Lawrence Street Sighting: Ford F-100 Custom Cab

First off, I am gradually beginning to try out a new shooting style, and focus on artsy pictures of cars rather than just the simple shots of whole cars and then the little details; I hope readers enjoy it. I love pickups, and my favorite marque for classic pickups hands down would have to be Ford; ever since I was a child, I quickly developed a fondness for the venerable F-Series trucks, and over time my favorite generation of Ford's most continuous nameplate has varied. First, it was the 1992-1996 trucks, then it was the 1980-1986 trucks, and now I would have to say that my favorite trucks are the 1961-1966 body-style.

With this body-style, Ford tried the unibody idea, making the cab and bed integrated into one unit. Only problem was, while it looked better, the idea ruined the notion that if the bed were to rust prematurely, a replacement could be had. Since these trucks were still frequently bought as workhorses rather than fashion statements, the unibody version didn't sell, and was dropped altogether after the 1963 model year. Based on the grillework and the small-disc hubcaps, I would render this stunning example as a 1964 example--and what an example it is.

I absolutely adore this thing; for the past year or so, I've been getting more and more into this generation Ford F-100, and I am starting to really like the pastel colors these older vehicles came in. The mint green and white combination is incredible here--it looks modern enough to be at home at one of those godawful retro Thunderbirds---and it also looks amazing here.

I love how its been carried over into the interior as well. That dash is nothing short of amazing. I love the attention to detail on it, and the idea of a two-tone minimalist dash is incredibly striking.  I don't really like the add-in centre console, but hey, it isn't mine, so I won't ridicule the truck for having a probably-needed accesory. I wouldn't add it in, but kudos to the owner for using this ole' girl as transportation.

I absolutely love this truck, and I think (like the Lincoln) that this is probably the best of the breed I've shot to date. I would love to find this again with less cars around and do a complete walk around.

Lawrence Street Sighting: Chevrolet C-10

Today as I round out my lineup of GM trucks from my hometown, I'd like to present, what I think is one of the better-looking bodystyles out there. Yes, it's cliche, and yes, anyone who's at all into cars will likely have a strong opinion about this, but I think the late 1960s and early 1970s trucks are very nice looking, and the Chevrolet version is a bit better-looking than the GMC; its all in the grille and front fascia.

This generation of truck was introduced as a 1967 model and lasted through the middle of the 1972 model year; as with all GM trucks, a whole variety of bed lengths and engines were offered, as well as different grades of interior trim. The idea of multiple cab configurations hadn't been thought of yet, so there was one cab for all models, though, some companies did perform four-door conversions on these, which honestly don't look too bad.

Though the stepside is my favorite bed choice, not everyone agrees. A vast majority of the trucks saved are not the stepsides, but rather the fleetside, shown here. While I don't think it's a bad choice, the stepsides definitely are the cooler variation--and that goes with any truck, as far as I'm concerned.

Looking like a decent project truck, or restoration candidate, this is white the typical forty-five year old pickup truck looks like in Kansas, believe it or not. Minor rust here and there, but overall, presentable.

As it stands, the truck could use a major refreshening; the paint is in decent shape, but there are signs of rust, which could indicate even more severe problems on the undercarriage. All the trim is intact, though, so finding peices necessary for a full restoration shouldn't be an issue. Even the bog-standard hubcaps are in place. Really, all it needs is a good going over, bodywise.

I don't recall much about the interior, but if this example is like others of this vitange, the interior is likely worn out, and could use a standard restoration. I would bet that this truck would make a great restoration, and I would say this one has enough original parts that restoring it would be a better choice than customizing it.

I am glad I found this, because while I do think this bodystyle is quite cliche now, they are starting to disappear--even in Kansas. I say this is a well-spotted classic C-10 that definitely deserves another chance.

Lawrence Street Sighting: Chevrolet Custom 10

Like I mentioned in earlier posts, hard-working pickup trucks were a common sight in my childhood; in Kansas, if you didn't own a truck, you knew someone who did. Since I grew up in the 1990s, and trucks last longer than cars (no clue why, they just do.), it wasn't really uncommon to see 1950s trucks plugging along--and even I remember the occasional 1940s truck hustling down 6th street; time change, and the "40 year old truck" gets newer and newer.  As a stark contrast to yesterday's rather unusual Ford Econoline, I present you this; one of my favorite bodystyles of Chevy's pickup ever.

