Found an incredible survivor truck this weekend

[Graham57a]

So I was doing some driving around the back roads of wnc a few weeks ago and spotted this old two tone 71 or 2 short bed behind an old farm house down off the road. I happened to be close by the area yesterday so I figured I'd stop by and see what the story was on it. I was greeted by an older lady who was nice enough she could've been my grandma. I asked her about her truck and she immediately started telling me stories about it. She said that's not my truck, it's my husbands. He passed away 6 years ago but I'm still not allowed to touch it . She said it was his baby and he wouldn't let anyone drive it or mess with it. Of course I had to ask if it was for sale and she told me there was a list of about 10 ppl trying to buy it so I turned my focus on appreciating the originality of the truck. She let me take a bunch of pictures and told me to come back by whenever I wanted to look at it or talk some more.

Her husband was the second owner, he bought it in 1973 with 30,000 miles on it and now I think it's at 168,000. She has the build sheet, owners manual, window sticker, protect o plate, every piece of documentation you could ask for. If had a repaint in the 80s but besides that it's all original.

[Graham57a]

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[Graham57a]

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[Graham57a]

Couldn't find a speck of rust on the entire truck

[Graham57a]

04

[Graham57a]

She said they put the rear slider in when they had a camper on it so they could yell at their kids while they drove down the road lol, she still has the original back glass tho

[68bowtie]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kingstrider]

Wow that is beautiful, I wish I had something like that.

[Graham57a]

06

[72kool]

Great looking truck and even better story!! if i was in the area i would stop in to talk bout it

[Graham57a]

Original jack has never been taken out of the bag

[Graham57a]

08

[Graham57a]

Now for the best part

[Graham57a]

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[Graham57a]

When I pulled up I saw the fender emblem and thought there's no freakin way. All original 402, she pulled it forward for me so I could document some exhaust routing pictures and it fired up on the first crank

[Graham57a]

Last one

[john@thepier]

Maybe when you pass by again, you can clean the leafs out of the back of it for her, help keep it from deteriorating, thanks. :~) also that nova or chevy!! looks nice also.

[Graham57a]

She told me a pretty crazy story about her husband (Joe) working on this old girl. She said he was working in the shop underneath this thing and it fell off the jack stands and pinned him on the floor between the truck and his tractor. He sat there for a few hours and no one was there to help. His son found him eventually and pulled the truck off of him. So Joe went up to his wife and said I need to go to the hospital and she knew it was serious cause he asked her to drive and he always drove wherever they went. So they got to the ER and he broke his jaw in 6 places. After a couple days his chest turned black from bruising and he was out of work for a few weeks. She said 6 days after it happened he was out in the yard washing that stupid truck and we drove that thing to pigeon forge rod run to show it

[Graham57a]

Originally Posted by john@thepier

Maybe when you pass by again, you can clean the leafs out of the back of it for her, help keep it from deteriorating, thanks. :~) also that nova or chevy!! looks nice also.

She said she gets up in the bed and cleans them out every once in a while. She has to ask her husbands permission first tho

[john@thepier]

Its wonderful that the truck keeps him living, if even only in spirit, for her. Thanks.

[sduckworth13]

Wow thats a great looking truck!

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by Graham57a

spotted this old two tone 71 or 2 short bed behind an old farm house down off the road.

These days of keeping collectable vehicles in public view can be risky. How long will it be till this vehicle is stolen?

[slikside]

Originally Posted by factorystock

These days of keeping collectable vehicles in public view can be risky. How long will it be till this vehicle is stolen?

Can't blame you for thinkin that way, but things are different back there. (At least I'd like to think so.)

[slikside]

What a great story! Thanks for posting.

Wouldn't surprise me if the original steering wheel was somewhere there on the property. Did you ask her about that one?

[yote1234]

kool truck kool story!