When we picked up our truck, my 14 year old son and his buddy were riding with me on the way home. We all fumbled around, but put our seat belts on just in case anything happened. With a lot of rattles, shakes and bad drum brakes, our first turn was both entertaining and frightening. We missed it by a mile. We gave each other weird looks and then took our seat belts off......just in case we had to bail out.


My young nieces were riding along (after the restoration) and it is a rough riding truck anyway. When I hit a bump, I used the springy seat to keep bouncing as high as I could, well after the road smoothed out. They laughed for blocks at that one.


When I give someone a ride for the first time, they ask all of the usual questions about the restoration, and I say that even with all of the work, there there is one bug that I just can't get worked out. I then proceed to leave it in third gear, get on and off of the gas a bunch of times, making the front end bounce. Half of passengers laugh and the other half are terrified. I tell them that the throttle is just a little touchy.

 

Found this thread on a search. As a new owner, thought I'd share a story. On the test drive prior to purchasing the truck, I could not get the truck in 3rd gear. I tried 5-6 times and kept going back to 2nd to keep moving. I don't know why the owner let me go on for so long, I guess he was enjoying the show, but finally offered to switch seats with me. I noticed that he was hardly moving the shifter at all. I was pushing it way to the right. I guess I was pushing the forks against the case and they wouldn't engage. I guess with a 3 foot long shifter or "comically long shifter" as my son calls it, a little movement goes a long way. Once I knew the trick, I was fine. Felt pretty silly though. Surprised the guys sold me the truck after that. The roll up windows and door button really bring me back.

 

I remember a few years back about a new bump owner that asked the forum how he could open the hood. I told him the R on the hood is for release, and that it is under the R.

 

My favorite story is when the fuel pump died and my wife said that she wanted to drive the 69 F250 while I towed it with our Ford Explorer. The last thing I said to her before we started towing it was "make sure it's in neutral". She said OK. We left about a fifty foot tire trail before I stopped. As I was walking back to her, I saw her shift it to neutral, and she yelled " OK I got it now". We only had to make one right hand turn- as I made the turn, I looked back and could see her turning that huge steering wheel like a bus driver. There was a brand new Dodge pick-up waiting to turn left at the intersection, I could see my wife's eyes get real big and the Dodge driver yelled "Oh Sh--! and he dove over to the passenger side seat. As the 69 got very close to his door, I couldn't see any daylight between his mirror and the 69's Camper Special mirror. When we got home all she said was "that thing needs power steering" I never did tell her it has PS (but the engine has to be running).

 

I was driving down the I5 years ago, when signs said next gas 100 miles, when the fuel pump died. I was towing my boat and put the outboard tank on the hood and gravity fed the carburetor until I reached the nearest town. Try that today.

 

This one made me laugh and shared with my bride

 

Done the boat tank thing also. Wife would not get close to following me. she thought it was redneck. It was. got me home though.

 

I did that with my son when our wireless phone died. Went out to the garage and dug out the rotary dial desktop phone (in AT&T beige). When I plugged it in, it still worked. Then I had to teach my son how to dial a number.

He looked kinda of skeptical, but he went along with it.

Then he looked at me and said "I'm hearing a strange tone..."

I asked him "What's it sound like?"

He said "It's kind of a 'wah', 'wah', 'wha' sound."

I told him "That's probably a busy signal.

He asked me "What's that mean?"

I said "It means someone is already talking on that phone line."

He said "Oh.", then asked me what he should do.

I couldn't help myself... I told him "Hang up and press 'Redial'!"

 

This is sort of related.

Some of you may remember that I used to run TWO 1970 F250s, both Sport Custom Camper Specials, both 360s and both "Yucatan Gold".

Look closely at my avatar, you can see 'em.

The difference was in the transmissions.

The one that I had decades of experience with was the four-on-the-floor, with that old "Granny Low" first gear. Not sure how many hundreds of thousands of miles I put on that thing.

Then we got the one with the three-on-the-tree automatic.

Over a year later, I'd still try to push in the clutch pedal that wasn't there...

Old habits die hard!

 

That is soo funny.

 

Some of you may be aware that there was a huge recall on bumpsides with automatic transmissions due to them jumping out of park into reverse. Fords fix was an adjustment and a big warning deal. Anyway, I bought a 68 F250 with a 240 and automatic. Went to Seattle on the ferry to bring it home. As I sat on the ferry it was still idling and it jumped into reverse and bumped the pickup behind it. No damage done, adjusted the linkage when I got home and it never did that again. Embarrassing because about 4 people saw it happen.

 

So does my 62 Thunderbird. Kills me every time I get in it because my keys are always in my right.

 

So far the biggest new owner moments for me would be driving around with the e-brake still on, and trying to figure out what the "button" to the left of the ignition switch was for, only to realize its a non working brake warning light.

 

When we first got the truck, my wife told her single friend that if she really wanted a man she just needed to get one of these old trucks.
Every time we would drive it she would point out all the men rubber necking to get a look at it...and all the compliments. She calls it a 'man-magnet'.

 

Now that's funny!
I don't know how I missed this thread originally.