These Ol’ Trucks.
They are between 44 and 56 years old, built when the majority of roads in the World were still unpaved, built for work, not transportation.
The only time the vast majority of them saw a store, it was a feed store or a hardware, Ya, sometimes they made the Saturday trip to town to get groceries, but that was only once a month or so. Some of the later models did make regular trips to the Mall, when they were being built, hauling supplies, tools and the workers; after the Mall was complete it was off to another construction site.
These Ol’ Trucks were built tough, thick steel, tough suspension to haul the load and handle the roads. The frames were designed to twist and flex, the bodies were mounted to work with the rough conditions.
These Ol’ Trucks have character, style and a lure that demands attention.

Enter the Ol’ Truck Nut.
Why do we do it? Is there an answer or is this another “Great Mystery Of Life”?
Some choose to do a total restoration, back to the “Showroom Condition” of our youth or what we can find in Ads and Brochures.
Some want to keep the Basics, with a few minor changes for “Safety or Drivability”
Some want to “Hot Rod” them, either as they imagined them in their heyday, or with a more modern approach.
Some decide to let their imagination take their Ol’ Truck to a totally new dimension.
How many of you Ol’ Truck owners have actually driven/ridden in one of these beasts, in original condition, for an extended period of time? I’m not talking about a hundred or so miles, I mean daily, for months or years, all types of road and weather conditions.

What brought this on? I’ve been reading a lot of threads, here and at other sites, about the poor quality of ride that they experience in “These Ol’ Trucks”, take out three or four leaf springs, and it still rides rough, use a light car suspension or a land yacht suspension and it don’t handle like the donor.

Well Folks Ill let ya all in on a little known fact: These Ol’ Trucks are in fact Ol’ Trucks, they will never drive and handle like a “Turnpike Cruiser”, or a GT Whatever, or even close to what are sold as Trucks today. No matter what ya do to them they will remain basically an Ol’ Truck.

So if your looking for all the modern joys that go with a new one, go buy one of those SVTGSRT Super Something Whatever’s.

I’m done now
4TL8Ford

 

Preach on Brother! -4speed

 

Halleulia brother!
Praise the King Pin and pass the straight axle!
Let's drive and have fun

GW (& the Dixie Dance Kings )

 

Right on! Driving an old truck is all about how you feel when your driving it. When I was 8 my grandpa told me he would buy me a new Ford 4x4 when I turned 16. We looked at a few, but I still remember stories of his old Ford truck. I searched until I found a '53 F100 that I could drive but still needed work and he bought it for me. Couldn't find a better way to learn about mechanics. I did all the work myself and learned a lot. Always get smiles and waves wherever I drive any of my old fords(Thats the only downside, They're addicting!). It sure doesn't matter to me how it rides, or how hard it is to steer, or how fast it stops from 60(mostly because it doesnt make it there), to me it is still 100 times more pleasant to drive than any new truck I have driven or ridden in. I cringe every time I drive by my old high school and see all new vehicles in the parking lot, but I suppose someone has to buy them new so we have classics in the future.

 

good words Penn Dick.... and well spoken

john

 

"No matter what ya do to them they will remain basically an Ol’ Truck."

I'll respectfully disagree Dick. You can make huge improvements to the ride and braking. It isn't even particularly difficult if you're moderately skilled. Just time consuming. Handle like a Camaro or a Vette, no probably not. She's tall and front heavy and will lean a bit for sure in a hard turn. Handle, brake and ride like a Nova or older Mustang? Yes they certainly will and that was my goal.

Absolutely bought it for the nostalgic look though. I'd be content with straight axle performance. But it would rob me of the great pleasure I get from jacking with stuff that don't really need fixed.

Good post. You're incorrect but I still enjoyed it.

 

Its a truck.Its suppose to ride like a truck.I use the car when craveing a soft ride.Stright axels are used on 18wheelers ,thay heip hold up the load TRUCKS are trucks cars are cars.My 2 cents.

 

I like the way my old '49 F-2 drives and rides. I have mentioned many times on this board that the non-syncro transmission acts like a built anti-theft device. Have any of you guys ever seen a person drive a non-syncro for the first time? As for the ride, it rides like a buck board, I jammed my neck when I picked my kid up at school and went over a speed bump in the parking lot. On long drives my butt gets sore and my back is soaked in sweat, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I drive it all summer long, as much as I can.

And Dick, I think I have put my share of time in my old truck in it's natural working state. When we were kids many times the old truck served as the main and only family vehicle, two adults and three kids crammed into the cab. I spent every vacation with my dad at his service station going back and forth to work, chasing for parts and, my favorite, pulling disabled cars back to the shop with all of the warning lights flashing. I literally ate and slept in that old truck many times, the latter which wasn't hard at all when the flat six sang it's lullaby on the late night drive home.

As for why we do it, I have also stated many times on this board that a person who takes someones rusty piece of junk and combines it with more junk from someone else has to be the nuttiest crankpot ever born. For some reason that never stops me, I keep looking and every once in a while, will buy a rusted old heap. I suppose half the time the seller thinks "there goes a real fool, giving me good money for that junk". I don't feel alone though, I can't count the number of times I have seen stripped down hulks being trailered down the highway by someone who has the same dream of building an awesome car or truck.

