Originally Posted by oem4me
Ok, several of you have asked, so here is the story and finally some pictures of the whole truck.
The truck came off the Fremont, CA assembly line in the spring of '66 and headed for the state of Washington to do light duty as a secondary delivery vehicle on a family run berry farm. (not my family)
Typical farm abuse was not part of the picture here, as it was stored indoors since new, saw no rainy day work, and got careful maintenance.
This was the program, but for only a few years, when the owner was forced to give up driving due to health issues. Business was halted, equipment sold, and the truck was parked in the garage/barn.
Fast forward almost 40 years, and the truck is still there. 8700 miles on the clock and still totally original right down to the tires!
Occasional trips down the driveway and back had kept it operable, and heavy coats of wax had protected the paint so well that it had barely even oxidized!
The decision was made to let the truck go, so a family member prepped it for sale. The engine compartment was treated (unfortunately) to a high pressure wash, fluids were changed, a few clamps replaced, new fuel pump, fan belt, battery, and so on. The front bumper was freshened up with a rattle can, covering the few rock chips it had acquired some four decades earlier, and the rear bumper was brushed with a new coat of silver. It was listed on Ebay in December 2007.
Since purchasing the truck, most aftermarket maintenance items have been replaced with NOS parts, and of course, it got a thorough cleaning/detailing.
Cosmetic restoration was strictly limited to properly refinishing both bumpers. Original wheels and tires are set aside for safety reasons and a correct set of wheels with reproduction tires are installed. Caps are original.
As it sits today, it feels, smells, and drives like a new 1966 truck did, and is about as close to a time warp machine as any vehicle I have ever seen.
One can look closely at the build quality (or lack of, in some cases) of how these trucks were built. I can tell you that in general, today's higher quality restoration work is far superior to how they actually rolled off the line. These things were made to be used!
Thanks for your interest.
P.S. - These pictures are older, before repainting the bumpers and still wearing the original tires! - Enjoy
|