no real pressure on Henry Ford to enter the commercial vehicle market, although there were some early examples of Ford commercial vehicles.

The first Ford commercial was the Ford Delivery Car in 1905, based on the Ford Model C passenger car chassis, but only twelve examples were built.The Ford Delivery Van in 1907 used the four-cylinder Model N passenger car chassis but, again, only a few were built. In 1912, two light duty commercial models were offered, the Ford Commercial Roadster, which was a Model T runabout with an after market commercial body, and the Model T Delivery Car, which had better sales but not enough to warrant serious commercial vehicle production, although Ford Model T conversion kits offered by other manufacturers became very popular.

Ford entered the truck market in July 1914 with the introduction of the Ford Model TT truck for heavier duty than the modified Model T, both of which needed to be fitted with after market bodies. The first factory cataloged Ford truck was the 1924 Ford Model TT with an Express Body. The first Ford Model T pickup trucks appeared in 1925 and a new Ford Model AA 1-1/2-ton truck was introduced in 1928. Ford became the top manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the US and maintained this position into the 1930's.

Ford expanded into heavier-duty trucks and reached up to 3-ton capacity by the late 1940's. Ford was active in producing heavy vehicles for the military in the Second World War. After the War, in 1948, Ford introduced the new F-Series trucks, which continued to form the basis of Ford truck development for many years. Ford continues today as a major producer of commercial vehicles. 

Emblems

The early Ford commercial vehicles carried the same external identification as the passenger car chassis on which they were based. From 1905 to the 1928 model year, Ford commercial vehicles carried the "Ford" name stamped into the top front of the radiator or radiator shell. The "Ford" name was also displayed on radiator mounted scripts (see Ford for details).

The first oval Ford radiator emblem in America appeared in 1928 with the introduction of the Ford Model A and the Ford Model AA 1-1/2-ton truck. The Ford Model A passenger car carried the familiar blue enamel oval radiator emblem. The Ford Model AA truck, however, carried a non-enamelled version of this same Ford radiator emblem until early 1932, see example shown below. This Ford truck radiator emblem was also used on some Ford Model A pickups in the same period and is scarce.

This is a Ford Model AA truck radiator emblem (1928-1930) dnc
Size: 74mm wide 36mm high    MM: Day Neameplates

There was a change to a smaller blue enamel Ford radiator emblem for all Ford trucks and pickups from 1932 through 1935, see example shown below:

This is a Ford commercial radiator emblem (1932-1935)  mjs
Size: 56mm wide 26mm high   MM: Fox

From about 1933 to 1935, Ford trucks and pickups using V8 engines also displayed a "V8"emblem on the radiator grille, see example shown below:

This is a Ford V8 commercial grille emblem (1933-1935)  mjs
Size: 87mm high 60mm wide

For 1934 only, Ford trucks also displayed a large oval, blue painted Ford hood side emblem with a flat metal "V8" emblem mounted directly below the hood side emblem, see examples shown below:

This is a Ford truck hood side emblem (1934)    lktec
Size:133mm wide 57mm high

This is a Ford V8 truck hood side emblem (1934)    mjs
Size: 67mm high 50mm wide

For 1935-1936, the following Ford V8 emblem was mounted on the center of the truck hood side panel in 1935 and the same emblem was moved to the front of the hood side panel in 1936. 

This is a Ford V8 truck hood side emblem (1935-1936)  lktec
Size: 140mm wide  120mm high   

Some Ford truck models had similar hood side emblems stamped with the load carrying capacity, see two-ton example shown below. This Ford two-ton hood side emblem is rare.

This is a Ford 2-ton truck hood side emblem (1935-1936) lktec
Size: 140mm wide 120mm high 

For 1936 only, Ford trucks carried the same, small oval shaped,  blue enamel radiator grille emblem as used on 1935-1936 passenger cars, see example shown below:

This is a Ford truck radiator grille emblem (1936)   mjs
Size: 45mm wide 23mm high    MM: Fox

There was a change of radiator grille emblem for 1937 to a blue painted diecast chrome emblem forming part of the hood ornament and blue painted V8 hood side emblems, see examples shown below for the 60 hp and 85 hp Ford pickup models:

Ford 60 hp pickup (1937)    ms

This is a Ford 60 hp pickup grille emblem (1937)     ms

This is a Ford 60 hp hood side emblem (1937) mjs
Size:140mm high 60mm wide   

Ford 85 hp pickup grille emblem (1937) mkmiller

This is a Ford 85 hp hood side emblem (1937) mjs
Size: 140mm high 60mm wide  

For 1938, the Ford V8 truck emblem formed part of the upper radiator grille on pickups and trucks with a hood, see example shown below:

