I'm interested in swapping information and/or stories.

I've had my 1948 panel truck since February, 1973.

Also, if you know of any of these resting in salvage yards please speak up.

 

Greetings. I see that you've been around for a long time. You're probably familiar with my panel truck. I have lots of panel truck pictures and stories, but the've all been posted already. They are scattered all over these pages. You might want to check back on some of my old threads though--also lots of pictures are posted in my albums. Hopefully other panel owners will come along and join your discussion with some new material.

Jim

 

The conversation is a little slow getting going. Not many here have owned their trucks for as long as you have. Why don't you start us off with some stories about your truck (named Clarence) racing out on the salt flats? A few pictures would be of interest too. Is your truck still on the road? I know you mentioned in the mid 2000's it was starting to have issues. You have a very interesting truck and a unique relationship to it that we'd like to hear about.

Jim

 

In addition to a 1950 F3 USPS deliver truck that I bought in 1973 and drove home, only to never get back inside; I have a 1948 F1 panel delivery also bought in the late 1970's. These were both to be projects in my retirement plan. However, I have retired and have done nothing to them since I bought them other than rebuilding the engine for the 48, but never putting it back in. I guess it needs rebuilt again, lol. Seriously, I have moved my residence and have not gone back to retrieve these trucks, yet. I don't have the facilities at my new location to work on them, but hope to build something in the next year or so. Unfortunately, their neglect is evident in the rust on the bodies. I also have several other projects laid away for retirement, so it's a coin toss as to how many I will get finished. Time has taken its toll on them as well as on me. LOL If and when I get started, I will post photos of the project, unless someone comes along and takes them off my hands in the mean time.
Roger

 

Because we all like pictures here's a teaser. This was taken at Bonneville and the fella is Ben, a longtime friend who went with me that trip. We were 20 some years younger then. My avatar pic was taken on a later trip to Bonneville.





So I guess it's about time I started telling some stories. What I'll post here has been previously posted on the H.A.M.B., so any of you that hang out over there may have read some of this stuff before. First a couple of housekeeping items:

• I named my 1948 Ford F-1 panel truck Clarence back in the early 70's when I and all my hippie friends named our cars.
• When I first posted some of this stuff on the hamb I was very lazy and didn't capitalize anything. For that I apologize but won't go back and fix it.
• hamb - H.A.M.B. - another message board for pre '65 hot rods and customs built in traditional style (technically the Hokey Ass Message Board)
• btt50s - Back to the 50's - a car show in Saint Paul for hot rods and customs; I don't remember the cutoff date (newest vehicle allowed in) but it's somewhere in the 60's or 70's
• Bonneville - the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah where land speed racing takes place
• Americruise - Rod and Custom magazine put on a show from 1993 to sometime after 2000 called the R&C Americruise
• nsra - National Street Rod Association
• nsra nats - the national show that nsra puts on each year
• nsra mini nats - NSRA also puts on smaller regional shows each year (called by most of us mini nats)
• RR - a small northeast Missouri hot rod show called the Rust Revival
• hamb drags - for the last 15 years or so the hamb leadership has rented the MoKan dragstrip (near Joplin, MO) for a day and hamb folks get to drag race all day
• Currrent River - a river in southern Missouri that's nearly totally spring fed and is (probably) the best canoeing river in Missouri
• aspen/volare - front independent suspension from a MoPAR; called aspen/volare even though many Chrysler products from that era shared the very same suspension; mine happened to come from a Dodge Diplomat
• OKC - Oklahoma City
• 8" - 8 inch Ford rear end; typically from Mustangs, Fairlanes, etc.

====

The following was from a hamb post titled "I bought Clarence 40 years ago" that I posted in 2013.

actually i don't know exactly what day i purchased it, but the title is dated 2/23/73.

we've been through a lot together. when i bought it i thought i was buying a cheap ($75) old (25 years old at the time) 2nd vehicle. i used it as a daily driver at that time; in the original flathead 3-sp configuration. little did i know the experiences having it has brought to me. and the many many friends that i'd have never met otherwise. many of those friends are here on the hamb. many aren't. one has been my wife for the last 8 years.

i could write a pretty long book about Clarence and me, but won't.

anyway, i wish for all who read this the same experiences that we've had (or better).

====

from another hamb post

...ok; here's the reader's digest version:

bought 02/73. drove as was 'til around '83. stored in dad's hay barn 'til '88 (+/-). got it running as original and drove to nsra nats in OKC in '90 (i think; maybe someone remembers what year they were in OKC). installed 283/350, aspen/volare, 8", etc. winter of '91-'92. went to nsra nats in '92 (the great flood year) as maiden voyage. met a family (tom/sherry/kylee/ryan) with another '48 ford panel truck the day of the flood. we had both parked on the west side of the fairgrounds (the flood was on the east side). attended many of the same runs/shows (americruises/nats/goodguys/etc.) over the next several years. a couple of years after divorces in both families sherry & i reconnected and got married in '04.

in the meantime clarence and i hit mini nats in york, pueblo, and many in springfield. also our travels took us to bonneville 3 times (so far), btt50's, the first 11 americruises, several RR, and all the hamb drags 'til '12, when he let me down friday morning on the way to joplin. in addition to the shows/runs you'd recognize we have been to more small gatherings & private runs than even i can remember. some of the best were taking my daughters places. especially canoeing on the current river and camping. since there's only seats for two these trips have always been 1 on 1 with my two little sweethearts (they are in their 30's now, so it's been a while since any of those trips). many times i've set up a tent for the daughter and i've slept in clarence.

so; there ya go. hope no one fell asleep reading this. i could easily write 10-20 pages about each of hundreds of adventures we've shared.

