I'm Hawkspring and this is my bumpside story

[Hawkspring]

Hello everyone! I've been on my way to owning a bumpside as long as I can remember and it finally happened. Before I tell you about what I got, you gotta know a little about how I got here. See, you all know you don't end up owning one of these old trucks unless there is a story.

My grandfather owned the prettiest '69 Ranger F-250 around. That's no boast, that is a fact. He ordered it new in '68 before I was born and was still towing a gooseneck with a tractor on it in the '90's. He finally retired it from towing duty around that time and had it freshened up. Black jade and white two-tone, all the trim, a new 460 big block, and a flawless interior. As I was finishing up my high school education and getting ready to ship out to boot camp for the Navy I tried really hard to buy that truck. I'd borrow it to go to the drive-in with my girlfriend or just cruise to the parts store on the weekend on errands. Well, my grandpa knew I didn't need it and couldn't afford it so he ended up selling it to a middle aged guy in town. I left for the Navy and tried to put it out of my mind. Well folks, this is where the story turns sad. I received a letter from my dad while I was still in boot camp; the truck was totaled. He found it at the local wrecking yard and heard the new owner let someone borrow it to load firewood and they rolled it down a mountain. Of all the rusted out heaps in that town, and the next three adjacent towns, he chose to load wood in that beautiful old '69. Well, it has been 17 years since then and I still wake up pissed off about it. I finally decided to do something about it.

I found an all original '69 Ranger F250 camper special that was an unrestored survivor. It was owned by a former mayor of Lancaster CA and was used on his ranch and parked in a barn. It isn't perfect, but it is a cool survivor with a lot of charm. It was built in San Jose CA in Oct 1968 in holly green and wimbledon white. So, on it's 45th birthday, after just hitting 100,000 miles it changed owners. I'm behind the wheel now, andI will be steering a different course. One that I'm sure will be a sweet ride.

I plan to start a little project thread to document all the work I do, so stay tuned folks! Pictures to follow...

[1970FordTK]

Great story, hope to see it on its way to being what you want soon. Welcome from North Carolina.

[sargentrs]

from Georgia! Can't wait to see her.

[Hawkspring]

Here are a couple shots from the pickup day.

[Hawkspring]

Interior is a mixed bag. The headliners, visors, lower dash, and floors are all great. The dash top is cracked, and the bench seat, armrests will all need to be replaced. Could be better, could be a lot worse.

[sargentrs]

She looks to be in really good shape!

[Mancar1]

Welcome aboard from Tehama County Ca. Have fun with the truck. Thanks for your Naval service.

[Hawkspring]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes. From North Carolina to California. How's that for covering the spectrum?

[Calfdemon]

from SoCal. Just out of curiosity, which former mayor of Lancaster, CA did you buy it from? I used to work in Palmdale and know several of the past "dignitaries" from up in the Antelope Valley.

[Hawkspring]

from SoCal. Just out of curiosity, which former mayor of Lancaster, CA did you buy it from? I used to work in Palmdale and know several of the past "dignitaries" from up in the Antelope Valley.

Not sure, but he is deceased. It passed from him to the young guy I bought it from whose father was good friends with the former Mayor. He brought it to AZ and owned it for a short time.

[lennyp]

from Massachusetts.

[popeyes71]

from the Bay Area in California! Like the story, thanks for sharing!

[fireguywtc]

from Texas!

[Hawkspring]

Correction to my above notes. The truck is (obviously) boxwood green and wimbledon white.

[67NCRANGER]

Nice looking truck, awesome color combo and it looks like it was a great find!!!