'Ol Blue

sad update, 10-20-2006. 'Ol Blue is gone. Sold for peanuts to a jerk through eBay. I will never forgive myself..... top photo is from the auction listing.

When I first saw this truck I simply “had to have it”. It was so big, old, odd, and cool I just couldn’t believe it. I had every intention of restoring it and begun by replacing the taillight and parking lenses with NOS items (try to find them!). I did a little bit of rust touch-up (paint, to slow the rust) and some light mechanical work but have been driving the truck regularly for years. I realize now that I will never have the time to restore this woderful old machine. I will be selling it very soon. If I don’t get a decent price, I will keep it. It is more important that it go to a good home than I get lots of money for it though…

'Ol Blue is a 1961 Ford F350 pickup truck. It is completely stock and unmolested and remarkably solid. It has 57,000 ORIGINAL miles which is why it still exists. I am POSITIVE the mileage is correct. It helps that it sat in a barn for 25 years prior to my ownership and had only 51,000 miles on the clock when I drove it home. I bought it from the grandson of the original owner, as it was passed from generation to generation as the old men died. I have the paperwork including the original warranty card signed by the original owner and a 1970 Connecticut title from when the truck came to Connecticut from New York state.

The truck has the original 292 cu in V-8, the old Y-block truck engine. It is VERY strong. It has never been rebuilt or had any major work done to it. It has the original oil-bath air cleaner! Oil has been changed religiously as has the coolant. It makes power like a diesel, max horsepower and torque below 2,200 RPM. Redline is something like 2,700 RPM but there is no sense revving it since there is no power up there! The engine is coupled to a super heavy-duty 4 speed manual trans with that famous granny low gear (top speed in first is about 3-4 MPH). At the rear is the original, massive and extremely rare Timken full-floating rear axel with I believe a 5.13 ratio. This aint no speed demon! It will go 65 pretty comfortably on the highway thanks to those tall, tall tires, but that’s about it!

This truck has HUGE drum brakes. They look like they belong on a dump truck. The pedal is high and firm, but no power assist so they are true Legstrong Brakes. The brakes themselves work super, but you will lock the rears up and make lots of smoke and noise if you hit ‘em hard even on dry pavement. Those old bias ply tires are awful for braking and traction, and if you drive this truck in the rain you truly take your life in your hands as unless you have at least 1,000 pounds in the bed you cannot stop! No such thing as antilock brakes in 1961…

This truck has a 9,800 pound gross vehicle weight rating with 8-ply tires. When empty it rides like an empty dump truck on 4-ply tires, so I can imagine it on 8-ply! I don’t think you could stay in the seat at all! It has massive leaf springs in the rear and I have had 3,000 pounds in the bed and it still sits nice and high and drives wonderfully when weighted (Cadillac!!). Put 1,000 pounds in the bed, and the truck sits down less than 1/8”. Its quite amazing….

It runs and drives wonderfully. It is a HOOT to drive! If it had better tires, I would jump in it and drive to California tomorrow and have no worries. The engine starts right up and the only complaint is it can be a little cold blooded and could use an accelerator pump adjustment to cure an off-idle flatspot. The manual choke works beautifully, and it will start right up in very cold weather. The clutch is strong and smooth, and the transmission shifts properly and frankly incredibly well for such an old and heavy-duty unit. The throws are about 18” so it helps to have long arms!

Steering is remarkably light considering there is no power assist and those huge tires out there. It helps to have a 20” steering wheel and it is about 10 turns lock-to-lock so you have a big mechanical advantage. Still, if you aren’t moving you had better have had your Wheaties because it isn’t Armstrong Steering for nothing! The tires are 17” x 7” Goodyear tube-type bias ply and two are weather checked very badly, two are decent. I have two or three more un-mounted that go with the truck but they are just as old. Honestly, the older ones are not at all safe for the road because of the severe cracking but I have (stupidly) driven on them for years and years and miles and miles. They have probably 5K miles on them but age has killed them.

Someone out there is going to claim that the bed is the wrong one so I will stop it right here. In 1961 Ford re-tooled the light-duty trucks to the famous Uni-body design. The heavy-duty models could not be this way or they would break in half, so from 1961-1963 all heavy-duty trucks had bed sheet metal from the 1960 trucks. SO, the bed-lines don’t match the cab-lines and that is the way it is SUPPOSED to be. This truck has the high-option NINE foot fleetside bed which is INCREDIBILY rare.

The body is straight and solid in most areas. It was repainted long ago by an amateur but it was painted the original color! It has ZERO gloss and a few small runs and in general the paint looks like doo-doo. The bed has some rust up in the front corners. The rest of the bed floor is wavy since this truck has been “hauling the mail” all its life. The frame is solid but there is some rust in the lower body and floor areas have been patched. Body mounts are holding, but will need attention as will a lot of the “under” areas of the truck. Passenger door closes easily, drivers door sticks a bit. Under the seat cover is the ORIGINAL vinyl but it is in terrible shape. The seat is definitely rebuildable though. The original radio in the dash turns on, but plays no music. Everything else works, heater, wipers, lights, horn (very cool sound). Only the cigarette lighter doesn’t work. It also has the original manual-pump-on-the-floor windshield washer and bladder style reservoir! How neat!! I have never tried it so I don’t know if it works. Factory chrome grille and front bumper are good but need re-chrome, and rear bumper is fairly straight but has been painted white.

This is a WONDERFUL old machine, in need of a loving owner (like me) who has time to restore it (unlike me). A new house and a new baby on the way mean I wont have time for restoration for years and that is not acceptable to me. I just can’t bear to see this lovely old machine wasting away in my driveway (getting choked up now). 'Ol Blue will be passed to a new owner this spring.

(nickname of this is obvious. It is Old, and it is Blue.)

Cheers!

Sam