When They Were Real Steel…..Part II

# 11

My 11th car was also my first Ford.  Although my dad had switched from GM to FoMoCo in 1966....I was still "Mostly GM" until the summer of 1971 when I bought this 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon.  It had a "292" "Y-Block" V-8, and while it wouldn't win any car shows, it ran really good.  (prior to this car, I was among an "army" of "anti-Ford fans" who used to chant the "Fix Or Repair Daily"......."Found On The Road Dead".........and a few OTHER superlatives that hopefully won't make their way onto this blog!)

Fact is......as I progressed further into Ford Products over the next 30 years, I found myself spending more time IN them and less time UNDER them!  They're a lot better car than people think they are.

# 12

When I enlisted in the Air Force in the fall of '71, they sent me to Lowry AFB (in Denver), for training.  I bought this '61 Oldsmobile "88" to run around in while I was down there, and I sold it before I left.  It had the "394 Rocket V-8 with the "Jetaway automatic".

# 13

McChord AFB, Washington was my first regular Air Force duty assignment (just outside of Tacoma), and I bought this '63 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop for $600.00....."283 Powerglide"....all stock.........my current Price Guide has that car today at around $21,000.............but back then, I was still "wheelin' & dealin'"

#14

In 1972, I traded the Chevy for a CRUISER!  This big ol' 1960 Pontiac Star Chief was just the ticket for long trips (even at 14 mpg), and it came to Mountain Home with me when I first got stationed here.  had a big "389" V-8 with a 4-speed Hydramatic.

#15

While at McChord, I also stumbled across this 1950 Ford 2-door Crestliner sedan.  It was a steal at 200 bucks.  When I got orders to Mountain Home, I sold it to a guy for 250....and thought I'd made a killing!  It was "just an old Ford."   Many  years later, when I was deeply ROOTED in to this hobby, I discovered that the Crestliner was a limited production model..........the vinyl roof and spare tire kit on the rear bumper was actually FACTORY, not added on by somebody.

Today, a restored Crestliner (49/50/51, will easily fetch $25-30 GRAND HANDILY..........(What a "shrewd businessman YOU were, Mikey............ya made 50 whole bucks on that deal!)  In all fairness though, few people actually knew what some of these cars would be worth later, as the years went by, and "nostalgia" started gripping the country!  I'm pretty much on TOP of it today.

# 16

I bought my 3rd Olds shortly after I got here, a '65 "F-85" (you can see the Pontiac sitting behind it here at the 'relocatables on Lodgepole). The "330" V-8 ran pretty good, but the car was plagued by electrical problems, so I didn't keep that car very long.

#17

I also bought the 3rd Studebaker I would ever own at Mountain Home.  I really liked this little '63 Lark.  3-speed stick (column shift-------"3 on the tree as they say)....behind a really thrifty 185 cubic inch overhead valve in-line "6".  Great little car, I drove it everywhere, even off-road a few times.

# 18

With the gas crisis in 1973, I sold the big Pontiac and bought this little '63 Chevy II, with the "194" in-line "6" and 2-speed Powerglide.  It was "gutless" but it made sense at the time.

# 19

I went through a divorce in 1974, living in the barracks, nearly broke from attorney's fees.......it just made "sense" for a young Staff Sergeant to go out and buy an old CADILLAC!  This '58 4-door Fleetwood was a BOAT!  But it WAS kind of a morale booster, and made you feel like you still HAD something after the lawyers got done!

# 20

But the sun comes up eventually.  I got orders to Italy in the Fall of '74, which I had to "Re-up" to take........got a pretty good bonus, bought this GREAT '68 Ford Torino GT fastback, big-block "390" with a C-6 Tranny, Posi-Track, dual-exhaust and it would FLY!  To THIS DAY, it was the best running Ford I've ever owned.  I left it with Mom & Dad in Oregon while I was gone the 18 months in Italy.

Incidently..........THIS was the car I was changing that fan belt on, when those 3 dudes pulled up alongside the highway, that I wrote about previously on that "showdown on Oregon 20."