This particular Ford truck is a keeper.
Forever Truck
Many of us own vehicles that have been passed down from generation to generation, or perhaps just something that we picked up that we plan on keeping forever. This is nothing unusual in the world of Ford trucks, and that's also true of Phil Dobson, who lives in the Australian state of Tasmania, and his 1948 Ford F1 pickup.
Love at First Sight
As he explained to ABC Australia, Dobson's wife is actually the person that insisted that he buy the old F1, which they found for sale in the U.S. in pretty sad shape. Since then, he's fallen in love with this acquisition and has purposely made it so that the vintage pickup will remain with the family forever.
Never to be Sold
"It's in the family trust, never to be sold," said the retired founder of Dobmac Agricultural Machinery. "I have often said to my wife that there are two things she has to go before they do and that's this old truck and my bulldozer. She knows I'm joking of course but yeah I am very, very fond of this old thing."
Fateful Meeting
That business is what led Dobson to his F1, as he was in Idaho for business back in 2008 when he happened across a farm sale. The pickup was sitting amid several other vehicles for sale, looking pretty rusty, but a little encouragement from his wife prompted Dobson to go back and purchase it after passing it over the first time.
Early Example
"The old bloke having the farm sale was the one and only owner of this truck. No rust in it except for the floor of the cab from all the snow melting off their boots in winter," Mr. Dobson said. "It's a Ford F1, 1948, built in California in the Ford factory on the second month that they made the Ford F series trucks."
Cross Global Trek
Regardless, Dobson was able to take the F1 home for less than $1k, which is a bargain no matter how you slice it. Getting it home would have cost a lot more, however, as the old Ford had to be shipped to Australia, but Dobson utilized his own company's containers to do so.
Attention Grabber
Over the past 14 years, Dobson has spent quite a bit of time and money fixing up his new ride, giving it a newer V8, Mustang front end, and a beefier chassis. He left the exterior mostly alone, however, as he refers to this as his workhorse. "I just wanted it to be a farm truck, not a hot rod," Dobson said. "I don't think twice about hitting the gravel or heading across the paddocks. But showing her off and talking to people about her is half the fun. It's rare that someone doesn't jump out with a phone to take a photo."
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