One Great ’68

My parents are the original owners of my 1968 Ford F-250 Camper Special. They ordered this truck while living on the Island of Guam, through Ford’s Military Stateside Delivery Program. My mother was actually the Stateside Sales and Delivery Manager for Ford, during the time my father was in the Air Force, assigned to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

As a family, we had enjoyed camping, fishing, and boating while my sister and I were growing up. The ’68 would be our third pickup truck with a slide-in camper since 1963. My parents placed the order for this truck on March 7, 1968 and accepted delivery of the truck in Medford, Oregon at Crater Lake Motors on August 5, 1968. They purchased an Angelus Truck Camper in Sacramento, California and we began our cross-country trip to my grandmother’s home in Tennessee. Sequoia National Park was probably my most memorable experience, as the road to the park is quite steep and winding. After traveling this road with my wife in recent times, I wonder how my father managed to get our rig up and down this steep grade with such a load and non-power drum brakes. After our cross-country trip, we settled into our new life, at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois.

I was a sophomore in high school when I learned how to drive in this 1968 Ford F-250 truck. I met the girl next door. We dated and rode to school together in the truck on many occasions. My father retired from the Air Force in 1970 and my family returned to Maryville, Tennessee. I would eventually go back to Illinois to marry the girl next door and I then began an Air Force career as both of our fathers had done. My parents took jobs working at an RV Trailer Sales and Service Center in Maryville, Tennessee. It didn’t take long for them to buy a fifth-wheel camper and another boat. In addition to pulling their camper or the boat, the F-250 also served to haul travel trailers for the RV dealership. It made many trips to and from the manufacturer, hauling travel and fifth-wheel trailers.
My father was an Aircraft Mechanic during his 20 year military career. While in the Air Force, he preserved and maintained aircraft to a very high standard. He kept the F-250 maintained to that same high standard as well. The F-250 has had several engine, transmission, and axel overhauls during its lifetime. The truck has had one re-spray during the mid-80’s. A re-manufactured Ford 390 cubic inch motor was last installed around the same time the truck was painted. I proudly became the caretaker of the F-250 in 2011, when my parents purchased a newer Ford truck and a fifth-wheel camper.

Most of my work on the truck is what I refer to as preservation as my Dad had maintained it to such a high standard, a restoration is really not necessary. The bed had been removed during the 80’s, during the re-spray, and this portion of the frame was cleaned and painted. The underside of the bed was undercoated by the delivery dealership prior to acceptance, and is still clean and rust free. I thoroughly enjoy driving my truck and appreciate the benefit of using it for its intended purpose whenever I can.

I am now retired from the Air Force. Someday, I’d like to find a period correct slide-in camper or travel trailer and relive the cross-country camping experience that was made so many years ago with my parents and my sister. Those memories will be hard to beat.