My brother lives in your town. Good luck with the F1!

 

Wow! this sounds like my wife and I you're talking about LOL!
She keeps saying she wants to help and she says "but I am not interested in the welding,cutting,grinding,etc. I think the only thing she is really interested in is driving it thats what I think! One nice thing about her wanting this project is, when ya need to spend money on it..."Hey YOU WANTED THIS TRUCK!" It kinda stops, or at least curbs the arguements about money! LOL
In the beginning she asked me if the truck could be done for less than $3000....... with NO hesitation I said NO WAY!
My main goal is to do all the work myself and not buy (anymore than neccesary) new/aftermarket parts.
When the truck is done I will feel the greatest sense of accomplishment that way. Its taking all the years of learning,knuckle busting,etc. and wrapping it up into this project. It will be interesting to see how much time and money it really will take in the end, but so far I feel good about what I have got done vs. the money we have spent.

 

Always loved cars. Grandpa and i worked on Mustangs after he retired. We did 7 before it was his time. My '66 fastback was the one that started it all. Several heart attacks came along and sold it to help pay bills. Almost cried when the guy took it away.

Dad has a '40 ford tudor he shows and a even worse ticker than me. SO i decided I needed a fat fender to fix up and goto shows with him to get as much time as possible before its his time. Hunted around and had a deal worked on a '40 ford. Me and acouple buddies hop in the truck and headed across 2 state's to pick it up. Calling and updating guy with progress his direction the whole way. 45 minutes away he calls me and says he just sold it for another 500 than the deal we had. I was pissed to say the least. Would have went up if he had called. First thought was, 45 mins away, he needs to be discussed with over the ethics of the deal, but calmed down and turned around.

On way back home, called a couple who needed to sell their '50 due to the fact the guy had a bad back and couldn't get around anymore. SO we detoured and checked it out. Worked a deal and drove it home.

Been sinking time and $ into it to redo all the screwed up work they had done since. But loving every minute of it. And gives me a dad something to hash over on the phone for hours on end.
Have no plans to ever get rid of it.

 

I thought I would revive this thread since I know there are some more stories to be told. We've added a few new members since this thread was started and it would be nice to hear what got you into this old truck hobby.

C'mon guys........ and gals, tell your story. I would especially like to hear what draws some of you to the darkside.

 

My love affair with cars started in high school . Unfortunately it was limited to magazines, seeing the street machines go by and dreaming. After 4 years in the Air Force I got a decent paying job, bought a house, and started on pursuing my love affair. First was a 67 chevy biscayne 6 cyl I bought new to get to the job. Put in a custom interior and eventually put in a 3/4 race small block. Then came the Fords. Bought a 37 2 door sedan from a co-worker and spent a few years fully restoring it. Then came a 37 5 window coupe which I ended up running on the street with a full blown full race flathead 59A. Ital Mechanica blower with 2 Stromberg 97's. Had a 36 5 window coupe for a while. Also a 34 3 window dragster which got a full race flathead and only a couple Vrooms.....sitting in the driveway, never ran it on the strip. Then came the chevys. A 67 vette stingray with factory big block. A 54 4 door sedan modified with a 427-435hp vette engine. 2 69 chevelle big block super sports. All the time having a 70 chevy 3/4 ton pickup to haul the parts. Some place in there was also a 63 Jaguar xke coupe. At one time I think I counted 50 plus engines in my garage mostly old Ford flatheards. Also at one time I had 1 car in the garage, one on the back patio, 4 in the driveway and one in the street in front of the house. Plus a couple on and off in storage at a friends garage. My neighbors were very understanding and tolerant especially when I wanted to drive the one in the garage. Then life and interests change, all gets sold, I find my soul mate, we move into the country and start a mini farm. Now starts the story of the 55 F600. Deciding to build a barn I quickly realized the need for a truck that could haul way more than a pick up could. The first time I looked in the local classifieds there she was ( must have been something like divine intervention, fate or what-ever). Bessie was in my price range ( $500) and the rest of the story is in my thread ( Another newbie). At first I really thought she was sort of ugly but as time and association goes by she really grew to being loved and cherished. Now I just have to do her justice with a careful and loving restoration.
Louie

 

When I was young my grandfather was in a Harmonica marching band back in Rhode Island. We went to see him in the 4th of July parade when I was turning 5 and the police motorcycles were right behind them and I was sitting on the curb. One of the officers rode pretty close to me and I remember seeing my name, David, in the name of the motorcycles badge on the side of the gas tank, Harley-Davidson, and knew I had to have one.

A neighbor of ours had a Harley and so I used to pay attention to his comings and goings and would talk to him when ever I could. I remember seeing his friend drive up with the bike in the back of a 56 F100 and watching them unload the broke down bike. I remember thinking that truck looked so cool with the wrap around windshield and little rectangular wing windows. I have always thought that particular body style is the prettiest truck Ford ever made. I decided then and there that I would have to have one of those too.

I was able to buy one when my oldest daughter was born. It was a 56 with a 292 and a 2 speed automatic. There were times when the only way we could get my daughter to sleep was to drive her around the block in the truck. I moved to Rhode Island from Texas where I had bought the truck and listened when a relative talked me into trading the truck for a family style car that had seat belts and was supposedly safer for transporting my child.

I now have my second 56 and it will not ever get sold. When I die my daughter will get the truck and she has promised to keep it forever.

