What would your dad say about your dent?
 

I lost my dad to a heart attack back in 1998. In 1989, we built his 1977 F100 after some guys decided to build a 302 to race and then got drunk and wrapped it around a tree. He got the race truck for what it cost to bail the guys out, and then we put the 302, transmission, and slap shift in his 77. I spent countless hours with my dad when we built his truck. It was originally metallic green. He painted it emron red with a white top. He kept huge mud tires on the back. He replaced quite a few flywheels spinning those huge tires.

His truck:

when it was green with the 351 Windsor:

https://i193.photobucket.com/albums/...uck/img363.jpg

Red & white w/modded 302:

https://i193.photobucket.com/albums/...uck/img356.jpg

https://i193.photobucket.com/albums/...uck/img358.jpg

https://i193.photobucket.com/albums/...uck/img362.jpg

https://i193.photobucket.com/albums/...uck/img359.jpg

The pictures don't really do the truck justice.

So, last March, I drove from Louisiana to Kentucky to go fetch my 1978 F250 400M with a C6. I got it home to find that the truck was pretty much all original, all the way down to the transmission filter screen. I've tinkered with my F250 off and on throughout the past year. I've changed a few parts, but have tried to keep the original parts by either keeping them in the truck or storing them in the shop.

Well, I rarely dream... and very rarely do I dream of my dad. I had a dream a couple of weeks ago... right about the time that I had the dash apart, trying to get an original radio to work, but the radio just refused. I ended up putting an aftermarket radio in, but put the original radio up in the shop.

In the dream, dad was working on the truck with me. We had the dash apart. The radio wouldn't work. He got a little frustrated with me insisting on trying to use original parts. He said, "Hope, you have a real nice truck here. That's good you're trying to keep it nice. But it is just a waste of time to try to keep everything original. You need to keep it nice and stop wasting your time trying to keep 30 year old parts. If you find something newer that works better, use it."

I didn't want to wake up because I wanted to see how my truck would turn out with my dad working on it. It seemed that before the dream was over that my entire dash was red.

So, I guess the dream left an impression on me because it does sound like something that my dad would have said. He basically said, "why fight with 30 year old http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...letterword.gif when something new will work better?"

I'm graduating with my BA in sociology in May. There are a lot of things I have put off until I graduate. While I am proud of my F250, I feel a little ashamed that my dad's red truck is right down the road rotting. I've vowed that if I can get a job closer to home after I get a degree, dad's 77 is coming home. I'm going to make an offer to my cousin and get the 77 under the carport next to my F250. If I can ever get it back to the way he had it, but using newer parts that work better, it will be my daily driver and my F250 will be my hauler and grass cutting truck. I am very emotional about my dad's old truck. When I drive my F250, I can't help but to think about the time we shared building my dad's 77.

I really feel like what he said in my dream is what he would say if he was here today.

What would your dad say about your dent?

Sorry about your dad. be glad you did spend the time that you did with him.
My mom passed away with Cancer in '92. One of my uncles told me then. " if you think you miss them now, just wait, you come to miss them more as time goes by." He was right. Losing a parent never gets better with time. Now I'm 41 and have 3 beautiful kids that never got to know their Grandma. But I tell em all the time how grandma used to drive a Dent.

Now on another note:
My dad would say "Now that you fixed it up for me, Give it Back!"

My dad hates Fords and won't have anything to do with them - Never have found out why he feels that way... He and I aren't exactly on good speaking terms at the moment...

My dad gave me the '76 that I drive. I had to put a different engine shortly after he gave it to me. He smiles whenever i go visit him and sees the truck. I told him one day when the truck is fully restored that I'd give it back to him. "deal!" he says!

He doesn't say much about it, but he's glad I was able to get it running again. Whenever i upgrade or do something to the truck I tell him, he gets excited.

I hope to one day be able to take my dad on a fishing and hunting trip in the truck, just the two of us. Love that old truck!

If my dad were still around Im sure he would tell me I need to put smaller tires and a quieter muffler on it and to slow down !

Mine is still living parents got a divorce when I was little but he never liked Fords. He has 2 brothers & a sister him an 1 of the brothers only drive GM products. So when they found out I was looking for a truck an it had to be a Ford they said it was like there uncle Jack who only drove Fords. My grandpa on the other hand on my mom's side had a 74 Ford F100 regular cab long bed for a few years before he passed in 99. He loved that old truck an if he was here now an saw this old 74 Ford F250 crewcab I have it would disappear he would be out driving it an taking it everywere an leave his parked an take mine an brag bout it that I got a good ol American Ford truck an not one of these foreign piece of crap. That that is whats wrong with this country no pride everybody drive foreign an then wonders why there are no jobs. I joke around all the time that it would be good if he was here with his 74 Ford F100 regular cab parked along side my 74 F250 crewcab. His was brown an mine is white if it would have been the same color it would have been wierd. But my dad dont say nothing bout it its a Ford not a GM. Just sometimes look at it an see that old brown 74 sitting beside it with him grinning ear to ear loving it.

my old man would not pass down his 77 f100 to me. I begged him for years but he refused.

Hahaha my dad tells me everyday... when u putting that damn truck back together im tired of trippin over parts! ahahah

my dad still has his 78 f150 4x4. currently in NC. but with mine, he tells me not to be mudding it or lifting it, making louder etc. but when we see the ones that are jacked up and loud, he says thats a bada$$ truck haha. so idk what his deal is with mine, but he likes it just as much as his(although his truck is "way better" than mine, bc i have the girly box and his is the long bed) lmao

I am also sorry to hear about your Father. My Dad started my love of these old trucks, I was there to watch his 77 being unloaded fron the car trailer whenis was brand new and he still has it today in new condition. I bought my first dentside when I was 17 and have had at least 1 ever since. He doesn't like my wide tires the exhaust and my Texas drop rear bumper and he HATES the fact mines a Lariat and his is an XLT.

Sorry to hear about your dad, my dad had a heart attack way back in 1982, and has had angioplasty and stints put in since then.

My dad loves my truck, he should since it used to be his! LOL He loves the changes I've done to it. He borrows it sometimes when he needs it.

The dent I have IS the one he bought so I guess he would say I WANT IT BACK! But me and my father aren't real close and did not spend time together doing anything as a kid. Everything in life I have learned on my own or taken after my grandpa, but that is fine by me. I'm not saying he was a bad father just wasn't really there as a father. But make no mistake I am different and my kids are better off for it.

WOW all that may have been too personal, but what the hell, now you know me a little more.

i don't have it anymore, but if i did i bet my dad would say something along the lines of "well, at least that piece of chit ain't in my driveway anymore." he likes my other ford's that i've owned, just not that first junky dent i had when i was 16.

my dad drives a toyota nuff said

My dad would be "Do a burnout!"

Then he would be like "I hear a cop!"

Then he would yell at me for wasting good tires.

My dad had a 1973 F100 brand new (he also had a brand new 71 Maverick and my mom drove a Pinto!), the truck got totalled around 82 I think. He got a brand new 1984 F150 flareside, but sold that for a POS Jeep Cherokee around 1990.

He now has a 2004 Hemi Dodge Ram. On his second transmission. He doesn't like to talk about that.

A month ago he bought my step-mom a Chevy Trailblazer...

maybe my dad has Alzheimers or something.

Josh