I found a pic of my Dad's and mine '49 ford f1 (A.K.A. Penny from back in '81,I know because that was when I had to replace the front fender after the brakes feld on me and that summer I repainted it.. My Dad owned it for as long as I could remember before I bought it from him in '80, I sold it in '86 and then my Dad past away in '88. This is why I am building my current F1 (A.K.A. P2) that I picked up in '10.

Penny


P2

 

Moe; That is a cool slice of history!

 

Here's a picture of the truck I started with. It was used my by dad for his auto repair business when I was a kid. This picture was taken around '81 also, about 5 years after he stopped driving it and let it sit to rot away. It was in rough condition when he bought it in the late '60s.



This is how it looked a few years later. I drove it around for most of a year like this until it got too cold to drive without a heater and door glass. I actually got a speeding ticket during this time, remember it has the stock 226 flathead with heavy 4 speed. I still find it amazing I could get a speeding ticket in it.



This was taked about 17 years ago. It still looks the same but needs some work to freshen it up, but it's held up pretty good for 17 years.

 

1981. In a way it just seems like yesterday. It's been a great thirty years that I wouldn't trade for anything but I sure wish I knew then what I know now.

Love those old pics and the work that has gone into saving those trucks. Thanks to both of you for sharing.

 

Awesome pictures and stories. Holler if this is an unwanted thread hijack. Anyone else have stories and pictures like this?
My truck was my wife's grandpa's. I wish I had some pictures of it when he was using it.

 

I realy enjoy hearing family stories as they relate to our tucks, past and present. Thanks guys.

 

It's great to have the history of your truck! And from AZ!

 

The second picture was taken during a period in my life when I was carefree and had some money. No wife or kids just a couple of teenage guys bombing around in an old truck. A couple of sleeping bags, a tent and cooler packed on the flatbed for a impromptu camping. Now worry about having electricity for a hair dryer or curling iron. No planning for a week, just through some clothes in a bag and hit the road. Now that's part of my life I wouldn't mind going back to. If I knew then what I know now I would have made a few changes and would have been more daring.

My old truck has seen a lot since I've known it. The truck as it is now has probably only 10% of the parts it had when my dad drove it but it still sounds and smells the same. I will tell you just driving down the road listening to the flat six chugging along, smelling the oil, and the sound of the clutch pedal hitting the rubber stopper on the underside of the floor as I'm double clutching sure does sound familiar, just like when my dad drove it when I was kid. There's a lot of members here that swap out the flat six and soften the suspension in their F-2s and F-3s but I'll never change that in my F-2. My dad is still with me every time I take her out. We talk and she tells me so.

 

My dad had a 52 f1 back in the early 70s with a small block chevy,adapter plate with the ford 4 speed.had "cab" pipes made of pump pipe.we named it "fireball ",one downshift at night told you why.

 

So, as soon as I stuck my head into the cab of my '49 and got a whiff of the elixir that is combination of mohair, motor oil, and farm dirt; heard the reassuring squeak of the fender welting and the thunk of the brake petal against the stop; and reached instinctively for the starter button - I was just a kid again. I was home.

I look forward to savoring the sweet smells and sounds after the rebuild is finished.

'Tis a journey.

DW

 

It fine if others want to tell their story about the family history with the Bonus Built trucks... I think their great stories... Every time I go for a ride in mine I fell my dad sitting next to me... Also when I'm working on it too... The copper color truck was a flathead 6, but I lost the bottom part of the radiator and screwed up the flathead, we called all over AZ, NM, CA, UT, & NV looking for a replacement flathead that we didn't find so I took our old Oldsmobile and dropped in the 425 Rocket motor in her. The one I have now was a flathead V8 but now has a 350 SBC under the hood...

 

What a great description! Have shared that experience many times over with different rigs within our family. Sure is a great feeling.

 

I love that sound. I have no idea why, but I can sit in the seat and just play with the brake pedal all day long.

 

Since we're stuck in the 80s, I figure I'll tell you my story. Well, actually, it's my wife's story. Her dad had a 51 Panel truck in the early 80s that he sold in about 85 or 86 because he had a family to support and pay rent when times were tough.

The Panel was used by the Navy and was, at one point, painted green. When my father-in-law bought it, he had it repainted orange, added the Cragar wheels and lakeside pipes. The truck already had a 289 motor and Mustang tail lights in the rear.



Here's one of my brother-in-laws (the youngest) trying to climb inside the truck when he's about 1 years old (circa 1983).



One day, back in 2006, I was searching CL for Panel trucks because my wife wanted to buy her dad another Panel truck. I stumbled upon a 51 Panel truck not too far from our house. It was advertised for $6k. I made an appointment and we all went to go look at it. When we arrived, my father-in-law was surprised. This was his old Panel truck that he had in the 80s. This time it was repainted blue and had collision damaged repaired on the right front (new fender and door). Everything was still on the truck, including the 289 motor, Mustang tail lights, running lights all over the body, same seats and a fan in the back to keep the passengers cool. The pipes, however, were removed and a fuel tank was added to the frame in the rear behind the axle. My wife remembers riding in the back of the Panel truck and how hot it got there. She has fond memories of that fan. As I began to inspect the truck, I also found remnants of orange paint overspray on some of the hood trim. Needless to say, my father-in-law passed on buying his old Panel truck because it didn't feel like his anymore due to all of the changes.






Then, about a year later in 2007, I had a friend visit me from the East Coast that was looking for a 51-52 Panel truck. I again hit CL and found a 51 Panel a few hours away from my house. My friend and I took off to go see it. When we pulled up to the house and saw a glimpse of the truck. As we came close to the Panel truck, I confirmed that it was my father-in-law's Panel again by the seats and the lonely fan in the cargo area. This guy bought it from the previous owner that was selling it previously. He repainted the Panel in primer, removed the marker lights and changed out the tail lights. I tried to buy the glove box door with the Navy tag still attached to surprise my father-in-law, but the current owner was a hard a$$ and didn't want to sell just the glove box door even after I explained how much sentimental value it had for me.










A few months later, I saw the Panel truck again for sale at a swap meet. This time it was owned by a third owner since I found it in 2006 and the guy wanted $12,500 for it. He traded another old vehicle to the PO for the Panel truck. Last known whereabouts of my father-in-law's Panel truck was in Visalia, CA. After that, I have no clue as to where it might be now. I still wish my wife would have bought her father's truck again when we first had the chance even if he didn't like it.

 

Awesome story. I have this feeling this panel will land back in your lap again. As many times as you've crossed paths with it, it's bound to happen again! hopefully it'll still be in great shape and maybe be able to strike a deal! Still neat to be able to see a 'known' car from within the family still floating around. That's one thing that puzzles dad and I. Neither one of us has seen any of our vehicles since they've been sold. Would be neat to see them and how they ended up.