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I don't expect anyone to know who I am, or to shed a tear, but I thought I'd share that the time has come to sell the family truck. Back story is pretty simple, my dad bought this truck in September of 1976 (it's titled as a '77), 3 out of the 4 of us kids were brought home after being born in this truck. I have a mountain of memories in it, including collecting firewood, off roading with my dad (who's since passed away), and thankfully the last 6 years of building memories with my daughter in it. She's only 10 but knows how to shift an NP 435 with the best of us. I've camped, hunted, helped friends move, attended cruise in's, and even managed to land a couple ladies just because of this truck's awesomeness. But as I get older, my tastes have changed and I simply no longer enjoy it. It's too uncomfortable, too hot, too slow and now rust has set in above the doors on both sides and I have no interest in spending the money on the repairs it needs. And the last thing I want to do is just let it sit outside and continue to rot. I'm not giving it the attention and maintenance it deserves. Good news is that it's going to an immediate family member who is head over heels excited about it and is willing to do the necessary work to keep it going. I got about half of what it's worth, but I'm more than happy to see it go to a good home. Money isn't that important when it comes to family.
I want to say it's a bittersweet day, but honestly I'm glad to see it go. It needs a better home. Now comes the excitement of getting it from Denver to NW Georgia. Rather than shipping it, a good friend and I will be road tripping it out there. Through the Midwest in August, with no AC - should be a great time!
I imagine the road trip will be bittersweet: you’ll have a blast but also have a bit of a rough trip. It will make for great memories for sure. Sounds like you made the right call by letting the truck live on for others to make memories with it as well. Best of luck!
I certainly have seen you post up about your truck in the forum over the years. Glad to see that you've sold it to family and that you'll get to take one last road trip in it!
Cool story. Please post the road trip. Awesome that it’s going to a family member.
Interestingly as I’ve gotten older my tastes have changed too but that’s what’s gotten me into Ford trucks..
‘Don’t care about slow but I am looking into vintage air for AC.
That's the plan. We'll be heading through Eastern Colorado, stopping for the night in or around Kansas City, then straight to Nashville the next day. I figure we (and the truck) should be able to handle about 500-550 miles/day. I've done several ~250 mile trips in it with zero issues. Then we're going to spend the rest of the day in Nashville playing tourists. A good buddy is coming along and he's a huge country music fan, so we're going to party it up a little bit there before the final push into Georgia. The only thing I'm worried about is overheating, but we should be ok. Last summer I bought a new aluminum radiator that I'm either going to swap out before we go, or more likely I'll just throw it in the bed, along with new hoses/clamps and PLENTY of water. If it starts to run hot I reckon we can swap it out in no time, but hopefully that won't be necessary.
We'll be flying back to Denver from Chattanooga so we'll need to pack fairly light but we'll be bringing along a basic tool set, a jump box, spare radiator/hoses/coolant, spare cap, rotor and points, a new u joint just in case, a few quarts of oil and probably a can of fix-a-flat. It's going to be great. I'll try and document it as we go, but we're honestly just trying to get to Nashville as soon as is comfortably possible.
If anyone has any suggested sights to see let me know. We'll be traveling I-70 from Denver to St. Louis, then heading Southeast to Norther GA.
I too have followed your posts and could sense the frustration. I came to the conclusion that selling it would probably be the best decision for you. These old vehicles can have one issue after the other and that can get frustrating especially when you have other higher priorities and responsibilities in life. Not everyone is cutout to keep these beasts on the road. Sometimes its just not practical to hang onto a vehicle, sentimental value or not. In the end they are just material items. The memories with the truck growing up are what counts and it sounds like you have plenty of those you'll be hanging onto.....as well as knowing its going to a good home. Great pics by the way! Peace be with you on your decision.
It's great it's going to family and your road trip. Worst thing to do is sell something that was important to you to a yahoo locally and have to see it in disrepair. I understand the age thing, I changed a cab on a weekend once, now I would find it hard to change a tire on a weekend. I hope your family continues to appreciate the truck.
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Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