Ford V8 truck with grille emblem & hood side emblem(1938) wiki

Close up showing Ford V8 grille emblem (1938)  ms

The first Ford cab over engine truck models were also introduced in 1938. The same Ford V8 emblem was mounted just above the radiator grille, see example shown below:

Ford COE truck with grille and hood side emblems (1938) carbuffs

Close up showing Ford V8 COE grille emblem (1938) 

1938 Ford trucks also displayed the "Ford" name on emblems mounted on the hood sides of trucks with hoods and on the body sides of cab over engine trucks, as seen in the examples shown above. These Ford truck hood side or body side emblems were marked with the engine size, either 60 hp or 85 hp, see the Ford V8 85 hp engine sized truck emblem shown below:

This is a Ford V8 85 hp emblem (1938-1939)   lktec
Size: 143mm wide 86mm high   

1938 Ford trucks fitted with the optional 95 hp Mercury V8 engine, had hood side or body side emblems marked "95", see example shown below. This Ford V8 95 hp emblem is scarce.

This is a Ford V8 95 hp hood side emblem (1939)    dnc
Size: 143mm wide 86mm high 

For 1939, Ford pickups and trucks with hoods no longer carried a grill emblem but continued to display the same Ford hood side emblems. Ford COE truck models continued to use the 1938 Ford truck grille and body side emblems. 

Ford pickups in the 1938-1940 period had "Ford" and "V8" stamped into the center of the rear panel, see example shown below:

Ford V8 pickup rear panel emblem (1940)    ms

The Ford pickup for 1940 displayed blue painted "Ford" scripts integral with the lower hood trim casting above the radiator grille and the engine size displayed on the top front of the vertical diecast chrome hood ornament, see 95 hp example shown below:

This shows the Ford pickup hood emblems (1940)  autotrader  

Ford 1-ton 1940 models with hoods also had "V8" pressed into the front of the hood sides and rectangular "One Ton" hood side plates, see example shown below:

Ford V8 truck showing hood/grille and hood side emblems (1940)  blueovaltrucks

1940 Ford COE trucks displayed a diecast winged emblem on the front panel above the grille with the engine size identified, either 85 hp or 95 hp, see 95 hp example shown below:

Ford COE 95 hp V8 truck hood emblem (1940)  ford-trucks

The 1941 Ford truck models displayed the "Ford" name in block letters on the vertical chrome trim piece above the grille on both hooded and COE models, see example shown below:

Ford truck hood trim emblem (1941)    ms

Ford COE truck models continued to use this hood trim emblem in 1942 and again in 1946 when production resumed after the Second World War and through 1947.

1941 Ford truck models also displayed the "Ford" name painted in blue on diecast chrome rectangular hood or body side nameplates, see example shown below. COE model had the same body side nameplate in 1942 also.

Ford V8 truck hood/body side nameplate (1941-1942)  ms

Ford pickups from 1941 to about 1952 had the "Ford" name script only stamped into the center of the tailgate, see example shown below:

Ford pickup tailgate emblem (1941-1952) packautomotivemuseum

There was a different Ford truck grille emblem for 1942 for trucks with hoods. The "Ford" name was displayed in block letters on the horizontal lower hood trim casting, see example shown below:

Ford truck showing hood emblem (1942)   flickr

Close up showing hood trim emblem (1942)   flickr

The following shows an example of a Ford military truck emblem used during the Second World War:

Ford F601 military truck (1942)   mapleleafup

The following are examples of Ford truck emblems when production resumed in 1946 after the Second World War:

Ford one-ton truck with same emblem as 1942 Ford truck model (1946)  blueovaltrucks

Ford V8 Super Deluxe Van (1946)   hemmings

Close up showing the Ford truck grille emblem (1946)

Ford V8 pickup grille emblem (1946)    ms 

Ford COE trucks carried the same emblems as shown for 1941 when production resumed in 1946 and continued until 1948.

The Ford F Series was introduced in 1948 with a new grill emblem used from 1948 through 1950. Ford trucks both with hoods and COE models carried the "Ford" name in block letters horizontally just above the radiator grille, see examples shown below:

Ford COE Series F-6 truck showing Ford grille emblem & hood side nameplate (1948)  flickr 

Ford V8 Series F-5 truck showing grille emblem & hood side nameplate (1950) garyalannelson

I am grateful to Dennis Neilsen for his helpful advice regarding the dates of use of Ford commercial emblems. Any errors in my interpretation of this advice is entirely down to me.