Grandpa’s 1950 F-1 Made a Comeback

When my grandfather retired from farming in the mid-seventies, I bought his 1950 Ford F-1 pickup. I don’t remember when he purchased it, but I recall many rides during summer visits and short runs to the pond to fish while sitting on the tailgate. I stored it for almost 10 years until I sold it to my cousin – another grandson – who eventually parked it in his field where it sat for another 20 years. My brother-in-law, Bill M., volunteered to restore it when I told him my cousin was happy to sell it back to me. Being a Mopar guy, Bill had brought back countless muscle cars following a tradition started with his father. With the assistance of his talented sons – Jeff and Greg – they swallowed their pride and went to work on a Ford. Four and a half years later this is the result.

We picked up a 1993 F-150 donor truck to get the 300 cubic inch inline six with a five-speed manual transmission – somewhat faithful to the guts of the old truck. But then we went full on Resto-mod with A/C, power windows, door locks, digital gauges, a top-of-the-line stereo system with front and rear cameras, LED lights, etc. Grandpa with a simple guy and this over-the-top restoration would amuse him. The custom license plate reads “JokerF1” in honor of his nickname and his durable old truck.