 

Since I was a kid my uncle was a mechanic, and he would take me with him to his shop every now and then. In the early 00's I even worked with him for some time doing general work, brakes, tune ups, detailing, upholstery cleaning, the simpe kind of stuff. Had a couple of projects, a 83' rabbit and '84 montecarlo around that time that got turned to toast by some envious SOB when they were just missing wiring and upholstery.

Apr 2009... I found Julie a few blocks away from the house when I got it (the house). Remodeling was being done on the house and money was short, but I have always been attracted to old trucks. I talked to my grandpa about her and borrowed the money from him to make the deal with a promise to pay in December when I got my savings fund from the company for that year. December came, I paid him on the 20th and he passed on the 23rd's evening going into 24th. Last deal I ever made with him and I had met my commitment.

Nov 2011... I got a scale model of a F100 pick up as a birthday present from my wife, and 2 weeks later I found a real '55. Showed the add to the wife and amazingly she just said 'buy it'. She learned to be careful about what she gives me since then

Nothing has really been done to either of them as I've been bu$y building the garage to keep them and paying for the ranger. July is the last payment, so as soon as that money is freed up, work will start on both my girls.

 

It all started with me when I was a kid, My dad managed Firestone Tire shops. When I'd go to work with him on weekends, the mechanics would be there working on their personal cars. Every employee had mag wheels and big tires, I fell in love! When I got my 1st car (71 Ranchero GT) the first thing I did was put " BOOT'S AND MAG'S" on it and a set of Thrush mufflers. Since then I've had quite a few nice rides, my 1st project was a 40 Ford pick-up I bought when I was 18. putterd 18 yrs on it untill my oldest son was born. I was close to finishing it (bodywork,paint and interior), we decided to buy a bigger house in the country, so I sold the truck. Since I sold the 40 I always wanted to replace it, so when I turned 50 last year I went through my mid-life crisis and bought my 56 without telling my wife, ouch! My oldest son is 14 and it will be his to drive when he gets his license, the amount he gets to drive depends on his sweat equity. I have a lot of friend's with muscle cars, street rods and rodded classic trucks, so the original restoration thing ain't my bag. I should get a lot done this summer on my truck, I've been collecting parts since last June and have a bunch of guys willing to help get it on the road alot sooner than I would have on my 40. I spent alot of free time in the last 14 years helping others, and they are very genuine when it comes to payback. That's it in a nutshell

 

It`s nice to see this thread still going so now I`ll throw in my 2 cents worth.
The first vehicle I ever drove was dad`s 53 F350 dually and over the years I`ve had many 53-56`s and the 3-4 complete ones that I have now are all keepers. My 56 M100 is in the paint shop so no great pictures of that one at this time and my 53 M100 is all in pieces so it`s not much to look at just yet.

 

Schweeeeet !

 

I was never a car guy. When I was 5 or so, my dad (also not a car guy) had an old Studebaker truck for a few years. A seed got planted, but I didn't know it at the time.

Fast-forward many years as my own kids took off for college, leaving me all kinds of free time and nothin' to do. My dad had moved in us a few years before (his health) and while we used to have lots of big talk about getting a car/truck/bike for us to work on, it was just talk. When big C (from smoking) finally got him, I found an envelope in his room, he'd been stashing a little money, but for what, I had no idea.

So I decided it was for a truck. (My wife had gotten tired of my Big Talk anyway, and said "Shut up, and get something, then!") It was only enough money to buy a "project", nothing finished, but I figured that was the idea. I didn't have the skills for major rebuild or enough money/knowledge for a hard to find Studebaker, and I decided I liked mid-50's Fords and late-50's Chevy's (sorry guys) the best. Craigslist here I come!!!

I've had my 54 F100 for 8 years and a million working/playing hours now, and am completely in love with "Betty". Wife likes it too, even though she lacks the biceps to drive it much (stock suspension and steering).

And, thanks to FTEs and truck mags and the internet, I now know enough to Keep On Truckin'!

 

When I was a little kid, my Dad owned a 1950 f47 (f1), that I got to steer while sitting on his knee as we drove around the yard. Later when my legs got a little longer, he would let me drive by myself. When he got out to open a gate, I then got to drive the truck through the open gate. I still have and use his last big truck, a 1948 f135 (f5).

 

Been a gearhead all my life. Built several,owned the same 64 c -10 26 years. When i was a kid on the farm my dad had a 52 f1 with a small block and cab pipes made of pump pipes. Found this 52 and bought it to share my love of old trucks wirh my 10 year old son.

 

Brought back some memories reading this. My dad did the same thing. It was a really big deal for a little kid to get to drive through that open gate.

 

I've loved these old trucks.... since they weren't old. Over the years, I have often talked about getting one "to work on" when I retire. Well, I'm still a few years from retirement, and this truck kinda fell into my lap, so to speak. That would really hurt.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of folks on FTE that like to modify their trucks. I'm OK with that, but I'd rather not do that to Betsy. She won't be completely stock, but close.

My dad bought a new '65 F100 which he owned for over 30 years. It was 2WD 3sp on the column, had a camper on it and he could take it places folks told us you need 4WD to get in. He could really drive. That's probably what got me started on trucks, and I've tried to have one all my adult life. Now I have two... one to drive and the other a work in progress.