The old 65 Longstepper.

[shp4man]

I'm a Ford dealer mechanic. (The "F" word, LOL) I've had this old truck for about 9 years. It was kind of a gift from a previous employer- a Ford dealer believe or not. It was the vehicle for the maintenance crew for years.



It was sitting on the back lot, not running, dead battery, door windows under the seat, really trashed out. I had previously inquired about selling it from the General Manager, his exact words were "What the hell do you want that for?. We can't get parts for it anymore!".
I offered him a grand...no deal.
Then, about 6 months later, the shop foreman asked me if I still wanted to buy the "Old Blue Truck"? I said sure, how much?
$500, he said. Needless to say, I immediately jumped on that deal!.
I got it running (not well) and drove it home, about 20 miles. It overheated, but made it.
Turns out, unbeknownst to me, they had at one point replaced the wasted original 230 engine in previous years with a Jasper reman 250.
Anyways, I sunk another $5K into the old truck (brakes, interior, windows, upholstery, other crap) and now, it's a running, actually reliable, starts every time vehicle. It would easily make it across the country. At about 13 miles to the gallon, but still.
It will very likely be my last vintage ride, I'm 71years old, but still still working at a Ford dealer.
I drive the the old truck on the weekends, and almost every time, someone remarks about how cool it is, or their Grandpa or Dad had one.
It's very original. One pot brakes, 37 amp alternator, SM420 transmission, Points and condenser distro, OEM wiring harness, Rochester one barrel...no electronics at all.
Love it. Brings back memories.

[350TacoZilla]

That's a nice looking ride no matter what decade it is. I've said this before on the forums but I love the old trucks that still look like they have lived a life more than the high dollar super clean restorations.

[shp4man]

I put the baby moons on it. It had Ford hubcaps and Autolite plugs on it before. They had to go! Plus it now has a real fancy AGM modern as hell 650CCA battery. A slight modification to the battery tray. Thank you Ford motor company battery recall!
And it does have Ford 75-150 Synth gear oil in the SM420. But otherwise. all GM.
I'll never paint it. Maybe my kids will, but I doubt it.
I was thinking about a cross country trip in it back to Southern Arizona where I'm from. California gets old after a while.

[shp4man]

I recently drove from San Diego to Yuma, AZ over back roads pretty much all the way. The old truck performed flawlessly. It doesn't like going over 65MPH much, though. Turns out, trucks over 3 axles are limited to 55MPH on Interstate 8.
So I sucked in behind a semi and rolled into Arizona.
Love that old truck!

[caseyjones]

Your report makes me want to find an excuse to take a longer trip in mine. Very cool truck.

[joesscamaro]

Great looking truck and glad you were able to take possession of it and get it back on the road!

[Shark_13]

Great looking truck