Forever 16
Although no longer 16, William E. Townsend, of Caruthersville, MO, still feels like a kid when it comes to his rides. Although he's 52 years past the legal driving age and has owned numerous hot rods over the years, this '48 Ford tops the list. Here's how it came about:
"In August 2006 I was attending the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY, in my '39 Ford Coupe. It was the last day of the show and my friend and I were making one more trip to the exhibit hall to look around. I'd been looking for a pickup, and we walked up to this yellow '48 Ford that was for sale. After looking it over and driving it, I struck a deal with the seller and bought the truck on the spot.
"The truck had obviously been a work truck and was only in fair condition. I took the truck to Tony Pease's hot rod shop in Lenox, TN, and he stripped most of the paint, massaged and beat the dents out of the bed and fenders, and re-painted it Ford Inspiration Yellow.
"Some of the modifications included: a custom bed cover from Gaylord's, Diamondback whitewall tires, removal of the vent windows, a Hagen gas door in the rear fender, stainless steel gas tank, and '50 Pontiac LED taillights installed in the original Ford housings. We dressed up the engine with lots of chrome and used Boss Hoss chrome motorcycle heat deflectors on the headers.
"Bill Calkin's Recovery Room in Bradford, AR, did the interior. He used a distressed tan vinyl with ostrich-and-tan wool carpet for the interior and bed floor. We also had custom interior shifter and dash knobs made by Koolknobs. The truck was finished in April 2007. I've driven the truck to many shows, and Goodguys picked the truck for the Hot Hauler award in Nashville."
Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.