04-30-2011, 01:35 PM
A few years ago when my oldest son, now 22, was 16 we bought a 1963 F-100 6 cylinder 3 speed 2 wheel drive truck from a used car lot in Bullhead City, Arizona. The truck had belonged to the Bullhead City High School bus barn and before that to the U.S. Army.
Time did not permit us to work on it immediately but a few years later we returned to Ohio from Mexico for a summer visit and my son, Simon, became gravely ill with a psuedomonasen eye ulcer that at first threaten his life but thankfully was caught in time and only took his eyesight in his left eye. The physical pain was unbearable for weeks.
His health took priority and our return to missionary work in Mexico was put on hold. The greatest obstacle other than his slow healing was getting him back up and at it with only partial eyesight. Up till then his plans for life, special forces etc., required full eye sight and now his life was forever changed.
I found the answer in his F-100. We began daily work on the truck and for the next two months rebuilt it. It started as a plain 6 cylinder, two wheel drive 1/2 ton short bed step side and ended up as a V-8 4X4 with a completely redone drivetrain and powder-coated chassis. We replaced the floor pan, steering column and clutch pedals. It has been left with it's Arizona rust free sun baked patina. This was my first father/son project.
Time did not permit us to work on it immediately but a few years later we returned to Ohio from Mexico for a summer visit and my son, Simon, became gravely ill with a psuedomonasen eye ulcer that at first threaten his life but thankfully was caught in time and only took his eyesight in his left eye. The physical pain was unbearable for weeks.
His health took priority and our return to missionary work in Mexico was put on hold. The greatest obstacle other than his slow healing was getting him back up and at it with only partial eyesight. Up till then his plans for life, special forces etc., required full eye sight and now his life was forever changed.
I found the answer in his F-100. We began daily work on the truck and for the next two months rebuilt it. It started as a plain 6 cylinder, two wheel drive 1/2 ton short bed step side and ended up as a V-8 4X4 with a completely redone drivetrain and powder-coated chassis. We replaced the floor pan, steering column and clutch pedals. It has been left with it's Arizona rust free sun baked patina. This was my first father/son project.