Our Trucks Doing What They Did - Vintage Photo Thread

[MARTINSR]

A couple of cool ones!

Brian

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

A couple of cool ones!

Brian

I love it every time this thread reappears!

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

A couple of cool ones!

Brian

Notice the name on the door is "FJ Boutell Driveaway Company". They hauled Buicks out of Flint.

I had two uncles that drove for Boutell. Uncle Joe Toby (who may be the man pictured) is the one that loaned Mr Boutell the money to start the business.

Ever hear the "urban legend" about a car hauler going under a bridge and wiping the top off the car? That was Uncle Joe; he was hauling a Buick showcar up on top. They had paved the road and (inadvertently) reduced the clearance. He hit the overpass and smeared the roof.

They refurbished it and used it during the show season a convertible model. Uncle Joe kept his job, probably as a result of his previous arrangement with Mr Boutell.

K

[1project2many]

You're welcome, it made my day too, what a great photo! I was glad I could find exactly where it was taken. Looks like it's changed a LOT, the hotel is gone from what I can figure out.

So are most of the bricks in the street!

[MARTINSR]

Oh yeah, look at the brick street, it's been removed! There is a little section of it left probably as a "memory" of the old street. Crap I hate seeing those changes! It happens so much. I know right here in my city just blocks from my house is the old movie theater and stuff on what was called "main street" has changed so much. My parents had a restaurant after the war right there by the theater. My sister tells stories of being 5 year old and crossing main street to go to a store to buy candy. Well, that store, along with the whole block is being torn down to put in a 3 - 5 story apartment building! When I was a kid the Honda Shop was there that I bought parts for my C-110 50. The old firehouse is there where I remember fire trucks coming out of with the firemen standing on the rear of the truck (remember that?) all that will be gone! I pass them on the sidewalk on my evening walk over the last number of years, all of it will be gone.

Brian

[67swb72klb]

1914 Horse fire fighting in DC

[1project2many]

Lol! Now that's a true "Task Force" vehicle.

[MARTINSR]

It's not our trucks "doing what the did" but it's damn cool, on the assy line.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Is this a classic or what!

Brian

[1project2many]

That's a good one. Need a few more hands on the front bumper!

[MARTINSR]

And another one.

Brian

[reichdav]

I know this is an old post but if anyone else is still looking, just a comment. You'll notice that there is no chrome in the TF photos or illustrations. My restored 57 3100 retains the painted (ok, powder coated) bumpers, grille, etc. I printed out a blurb displayed with the truck and included a comment "if you're wondering where the chrome is, you're probably under 50 years old."

[MARTINSR]

This isn't an old thread, it comes alive over and over anytime anyone finds a cool old photo. And yes, the chrome was not there as much as it is today that's for sure!

I don't know about these trucks, but in the sixties I "lived" in a Buick dealership (my dad was a salesman and I was there a lot and saw a lot) and EVERY FRIGGIN PIECE on the car it seemed was an option. OMG find a parking lot full of ORIGINAL 1967 Oldsmobiles and there won't be two the same, I have seen chrome mouldings on sixties cars where it was a one time thing, never saw another, just that one car. OMG a day night mirror was an option, a rear seat speaker, every frigging thing on the car. The "window sticker" would be a foot long COVERED in all the options and prices.

So yeah, the Chrome was a big deal adding a TON of money to one of these trucks (probably as much as $100 to the price LOL) and way more people didn't get it than got it, they were TRUCKS after all.

Brian

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

.... they were TRUCKS after all.

Brian

It's not relatable to younger people now how much a truck was NOT regarded like they are now. They were a tool. They were used almost exclusively for specific work tasks. They bore more of a relation to riding lawn mowers than to daily drivers today.

Yeah, maybe here in Souther California away from agricultural areas they were used a bit more for dailies, but everywhere outside of true cities - tool.

[special-K]

Great thread. I have mostly 1t and up pictures. Are those welcome here?

