The car collecting hobby ain’t no thinkin’ thing, to quote the words of philosophers Tim Nichols and Mark D. Sanders. It’s, as popularized by Trace Adkins, a passion that we can't hold back.
I became infatuated with restoring an ex-Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Memphis 1960 Ford F-100 that’s been in my family since it was new (my grandfather was CEO of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Memphis). It’s got a 292 Y-block V-8 and a three-speed manual transmission.
I dreamed and schemed. After not seeing it for 11 years, I discovered the truck had been vandalized. All except one piece of the chrome had been stripped away. The dang pillagers even stole the carburetor. Someone, who will remain nameless except to say his last name is “Demere,” shot out the windows. At least they didn’t steal the serial plate and the hood ornament.
I was thinking about finding a restored 1960 F-100 and fitting it with as many surviving pieces, including the serial plate, as possible. Then recreate the Coca-Cola paint job. After five years of work and $50,000, I’d have a truck worth $20,000. Maybe.
My left brain steered me toward a fully restored ’54 to ’60 F-100. The problem is finding one I can afford. I’ve used autotempest.com to search craigslist offerings across the country. A car-guy friend looked at a ’56 in California. It was listed at $15,000. My friend responded: “No.” Oldride.com, oldcarsonline.com and classiccars.com show some really nice ones...starting around $25,000 and passing $50,000. Mrs. Demere said, at that price, the bed better be comfortable because that’s where I’d be sleeping.
Also, I’m picky. My dream must be as original as possible. No 5.0 Mustang engines, disc brakes, lowered suspension or Tremec transmission. (And no automatic trannies, either.) I’m not looking for a racecar. I want a time machine.
Sing along with Trace: There's nothin’ that we need to analyze. There ain't no rhyme or reason why ‘cause it ain’t no thinkin’ thing.