first truck

The post concerning the chevy red 49 truck got me to thinking about my first truck. First off i was raised a city boy and there had never been a truck in our family. One day while passing the local Pontiac dealer i saw a 1953 Chevy Advance Design 1/2 ton pickup for $200 and so in 1968 at the age of 21 i became the proud owner of that truck and it was my daily driver for almost 3 years. i drove it 40 miles round trip to work for 2 years and when transferred i drove it from NW Al to central Ky. and drove it another 40 mile trip to work for 6 months before it failed me. Living in an apartment in Jan. with no place to work on i traded it in on a sedan to get me through the winter. It was another year before i was back in a truck and have been ever since.
in 1996 i was able to purchase this 1952 chevy from the original owners son. It had been stored in a barn for 17 years. It runs good with 109k miles on the original engine

That's a nice story and a nice truck.

Very nice and great story too!


My fist vehicle was a 51 Chevy 3/4 ton long bed.

Rick

Very nice. Thanks for posting the photo and relating the history.

That is EXACTLY the same year, color and make of my first truck!

First pickup I bought was in the fall of 66......1948 Ford 1/2 ton with a six and three on the floor. Drove it all over he!! and parts of Kansas before trading for a 58 Dodge 3/4 ton with 315 V8 and 4 speed.

I have a 1951 Chevy 3100 with 104,000 miles. I am going to put in the shop soon. I am the second owner and I drove it to work all through the 80's.
Richard in NW SC

52 GMC 3/4 with 270 & 4spd. 17 inch split rims and blue paint (looks like photo @1 with bigger tires and medium blue. Jim

Thats a beautiful truck Pete. I have always had a truck myself. I dont know what i would do without one actually.

My first truck was 88 Toyota 4x4, then 98 F150, 2003 F250, 2007 Duramax, 2011 F250 and 2016 F250.

My first truck was a 1962 Chevy C10. The thing I remember most about it was the US Royal tires on it. They were worn out at 5000 miles. I was working for the USDA at the time, and
the Feds were late passing the budget so no paycheck. The fella who was the boss at that office ask everyone, about 5 people if they needed money to carry them thru til the checks came in. I needed tires and he paid for them. The next vehicle I bought in 1964 and I ordered it from the factory and told the dealer if it came with US royal tires he could keep it. It did and I told him I didn't want it but he had another come in in the same shipment with Firestone tires. He swapped the tires between the two cars and I bought.

You must be a youngster in the bunch.....

My first truckswere not really mine, but were assigned to me for use within Many Point Scout Camp in 1962. There was the 1/2 ton 49 Dodge PU a pretty good truck, but it had been in the north woods for too many years. Everything was loose from the rough roads and off road duty. While driving it on the twisty roads one day one of the tie rods jumped off and we hit a tree dead center. But it was resurected for more abuse. The other vehicle I was assigned at that same time was an English Ford van (for telephone repair work). It was a 1958 Thames 800, a predecessor to the the Ford Econoline van of 1965. The Thames was the most miserable piece of junk, a 4 cylinder engine which might have 3 cylinders working on a good day. I had to carry spare spark plugs and plug wrench because it fouled out its plugs so frequently. The good part was you could sit in the drivers seat with the engine cover off and change plugs, no bending over needed. It was the most gutless vehicle known. Sometimes I'd have to back down a hill and then take a run at it to get to the top. It is a good thing Ford did not import more of that British junk.

Meanwhile I drove $50 cars and carried a toolbox and knew how to use it.

My first real truck was an IH Travelall 1100, 1963. I bought it with 80,000 miles and drive it to 300 K. I began my snowplowing business with that tough old beast and it became the carpenter's tool van as I built houses in the 70's. In 1968, I drove it up the AlCan highway and successfully brought it back for many more years of use and abuse. It had the 304 V-8 and a 4 speed with granny gear. The only options were radio, super heater, and a 2nd gas tank. I bought a few more IH PUs and Travelalls up until they went out of production in 1975. They were all used vehicles but were as tough as a B series Mack in the drive train.

Good memories!

Paul in MN

VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR NAMING IT, THEY WERE PICKUPS, NOT TRUCKS...STILL ARE...USED 55 DODGE 3/4, 241 V8 HEMI, 4 IN FLOOR W/GRANNY, CAME W/ HALE CATTLE SIDEBOARDS...ABOUT 1958, HAULED MY JERSEYS TO MANY SHOWS..BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED,,

My first was a 72 long bed step side gmc 350 and a granny 4 speed, then a 77 Chevy 4x4, 80 Chevy ,89 gmc , 89 3500 Chevy, 96 3500 Chevy and more.

