Email from former non-member, Now Member Vintage Jet

[mikeg]

Dear people,

As a model builder, I am working now on a Shell Aviation Service Ford fuel truck from the early 30's. There is reference material available on the internet and some fantastic photos.
This photo is my main inspiration for this build. But I can't little information on the specifications of the truck. Also on your fine site there is no list of fuel trucks were it comes to Ford model AA or BB heavy duty trucks.

can you help me to identify this truck? It seems to be a standard type refuel bowser as it is seen on more locations throughout the 30s.

My best guess: Ford model AA ‘Stake truck’ with separate build fuel tanker
Chassis: AA157 tandem (parallel?)
Cab: 82-B closed cab, “soft top” since it is white (with the word 'Shell' on top).
So most likely build between July 1930 -august 1931. The photo is dated december 1934 (with the famous KLM DC-2 'Uiver' prior to its final flight).

this is my 1/72 scale model so far. Next step is airbrush it in Shell's red and yellow. I am very curious about the details of this beautiful truck. Can you help me on this?

kind regards,
Magno Martin (aka Vintage Jet)

[Bob C]

I think that is a BB not an AA. It's hard to tell from the picture but it looks like the
door only has two hinges not three like the Model A. Attached are some more early tankers.

[Reds34]

My vote is a '34 because it appears to have the larger bolt circle for the floating axles.

Red

[emf]

The headlight bar on the original photo appears to be arched...

Frank

[Vintagejet]

Dear forum members,

Thank you for answering my questions, much appreciated! I am not specialized in Ford trucks, but in (historical) commercial aviation. However, I must admit that I find the subject very interesting. Owning a real Ford truck is a utopia for me. But building one in scale 1/72 is a very nice challenge.
I noticed that there is little information about the Ford trucks in the interwar period in service with Shell Aviation Service. Especially because of their significance for the development of modern commercial aviation. Without the infrastructure of modern tankers for that time, intercontinental air traffic would have been impossible in the early days. Simply because the range of the early Fokker and Ford tri-motor aircraft was not yet sufficient to cover large distances. Shell, in particular, built up a world wide network of tankers between 1920 and 1940 in the most remote locations.The successes of the first metal airliners, the DC-2 and DC-3, are directly linked to Ford fuelers world wide.

Thanks for the hint of the two and three hinges! I wasn't aware of that detail. So that makes it more easy to identify between te model AA and BB.

Source: Wikimedia Commons.

In this 2018 photo of the now defunct Ford museum of the Netherlands we see an 1931 Model AA Type 82B Closed Cab Fuel Tanker Truck and an 1933 Ford Model BB Closed Cab Fuel Tanker Truck. Very pretty!

So my model most likely is an BB, I guess with 157 in.wheelbase. Is there anyone who knows who did the tandem configuration? Because it seems to me, based on the information that I have, that this was a custom job. As the installation of the tank and its support structure was a separate build.
And model BB truck never had the closed cab soft top? I'll ask this question because on this photo we see the top of the roof being white.


Source: Wikimedia Commons.

There are some more photo's around with a white rooftop and it was my best guess that it was made of fabric. But that is not likely when this truck is identified as being a model BB, isn't it?

Thanks for taking the time to read my questions and maybe on of you can help me to zoom into the details of my little model.

kind regards,

VJ

[Bob C]

Ford went to the steel top in late 1931.
Attached are some tandem axle pictures.