Here it is, the last round of the preliminaries of what has become a months long work of huge enjoyment and fan-followership that all began several years ago as a simple idea - a "WHAT IF?" thought...
What if there was some way all the folks at FTE could be encouraged to show pictures of where they are at, and their trucks?
What if we could have a truck show ONLINE?
What if it caught on, and became a hallmark of FTE?
What if we were the first and the best at it?
What if it became too much fun to stop...
I had little idea at the beginning of this year how much it would evolve and refine to the point where it is now, just goes to show that the best things are done because you love to do them! Why else build a truck in the first place... All I have done is to bring a dream that was already defined into the quasi-reality of internet presentation.
Which is not to belittle it in any way shape or form - this entire effort is a magnificent thing in my honest opinion, and not because I myself was in any way instrumental in making it come to be. I think a lot of us here at FTE had dreams of showing our trucks online in a way like this, somewhere deep inside. A friendly internet neighborhood game! ~Much like playing baseball in the street when I was a kid.
Am I a "WHEEL" because of it? No
"Mongo only small cog in great wheel of universe...
All of the people who built and keep these sweet trucks are the CHAMPIONS, no matter who wins or loses.
Theodore Roosevelt had this to say:
"It is not the critic who counts: nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
And then of course there is always 'YODA' - "DO! Do not TRY! There is no try, only DO" (for the Star Wars people out there)
The spirit of FTE is one of "DOING", and to those who have that I dedicate this entire months long effort. Without those of you who DID - there would be no trucks here to show, would there? Most especially to Ken and Peggy Payne, who created this online ford truck place that we have all come to love so well.
~Enough "SERMONISING".
The poll is (as always) a single vote, annonymous, 14 day poll, that will close by itself when it is done.
THIS IS THE LAST ROUND THAT CAN BE ENTERED THIS YEAR. Following this, there will be a thread provided for the finalists to post the best images they can find or make of their trucks, that should include a 3/4 view, an engine view, and an interior view (Bed view optional - but they are trucks aren't they?)
FROM: Acworth GEORGIA - Terry Gunter - 1953 that is original paint, and interior truck, that I will soon be putting a Marmon Herrington running gear under it. It has the flat head V/8 engine
FROM: MARYLAND - Surge08 - 2004 F-350
FROM: Bridgewater MAINE - megawatt00 - 2001 F350 4X4 DRW
Bilsteins, 4" Turbo Back Into 6" Stacks, 6637 w/,Custom Cold Air Intake ,Autometer guages, DP TUNER (moderator)
FROM: NEW YORK (Finger Lakes Region) - tiny1 - 2001 F150 Super Cab, XLT 4X4 (mine) (New York Chapter Leader)
FROM: MICHIGAN - Still Smoking - (?) Umm... 2004 F150 with TONS OF STUFF!!!
FROM: Cedar Park TEXAS - Jason Lewis - 1996 F-150 Lightning Clone Look in My gallery
"Pushrod all the way"
FROM: WASHINGTON STATE - builtfordtough13 - 1994 F-150 with the original 5.8L/ E4OD 167k miles. It has a custom 3 in. exhaust, K&N air filter, ford racing 9mm plug wires, and a cool light up ford trailer hitch cover! It was my dad's for the past 8 years, until I bought it from him for my first truck!
You have done a nice job setting all this rounds up. Also there is alot of nice trucks in this round. May the best truck win. Even if you dont win all the trucks up here are winners.
Again it is tough to decide. Everyone of these trucks look great. Great job on the poll.
__________________
Humble yourself and give thanks to GOD.
<>< Family of 7 saved by Grace <>< 95 CC Dually 3inch downpipe no muffler/cat Edge Programmer, 6637 MOD 2000 Ranger 4X4 No MODS, yet!
(Now I can put the megaphone down and post like everyone else!)
This is the first go-around for the new sized display images, and it looks like it works just great (480X??? for the poll and 800X??? for the main pictures).
The only one that gave me any trouble was megawatt00's picture - I kept trying to bring the color out until I realised that it was BLACK...