This year, this bodystyle turns a stonking forty years old--and it sure doesn't look like it; to me, this is one of the most timeless truck designs around, and will never cease to look good. Introduced in 1973, this bodystyle was miles ahead of the 1967-1972 truck it replaced, and to prove it was ahead of its time, GM kept it in production well into the 1980s; the last model year for these trucks was 1987, and the bodstyle that followed this one is equally as timeless. That twenty-five year span marked some of the best trucks GM made in terms of design, durability, and cool-factor; growing up, the 1973-1998 trucks were always a favorite of mine--and likely will continue be so.

This Custom 10 is about as basic as it gets; orange paint, and white steelies suggest that this one did time as a KDOT truck or had a job in construction before being used as a personal vehicle; again, as I mentioned before, I saw quite a few of these in my childhood, and most of the ones I saw were this very color. Coincidence? I think not.

What's even more odd is that despite being a KDOT truck, it appears to have served its time well and shows no rust, or otherwise unsual wear and tear; even though one of the hubcaps (centercaps in this case)has left the truck, everything else seems to be in order. I didn't look inside, but I would imagine it rocks white or orange vinyl upholstery and a colormatched steering wheel, and probably is shifted with a 3 spd manual on the tree.

I will never get tired of seeing this bodystyle; it's a shame many of these trucks succumbed to either dumb rednecks who lift them and put huge tires on them, or they've fallen victim to the custom truck phase and have been hacked up beyond recognition. I would love to find more clean trucks of this generation, but since I live in the rustbelt, that will probably never happen very often.

Lawrence Street Sighting: Ford Econoline pickup

Growing up in Kansas, nearly every household had a pickup new or old; most of them were the usual big-three full-size truck that weren't really see as cool vehicles by the owners. More often than not, trucks actually worked and were used as ranch-hands instead of status symbols that today's pickup has become. To see a classic truck that has body damage but is still chugging along is no rare feat in the Wheat State; I can remember seeing many 1940s and 1950s trucks still working hard, even when I was in grade-school--and that tradition of keeping the truck till it dies certainly applies today.

In the 1960s, Ford had a reign on the pickup market with the F-100, but the brand also launched what would be the first real compact "pickup"; long before the Ford Ranger and its Mazda twin were born, the term compact Ford truck applied to the Econoline pickup you see here. Essentially a Ford van with an open cargo area, the pickups were relatively rare, and even in Kansas, not many have survived.  These went away for 1967, and the compact pickup would not return to Ford showrooms until the 1983 model year.

As a survivor, this little truck looks pretty good; it isn't immaculate, and it doesn't pretend to be. It wears its battle scars well, and aside from the missing tailgate, and hints of a respray, this is how a classic truck should look. I love pampered trucks, don't get me wrong, but seeing a truck that's lived up to its workhorse intention is just awesome.

The patina is strong with this one, but amazingly enough, the chrome has held on; the emblems look fantastic and despite being pitted, they aren't rusted through; the hubcaps might be the wrong year for this bodystyle, but they still look great--and to top it off, the color is pretty classy too. I'd love to see what one of these all shined up would look like. I do love this one how it is, though, and there's no need to change it.

Kansas is home of the classic workhorse, and I love finding the special ones hidden throughout Lawrence.  This is a well-spotted (by my dad) and well-shot (by me) little truck, and I hope to see more of these soon.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Model A pickup