====

another one

...let me finish with one last anecdote: once, when clarence was in the original 2-tone paint scheme (black and rust) i had a 383 road runner engine in the back that i'd just finished that i was planning to put into my '64 plymouth. the local yokels stopped us one evening about midnight. the (then) wife and i were both in our very early 20's; i had shoulder length curly/wavy hair and Lynda had blond hair about to her waist and we both looked like the hippies we were. they used the excuse that a kidnapping had happened earlier that day in sedalia, a town about 60 miles away, and clarence matched the description of the "getaway car". they proceded to search the panel and demanded to see paper proof that the 383 wasn't stolen, which fortunately i had with me. one dude's eyes lit up when he found a baggie in one of the many storage compartments which all panel trucks have. sadly for him, though, when he reached into it to see what it held all he came up with was a hand full of dirty grease and some old bearings that came out of the 383. they were really hacked that they didn't find any drugs or paraphernalia and eventually had to let us go. to this day i still think that they only used the "kidnapping" as an excuse to hassle us.

====

That's enough for now. Don't want to put anyone asleep. More to come later...

 

Update - Clarence came home from the painters' shop recently. He still needs to have seats, glass, gauges, wiring, and many other things done before I can resume travelling in him. Below are some pix the day it left the painter's. Some details - top chopped 5" in 1992; taillights are 1950 Pontiac; all door handles shaved 1990; door vent windows removed during top chop; GM crate 350 engine 2015; GM T-350 transmission 1991; Mustang 8" rear 1991, Aspen/Volare front suspension 1991; temporary wheels/tires; color is Ford Washington Blue (Ford code M1747 (paintref.com)) from the late 1930's; single stage; no metallic; no pearl; no clearcoat; fold-down license plate below doors with receiver hidden behind. Note: green microfiber towels stuck in door and hood openings as there isn't any rubber installed yet. PS: ignore my friend Steve in the bib overalls.

 

Sweet. I looked at the pictures before reading the text and that chop was the first thing I noticed. I thought, "dang, they chopped a panel." A job not for the faint of heart. Lots of work there, and nicely done. I love Washington Blue. I had a hand in restoring a 34 Square cab Ford truck some years back that was originally Washington Blue and I thought it was such a pretty color. Super rich that looks as good and right at home on old or new vehicles.

 

WE chopped the top. I was the grunt labor and a friend who restores cars for a living was the brains of the group. I wish I could take credit for it but it just ain't so. We cut it and tacked it in place in one October day and then I spent the rest of the winter doing the actual butt joint welding; a little here and there each day. There is roughly a roll of MIG wire and a bottle of 75/25 gas in the top and doors.

That link to the paint code is only one of many sites that I found which all had the identical code.

I never intended for the paint to be this nice (or expensive) but painters just don't want their name attached to a less than perfect job. Tom spent over 600 man hours to make the body absolutely perfect before spraying paint. He's in east-central Missouri. If anyone wants to know who he is message me. I HIGHLY recommend him if you want really high quality work. One small example is the gas filler door on the rear left corner. Tom installed that. Notice how he made the body line dip under it? Exquisitely done. The truck will never be worth as much money as I've spent on it, but I really don't care as it'll never be for sale. My daughter, when she was in high school 25 years ago, laid claim to it. When I die I hope that she and her family get a million miles of enjoyment out of it. I sure have in the 49 years that I've owned/driven it (and plan on several more years before she gets it).

 

Beautiful panel!!! I'm just down the road from you in Jeff City. I wouldn't mind making my truck look pretty, but I'm not sure that will ever be in my budget.
BJ could have used the contact for a good body man. With all the trouble he had with various shops.

It doesn't look like you will be ready for the Ozark Mountain Run in Branson. But when you are ready, you need to take this beauty down there.

 

I would like to thank you very much for posting the pictures of your truck and the other information. (But I can't, because my panel is a f100 and not a F1).

 

I'm on their mailing list and you can bet that the first year that it's on the road again I'll be there in it.

We need to meet up sometime and get acquainted. Are you in the JC car club? Sorry, but I don't know the actual club name.

Aw; c'mon. Show us anyway.

 

If 56's are included then here's mine..

 

I started with F-1's because that's what I have. HOWEVER; if it's a panel truck from that era please bring it on.

PIX! We love pix.

STORIES! We love stories. Give us details of your (original or modified) panel and regale us with stories of trips and experiences you've had in/with your truck.

 

Yes, we need to meet up sometime.
I didn't know of a car club here. Although I should have thought of it. A quick google found this one: https://midmooldcar.club/

 

That chop work and blue color is stunning. Very impressed and can't wait to see the next steps.

Tom