(silly me)
Next year I hope to post one of my own in the Championship (YES, we are going to do this again. Shucks - WHY NOT?) Be ready, by then maybe I can afford paint
I think most of my tax return is going to go more or less directly into a 351+W Ranger machine. I can always use the parts that blow up to make barbell weights... (Seriously. I had a daydream all about welding two axles together and using them for an outdoor weight bench)
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
The only things NOT possible are the things we never try to do...
Yupper, Dutch, ya done good setting this up. As others have said, they are all great entries. Some stock, some souped up, some ready for mudding or finding that nearly impossible hill to crawl up. And some... possibly for just riding the roads and gettin it done.
I'd like to wish everyone good luck, because as a Ford Truck nut, myself, I know how much we all care about our trucks. Far's I'm concerned, all of the trucks above are winners. Why? Well, heck... they're Fords aren't they?
__________________ Dick '99 NASCAR Edition F-150-4X4 Praise the Lord!! John 3:16
Yupper, Dutch, ya done good setting this up. As others have said, they are all great entries. Some stock, some souped up, some ready for mudding or finding that nearly impossible hill to crawl up. And some... possibly for just riding the roads and gettin it done.
I'd like to wish everyone good luck, because as a Ford Truck nut, myself, I know how much we all care about our trucks. Far's I'm concerned, all of the trucks above are winners. Why? Well, heck... they're Fords aren't they?
Very well put Dick.
__________________ Neil a.k.a. Tiny...... Official #3 Slackmaster & Pyroslacker Extrordinaire 2001 F 150 XLT 4x4 & 2008 Edge AWD SEL
Another fantastic job Dutch! All of them are great looking trucks and it was hard to pick but I voted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fordlover55
Yupper, Dutch, ya done good setting this up. As others have said, they are all great entries. Some stock, some souped up, some ready for mudding or finding that nearly impossible hill to crawl up. And some... possibly for just riding the roads and gettin it done.
I'd like to wish everyone good luck, because as a Ford Truck nut, myself, I know how much we all care about our trucks. Far's I'm concerned, all of the trucks above are winners. Why? Well, heck... they're Fords aren't they?
Couldn't have said it better myself Dick!
__________________ John
2005 F-250 SD Lariat CC 4x4 6.0 TS Auto.
2007 GMC Yukon Denali
Another note for the "Intermission Thread" - the main images in the finals poll are going to be 1024 pixels wide. Please use that as a baseline if you are one of the finalists - it's the max image size that can be uploaded to an "ALBUM" here at FTE under the new guidelines and I intend to fully exploit that.
I realised in the last day or so that the file sizes are all the same, so the image sizes might as well be as big as the law allows - they take just as long to load, and I have been pushing the maximum file size (97.7 KB) all along. So the pictures in the finals will be as big as they CAN be, and for next year that will also be the model (or 'STANDARD') that the images in all of the rounds are going to be based on.
~Dutch (Rocket Scientist Extraordinaire... )
PS: Yes, I'm always looking for ways to make it even better - damn right!
QUOTE: "You can of course use all of the spices that you want to - but be sure to provide Rolaids for your honored guests"
~Chef Tell
Next years schedule (2010 Season) will be:
January: Round 1
February: Round 2
March: Round 3
April: Round 4
May: Round 5
June: Round 6
July: Round 7
August: Round 8
September: Round 9
October: Round 10
*Expect preliminary round polls to be three (3) weeks in length or more...
Beginning of November: PIT STOP (Finalists tweak and tune final pictures AND the information about their trucks that should be posted with the pictures)
Mid-November to New Years Eve: FINALS (6 week poll). The main event...
~Sound like a plan? I'm pretty solid with that layout from what I can see so far - I think it will go like a Black Forrest cuckoo clockworks...
~In every great race around the world, there are qualifying days, and then the field (having been formed) then runs practice laps, and fine tunes the racing machines. I believe there is every reason to go about this in the very same way
It is a legacy well worth emulating
At any rate - if I'm still alive and have an internet connection that's what is going to happen, and there is no reason to expect otherwise.
"Le AUDACE! Le AUDACE! Tous jours - LE AUDACE!!!" ("AUDACITY! Always AUDACITY")
~I may be mistaken - I think that was attributed to 'William the Conqueror'
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