Dad's "new" Ford Truck

My Dad has a "new" Ford Truck. To be more exact, his "new" truck is a 1986 Ford! So what's new about it? Read on!

One of my Dad's prized possessions is his "new" 1986 F-150 Ford Truck, with a 300-6 Cylinder engine. Many say it was the best engine Ford ever built. He bought it new from Turnpike Ford on December 6, 1985, so it is now over 30 years old.  

Dad's truck now has over 101,000 miles on it. That may seem like a lot of miles, but considering its age, that's not bad. When he bought the truck, he was working at the Cannelton Coal Company Tipple at Drawdy, West Virginia, and he drove 5 miles round trip to and from work each day. Now he drives his truck for short errands like hauling firewood.

His truck is in great shape. Dad makes sure of that. Dad always says, "It's not the miles, it's how they're put on!"  So who does the up-keep on his truck? Why, Dad, of course! He calls himself a "Shade-Tree Mechanic".  He is a self-taught mechanic with a genius ability to work on vehicles. When I was a kid, it seemed like Dad was always "tinkering" on an engine, either his or someone else's. 

Why not get a new truck?

I've asked Dad many times why he doesn't just buy a new truck. At present, the radio/cassette player won't work, and neither will the air conditioner. His answer is, "Well, nobody will know me if I get a new truck! Everybody knows this truck".  He is right. In the small rural community where he lives, he always gets lots of waves and attention from friends when he drives by. "It runs good and drives good." He added that it doesn't get that hot there in the mountains anyway. He reminded me that when they went on the big trip out West many years ago, they didn't have an air conditioner, and they did okay.

Truck History

Dad's first truck was a 1948 Ford pick-up. After I was born, he said that truck cab was just too crowded. So next he bought a used 1951 Pontiac from a car salesman in Whitesville, West Virginia. Then there was the 1951 Chevy Pick-up. Over the years, Dad always had a work truck and a car for the family. 

Then came the camper days. When Dad and Mom bought the first Mountaineer Truck Camper, built in Clay County West Virginia, Dad's 1962 Ford F-150 truck was just too small to haul it.

He bought a blue and white Camper Special Ford to haul this first truck camper. After about 2 years, he realized he could haul a bigger camper, so he sold that truck and camper and bought a bigger Mountaineer Truck Camper. Of course he also bought a brown 3/4 ton Ford. That truck was the perfect companion for his larger camper, and my family enjoyed it for about 10 years.

Then came the motor home days. 4 motor homes to be exact. That's when Dad decided to go back to a smaller truck, and the 1986 F-150 Ford Truck joined the family.

Necessary Equipment

The Front Plate on Dad's truck is rather self-explanatory.




Air Horns

Dad has a unique set of air horns on his truck. The air horns are Old Time Mack Air Horns, and they are at least 50 years old. They are very loud!! Every time he trades trucks, he keeps the air horns and mounts them on the new truck.

CB Radio

Dad has a CB Radio in his truck and his car. His "handle" is still "Wagon Train", just like it was when he used to haul "riders" to their job in Paint Creek. He said that it used to be everyone had CB Radios, but now it's mainly the big trucks.

Hood Ornament

The hood ornament on Dad's truck is a chrome horse. He ordered the original hood ornament from Warshawsky Catalog many years ago. It's been replaced several times over the years, and it has ridden on 3 different trucks, but the design is always the same.

So why does Dad say he has a "new" Ford Truck? It's the new paint job. After much deliberation, he finally had it painted red, like the original color. It looks great. It is a new truck! It mainly stays in the garage to keep it looking good!

Dad is very happy with his - 

"new" Ford Truck!

Dad's "new" Ford Truck

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