Dad's 66 lives on.

[JasontheBeaver]

This forum has already been a tremendous resource for me. I hope I can give back some information with this thread.

Dad bought this truck in 1968 in Redmond, Oregon. He traded in his '49 Ford pickup. The original owner was a woman who didn't have the muscle to drive the manual steering and manual tranny so it sat from '66 to '68 until she finally traded it in on something else. Dad saw it on the lot and bought it!

Here we are 5 decades later and the truck is mine. Oh the life this truck has lived. Very lucky by most pickup's standards. Dad took great care of all his vehicles and this daily driver was no exception. Regardless, it still had a few bumps along the way. Like the occasional deer hit and run, forays into the ditch due to nights of drinking, being crashed into a log-chain fence by his oldest son who had stolen it for a night of action in Portland....

Over the years Dad made several modifications. He added power steering and an automatic trans. The truck originally had a 283 but now it sports its 3rd 350.

It's second life was as a push truck and fire truck for the NSRA racing association in the Pacific Northwest in the 80's and 90's. We would tour the NW to such thriving metropolis' as Ephrata, WA and Roseburg, OR. To help with traction Dad installed a posi-trac read end.
By the late 90's the racing hobby had run its course when Dad's friend, Davey Hamilton graduated to the big time and started driving Indy cars for AJ Foyt, eventually finishing as high as 3rd in the Indy 500.

Once again the 66 was relegated to storage until 2006 when Dad told me he was selling the 66. "You're selling it TO ME!!!" I blurted out. No way could I let this family heirloom be claimed by someone else.
After the purchase it sat some more in storage with just a summer drive or two to keep the memories alive.
Well now I've been paying more attention to it and fixing all the little things, biding my time until I can afford the badly needed rust repair and repaint job this truck so badly deserves. In the mean time I drive this thing with serious pride. Besides, do you get to drive the vehicle that you remember STANDING on the seat, riding alongside your old man?

[JasontheBeaver]

My next project is to tear into the B&M Star shifter to install a neutral safety switch and get the back-up lights functioning again too.

[Indian113]

That's a pretty good story about that truck! Take your time and enjoy it you've got a great heirloom that I can't match.

[chainsaw]

Very cool story. Enjoy that truck.

[markeb01]

Nice to hear you finally got to own it and can build even more memories. Looks like a beautiful truck, and there's just no price you can put on the family history.

[JasontheBeaver]

I have myriad stories about this truck but I won't bore you all at once.
That's me at the back of the truck. The canopy was home made by Dad and weighed at least 9,000lbs. I know this because I remember him cussing it every time he had to unload it by himself on his back.


Dad had just bought this tractor in Madras, Oregon and we had to go over the pass of Mt. Hood to Portland where we lived. I can tell you it was a seriously hair-raising drive! Snow was deep and the roads were packed snow, no chains, two wheel drive, no trailer brakes.
This is when I first heard my Dad use the term, "...it was a white-knuckle shot!"

[jchav62]

Very cool truck... and even cooler story!

[66farmer]

Anyone one can own a truck but when you have a truck with family history that make's it special.
Welcome from North Plains

[MikeS.]

Good for you.

[Chevyman680063]

That's a beautiful truck with some great family history. Also, welcome to the boards!

[LostMy65]

I love the old family pics with the truck.
Congrats on keeping you dad's truck in the family. I need to go through some of our old family videos. I know my Grandpa's 65 is in some of them.
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[JasontheBeaver]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I love the old family pics with the truck.
Congrats on keeping you dad's truck in the family. I need to go through some of our old family videos. I know my Grandpa's 65 is in some of them.
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My goal is to collect as many pics of Dad's 66 as I can and put together a giant collage poster to display with the truck when I eventually get it show-worthy. Kind of a tribute to the old man.

Here's another famous family tale that involves the truck:

Dad is the youngest of 10 kids that grew up in Fruitland, Idaho. In 1968 he was 21 years old and really wanted to go fishing with his oldest brother, Gerald. He continually bugged him until Gerald finally gave in and agreed. After all, Gerald was much older and had a wife and growing family of his own. Giving up a day from his job and responsibilities to go fishing was a few steps down the priority ladder.
Dad was so proud that he was organizing the trip and they were going to take his new red Chevy pickup.
The trip involved traveling down a dirt road for several miles into the wilderness of Hell's Canyon. As they got deep into the canyon they hit a rock that tore the sidewall open on a rear tire.
Gerald, knowing his youngest brother, sarcastically said, "I suppose you don't have a spare tire huh Tom?" Dad, with his ever-present smart ass mouth retorted that he DID indeed bring a spare!
"Well, ok then, let's get this thing jacked up and change that tire."
"Uhhhh, hmmmm, well... I don't have a jack."
The inevitable preaching commenced about why the hell would Dad bring a spare tire but NO JACK!!!???
They ended up piling some rocks under the rear axle and were able to roll the truck back enough to get the offending wheel off the ground to change the tire.

To this day that story is told by both Dad and Gerald to each new generation of family members. Somehow the younger generation always misses the humor and point of the story, instead they always ask, "So, did you catch any fish that day?" Neither remembers.