 

Oh, this is lookin' like it's shappin' up for a good scrappin' thread

Hey BC Hotrodder, that's a great story....lot's of heartwarmin memeories there I bet. I'm envious, as both my grandfathers were dead by the time I was 2, and my Dad stroked out when I was 10.

I think one of the reason's I like building my truck and getting together with my friends in my club, is that it provides an opportunity to connect with some dirt, grease and some good old fashioned male energy!

I'm keeping my Merc pretty stock lookin' (round/curved Hagen's fuel filler door in the stock location in place of the deleted long neck gas tube, rear bumper snugged up and in a bit and a 1/2" x 10" third brake light above the rear window are the only noticeable changes) but running a modern driveline [5.0L/AOD/.8.8 rear],Volare clip with PS,PB-front Discs - 11" rear drums, original radio that drives a modern sound system and eventually A/C!

That's my vision/version of tipping my hat to the old ways and feeling safe and comfortable on my long planned trip with my daughter(s) to Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon & the southwest!

GW (& the Dixie Dance Kings )

 

I have no problems with the straight axle. My truck is gonna look 90% stock but have some safety upgrades like seat belts and disc brakes. Bob if I can get my second Mercury M-3 to run I'll get to have a first drive with a spur 4 spd but having read your tips on how to drive it, it'll be easier. 'fenders you have so many upgrades how do we not know your truck is not really a car wearing truck tin?

 

Great thread!
My '54 F-100 drives pretty good. I've had it since 1977, so maybe I am used to it. Perhaps I am still impressed with the improvements I noticed after I got it back from the body shop in August 1999. There was nothing done to the suspension or drive train but just having the sheet metal being tightened up and rebuilt brakes (original) all around made improvements. And after I put radials on it... Wow! it goes over bumps and RR tracks better than the family mini van!

When I bought it from my grandfather in June '77 the first trip I took (after the seat was repaired) I went from Lancaster County (PA) went to Philly picked up my girl and went to Wildwood, NJ for the weekend. Sure it was hot but a good ride. Now I take it every summer from north central PA to Carlisle for the Truck Show and then to my parents in Lancaster about 350 miles round trip. And now it is a lot cooler with the headliner and insulation and insulation on the floor and an insulated ABS under dash panel.

The other thing about the '53 and newer is that Ford made a lot of creature comfort improvements. Driving Grandpa's Ford was a lot more comfortable (with the column shift, "big" OHV V-8, better seat, larger cab, etc. than my Dad's 1948 Chevy 5-window 3/4 ton pickup!

Original, restored, little safety improvements, or total custom job enjoy it and remember... "its your truck do what you want"

 

I’m also enjoying this thread, but I would hope folks who are thinking of upgrading their rides don’t get the impression that their ride and handling cannot be improved. Great improvements can and are being made in the ride, handling and stopping ability of these old trucks.

My first 53 was driven daily for 4 years, 120 miles each day through the mountains of east Tennessee, winter (talk about butt puckering experiences) and summer, though always fun, it was by today’s standards, a terrible ride.

We all love the style and lines of the old trucks and I believe this alone is the reason they have been saved but if we had to drive them like we found them, they certainly wouldn’t be nearly as popular now and many would not have survived.

 

Dig it...
They were born to haul and work and seem happiest when they do that. If you dont beleive, just load a stocker and see how the ride does smooth out and even the tracking settles down. The higher ratio rear ends cease to just snap necks and whine. Haul load or tow a boat or something.
Making af ashion statement and sports car out of a 6 ft tall ve-hickel may make be the quest most of the forum seems to have, but it seems damn high priced on both dollars and recreational minutes to get there. This is not to start a flame war at all- there are some incredibly talented and creative forum guys here, and its amazing to watch the technology grafting go on.
I'll be using the '55 to haul the 64.5 Mustang and its parts around now. That one'll be gently warmed over for top-down road huggin and long road trips

 

Tom

I for one am inspired by the sharing of your ever-present wisdom here.

 

No matter what you do with these ole rigs.... restore... resto/rod ..... full on rod build..... they are for fun. They have character and timelessness that few of the modern vehicles can ever hope to obtain. Rough ride? Sure .... in fact if you want a truly rough ride, go for a tour in a Marmon-Herrington 4x4 conversion some time. Now those buggies have some SPRINGS under them! My F600 even causes my granddaughter to complain, and she is only 4, but I would warn any Hummer drivers to stay out of the way of these trucks. They are serious pieces of hardware, and actually had a hand in starting the AWD idea. The look of any of the old Fords is so much more interesting than the millions of the new ones, and I have one of those too, but it is just for driving, and will never be a collector rig. For all that do whatever they choose with the old trucks, more power to ya! Hey I learned to drive my first miles in a wheat field in a COE of 1947 vintage. Very few kids have that available to them anymore, and that's too bad.

Bob in Spokane