A 23 24 25 Model T Ford Roadster Pickup Truck Box Speedster Racer (not 26-27) on 2040-parts.com

      This is a very good and unmodified original 1925 Model T Ford pickup box assembly. This very scarce box has absolutely no rusted out or even thin spots in it anywhere. The stack pockets are not even rusted out as they so often are on these 90 plus year old boxes. Many of these boxes are rusted out on the channel cross member that the tail gate hinges on. This box has no problems there as you can see in the photos.  

     The sheet metal is not heavily pitted thanks to our relatively dry climate here in Montana. We receive an average of only 13" of moisture per year (counting both rain and snow) here so things do not rust here like they do in most of the rest of this country.

     The box sides are still very straight except for the front of the right side as you can see in the second photo as well as other photos on this listing. It appears that the top of the right front corner was pushed down a bit when this box was on a vehicle (most likely a trailer rather than a Model T). That caused the crack and deformation on the bottom of the front of the right side panel.   

     The special front panel is included but was loose when I bought this box. It is shown in one of the later photos of this listing. I believe it is slightly different from the front panel used on the 1926-1927 Model T boxes. They both have an angled feature that slopes ahead that is located about halfway between the center of the panel and the left end. That angled feature allowed access for removing and installing the battery. I believe the 1926-1927 box had a more angled feature there to allow easier battery access than this early box had.      

     Ford introduced this box in mid 1925 but it will work fine on any 1923 to 1925 Model T roadsters that have the slanted windshield. I have had several inquiries asking if this box will fit the 1926 to 1927 Model T and the answer is yes but it will NOT be authentic for that application.

     I realize this box looks very similar to the 1926 - 1927 Model T pickup boxes and the later 1928 to mid 1931 Model A pickup boxes but it is unique in one very important aspect. The main difference in these three series of boxes is how the rear fenders attach to the box. The rear fenders for the 1923 to 1925 pickups do not bolt directly to the sides of this box as they do on the 1926 -1927 Model T roadsters and later Model A boxes.  

     This box uses the same fender that was used on the 1923 to 1925 roadster equipped with a turtle deck. This box is complete with the stamped steel reinforcing plates inside the box sides where the oval brackets attach on the outside of the box sides. Those oval brackets are used to screw the rod into that holds the top of the roadster fender in place.

     Both of the oval fender support rod brackets are missing from this box. One was missing when I bought this box about 15 years ago from a friend in Marmarth in western North Dakota. The other appears to have been recently stolen while this box was setting outside my shop here in Bozeman Montana. I have no idea who did that but at least they used a drill to very carefully drill out the heads of the rivets rather than cut them off with a chisel and mess up the sheet metal inner reinforcing plate. 

     I recently borrowed an original oval fender support bracket from a friend in California and am presently in the process of making about 15 very close reproductions of that bracket. That oval fender support bracket is shown in the last photo of this listing but it is "NOT" included as part of this listing because I have to return it to the friend I recently borrowed it from. Two excellent reproduction brackets will be included with this box. 

     I estimate that it will take me about a month to complete that run of reproduced oval fender support brackets. I cleaned up the original one so that I could make a good sketch of it. I local friend has made a CAD (computer aided design) drawing from my sketch. Another friend who works in the machine shop of the Mechanical Engieering department at Montana State University here in Bozeman has volunteered to help me. He will use the CAD file and a 3D printer to make a plastic model of this part that is 3% oversize to account for the shrinkage that will take place in the lost wax or investment casting process. 

     I will then use that 3% oversize plastic model of the bracket to have a foundry in Texas cast steel brackets for me using the lost wax or investment casting process which will yield beautiful full size parts. I will then have a machinist friend here in Bozeman drill both of the rivet holes as well as drill and tap the 3/4" fine thread for the fender support rod. I will supply the rivets necessary to attach the pair of reproduced oval fender support brackets to the sides of this box. 

     I recently sold another box like this to another Model T fan. Both of the oval fender support rod brackets were missing from that box too so I will supply a pair of my reproduction oval fender support brackets with that box as well. That will leave about a dozen or 6 pairs of brackets for me to sell here later on. Please let me know if you are in need of these brackets so I can be sure to contact you when they are listed here on eBay. I have no good idea yet what it will cost me to make these hard to find brackets at this time.

     I also have a good 1928 - mid 1931 Model A Ford pickup box I will be listing here soon. I also have a fairly good and very scarce mid 1931 or later "wide box" pickup box for a late Model A Ford pickup and it is also listed here on eBay now.

     I suspect most of these very scarce boxes were installed by the Ford dealer rather than ordered as part of a roadster pickup vehicle from the Ford factory. One simply had to remove the turtle deck from the roadster, install this box and you then had a Model T Ford pickup. That installation produced a vehicle which was much more useful than the regular roadster with the turtle deck ever was. The last photo of this listing shows how nice this box will look on the back of your 1923, 1924 or 1925 Model T roadster.

     I have owned nine 1926 - 1927 Model T Ford pickup boxes in my life so far and only two of these earlier 1925 boxes. That should give you some idea of how scarce these are compared to the later Ford boxes. The addition of this box will considerably increase the value of your Model T roadster and make it much easier to sell if you ever choose to do so.

     If you happen to have any interest at all in a box like this, I would suggest you read pages 357 through 367 in Bruce McCalleys wonderful Model T Ford book titled "Model T Ford - The Car That Changed The World". Those 11 pages are devoted exclusively to the 1925 Model T Ford roadster pickup. A very nice original "survivor" truck is shown in great detail along with many original Ford factory photos of this very special truck. 

     I have a lot of friends in the collectible car, truck, tractor, toy and sign hobbies. They may be able to safely and economically deliver this gem depending on where you live and how soon you want it there. I have also had great success in using Uship.com to find individuals who are looking for things to deliver along their trips. I can also attach this box to a shipping pallet and ship it by truck freight if need be but that is usually rather expensive compared to other alternative shipping options. This box is too large and too heavy to ship by bus.         

     I have about 20 larger and more detailed photos of this box that I can email to you if you call me and give me your regular email address. I don't like to send them through the eBay email system because I can only send 3 at a time and they come through much smaller on your end than they were when I sent them. Thanks a lot, Bob Woodburn - phone 406-799-1847 in Bozeman Montana 59715.