Farm Truck Fever - Vintage Rusty Field Trucks

Catch It In A Field Of Dreams

By John Gilbert

By far one of the most popular departments within Custom Classic Trucks is the very last page in the magazine known to readers as The End. It comes as no surprise, really; after all, who amongst us can resist discovering a diamond in the rough and then dreaming about how good they could make it look? Not a week goes by without someone sending us photographs of a truck they have spotted for the very first time or one that calls their name every time they pass it by. Although we try, unfortunately, not all of the photos we receive can be published due to various technical reasons (out of focus, low resolution, too dark, too light, or just too far away). So if you are one of the folks who have sent in a photograph in the past and never got to see it run, here's your explanation.

There's a fast emerging trend on the custom classic scene. We're dubbing it "farm truck fever." More and more shows across the United States and Canada feature guys who've combed the back roads to find an old farm truck and bring it back to life as a cool custom. Unlike rat or rust rods, the chassis and running gear on these ex-farm trucks usually feature the latest in air-ride suspensions and super detailed drivetrains.

While driving up to the extreme northeast corner of Utah to cover Bo Huff's 21st annual custom car show in Sunnyside, we figured we'd kill two birds with one stone and hit the unbeaten path to see just how many old farm trucks are still out there. The first stop on our journey was Tuckers Classic Pickup Parts in Las Vegas, Nevada. When we rolled up Cody and Brandon were busy on the phone handling orders and helping local guys with their needs. It was a pretty cool deal. The Las Vegas truck scene is strong, and like everywhere else we have traveled the people in this lifestyle are the nicest you'd ever want to meet. While we were there Brandon gave us a tour of Tuckers' salvage yard. For early General Motors truck enthusiasts living in the rust belt, or anywhere else, for that matter, Tuckers Classic Pickup Parts is an excellent source for used parts as well as new reproductions.

From Las Vegas our search headed north into Arizona through the Virgin River Gap crossing into Utah. Mike Harrington, Super Chevy's associate editor, was our co-pilot. In addition to being an excellent photographer, Mike is a whiz with a laptop GPS. Mike routed us from just outside of St. George, Utah, into Zion National Park. For the average Zion tourist the sight of a brand-new GMC skidding sideways up to an abandoned old truck with several crazed miscreants bailing out with more expensive cameras than a busload of Japanese tourists visiting Disneyland had to be a little disturbing. It was a crying shame to blast past Zion's more traditional attractions, but we only had Friday morning until Sunday night to complete our entire mission.

Dropping out of Zion's red mountains, we passed through several little towns. Each one had three or four field trucks that looked intriguing, but it was at one of the last burgs before Interstate 70 that we made an interesting discovery. There was a little house on a big lot packed with rusted-out battered cars and trucks with sky-high prices painted on the windshield. Just when we had almost given up on the place, next to a sign listing a Web site proclaiming the joint to be some kind of classic vehicle connection there was a faded red Ford shortbed unibody for sale. As evidenced by the photos, the unibody Ford was pretty nice, and with an asking price of $1,800, it was a reasonable deal.

The farther north we headed in Utah, the rustier the trucks got. For anyone who's ever had to repair rust damage, it was obvious a lot of these trucks were way beyond saving. We couldn't help but wonder if there was a steady flow of rich dumb tourists buying the rusted hulks for souvenirs or if the sellers were just bored fishermen hoping to hook the big one.

There is one thing for sure--old pickups are the last frontier when it comes to finding vintage tin in a field and customizing it exactly how one wants to. Thankfully, things haven't progressed to the point they have with custom cars, where prospective builders are so concerned about hurting the value they are afraid to innovate. So what are you guys waiting for? Get out on the highway, find an old truck, drag it home, stuff it onto a new chassis with a big-inch engine, and we'll see you next summer at the shows.