I am finally in the last stages of restoring my 1941 Ford Pickup. I have a few more minor details to work out but the basic restoration is complete. I have taken a number of photos of the process from the time it was started in 2001.

I purchased this pickup in 1960 for $400 when I lived in Fresno, California. I wanted a flat head Ford V-8 as I grew up in the 50's in California and had the full use of my dad's shop and built full race flat head V-8 engines for a 38 Ford pickup and a 42 Ford coupe during high school years.

When I graduated from Fresno State College with a degree in Civil Engineering , I needed a second vehicle to commute to an engineering office in the downtown area. I drove my 1941 Ford pickup for a number of years from job assignment to job assignment in California until 1969 when we moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

I had an assigned vehicle in my new job and didn't need the pickup for commuting but I did use it occasionally until I parked it in my back yard in 1975. It sat there in storage waiting for me to retire and start restoring it to it's original condition. The years passed and no work was done on the pickup. I did retire in 1996 after spending 25 years as the Public Works Director of the City of Phoenix.

Unfortunately for the pickup, I was asked to do consulting work in assisting other cities in improving their operations. In 2001, I finally got started on the frame-off restoration process. I was still doing consulting but managed to slowly dismantle the pickup and acquire the necessary parts a few at a time. I did this bit by bit until 2005 when my wife retired.

My wife had the "travel bug"so we started our world travels and the poor pickup had to sit there undressed and waiting for me to help it out. I did manage to make an arrangement with a body shop to work on my cab and bed on a fill in basis. They only worked on it when their other work was slow and some of the time, months went by before they touched it. All this took place while we were on a number of cruise ships traveling the world. In between cruises, I managed to work on some of the parts I still had at home.

In 2008, I purchased the original paint from a supplier in Connecticut and the cab, hood and bed got painted. It was a year later when the fenders and running boards were painted. Prior to that I had ordered most of the replacement parts and rebuilt the original engine. By 2009 we had visited 83 countries in 6 of the 7 continents. So far, the only place we haven't visited is Antarctica. In addition to cruising we have been on three safaris in Africa. My wife was finally getting over the "travel bug" in 2009 and I had more time to work on the pickup.

In 2010 we only took two cruises and I was able to assemble the pickup and have the interior installed. I completed work on the engine and installed it with all new or rebuilt parts and when it was started it ran like "a sewing machine". It is a great Flathead V-8. I did all the work myself except for body work ,painting and upholstery installation.

Everything is just like it was when it was assembled in August 1940. The colors are the original Mayfair Maroon with black fenders. The interior is the original green that all Ford pickups had in 1940 and 41. All the glass has been replaced with new glass with the Ford bug properly displayed. My intention is to have it just like it was when it rolled off the assembly line at a Ford plant.

In December I entered it in it's first car show. I drove it to the Holiday car show in Scottsdale, Arizona and it was awarded "First in Class" for original restorations. I plan to take it to other future car shows locally and nationally as well.

I know that I have given you far more information than you could possibly use but it was an opportunity for me to reflect back over the years and write down some of my experiences with this restoration project. I have a large number of photographs that I took during various stages of the restoration process. I am however, just sending you a few that reflect major operations in the actual restoration. 

1. Off with the hood and fenders in 2001.

2. Stripped to the frame.

3. Starting back after sand blasting and painting.

4. The cab before painting.

5. Engine installed.

6. The final project at the Phoenix mountains near my home.

7. Me and my pickup in our garage waiting the final steps in the restoration process. (Note the 1941 Arizona license plate. I located that and had it painted the original copper with black letters. It is registered and has a sticker through 2011.)

For as long as automobiles have existed, their owners have looked for ways to personalize them. One such automotive accessory was the mascot, a radiator cap which also doubled as a small sculpture of self-expression. While mascots surged in popularity after the invention of the automobile, they all but disappeared by the 1940s thanks to streamlining and would only later return as an extension of trim.

 While Lord Montagu of England was the first known person to place a mascot on their car (an 1896 Daimler), a growing number of resourceful people used their own materials to give their car a unique touch. Club badges, paper weights and ashtray sculptures were among some of the objects affixed to radiator caps. Even eagles from flagpoles were sawed off to serve as mascots.

 In the years that followed, entrepreneurs began manufacturing mascots to meet the needs of a growing niche market. Up into the 1920s and 30s, manufacturers in France and England gained a reputation for high quality mascots which were often cast in silver or bronze. Lalique of France even produced fine pieces made of glass. By contrast, most American mascots were considered of lesser quality, usually made of pewter or pot metal. While quality was sacrificed, mass production through die-casting meant that many mascots were well within reach of the general public.

Aside from a few instances, it wasn't until the 1920s before automobile manufacturers began offering their own mascots for their cars. Most of these were sold as optional accessories. Subjects symbolizing speed were frequently used, such as birds and mythological figures. Still, others chose to use their company's logo.

By the 1920s, motometers were widely used to cap the radiator and gauge its temperature. The location of this device marked a decline in mascot production. However, some companies like Boyce worked around the issue by creating pieces which integrated the motometer into their design.

Once car manufacturers began placing the temperature indicator on the dashboard in the late 1920s and 30s, there was a short-lived resurgence of mascots. During this period, however, streamlining lea

d to a decline in the mascot's use as a form of self-expression.   Matters were worsened by the fact that safety experts in the U.S. government believed mascots were potentially hazardous. By 1942, mascots had been almost completely phased out.

While there was a renewed interest in mascots beginning in the 1970s, they were mainly used to accent the trim. However, this change has had little impact on the mascot's current desirability as a popular collectible.

The AACA Library has a wealth of information on mascots & radiator caps in our uncataloged files. While you won't find listings in our online catalog simply contact us and we will search through our ads, sales brochures, parts catalogs, photos, and reference books to find exactly what you are looking for.    

The original Ernie's Taxi from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" has arrived at the AACA Museum. As part of our expanded holiday celebration at the AACA Museum which includes Trains, Trees, Toys and Sammy the Snow Plow. "It's a Wonderful Life" movie will be shown daily, throughout the day, on the Museum's indoor drive-in movie screen. Stop by and see the original Ernie's Taxi!

 For a full listing of exhbits and events visit www.AACAMuseum.org