Going Back to My Roots

I grew up driving Fords. Some of my earliest memories were driving cross country in the back of my dad’s ’79 F150 with a camper shell on it. When I was a in high school, I drove the wheels off that truck. With its 400 big block, positrack rear end, and four on the floor, the only thing I couldn’t pass was a gas station.

As I got out on my own, I became a Toyota man and thoroughly enjoyed my 2007 FJ Cruiser and later my big ole Tundra for pulling my boat around. That was until my eyes came across a ’68 F100 that was Lunar Green and Wimbledon White for sale online. I found myself sneaking off at odd hours to click on the listing. When my wife asked what I was doing, I would click over to Facebook and say, “Nothing, dear!” But I was hooked.

After about three months of my online affair and the price dropping to a reasonable amount, I decided it was time to meet in person. Right away, I new I was in trouble. She was nothing super special, just a straight, clean, old truck with a nice paint job and three on the tree. The dealership told me she had a 390 with 100K on it and had never been rebuilt. I probed around and noticed the floor boards were soft so I knew there was some serious work ahead if I took the plunge. I made an offer based on a motor that may have to be rebuilt and a rusted out floor. They countered and I bought it.

After a little research, I was disappointed to learn that the 390 was a 360 (to the best of my knowledge) and the floor was in much worse shape than I had figured. Not only that, but after she left me stranded for the third time, I finally diagnosed the issue was a rusted out gas tank. So, my little affair was not turning out like I had imagined. But hey, relationships are not perfect, you have to work at them.

Thank God for LMC. New gas tank, some new rubber seals, some new floor pans, and carpet, and she will be like new. Well almost… I have some work ahead of me and I still have my Tundra for hauling my boat but every time I sit in the old Ford, I think of my dad. I think of my years in high school. The old truck even smells like my dad’s old truck. Maybe all old Fords do. Someday, she will be show-ready but for now, she is my Green Goddess and a work in progress.