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Just curious. Were there any Model A Ford 4x4 trucks used by USA military? Conversions?

Steve K. CALIF wrote:Just curious. Were there any Model A Ford 4x4 trucks used by USA military? Conversions?

There were conversions made and I believe tested but I don't know if they saw actual service.

Thanks Mike, would any pictures or details of the conversions be availabe?
Steve K.

Steve - The only info I have at hand is there was a conversion by Coleman in '30 and a conversion by a guy named Richard Asam around '31 on the Ford AA trucks, which the Army 'tested' the latter and put on about 20K miles in the testing and the Post Engineer used the truck for two more years with no problems.

There is one picture of the Coleman truck and two of the Asam truck in Crismon's US Wheeled Vehicles book but I seem to think I read more about the Asam truck somewhere else. In '33 Ford had a Marmon-Herrington conversion and in '34 Dodge had a 4wd as well.

I seem to remember many years ago seeing a picture of a Model T with a 4x4 conversion used by mail handlers in bad weather.

Not really in response to your question, but it's worth noting that the Soviet Union used a truck that was a Model A, for all practical purposes. I don't think there was a 4x4 version, but it might be worth looking at.

Marmon Herrington made quite a few. 1/2 ton to 3 ton. Used Ford trucks
then added transfer cases and axles. Still in business.

Jesse Livingood, who built 4x4 conversions for Model-Ts and TT trucks, reputedly built some for Model As, as well as '20's and '30s Chevrolets. No known documentation or photos exist (except of one '30s Chevy) but his son has stated so numerous times and it seems likely.

I have never seen or heard of a Model-A 4x car tested by the military. There were AA trucks converted by Asam and Coleman. The Coleman conversions were rejected by the military but a number were apparently sold in Canada by a licensee. The Army experimented with stripped down 4x2 car chassis, including Model-As, and lots of pics remain of that.

Interestingly, Livingood family history states that one of the original car prototypes was stolen and later submitted by someone for testing by the Army. I did some significant research at the NA over that but turned up nothing to verify it. The car was really stolen, but if it was ever tested by the Army, there would likely be documentation.