When I'm shooting vehicles on the street, I tend to go after stock-appearing vehicles for the most part; however, a scant few vehicles begin to pique my interest in any condition. Like a majority of other car geeks, I've always been intrigued by hot rods--if they're done right. Normally, old Fords are the cliche hot rod or street rod--and they still are, to an extent. For this reason, I'd likely shy away from them--at car shows. On the street, these things truly do fascinate me. Like a Ferrari parked on the street, hot rods do leave me with an impression be it good or bad. Whether its a '50s style rat rod, or a gussied-up fiberglass body with monstrous wheels and a generic V8, these old Model As can be done up in a variety of ways. I've seen coupes in damn-near every fashion, and the roadsters and rumble-seat convertibles aren't that hard to come by, either. It's fairly rare that I do see a pickup, though, and usually when I do, it's been hacked into a rather distasteful amalgam of a roadster with a pickup bed. Not quite what I hope for when the phrase "Model A pickup" enters my head. Thankfully, the only roadster-pickup I've seen in person was quite tasteful, as is the only true pickup I've seen in person.












Patina; you've gotta love it. On most hacked-up crapfest hot rods, patina is way overdone--to the point of being straight-up ridiculous. On certain examples of the hot-rod genre, it work--quite well. Doing away with the typical off-shades of red, maroon, gray or black primer, this Model A replaces the generic "in" hues with a nice shade of blue-green that may or may not be a factory color. Like so many other "period" hot-rods, this truck has been decked out in a shop-truck manner, complete with door decals emblazoning the shop name. Again, like most of the traditional "shop truck" hot rods, this example of Ford's first popular truck is done up in such a way that I can't even tell if it really does duty as a hauler, or if its just done up like this in a vain attempt to be cool. Regardless, I quite like it; I've always dug Model As, and I've always dug hot rods for some reason. If they're true to the original meaning of what a hot rod is, then I have no problems with them. Now, if thing was sitting on a set of Boyd wheels and wearing a fluorescent paint color, then there would be a hell of a problem. But it isn't, so there's not a problem. The wheels on this guy are damn near perfect; I'm no expert at being original with regards to what wheels I'd slap on vehicles, but I do like these. These stock Ford wheels give this Model A a rat look, but keep it looking classy as well. No doubt that the bigger meats help, too. I'm not too sure of possible handling, but I'm sure it rides and handles much better than something of this nature on previously mentioned Boyd wheels would ever do. I will never grow tired of proper hot rods; they're a part of American culture that I cannot ever seem to hate. Bling-rods? Yes. I detest those. But traditional hot rods? Vehicles like this Model A prove once again that traditional hot rods are the way to go when customizing a 70 year old vehicle. They've stood the test of time for a reason.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Dodge D-Series pickup

Pickup trucks have long been the workhorse of America. From farms, to big cities, to everything in between, the pickup represents the vehicle of choice for many hard-working folks. So why aren't more classic trucks still alive and kicking? Hard lives--that's why. On the west coast, classic pickups are the norm, and are almost seen more-so than their new counterparts. Here in the rustbelt, quite the opposite is true. For every classic truck I see, about 10 or 12 new ones go by--if not more. While it's true that currently GM, Ford and Dodge are quite big players in the truck industry, that wasn't always the case. I seldom see pre-1980 Dodges here in the Midwest, and this rather rough example is likely as nice as they're gonna get out my way.














I'm horrible at identifying older pickups--much less the models which have no clear ID-guide. I'd wager that this particular Dodge is probably a late 1960s, or early 1970s model. It's definitely a pre-1972, I know that much. I hardly ever see these, even in Kansas, so seeing one up here was definitely a treat for my eyes.
It's rusty, most of the trim is far from perfect, and the poverty caps are quite dented--and that's why I adore this truck. Classic trucks are nice when they're pristine, yes, but evoke such a dear sense of emotion when used like they're supposed to be. It's clear that one look at this old workhorse shows how much it means to the owner. The missing tailgate normally would signify a trip to the junkyard. Not here, though. Here, it lets onlookers know that this Dodge means business. From the worn down paint to the tattered chrome, its certain that this old Dodge isn't done yet. I saw it a day or two after shooting it--getting wood and pulling a trailer.
After nearly forty years of hard work, whose to say this old boy should give up now? Obviously the owner has other ideas. If I've ever known one thing for certain in my years of spotting and shooting its that these old pickups don't go down easy. The amount of post '72 Dodges still on the road is testament to that theory. Now, lets just hope this one is the first to break the mold, and let the older trucks survive longer.