There has always been "truck love", it was just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less common. It took decades, probably since day-1, for it to grow into what it is now. The biggest change now is most it seems are bought by people who really don't need them. They are a preferred model in the car line-up. I mean, they did stopped calling them trucks, right?

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by special-K

Great thread. I have mostly 1t and up pictures. Are those welcome here?

There has always been "truck love", it was just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less common. It took decades, probably since day-1, for it to grow into what it is now. The biggest change now is most it seems are bought by people who really don't need them. They are a preferred model in the car line-up. I mean, they did stopped calling them trucks, right?

That truck is one of the foremost in my memories. I have the Rod and Custom issue with it in it, that truck and the "Dream Truck" were the only chopped trucks outside of mine that I had ever seen. Yep, no one did a thing with them, very few made it to the magazines. There were Fords, plenty of Fords, but something about these trucks, I am thinking one thing was that you couldn't bolt in a V8 real easy. I am thinking that is one of the reasons.

I chopped my truck in 1974 and honestly it was number three that I know of. There had to be some chopped ones out there that didn't make the magazines, but I never heard of one, never saw one at a show.

Mr48chev on this forum has the earliest I know of being chopped, I don't know if I have ever nailed down a year with him. I will PM him right now.

But yeah, and my truck was a 3/4 ton too, so that truck really was a big deal to me. I just came across this photo a while ago and have posted it here before but it's such a big deal for me here it is again. This photo has both those trucks in it, never saw this before until just months ago. I have an original copy of it stored right now waiting to be framed and put up on my new garage.

Brian

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by special-K

Great thread. I have mostly 1t and up pictures. Are those welcome here?

There has always been "truck love", it was just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less common. It took decades, probably since day-1, for it to grow into what it is now. The biggest change now is most it seems are bought by people who really don't need them. They are a preferred model in the car line-up. I mean, they did stopped calling them trucks, right?

I once bought a Model A pickup from Bruce Geisler.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

I once bought a Model A pickup from Bruce Geisler.

WOW!

Brian

[1project2many]

Special-K, One ton and up truck pics are definitely welcome. I know they're all or nothing, but the 55.1 grille is very cool to me. And the way the beds were built on the 40's to late '50s wreckers had so much style it's hard not to miss them today.

[MARTINSR]

Cool stuff!

Brian

[1project2many]

So the "doing what they did" part of the title sparked an idea for me. Movie trucks. When a truck is shown in a movie, it's usualy doing what it does to do what it did. So I went off to search for some pictures from old films and TV shows.

[MARTINSR]

If the one with the Mackay Speed shop doesn't make you drool you don't belong on this forum!

Brian

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

....When a truck is shown in a movie, it's usually doing what it does to do what it did....

Say WHAAAAT?

Ha ha. I think I know what you meant but I had to re-read this a couple times.

But seriously, I'm glad some like this thread so much. I had no idea when I started it that there are so many vintage AD & TF Chevy truck pics out there. Keep them coming. I really enjoy seeing them.

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Say WHAAAAT?

Ha ha. I think I know what you meant but I had to re-read this a couple times.

Today when you see a restored truck in a work pose you can usually tell it doesn't have to work for its pay. But when a truck was seen in an old movie, especially one of the larger series trucks, it truly represented a working truck. It was supposed to look like what an average person would see on the street. So they did what they did in the movies to do exactly what they could do in the real world.

But seriously, I'm glad some like this thread so much. I had no idea when I started it that there are so many vintage AD & TF Chevy truck pics out there. Keep them coming. I really enjoy seeing them.

It's a truly great thread and it's really brought out some interesting stuff. Thank you for starting it!

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

So the "doing what they did" part of the title sparked an idea for me. Movie trucks. When a truck is shown in a movie, it's usualy doing what it does to do what it did. So I went off to search for some pictures from old films and TV shows.

Any chance you could identify which movies those truck scenes are in?