Back when I was about 16-17, a Grandfather of a friend of mine had passed away, and Grandma wanted to sell Grandpa's 67 Ranger shortbox to my buddy (her grandson) for I think $500.
I had been into Ford trucks since elementary school, so I already had my eye on this really sweet ride, and was more than jealous when he got first dibs on it and bought it. But I suppose that was the right thing to do! He got it on a Thursday or Friday, so we spent the weekend detailing it and other minor things teenagers do when they get new wheels.
It was a Minnesota truck, but grandpa loved it and took care of it, it has MINIMAL rust, and the grill was like new.
The interior equally as nice, I really liked the metallic dark green colors inside and out on this truck, my first car was a metallic green Dodge Challenger with matching interior, would have made a nice pair!
Grandpa DID take a broom and some green house paint to the box at some point--why I don't know but....
Over the weekend we called all our "cool car and truck" buddies and told them to meet us Monday in the school parking lot so we could line up all our classic vehicles and take pictures, that's why I had a camera along, remember this was back in the early 80's so digital cameras and cell phones were not the norm.
On the way to school monday morning, with another buddy and a girl crammed in the truck, we approached our own school bus and that's when I noticed my buddy pumping his foot rapidly on the brake, then suddenly jerking the column shift into second, and then attempting first....but it was too late, we slammed right into the back of our own bus!
(note the actual bus in the left of the pic) Apparently the brakes had 100% failed, and he didn't swerve around because he didn't want to risk hitting any kids trying to get to the bus (smart call considering he was 17 or so!) and thought he could manage the stop.
I banged up my right arm bracing against the passenger side of the dash, and the girl with us hurt her knees and shins against the dash in the middle, but really we came out of it fine in the end.
Later we put a different front clip on it and he used it for "just a truck" but it never returned to it's former glory, really a shame it was a great truck!
Makes me appreciate my 67 Ranger shortbox all the more, even though it's been over 25 years, you just never know when something will happen, and it's a great lesson about putting your restoration $$ into the mechanicals FIRST, then the outer beauty stuff!
