Bump........

 

My son, 25 years old at the time, purchased a 57 chevy p/u.(about 9 years ago) He and I ended up doing a street rod type resto on it and I was hooked. (my part was mostly financier)

I have always admired 56 ford trucks dating back to the late 50's early 60's. and although I really liked my son's chevy I didn't want to copy his ideas so I found and bought a beat up piece of crap 56 ford from my pool guy. ( I got took).

So, with no experience regarding body work or automotive mech skills I jumped in with both feet. Now 7 years later here I am. ( I LOVE MY TRUCK!)

 

My F-250 is the first vehicle I ever drove. My uncle took a chance and let me drive the last couple miles to the dump at the age of 13. I remember wondering if all cars and trucks were that hard to steer and shift. I'll always remember that drive.

Our truck has brought my family together for the past 51 years, either doing work with it, or doing work on it. Now that many are gone (my uncle, grandfather, older cousins, etc.), it's a tangible link to all of them that I really treasure.

My daughters and I are doing the same things all over again with it.

 

Thanks for the welcome fomoko1 and Walston. I've always been a big fan of 53-6 myself and was amazed to get my hands on this one for a great price. Love the form and all the knowledge.

 

For me and my dad it started i guess 10+ yrs ago. there was this old car lot in a little town out east (Classical Gas if any of the coloradoites remember this, theyre now in eaton but closing up shop next weekend). we drove by and saw 2 F1s sitting there, way to overpriced. about the same time just so happened my grandpa mentioned he had an old 59 IH B100 sitting in his shed out on his farm for a good 40 yrs, and said we could have it if we wanted it. It wasnt f1 but still fun to work on. We saw that truck at auction about 3 yrs ago, the next 2 owners did an almost full rebuild finishing what we didnt, it sold for 6500 at that auction and ive seen it around the area, its good to know we saved it from rusting away in a neb shed for eternity. Since that truck we've had a variety of vehicles, 50 Dodge 1/2 ton, 78 power wagon, 48 Dodge 1.5 ton, CJ5, 68 Mustang, and now to the 58 F100.

 

I learned how to drive in a 53 flatbed with stock racks my father owned.I was 13 or 14 in a small Illinois town. When dad had too much to drink at the local watering hole I got elected to be the designated driver. Even took it to the drive in before I had a license. Those were the days. i could'nt afford one of my own till I was about 28. Bought it off my brother in law when he went bankrupt.Stored it in my shed for 24 years before i started tearing it down to the frame. i have been working on it the past couple of years.Still ordering and puttin on parts. i hope to have it done in a couple more years if me and my wallet last that long.

 

Hey Rob, that sounds alot like that song from Alan Jackson " Drive " Have you heard it? It's almost identical to it. I can't hear it without cryin, I just have a thing for old Ford trucks!!

 

Hey guys, I found this thread while lookin for another post, I thought maybe we could revive it since we have several new comers on now?

 

Bump - It's a great thread. Allows us to get to know each other better. And for some of us...... that may not be a good thing.......

 

When I was 8 or 9 years old I would get Hot Rod magazines with money from my paper route. One article had a 56 f100 and that was it. From then on I always wanted one. When i was a senior in high school(1979), the bus driver had one in parts with no motor for 75 dollars but at that age I couldn't afford it.Then I got married and we all know the story from there!!!!!!!!! I have been divorced for 8 years and once I got back on my feet(they sure take a lot of money) I started looking and found a '55 that I started on in september. Hopefully it will be on the road in no more than 3 years.

 

For me it was when i was 9 years old, my uncle had a 55 f1 that was in great shape for stock. He used to keep it in one of my fathers open bay at our shop. We used to build trailers back than. He would show up here and there and try to pop rivit patch panels over the rust. Now i laugh at how he would try to fix it. Long story short for years i asked to buy it. He would say ok but it never happen. One day i asked when could i buy it and he told me he sold it to someone else. I was pissed, i remember him to this day say to me ( i would not have paid him as much as the other guy paid)! So for years i would think about the truck and i just started out looking around. i was single and still living home back then. I took a road trip up to New Jersey to look at a truck. was to much for what they wanted so i was on my way back to CT, when i got a call on my cell from someone that said i was looking for a truck. We talked and i drove there on my way home to take a look. now this is the funny part. i get there and the truck is pretty much in pieces all over the place. the frame was complete running gear all stock. There was a cab that went with it for 300. I saw he had a trailer outside and asked what it would take to deliver it that nite. he asked where i lived. He replys the truck came from my home town. Than he asked my name and he tells me this was my uncles truck. Talk about a small world. well thats my story. RT

 

I just grew up loving anything car related. I was afraid to get into the act at first because besides general stuff like oil changes and spark plugs, I didn't know jack!!! Anyway, when I saw the truck I finally bought it just looked so clean, and although it turned out not to be quite as clean as I thought, it's been a great learning experience and I'm really enjoying it!!!

 

My first desire for a 53-56 F100's came from watching the idiot box. Everytime I seen a movie with a fat fender ford pickup in it, I to use dream and say....I got to have one of them some day.....since these pickups are not as regular as roast dinners in Aussie, you grab one when the opportunity comes around if you want one.....2003 I managed to purchase one and have never looked back.

 

Brother & I were always buyin' hot rod mags, "CarToons" mags n' the like when we were kids, as were other kids in the neighbourhood, so a lotta collectin' & tradn' went on, same went for hotwheels & matchbox, somma the older kids in the hood had real Mavericks , Stangs & Javelins & Datsun trucks. So I knew I wanted sompthin....but sumpthin older, used to attend whenever an old car show or event was in town so fell in love with the older style of the 50s & early 60s.
Whilst working on a nearby farm in the summer of 84 discovered a 58 M-100 inna shed & hadtahavit...

 

So by nov 17 i had the $400 the guy wanted for it hitched it onto my dads 78 F-150 & drug it home......Well actually to the back of the high school & over the next couple winters rebuilt it in the shops there...Boy was it rotten & rough but when finished Orange with flames it looked half assed respectible.....
Drove it for the next couple of years daily... Meanwhile picked up a nice clean Albrta body for $75 and began to transfer alla the Mech. parts over to the point that it was no longer driveable, But this didn't matter as by now i hadda 74 Datsun beater to keep me mobile....ish.... Got fed up with this, so bought a Brannew 88 S-15 & whilst makin' payments had no $$ to play with ol' trucks, Then Bought a nuther brannew S-15 in 91 (worst piece of lemmin junk ever...but thats a different story) During the ownership of this piece o crap I found a 64 econoline p/u for sale...borrowed the $$ to buy it....Plannin to sell the 57-60s to pay off the loan.....Never happened....ended up gettin the econo on the road. Started makin bit better $$ so then the Merc got finished & went back on the road as a stock custom cab P/U. Drove both of em' to shows & on tours & the like for the next few years when a 57 panel body........Verrry rough came up for sale cheap nearby, hadta have this...verry rare....Also meant that I could go further afield to shows cuz i'd have the back of the panel to sleep in.....
The pickup body was stripped offa it's frame & the fresh rebuilt panel body was dropped on & near 25 years later the rest is history as they say....Still have the econo too, & have no plans of ever sellin' either of em. Just doin light maintanace on em & doin' builds for other people....May as well make afew $$ doin what i like on the side eh!
Mikie
near ottawa canada
58 m-100 panel/ 64 econo p/u