The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

One of these days I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut.
When I was quite young my Father drove a fuel delivery truck for Quality Oil in Bear Creek, somewhere along the line he acquired one of the old trucks, a 56 Ford, less the fuel tanks, and put a small wrecker boom on it. It was used for many years for pulling engines, moving junk around the yard, and sometimes just a neat toy for growing young gearheads. Eventually it sat a little too long and the engine sized up, and has been gravely close to a trip to the junkyard several times.
As the rat rod craze has been growing over the years that wrecker was always in the back of my head, chop it, drop it, make something different out of it……..and I made the mistake of thinking out loud in front of my kids.

Last weekend they drug it home from my brothers place where his goats had been using it for their jungle gym. They striped the engine, trany, and front clip. Cut the cab loose and dropped it down 10”, as well as back a foot or so for the engine. They picked up a IH 6 cylinder turbo diesel and trany out of a school buss and got it set between the frame rails last night.
Granny and I are leaving for vacation the end of the week, I can only imagine what my shop is going to look like when I get back.

Pat

You and your kids come up with some interesting creations. I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Good project to keep the young uns around the place and wrenching rather than out on the street and in trouble. The educational value of the retrofit will far out weigh the few $$$ you could have got by scraping the old truck. Dandy Dave!

The boys have been working on the wrecker a little here and there, they can at least drive it in and out of the shop now. I picked up a box from a 50,s vintage Intersmashable pickup that will most likely go on the back. As you may notice the granddaughter just HATE’S going for rides with her daddy.
Note the engine controls, left clothes hanger –Throttle, right clothes hanger-STOP.

Pat