1961 Ford F500 project.
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2022 11:47 pm
This thread will primarily be about my efforts to bring this truck back into service and back on the road. If you will indulge me I’d like to start this with the story of the truck.
To do that we have to start at the beginning, or as close as we can get. February of 1970 to be exact. That’s when a farmer bought this truck from the original owner for use on his farm. The truck had been rolled on its passenger side by the original owner. How or why I don’t know. But the farmer made what repairs were needed including beating the fender back into shape. The truck spent its life on the farm primarily as a flat bed in the hay fields around the area bringing bales to the barn with the occasional trip to town of course. As time went on and the farming operation changed and grew. The truck had less and less work to do and spent more and more time in the shed until it was finally retired and didn’t leave the shed again. The last time it was licensed to be on the road was in 1987.
That brings us to today and my trip to Mr Gamms’s farm to bring the truck to my house. He relayed this information to me and now I relay it to you. He apologized for his poor body work. I told him had nothing to apologize for, nowadays they call that patina! He thanked me for purchasing his truck. He told me the man I was bidding against was a scrapper, had I not placed a bid at the last minute this truck would have been on its way to the scrap yard! He was greatful that I wanted to bring it back to life.
We had rain showers most of the day today and the field the truck was parked in was wet and the hill leading out of the field was muddy and rutted. Mr Gamm’s son said I’ll pull you up the hill, I said I know the brakes don’t work, but what about the emergency brake? Mr Gamm said yea it works. I’ll try to drive it up then. He just shook his head.
With that I walked to the truck and cranked it up. With some feathering of the clutch and throttle I started across the field. As I reached the bottom of the muddy embankment I gave the truck more throttle and the engine roared. As we made are way up, the rear end fishtailed as the bald tires pawed at the mud. The truck clawed it’s way to the top of the hill where Mr Gamm was sitting. His son said “ I can’t believe Herbie made it up the hill”! I said what did you call it? He said we have always call him Herbie.
Then I will too.
So this is Herbie the 1961 Ford that was 1 bid away from the scrap yard. I hope I can do Herbie justice and get him back on the road. I’d love to drive over to Mr Gamm’s farm for a visit!
I hope you didn’t mind the long winded story. That’s the longest rambling I’ve had yet!
To be continued…..
To do that we have to start at the beginning, or as close as we can get. February of 1970 to be exact. That’s when a farmer bought this truck from the original owner for use on his farm. The truck had been rolled on its passenger side by the original owner. How or why I don’t know. But the farmer made what repairs were needed including beating the fender back into shape. The truck spent its life on the farm primarily as a flat bed in the hay fields around the area bringing bales to the barn with the occasional trip to town of course. As time went on and the farming operation changed and grew. The truck had less and less work to do and spent more and more time in the shed until it was finally retired and didn’t leave the shed again. The last time it was licensed to be on the road was in 1987.
That brings us to today and my trip to Mr Gamms’s farm to bring the truck to my house. He relayed this information to me and now I relay it to you. He apologized for his poor body work. I told him had nothing to apologize for, nowadays they call that patina! He thanked me for purchasing his truck. He told me the man I was bidding against was a scrapper, had I not placed a bid at the last minute this truck would have been on its way to the scrap yard! He was greatful that I wanted to bring it back to life.
We had rain showers most of the day today and the field the truck was parked in was wet and the hill leading out of the field was muddy and rutted. Mr Gamm’s son said I’ll pull you up the hill, I said I know the brakes don’t work, but what about the emergency brake? Mr Gamm said yea it works. I’ll try to drive it up then. He just shook his head.
With that I walked to the truck and cranked it up. With some feathering of the clutch and throttle I started across the field. As I reached the bottom of the muddy embankment I gave the truck more throttle and the engine roared. As we made are way up, the rear end fishtailed as the bald tires pawed at the mud. The truck clawed it’s way to the top of the hill where Mr Gamm was sitting. His son said “ I can’t believe Herbie made it up the hill”! I said what did you call it? He said we have always call him Herbie.
Then I will too.
So this is Herbie the 1961 Ford that was 1 bid away from the scrap yard. I hope I can do Herbie justice and get him back on the road. I’d love to drive over to Mr Gamm’s farm for a visit!
I hope you didn’t mind the long winded story. That’s the longest rambling I’ve had yet!
To be continued…..