AMT/Lindberg '34 pick up Question ?

[Greg Myers]

How far off is this kit from a '30-'31 Model A pick up ? '32 Deuce ?

Change the hood and grill, anything else ?

Edited August 1, 2019 by Greg Myers

[Mark]

Closest to a '32 than anything else.  One of the raised ribs across the back of the cab has to be removed ('32 didn't have it), '32 has a shorter bed, and the grille shell is different.  Hood, bumpers, and wheels are probably different too.  The '30-'31 Model A pickup cab is altogether different.

[Danno]

Mark's right, Greg.  The '34 cab is similar to the '32 cab and can easily be converted.  The '32 - '34 cab is totally unlike the '30-'31 cab.  Every component of the two series was completely different with the exception of one thing (which the kit does not include):  the 4cyl engine of a '32 was visually the same as a '30-'31 4cyl engine.  (The V8 in the kit is visually the same as Ford's V8 introduced in 1932.  Makes sense because it was the same engine!)

1932 Fords (non-commercial) with the V8 engine were designated Model 18 vehicles.

1932 - 1934 Fords (non-commercial) with the 4cyl engine were referred to as Model B vehicles.  

1933 - 1934 Fords (non-commercial) with the V8 engine were designated Model 40 vehicles.

<> In practice, most people ignored Ford's designations and referred to all the 1932 - 1934 Ford passenger car based vehicles as 'Model B' although that was not Ford's intent.

The AMT/Lindberg kit represents a passenger car-based Model 40 pickup.  When the new V8 was introduced in 1932, Ford's passenger cars/light trucks shared the passenger car chassis, running gear, hood, cowl, running boards and fenders, etc.  

The 1929 - 1934 light pickups can be instantly identified as passenger car-based if they are equipped with wire wheels (the same wheels as the passenger cars). 

The commercial trucks (rated at 1-1/2 ton or 2-1/2 ton) were designated Model AA for 1928-1930 and Model BB for 1932-1934.  From mid-year 1929, the AAs, BBs, and following years were equipped with heavy steel disc wheels.  Their chassis and running gear were noticeably larger and heftier although they used the same engines as the passenger car line.  [Note:  In 1928 and the first quarter of 1929, Ford Model AA trucks were equipped with heavy duty wire wheels - not interchangeable with the passenger car wire wheels.]   

 

[stavanzer]

Thanks, Danno. Clear, Concise Info. That helps.

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, Mark said:

Closest to a '32 than anything else.  One of the raised ribs across the back of the cab has to be removed ('32 didn't have it), '32 has a shorter bed, and the grille shell is different.  Hood, bumpers, and wheels are probably different too.  The '30-'31 Model A pickup cab is altogether different.

One huge difference between a '32 truck and '33-'34 trucks is the frame. The '32 truck uses the '32 passenger car frame which has a shorter wheelbase than the '33-'34 passenger car frame the '33-'34 trucks are built on (to which Danno alluded). The front axle is also different.

The hood is absolutely positively different on the ''33-'34 (from a '32), as it accommodates the sloping radiator shell, unlike the '32.

As Mark and Danno mention, the '33-'34 cab is very similar to a '32, and is easily backdated to correctly represent a '32.

Model A trucks, 1928-1931, again as already stated, are entirely different animals from the '32-'34 trucks...except for similarities between the 4-cylinder engines. They're all ('28-'31) on the same model A passenger car frame, but the '28-'29 bodies are entirely different from the '30-'31 bodies too...though they too share front sheetmetal from their respective year passenger car brothers.

Wheels  got mixed and matched a lot on trucks, so your best bet is to do your due-diligence research if you want to model a particular rig. There are also some subtle differences between '33 and '34 trucks, so again, research multiple sources.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[Toner283]

5 hours ago, Mark said:

Closest to a '32 than anything else.  '32 has a shorter bed.

Fairly certain that stock, the bed length on the 32 and the 34 is the same. The difference comes in the shorter wheelbase of the 32. The arches where the fenders bolt onto the bed side is farther ahead on the bedside for the 32. This causes it to look visually shorter.

Probably Dennis Lacy could chime in and quote chapter and verse about all of the little differences since he lives and breathes this stuff every day.

And, that being said about the bed length, quite often they were bobbed to make them shorter anyway when the trucks were hot rodded. So if you're building a hot rod some of the rules kind of go out the window.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Toner283
Spelling

[Phildaupho]

The 32 chassis is 6 inches shorter than the 34. The fenders are pretty darn close so if you are not trying for a totally accurate build you can get away with shortening the 34 frame and fenders. The bed is easy to modify to fit. You will of course have to use a 32 grill shell and hood. 

Edited August 1, 2019 by Phildaupho

[Dennis Lacy]

On 7/31/2019 at 4:07 PM, Toner283 said:

Fairly certain that stock, the bed length on the 32 and the 34 is the same. The difference comes in the shorter wheelbase of the 32. The arches where the fenders bolt onto the bed side is farther ahead on the bedside for the 32. This causes it to look visually shorter.

Probably Dennis Lacy could chime in and quote chapter and verse about all of the little differences since he lives and breathes this stuff every day.

And, that being said about the bed length, quite often they were bobbed to make them shorter anyway when the trucks were hot rodded. So if you're building a hot rod some of the rules kind of go out the window.

I can confirm absolutely that ‘32 and ‘33-‘34 Pickup beds are identical dimensionally and use the same front panel, tailgate and other pieces. The differences are exactly what you stated. Everything else was pretty well covered by Danny and Ace but if we want to get super technical, a correction to Danno’s information is that light commercial ‘33-‘34 are not designated Model 40, they are Model 46 and every part specific to them (vs. a passenger car) has a part number starting with that number prefix (46-).

[Joe Handley]

That slanted grill explains a lot, I always thought it was a box art issue, not intended to look like that!

[alan barton]

Not only that, Joe, but the 34 commercial grille is  larger and blockier than the 32 passenger car and 32 commercial car items. The 32 commercial grille is very similar to a passenger car unit dimensionally, with no slant, but has the grille bars stamped as part of the shell like the 34 unit as distinct from a separate grille on the passenger car unit.

[Joe Handley]

1 hour ago, alan barton said:

Not only that, Joe, but the 34 commercial grille is  larger and blockier than the 32 passenger car and 32 commercial car items. The 32 commercial grille is very similar to a passenger car unit dimensionally, with no slant, but has the grille bars stamped as part of the shell like the 34 unit as distinct from a separate grille on the passenger car unit.

I was not aware of that, thanks!