Legacy Fulfilled

In 1974 as a 14-year-old, I spent a week camping on the San Juan Islands in step-father Frank’s 1971 F250 Camper Special. He and my mom took two weeks off from their Seattle Police Department job, and it was my first visit to the area. They were avid campers, and Frank had custom ordered the truck in ’71 for just these sort of excursions. I was told that when they returned from camping, Frank would remove the camper, wash the truck and back it into the double garage next to the camper, ready for the next trip.The truck and camper combination was ideal in the 70’s, an era of looser regulation compliance. During this vacation, I traveled in the camper’s over-cab bunk area, which commanded a great view of what was ahead.

In 1998 the truck was garaged in Seattle until 2007 when Frank died. My mother gifted the truck to me a year later, and I shipped it to near Houston where I live. I used it occasionally during cooler weather, mainly to collect firewood from my bosses pecan farm and for country drives. Ironically, my mom was in our care a few years after I received the truck from her. On occasions, my wife and I would take her for a drive to the pecan farm in that truck that she was so familiar with. She recently passed earlier this year (2019). Prior to 2015 it was garaged, and since then this sentimental heirloom had been undercover at my new house, but not in a shelter.

I recently sold my truck. The money was used to help fund a custody battle for my grandson–a trade I’d make on any day. The buyer has a history with older Ford trucks and recognized that this near 50-year old truck is still as solid as ever.

Truck features: long bed (3/4-ton); dual gas tanks; dual batteries (one removed); extendable heavy-duty rear bumper (a rare option), cab-side running boards; factory air conditioning (disconnected in ’73 because of the oil crisis… required condenser, hoses, etc.); paired 3-arm western side mirrors; under-hood ammo storage box; Camper Special rectangular metal emblems; two-bracket tie-downs per side; wired for CB; + more. Rebuilt 360 automatic engine (approx 1995) has 34k miles. Original split rims and dog bowl hubcaps recently replaced with American Racer wheels; original rims and hubcaps on hand. Original documentation includes: Owner’s manual, Automobile Order and Dealer Warranty, Registration Certificate and Tonnage License, Loan Agreement and receipt for payment, and dealer ‘thank you’ letter for purchase.

Photo descriptions:
Grandson Camden happy at home
New owner completes transfer at Anderson, Texas (photo permission received)
At near 50 years old, F250 still a workhorse hauling firewood
Very clean inside
An American icon