I was driving through a parking lot and saw it sitting there. Left a note for them to call if they wanted to sell. 2 days later it was mine. That was in 1988.

 

Began looking for an old Ford truck in 2001. In August of 2002 I found a 48 F-3 about 2 miles from my house sitting under an old oak tree. It had been there about 5 years according to the owner. The inspection sticker in the windshield was dated 1983 so it had not been on the road in many years. The owner said he'd take $750 for it. After $500 changed hands it was mine. Here it is the day I brought it home...

 

Hey Mervey, if you are in Kemberley and you son went to work up north he must be at the north pole, Ha Ha
As for where I got my truck, a friend of mine up in Ohio had it and had torn it down and had alot of new parts, glass fenders, new steel running boards, bolt kits,new rubber for everything, new floor in cab and sitting on a s10 frame and had a light stroke and lost interest because he lost the use of his left arm and being left handed he couldn't do much so I bought it and the rest if history and a lot of work but I think it came out looking pretty good,sorry for such a long responce but you did ask for it, ditched the s10 frame and went back with the stock frame with 94 Z28 front ifs and rear, motor and trans, 4wheel disc, Garry

 

Found the panel on Ebay for $355. 1000 mile round trip to get it but worth every mile. My supercab F-1 project was in the thrifty nickel for $250 got it for $150.

 

I work construction and had a project out in the sticks, away from town. I saw this truck everyday going to work sitting back in a lean-to with the hood up. One day there was an old man out there gazing into the engine bay and I hit the brakes and stopped. He was thinking about "fixing her up" and selling it. He then went on to telling me that he was retired from the local irrigation ditch water company and had spent a good part of his life riding to and fro in the old truck, opening/closing valves and monitering water flow. He had bought the truck new in 1949. It had done him well, but needed engine work.
He had ordered from the local dealer with a HD heater and a radio because he like to listen to baseball games in the summer.
I talked to him for over and hour, telling him of my love for old Fords and especially old flattie V-8s. I offered to pull the engine and rebuilt it for him or told him that I would buy it outright. He like the idea and I told him I would give him a fair price and give him time to ask around. A week later I took it home on a trailer.
The engine need a complete rebuild. Rings and pistons completely shot from wear and detenation. I went through the tranny and rearend also.
I promised him he could ride/drive the old truck any time he wants to. I have been up to his place 3 or 4 times since, (six years now) and showed him the truck and given him rides....slim

 

I bought my truck in Dover Ohio about 2 hours from home in 2004. I answered an ad in Hemmings Motor News. Talked to the owner on the phone on a Saturday evening went and looked at it on Sunday and called him on Monday and said i would take it. 7 years later and a bucket full of money and a lot of fun it is almost finished. Was a driver when i bought it and fixed it up as i went along.

Terry

These pics are for Havi. It belongs to a friend of mine.

 

I'm sure that I've told this story before, so I'll write it again at the risk of being repetitive....

I have four kids who are all grown now, but the deal in our family is that if you wanted to drive, you have to rebuild a vehicle. My oldest, Charlie, son who was 11 or 12 fell in love with my neighbor's 55 F100. I said that we could probably find a junker and rebuild it.

A few weeks later I took Charlie and his younger brother to drop them off to visit my mom who lived near Portola California. While we were there, we went to the Railroad Museum in Portola. Behind the trains there was a shot up 52 F2 parked there. Charlie reminded me that I said we could restore an old truck....and that truck qualified. I told him to forget it because it was probably a museum asset. He wouldn't let the subject drop. Over lunch, my mom suggested that we should go back to the museum and ask about it. We did. The all volunteer staff said that the truck belonged to Hap, one of the volunteers, and that everybody would love to see Hap get rid of some of the stuff that he has stored at the museum. They called Hap who came right over. Hap was 84 and agreed that he had better start getting rid of some stuff. Charlie negotiated with Hap and bought the F2 for $125. By the way...Hap was an old railroad man and had 5 boxcars of "stuff" stored on the museum side tracks (have you ever looked at how big a boxcar is when you stand up close!!).

The bullet holes happened when Hap was working in his gold mine (a hobby). Some kids shot it up and told Hap that they thought it had been abandond.

On the way home, with the F2 on a trailer, a lady stopped in traffic next to us asked if it was the Bonnie and Clyde pickup. With a straight face I replied that "no...this is the actual pickup that Wyatt Earp rode into the shootout at the OK corral".

Charlie ended up restoring a 72 VW, then a 66 Mustang and gave me the truck. I let it sit for 12 years & finally started a restoration project last year!

Dan

 

I bought my 49 off craigslist. Woke up one saturday morning and (out of habit) ran a search. It was an estate sale and all it said was "49 Ford truck". I called and realized really quickly that I needed to get on the road immediately. It was in a big shed. Belonged to the same family since new. I did most of the phone calls on the road. The lady walked up and shook my hand when I got there, then started crying and walked away. It originally belonged to her great-uncle and then her dad. Her dad parked it in 91 and died in 92. Her mother dared anybody to touch it for 20 years. As long as she could look out her kitchen window across the road and see that old truck, she was satisified. The daughter decided to sell it three years after her mother passed. After I looked it over, I went and talked to her. I told her that I was just gonna clean it up, fix it, and use it just like it was. And she could come visit it anytime. That seemed to satisfy her. They admitted to me that they turned down an offer from a local hot rodder before I got there. They live very close to pigeon forge. I'm gonna take it back and let her see it soon.

 

found mine in Dallas in June 2000, picked it up July 15 2000. pre-ebay, craigslist..

first pic is as the previous owner got it,
last two are how I got it from him. had to winch it out (with two comealongs) from his garage onto the trailer . it was 112 that day. phew!

Sam

 

Wow, you've come a long way with it Sam.

 

Amen to that! Who would have thought that same truck would end up in a movie?

 

yep, and here is the pics of it after it arrived home.. 2 minutes after my wife said, get rid of that pos..
Sam

 

well, the only part of that same truck left was a left running board, right front fender, and the cab.
and the chassis of course.

the doors and hood were destroyed by the first sandblaster. (still have em)
the bed was replaced,
the rear fenders replaced with wider fiberglass.
right running board replaced.
only unmodified parts are the two running boards and the front fenders.
everything else is shaved, filled, hacked or something..

Sam

 

I wasn't even looking for a project and was over at a friends house and he had the 53 tore apart in his garage. I told him I had always wanted to do an old truck project and he said I could finish this one as he was done with it and wanted it gone from his garage. Took me 3 trips to haul it all home. Bet there was 10 5 gallon buckets of parts just throwed in together! I went to a friends house to eat dinner and stepped outside for a smoke and spotted the 51 sitting across the street. I walked over and took a closer look and saw that it was a five star cab. Told my friend that it was a sweet truck and she said that it was her dads and that he would probably sell it. Took me 6 months talking to him before he came up with a price and even told me he would deliver it. So now its just waiting by the shop for its turn to be restored.

 

Found my 53 sitting beside the road with For Sale painted on the windshield with spray paint, finally got ahold of the fellow about dark and went back 90 miles to pick it up about 10PM. A friend of mine found my parts truck sitting in a barn where it had been for over 20 years.