First Truck.. New 1975 GMC Sierra Grande 3/4 Ton,350 Engine

First truck was in Michigan, a 1953 blue 1/2-ton Dodge pickup with the 230 flathead six and fluid drive and 3 on the tree. I bought it out of a barn half rusted out in about 1975 for $185. Drove it for a few years around town then sold it for a profit and started driving Ramblers and other 60s cars. Next truck was in GA, a 1971 International pickup, model 1110 with the 304 and 4-speed. Bought it about 12 years ago for $550. Fixed it up to be reliable mechanically even though it looks like a beater. Runs great. I have high regards for International engines and drivetrains. My oldest son rear ended 3 Japanese-type cars with the truck and totaled all 3, but we had the truck back on the road in 48 hours after the first 2 wrecks, but it took longer the 3rd time. The son is banned from driving the truck now. I also have an International D1300 1-ton 4x4 which was formerly a logging truck and stump puller. What a rugged beast. 392 engine and 5-speed and 10.000lb winch. Bought it about 12 years ago and keep it in the barn awaiting the zombie apocalypse. Runs and drives well.

69 Ford, Short bed, 390 under the hood, three on the tree. 12 gallon gas tank that was almost empty after a trip to "the big City" for a date. Kept it two weeks and sold it.

You've seen it before but this is the first truck I bought, I was still in high school. Just took 35 years to get it restored. First one I bought and used every day was a 1971 GMC 3/4 ton 4x4.

Funny you mentioned you started driving ramblers; I traded in an old Nash rambler on that first truck. Used oil so bad I would have to stop half way to work to clean a plug it got to missing so bad.

My first vehicle. 65 Ford Van, used in 1971. This isn't it but I had the same wheels on mine. It was all this color blue.

My first truck was my Grandpa's last... I got the '76 F150 along with the farm. 360 big block, 2 barrel, granny low 4-speed, and two wheel drive. Drove it until rust made it unsafe, then got a rebodied'83 F 250 4x4. That one was replaced by the F350 that I've had for the last seven years.

Learned to drive in a truck very similar, 3 speed on the tree, dad had me out in the field teaching me how to shift from first to second, somehow I went from first straight into reverse without very much grinding, needless to say everything came to a screeching halt when I let out the clutch.

That is a very nice truck. I've never owned anything but trucks except for the cars that I've bought for the wife and a couple for the kids. My 1st was a 1966 Ford F100 that I bought in 1974. It was a shortbed chick catching machine :lol:

mine was a 2 yr old 76 F150 ,24000 miles 6 cy , 3 on the tree ,,pd 2600,bald tires .no radio ,no air . no frills , except chrome bumper , had it 7 yrs .and 2 yrs before traded it I had it painted , the dealer gave me 3900 toward a new 85 ford f-250 ,. the 85 got hit by a horrible hale storm just 6 monthes later , crackt windshield ,. I traded it for a 86 dodge 250 ,. and with the insurance money , I know I come out ahead again..i have not had that kind of luck trading since ....

First one was a '49 Ford F-1 V-8, gave 150 bucks for it in San Jose, CA.. 1961. O'hauled the motor and used it 4 years, then sold it to my BIL and got a nice '60 Ford in 1965, used it until Dec. 1969 when I bought a new '70 Ford F-100 Ranger.....BIL took the '60 then too.

My first truck that I owned was a 1965 F250 with a 240 six and 4 on the floor. Bought it and restored it. Should have kept it.

I now have a 1997 F150 with 300K miles. I bought it new. Runs and mechanically sound, but the body is rusting away.

My Dad drove IH trucks.

First actual truck I owned was a 1964 F100 Ford, 292 Y-block V-8, 3 speed, mismatched bed. Engine full of wild cherry pits, set up, body rusty, hadn't run in years. Paid $75 for it, oldest son and I overhauled the engine, repaired rust, brakes, and every other component. He drove it to school for three years and I used it on the farm for five more years after that. Good solid old truck, but the one I really would like to have back was the '46 Ford my brother had.

My first truck was a 1967 Dodge D100. 318 with an automatic trans. I was 16 when I bought it in 1977 and paid $1,000 for it. It was the only vehicle I had at the time. Drove it until 1984 when I traded it off. Great truck. No rust at all and had a really straight body. Manual everything. I wish I still had it. It was fun. You can't hardly find a good one these days. Usually beat up really bad and rusty as heck.

Greg